A Day at the Ballpark!

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros

During the past three summers, Kh. Jennifer was in some form of summer school, while I had to work the majority of the summer. That left us with very little time, physical energy, or emotional energy to plan, or much less to actually do, very many fun things with the kids. But, thanks be to God, Jennifer is off this whole summer. So this summer, we are doing lots and lots of fun stuff with the kids. In fact, by today, we've probably already gone more places and done more fun things than we did the past three summers combined.

Houston is the fourth largest city in the U. S., and it offers a great variety of fun things to do for all ages, especially if you don't mind driving up to an hour. Jennifer and I actually bought a book called 170 Fun Things to Do in Houston, and the book has given us many great ideas. Despite the fact that I grew up in this town and have lived here (this time around) since 2001, I knew about very few of the attractions. Two things in particular of which I was not aware are the Skyloft of the Chase Tower and the tunnel system in downtown. The Chase Tower is the tallest building in Houston, and at the very top floor is the "Skyloft," which is open to the public and which offers (I hear, anyway) a great view of the entire city. The tunnels are a series of underground passages that connect many of the main buildings in downtown. Jennifer proposed that we take the kids to see both of these attractions, and I readily agreed.

We set out Friday morning (thankfully, I don't work on Fridays during the summer), July 3 to see the loft and the tunnels. Unfortunately, we found to our dismay that the Chase Tower was closed for the holiday, and that the tunnels were only partly accessible. So, we had driven to downtown, paid nine dollars in parking, and were stuck there with nothing to do. Nothing, that is, until an idea occurred to me: Why not take a tour of Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros? It wasn't far away, and taking a tour of the stadium was something that I had always wanted to do. I had been to dozens of games at Minute Maid since '01, but for some reason, I had never gotten around to taking the tour.

So we quickly returned to the car and rushed over to Minute Maid Park. It turned out that there was a tour starting in just 15 minutes! What luck! So, we parked again (only paying $3 this time) and took the tour. It was a great deal of fun for everyone. Of course, I probably enjoyed it the most. I have been a big baseball fan since I was seven years old, and I have cheered for the Astros since then (yes, I'm a sucker for lost causes, but hey, at least we went to the World Series once, even if we did get blown out in four straight games!).

During the tour, we got to go to various places of interest: the Upper Deck, the luxury suites, the broadcast booths, and other places. But the best part of the tour was when we actually got to go down onto the field (but not onto the grass, mind you!). Here are some photos of the highlights.

Kh. Jennifer and the kids in the Astros' dugout

Me and the kids. Note that I'm wearing a replica of the Astros' (in)famous "Rainbow" Jersey from the 70's and 80's....well, sort of...

The grass on the field is cut every day. And each day, the infield is watered by hand, while the outfield has a sprinkler system. This occurs 365 days a year...whether or not there is a game. The grass is real grass, and the park has a retractable roof. It stays open only if there are no high winds or rain and the outside temperature is 85 degrees or less...in other words, not very often during the baseball season!


For an extra 10 dollars, you can have an Astros coach hit you a long fly ball to attempt to catch. I made a beautiful running, leaping grab, but unfortunately, I lost the ball and my glove over the wall...along with my hat for good measure! The look of agony on my face says it all.

Minute Maid Park is the only major league baseball stadium with a hill in center field. It also has the deepest center field wall in all of baseball--436 feet! To make things even more challenging, there is a flagpole in the field of play. A few center fielders have crashed into this pole, and one even broke his collarbone. Crazy...

Just over the center field wall is a restaurant, where you can sit, enjoy a nice meal, and watch the game (albeit from about 450 feet away). A few years ago, I was at a game and saw someone actually hit a ball into the restaurant. The ball landed on one of the tables. Can you imagine having dinner and all of a sudden a baseball lands in your soup?

The stadium features and old-fashioned manually-changed scoreboard, which displays the inning-by-inning results of all the other games of that day. It is operated by about five people. Here is an inside view of the scoreboard, which is two stories high.

And here's an outside view of the scoreboard, which gets hit by balls all the time during most games.

Here's the main entrance to the stadium, lined by...you guessed it...giant baseballs! Christine is hot and tired!

If you're ever in Houston, and especially if you live in Houston, I highly recommend a tour of Minute Maid Park. Even if you're not a baseball fan (and too many people aren't these days!), you'll have a good time. It takes just over an hour, is not terribly expensive, and part of it is in air-conditioned comfort.

The Hales' Journey, Part 21: The Podcast!

If you have enjoyed Clint and Debbies' series of posts about their pilgrimage to Orthodoxy (and it is clear that many of you have!), then treat yourself now to listening to the audio version! I recently interviewed Clint and Debbie for the Journeys to Orthodoxy podcast on the Orthodox Christian Network. You are sure to love this interview, as Clint and Debbie's Southern wit and humor really shine through. Click here to download the podcast. Enjoy!

The Hales' Journey, part 20: Debbie's Perspective (4)

I remember being very nervous the next day when I told Clint that he had been right all along about the Orthodox Church. I am not really sure why I was nervous. After all, I knew he was not going to be angry with me. He was very surprised, but happy. Clint told me that the next logical step should be to actually visit an Orthodox church. Intellectually, I had decided it was the right place, but there is only so much you can learn by reading. Experiencing it was a whole other matter. I agreed.

Due to the fact that Clint was a preacher on Sunday mornings, the only time we could go was on Saturdays for Vespers. We decided to go to Holy Cross Orthodox Church, a small mission church, an hour away in North Carolina.

That very first service completely overwhelmed me: I did not understand anything that was going on, the smoke from the censer made me kind of woozy, and my feet hurt from all that standing. I also had a huge problem with Mary and with the icons. To me (the artistic one), the icons were badly painted portraits, and even though I had read that the Orthodox do not worship them, it still looked that way to me, because of all the kissing and bowing. Also, Mary seemed to be elevated to near-equality with Christ, and I certainly did not like that. Obviously, I still had a lot to learn.

Through it all, I knew this was where I was supposed to be, so I trusted God to guide me. There were many things I did not understand, but I do remember that from that first week on, I really loved the singing. The songs were so beautiful, so Heaven-like that everything in me wanted to sing along, like I used to in the Church of Christ. (Too bad I did not know any of these songs).

We attended Vespers every week, and got to know Fr. Christopher Foley and his family. He went way out of his way to help us. He answered our questions after services, and even drove to our home several times to study with us. He was very patient and understanding.

During this time I continued to read Fr. Stephen’s blog. The way he worded things just kind of “spoke” to me. What was even more interesting is that on more than one occasion, when I would be struggling with something, amazingly the next day his blog would address that very issue. This happened way too frequently to be coincidence, and it really strengthened my new-found faith. Everything was going smoothly.

Over the next few months our life made a complete turn-around. With the help of Fr. James Early, Clint was able to resign as a pulpit minister, and take a job as a High School teacher in Houston, Texas. We sold our home in Virginia (in 3 weeks), and moved home to Texas. The day before we left, we attended one last service with Fr. Christopher and were “officially” received as catechumens. It was a very exciting day.

We settled into our home in Houston, and began attending services at St. Joseph’s Antiochian Orthodox church. We met Fr. Matthew, and continued on as catechumens, attending services, and going to his Catechumen class every Sunday after the Liturgy. I soaked up every word, scribbling down notes as fast as I could. I learned so much in that class, and Clint and I would discuss what we had learned on the drive home.

For me this was a tough time, however, because now I was actually going to have to tell my parents that Clint and I were converting to Orthodoxy. I knew they were going to take it hard, and they may even disown me, but I just kept thinking to myself that it was worth it, no matter what. Although I was really scared that they were going to go completely ballistic, when I finally told them, they were shocked, but they did not disown me. Naturally they did not like that I was leaving the Church of Christ, but even my dad said that we had to do what was right for our family. I was surprised that they all handled it so well.

As much as I want to sometimes, I do not push Orthodoxy onto them. Now, that does not mean that I do not take advantage of situations every now and again to kind of “throw” something out there for them to ponder over. I just remember how I had felt when Clint tried to shove Orthodoxy onto me, and so I do not want to push them away with my being overzealous. However, if they ask me a question, they know I am going to give them a very full answer. And my mom, my dad, and my sister have all had questions from time to time. My father even asked me to recommend some books for him to read. He said that he wanted to know more about Orthodoxy, and to make sure that we were still worshipping God. (Yeah, dad, I think we've got that one covered).

As this past Pascha was getting closer, and it was nearing the time for us to be baptized and chrismated, I invited my family to come. My mom ended up being the only one who could attend, but we were glad that she got to experience at least a taste of Orthodoxy. Clint and I tried to prepare her for what she would see and hear during the service, but just like me, a year before, I think she was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. (Fr. Matthew was throwing basil leaves at her, after all). I was excited afterwards when I saw her sneak a few tracts in her purse.

The day was a wonderful new beginning for our entire family—one that will forever be etched in my memory—and I am so thankful that God brought us down this road. My only regret is that I did not realize the truth sooner. When I think back to my years growing up in the Church of Christ, I am thankful. Fr. Matthew told us one time that it was a good foundation. It was. I learned to love God there. I am ashamed to think about all those times I got angry with God for making me who I was, and giving me the “wrong” gifts. God created me the way he wanted me to be—he created me to be Orthodox.

More on my Book

Here's an update on my forthcoming book: I should have some copies in my hands in no more than two weeks. I am going to set up something on this blog so that you can purchase a copy using Pay Pal (a la Fr. Joseph Huneycutt). Of course, you can also order a copy directly from Regina Orthodox Press (click here to do so), but if you do this, you won't get a SIGNED copy--a sine qua non for many of you (ha!).

For your information, and as promised, here are some words that some very nice people had to say about the book (and I didn't even have to pay them much to say them!). In many if not all cases, they are being much too kind!



A gifted writer—and a devout, Christ-loving priest—Father James Early skillfully takes his readers along on the adventures which he undertook with his wife Jennifer. In From Baptist to Bosnia to Byzantium we become the Earlys' fellow travelers from Texas to Prague to Tuzla to Banja Luka as we experience what they experience, see what they see, hear what they hear. But their—our!—real adventure is not the journey from the U.S. to the Czech Republic to Bosnia, but an improbable journey from earth to heaven which began with one step that the author took into Banja Luka's Church of the Holy Trinity. I am grateful for the invitation to go along with the Earlys on this God-directed adventure and am sure that you, dear reader, will be too!

+ B A S I L
Bishop of Wichita and the Diocese of Mid-America
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese



Fr. James’s story of his conversion is a look at the courageous struggle he and his family had to go through to follow God’s will and become Orthodox Christians.

Because of Fr. James’s time in the Baptist Church and as a foreign missionary he has a very unique understanding of the Orthodox Church from the outside. His story is one of a change in perspective and seeing things in a new way. His experience of looking into the Orthodox Church from a Protestant “point of view” should be very helpful for others that are finding themselves in the same situation or circumstances.

Fr. James reminds the reader that his conversion to Orthodoxy was not just about aesthetics or “smells & bells.” His conversion was drawing closer to the Christ found in the Gospels and the ancient community that Christ established.

The V. Rev. Fr. Matthew Mackay, Pastor
St. Joseph Orthodox Church, Houston, TX



What if a former missionary penned a story about his journey to Orthodoxy in a writing style reminiscent of a good Southern Baptist? Suppose there was someone who could speak/write/teach like a Baptist though using newly discovered precepts of the ancient faith. That would be a rarity.

Many adult converts to Orthodox Christianity leave behind not only their former beliefs, but also their former vocabulary. Then, especially if they write about it, they seem to acquire another tongue to tell the tale; or worse, their writing is laced with anger and resentment at their former denomination. Not here. Fr James Early writes like a Baptist who loves the Lord and as a seeker who traveled the world to, much to his surprise, find the Church.

The Rev. Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, assistant priest, St. George Orthodox Church, Houston, TX and author of One Flew Over the Onion Dome and Defeating Sin



Fr. James Early’s book From Baptist to Byzantium is an absolute must read for all converts to the Orthodox Christian faith. His style is simple, clear, and personable. Those who are lifelong “cradle” Orthodox will also be blessed and enlightened by it. The combination of his having been an engineer, a missionary, and a school teacher make him an excellent communicator of deep and important truths. Read it—you’ll enjoy it!

Having made a similar journey, being raised in a faithful Baptist family, going to a Baptist college, graduating from the same Baptist seminary as Fr. James, and having served 12 ½ years as a Baptist pastor and missionary, I fully entered into the struggles he describes so well in his book. Even if your denominational background is different than Fr. James’ and mine, I believe you will be enlightened and encouraged by his and Jennifer’s journey. If you are one who has struggled with your faith journey, this book will bless you.

The V. Rev. Fr. Gordon Walker, Pastor Emeritus, St. Ignatius Orthodox Church, Franklin, TN, and president, Grace Ministries, Inc.



In this moving story of his family's encounter with Eastern Orthodoxy, Father James Early reminds us that Truth often comes at a great price. But as he struggles to come to terms with ancient Orthodox Christianity--as he discovers Christ in the hearts of its people, in its doctrine, and in its worship--he also proves it is well worth the cost. This book is an excellent general introduction to the Orthodox faith, and a must-read for evangelical Christians involved with mission work in Orthodox countries.

Matthew Gallatin, Orthodox teacher, speaker, and author of Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells and the Pilgrims from Paradise podcast on Ancient Faith Radio



Remarkable things can happen to those who earnestly seek the Truth and courageously follow Christ wherever He leads them. Father James Early’s account of discovering the richness of Orthodoxy through ministering to Bosnian Christians as a Baptist missionary will both inspire and enlighten its readers. What would possibly possess a family man to surrender a familiar environment, a secure income, and a solid reputation within his own faith community? I urge you to explore that question throughout the pages of this book and to find out for yourself how fulfilling and utterly persuasive the answer can be.

Molly Sabourin, author of the Close to Home weblog and Ancient Faith Radio podcast and contributing editor of The Handmaiden magazine.



God guides people to the Church in varied and often unexpected ways, and it is always a blessing to hear converts to Orthodoxy share their testimony -- but Fr. James Early's account of how he went to Bosnia as a Baptist on a mission to convert the Serbs, and came back a convert to Orthodoxy, is one that is especially fascinating and edifying to read.

The Rev. Fr. John Whiteford, Pastor, St. Jonah of Manchuria Orthodox Church, Houston, TX, and author of Sola Scriptura



While on a mission to bring the Truth of Christ to the people of Bosnia, the author finds himself swept up into the heavenly worship of the indigenous Bosnian faithful. While honoring the strengths of his Baptist background, Fr. James recounts his own journey to the Holy Orthodox Church, plainly presenting how Orthodox Christianity shows itself to be not a replica of a first century faith community, but the Ancient Church itself.

From Baptist to Bosnia to Byzantium will engage Evangelical seekers and resonate with Protestant missionaries who have served in Eastern European lands.

The Rev. Fr. Peter Jon Gillquist, Pastor, All Saints Orthodox Christian Church, Bloomington, IN, and best-selling recording artist



This book is an engaging account of the conversion to Orthodox Christianity by a Baptist missionary preacher, the personal and practical challenges he faced and his spiritual and intellectual struggle with theological questions raised when history and Scripture clashed with deeply-held, cherished beliefs. The unfolding of God's plan in the life of one young couple, their openness to following the path which the Holy Spirit gradually revealed to them and how their faith and trust in God sustained and guided them is both a unique personal story, but also one which will resonate with every reader.

Dr. Eugenia Constantinou, adjunct professor of biblical studies, University of San Diego, and host of the Search the Scriptures podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

A Metropolitan Reflects on Prayer, part 5 and conclusion

How to Pray? (continued from part 4)

A sixth rule is to keep the balance between group prayer and personal prayer. Man is not primarily an individual. It is as a member of the Body of Christ that he has any standing before God. Therefore it is important for us to come into the presence of God regularly as a community - as a family, as a youth group, as a local congregation. And a community is composed of all kinds of people, not all of them exactly like you. They have different tastes, different ways of praying, different habits of prayer. I have to join them even sometimes when I think that their way of worship is not what it should be. Without participating in community worship and making the necessary adjustments for joining them, we cannot get rid of our selfishness and pride, and grow to be a real human being.

But community worship is not enough by itself. We need various levels of community with varying degrees of intensity of relationship. The youth group and the family are more intimate communities than the congregation. New forms can be used in these smaller groups which will be difficult or unfamiliar for the congregation as a whole. The prayers in this book are mainly meant for family and group worship, but can also be used for personal prayer in the privacy of your own room at home or in the hostel.


A seventh rule is that prayer should be nourished by reading of the Scriptures and meditation. One can discipline one self to read a chapter of Scripture every day.

Read aloud or silently. Meditate on the meaning of the passage. Devotional books may be helpful, but may also obscure the meaning of the Scripture. Do not worry about whether the reading of Scriptures gives you a feeling of devotion or not. Feelings are deceptive. What you need to find out is the answer to the following questions: "What was God saying to the people of that time through this passage? What does God say to me now?"

Systematic reading of the Scriptures and memorizing some passages which touch you deeply will be found very helpful as life advances. You will be grateful to God in your middle age that you started reading and memorizing when your mind was still impressionable.


Conclusion

All these rules are to help you to be become a praying Christian. Only your own sustained and disciplined practice will make you perfect. But remember one thing, prayer can never be isolated from common worship of the Eucharist and from the continuous, active compassionate love for your fellow men.Let us all pray: "Lord, Teach us to pray. Amen."


METROPOLITAN PAULOS MAR GREGORIOS, Appendix: "What is Prayer? Why Pray? How Pray? (written for Orthodox young people in India)" pages 76-83 "The Joy of Freedom" 1967 (republished 1986 by CLS, Madras, India)

The Hales' Journey, Part 19 - Debbie's Perspective (4)

After we had settled into our new home, Clint emailed me a link to a blog he had found. He assured me that he was not trying to push Orthodoxy on me, but he thought I might enjoy the daily devotionals. The link was to “Glory to God for all Things” by Fr. Stephen Freeman. I, of course, wanted nothing to do with it, but for some reason I resisted the urge to hit the delete key.

For several weeks it just sat in my inbox, staring me in the face. I knew that Clint had started reading books about Orthodoxy, and visiting Orthodox sites on the internet, again. I could have continued to ignore what he was doing, hoping it would magically go away, but one day I had finally decided enough was enough. My husband was living a lie, and I was determined to set him straight, once and for all.

The first thing I needed was ammunition—I needed to know all I could about this Orthodox Church, so that I could show him how it was wrong. So the search began. One night after Clint had gone to bed, I opened that email and went to Fr. Stephen’s blog. I honestly cannot remember the very first entry I read, but I do remember thinking that he had not said anything too strange or weird, nor did he say anything I would disagree with. For about a week, that was all I did. I would go and read Fr. Stephen’s blog, not realizing how it was slowly changing me even then.

Then one night, I decided that I needed to look at the history of the church from the beginning. If I was going to prove to Clint, once and for all, that Orthodoxy was not the church the Apostles started, then I had to find out which one they did. What was funny is that no matter what I typed into Google—History of the Church, Church History, The Early Church, etc.—the same thing kept coming up at the top. Orthodoxy. I was completely stunned. I scoured the internet for hours – reading, digging, watching videos. I needed to know the truth, and I needed to know it right then!

By the time the early morning came, I knew what that truth was, and it was Orthodoxy. It was like this light finally came on, and I could see clearly for the first time. Clint had been right all this time, but I had just been too pig-headed and stubborn to listen. That is when I completely broke down and cried for a long time. I cried for my stubbornness, but I also cried for what this was going to do to our lives. Would our kids be okay? What were my parents going to think? What were we going to do with the house we just bought? How were we going to support ourselves?

For a while it was a little overwhelming, but the more I opened up to God, the more comforted I felt. I had trusted him my entire life, why should I stop now? I knew the road ahead was probably going to be bumpy, but I had to do what was right, no matter the cost. Now, how was I going to tell Clint?

Star of Hope Visit

Last Saturday, a group of folks from St. Joseph's and I went and volunteered at the Star of Hope mission. This is the fifth total time that a group from our parish has volunteered at the mission (to read my reflection on an earlier visit, click here). Every time we go, we end up being more blessed than the folks that we are trying to help. Here are a few photos of our time there.

The sandwiches were stacked by the serving line with care...

Mike, Mike and Danielle are ready and eager to serve...

Ghada and Mairi put the finishing touch on each plate...a bag of chips!

Sylvia and Kim had watermelon duty. Who needs a knife when you can split them with your bare hands?

Mary Ann and Margaret are happy to have dish duty!


Just before our group was to leave, one of the workers at the mission told us, "You are the ONLY group that actually helps us clean up after lunch is over! Every other volunteer group just comes, serves lunch, and leaves! We really appreciate you cleaning up!" We told them it was our pleasure...part of the job, the way we see it.

We really have enjoyed being a part of this outreach to Houston's homeless population. I think beginning this fall we will go more often.