Testing this theory, perhaps if I use the words Review, Orthodox, Christian, Harry Potter, Half Blood Prince — should I remove the commas? — my hits will multiply. Like Fr John, I used to be opposed to the Harry Potter books. Now, views from B16 aside (has the Pope read them?), I’ve even recommended the Harry Potter books to help folks learn about spiritual warfare. A friend, Fr Mark, encouraged me to just read the first book. As a latecomer,... Read more

by Frederica Mathewes-Green“The need is felt to join forces and spare no energies” to renew dialogue between Catholic and Orthodox Christians, said Pope Benedict XVI. In comments to delegates of the Patriarch of Constantinople on June 30, the pope explained that “the unity we seek is neither absorption nor fusion, but respect for the multiform fullness of the Church.” Outsiders may wonder: Why don’t those two venerable denominations just kiss and make up? From the outside, they look a lot... Read more

The Missuz and I have gone on wonderfully flat walks this week. Old knees, used to the mountains, have enjoyed!This is the man I spent most of my day with — shown here examining a sandflea.The life of a soon-to-be eleven year old.So, on the way to Ripley’s Aquarium, Basil was counting his money. He had $20 that his grandmother had given him. He asked, “Dad, will I have any money left after buying my ticket to the aquarium?” I... Read more

This monster thrilled beachgoers for, so says my mother-in-law, one hour and 15 minutes. I have my own mother to thank. She bought it for my 7-year old son. I flew it; he glanced at it. (It was actually kinda fun :)Helen, having heard that one can hear the ocean in a sea shell, tries out the theory on each and every little one.This may be Mrs Huneycutt’s debut on this blog. Here she is, enjoying Basil’s kite.Basil, on the... Read more

We interrupt this vacation to bring you the following opinion of Fr Josiah Trenham …IS IT JUST ME? Or have you also wondered in all the national discussion we are having about social security and its ailments and what is necessary to fix it- that the most obvious cause of the problem and its most obvious solution is being studiously ignored? The main cause of the projected deficit (bankruptcy) of the SS fund is a depletion of younger workers, which... Read more

Ah yes, another day about to dawn — the way you sleep when you’re 3. Almost posing. More realistic. The tail end of the boogie board fight. Remnants of Hurricane Dennis finally arrive. Pretty cool, huh? Cameras can’t do justice to double rainbows. My wife took this pic. God willing, goodbye Dennis. Read more

Served Liturgy with Fr Gabriel at St Nicholas, Myrtle Beach, SC. Dead, yes. But an unusual sight whilst out walking nonetheless. Nightly walk, stressing the camera. This morning on the way to church, we saw a mother duck leading her babes across the road. What a beautiful, wonderful sight! I often use the phrase “ducks in a row” — as in getting my “ducks in a row”. Being a fairly organized person, I appreciate ducks in a row. But nothing... Read more

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Off to the Coast for the week. Will try to blog — especially pics. The thing about blogging is: You gotta be regular to keep readers. Then again, Amy Welborn linked me last month and my numbers will never be that high again anyway. 🙂 Read more

Fr Gregory of “Antioch Abouna” posts from England on the terrorist attack on London. Another blogging priest, Fr John Parker (OCA). This is the same priest who was mentioned here last month. Check out his blog. Today, July 8th, is the birthday of the novelist and short story writer J.F. Powers, born in Jacksonville, Illinois (1917). He was a writer who didn’t have too many readers in his lifetime. He wrote primarily about the lives of Catholic priests. But after... Read more