Seeker to Orthodoxy in Oklahoma

Hi Casey, It sounds to me that even tho you are living with your parents, they are not also Orthodox? And this means that if you want to go to an Orthodox church then you have to drive yourself? My heart goes out to you. I recommend being very careful where ever you go especially if you go alone. I certainly would not. I suggest at least finding a friend to accompany you. And with your age & gender, I would not allow myself to be in the company of any man at any church alone. Consider me for example. Would your parents feel safe if they knew you were going to a place with people like me there? Meanwhile, I suggest reading the message threads under the category of things not to do in church. You might be surprised at the seemingly strange things some people expect. Walt

Hi! I would try to contact the parish Priest in Bixby to see if he may know of anyone near your town who can give you a ride. For now just prepare yourself by reading the Fathers, and watching Liturgy on-line here: http://www.goarch.org/chapel/live/ It's a poor substitute to the real as there's no Eucharist, but it's great if you can't make it to a parish regularly. Many blessings! Chuck

Are you from a protestant background? If so, I can recommend a couple books. Do speak with your parents about going.

Hello everyone! thank you for the replies and welcomes. Walter: no unfortunately my parents aren't orthodox or even Christian. I'm the only believer in my family at this moment. And I'd definitely not want to drive alone to the church, so making a few friends in town would be my best and soonest way of getting to attend a service. I have contacted Fr. Ambrose, i sent him my testimony and my spiritual background/current spiritual state. :) Gamliel: I was a non-denominational before i discovered Orthodoxy. I'd love any book recommendations you have.

When I was a protestant, I read Eastern Orthodoxy Through Western Eyes by Donald Fairbairn. He is a protestant, but I think he gives a fair view of protestants and Orthodox. He also gives a suggestion of books to read about Orthodoxy by Orthodox authors at the end of his book. When you are ready to read books by Orthodox, you may want to try Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life by Anthony Coniaris, which I have not read. Two that I have are The Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware. His writing is clear and concise. You may find the Orthodox Study Bible helpful. Its notes will help you learn how the Orthodox view Scripture. Even though your parents are not Christian, try to keep good relations with them. When you go to Liturgy, after awhile your actions may be a testimony to them. --May the LORD be with you. --Gamaliel

Casey, I recommend reading anything written by Fr. Seraphim Rose. In particular, I benefited from reading his \"Othrodoxy and the Religion of the Future.\" It gives a lot of background on strange things you might run into. But of all things, what is most important is prayer. I recommend that every night you fall asleep, you do so holding a prayer rope and doing the Jesus prayer. There is no experience like waking up in the morning still using the prayer rope realizing that you did it all night -- or something like that. I don't remember, but I think it's the best kind of sleep you can get. I hope things go well with your parents. I would be worried that they might find fault with your pursuits and try to impute restrictions or disapproval. There always seems to be much to talk about concerning church politics & scandal, so I would keep these topics to an absolute minimum so that they don't have reason to worry or complain. It is always fun to tell people about the lives of saints, so I use this strategy to reach people. You might try it on your family. If you start talking about Christ right away, some people throw up a wall. But if you tell them a nice story about a miracle then they accept the story with Christ attached. It's kind of a trojan horse sort of thing. Walt

welcome home

Hey everyone, i want to say Many glorious thanks to all of you! your reccomendations I believe will help tremendously in my newfound faith. :) I do still respect my parents, and for this reason I havent yet attempted to catch a ride to a church in fear of dissapointing them. But when I start to grow in my faith, They must understand I have to follow God's will for me. Walter: sharing the saint's stories sounds like a great idea! my mom actually would probably enjoy hearing about them, due to she tends to relate to St. Brigid. She even believes in angels so thats a start!

Welcome, and greetings from Vancouver, BC!

Greetings Cyprian!!! may peace be with you! in Christ casey

This is all good advice but the best advice you could get is from your parish priest.. Books are good to read but many many Orthodox books and books on Orthodoxy can be verry hard to understand and do more harm than good! its best to keep it simple now and make sure to talk to your parish priest. i know this is a little late as i havent seen your post untill now but hopefuly you already know all of it lol.

Hey OK Princess, Sorry I just now saw your post. I was Non-Denom until I converted two years ago. I am so happy I did. Hope you are finding your way. Feel free to email me anytime. :)