Chiefly On Angels

Well, being a couch potato has it's advantages when you can't do much anyway.  I've been able to do some spring cleaning on my blog, add some pages and complete some digital projects that I've had on the burner for quite some time.  My favorite new page is the tribute to one of my all time favorite people, Mr. C.S. Lewis and is called Mere Christian which you can get to through the link above.  John Cleese' rendering of Screwtape is simply some of the best spoken word stuff you will ever hear and you can find that and much more on that page.

For this post I'd like to focus chiefly on angels.  I recently did an experiment in which I read C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy and interspersed it with readings from Mother Alexandra's book entitled The Holy Angels.  For me, these were weeks filled with such a clarity, love and longing for celestial things that I am sure to repeat the experiment in years to come.  There is perhaps no greater undertaking in novel form dealing with the subject of heavenly beings than Lewis' work here.  It could alter your cosmology altogether.  Then again, it may just give you some insight into a more traditional framework of the structure of the spiritual realms than you will ever be afforded with the tripe that Hollywood and other Christian novelists serve up almost daily.


Mother Alexandra's work is a scholarly and patient plodding through the traditional teachings of Judaism and Christianity on the subject.  I knew I wouldn't be able to read it straight through (lacking the focus and patience) however I thought that if I rewarded myself with reading a chapter or two of Lewis' novels every time I completed a chapter of The Holy Angels that I might just get through it.  It worked splendidly and the result is now that I would love to actually repeat the experiment on a larger scale with more people, that is, teach a class on the four books.  We will see if it pleases God to let this come to pass some day.

A fifth book I may add to the mix is one that a friend wrote more recently entitled Sojourning With Angels.  It approaches the unseen realm from quite a different perspective than either Lewis or Mother Alexandra.  One of the scariest notions of the after life in my opinion is that of the Russian Orthodox Aerial Toll Houses.  It is also highly controversial even among the Russians.  The book explores that construct along with the daily routine of our guardian angels.  It is a highly entertaining and quick read but still well grounded in the more traditional approach to the spirit world.  All five of these books would be a blast to discuss together in my opinion.  But what would entice folks to do such a crazy thing?  Only a class for college credit I assume, so until that is possible, I guess I'll just have to wait.

A Personal Explanation of my Love for Angels
I love the Holy Angels.  It is true.  Even from childhood I was drawn to learn about them.

I remember when I was first learning to read and the only "grown-up" books I owned were given to me by my Church and my Mother.  The Church gave me a copy of the Living New Testament, the one with the picture of a little boy on his Daddy's shoulders and the words "The Greatest Is Love" on the front cover.

My Mother bought me Billy Graham's "Angels:  God's Secret Agents" from A TV promo when I asked for it.  Being all of 6 or 7 years of age I struggled through but never finished either book at the time.  I really tried to read that Angels book though and looking back on it, it seems a bit extraordinary that I was so keen to learn about them.  I've never known another kid that age that would delve that deeply anyway.


In my high school years I became pals with C.S. Lewis and eventually read his Space Trilogy.  I loved it then but now I return to it over and over because it is chock full of Angelic interaction in the most unconventional and creative ways.  It is also a wry and humorous commentary of the buffoonery that often parades about as some sort of an "advanced science".  I love anything that pokes a little fun at that serious, humorless H.G. Wellsian type science and who better to do it than Well's jolly contemporary, Lewis?  Of course Wells has been supplanted by other buffoons currently and Lewis' flag has been passed on to the incredibly witty David Bentley Hart.  See my review of one of his funnier books here.

Most recently however, I have stumbled onto a little known work by an Abbess in Pennsylvania simply titled "The Holy Angels".  Like Billy Graham did in the early 70s, Mother Alexandria does some thorough but concise scouring of scripture.  Unlike Billy Graham she doesn't stop there.

As a persecuted and exiled Romanian Orthodox Princess who was married to a Roman Catholic in Anglican territory she has deep love and respect for the big three Christian Traditions.  As such she draws heavily upon the Church Fathers, Church liturgy, art and iconography.

For me the best chapter of her book was on the Angels as revealed in church liturgy.  It was here that I  was reminded why I am so drawn to the Liturgy that bears the name of St. John Chrysostom, an Eastern Church Father.

The eastern liturgies are brimming over with the sense of worshipping with the Angelic Hosts in the heavenly realm.  Abbess Alexandria's chapter on this is so good that I've typed it out in its entirety for my reference.  Since it is copyrighted in 1986 I have posted it privately here for further study only.

The Power of Love

R. Leo Olson's first novel Sojourning with Angels positively beams with it.  Perhaps one phrase cannot possibly capture a book, but T-bone Burnett's song haunts me as I write (listen):

The power of love, can make a blind man see
Can bring a man to his knees
The power of love, can make a sultan grieve
Can make a skeptic believe

From the opening pages we feel this power strong at work.  Oh yeah,... and the power of hate, lust, greed, pride, etc., weigh in with force as well.  The characters slide off the page and directly into your heart or under your skin.  We have Milo the sleazy real estate guy, Lilly the seductive co-worker, Milo's feisty mother, a homeless guy, a whiskey priest and Natalie, Milo's pregnant wife for starters.

The power of love is south of south
And scorches out all the doubt
The power of love is the name of names
And burns away all the pain

Angels and demons show up as well.  The hidden realms are made visible to the reader throughout... and some of the book's characters can see them too.  Three angels specifically are highlighted along with a host of other spiritual beings.  I know, it's been done in countless books before, but in my opinion not quite like this.  The author has dug deep into both biblical and other ancient sources to bring the spiritual realm to life.  (See author's notes)

As the sordid details of Milo's life are laid before him by these spiritual beings, the burn and the pain become extremely real to him.  "I never knew!" screams his comatose body to Natalie, and her loving concern for his distress moves her to deft action and a search for answers.

The power of love can make a gangster cry
Can make a loser try
The power of love can make a strong man weak
Can make a bigot meek

For me, Natalie's strong love caries the whole book.  She lives Song of Solomon chapter eight:

"...for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away."

In the process she draws people together across forbidden lines.  Love does that.  The Bible Church Pastor and the whiskey priest alike cannot escape her loving embrace.

The power of love can make a coward brave
Can make a hero afraid
The power of love can make a miser give
Can make a dead man live

Natalie goes to great lengths to understand her husband's situation and do something about it if she somehow can.  The question is, can she?  

Controversial?  Hell yes.  Heavens yes.  Literally.
Dogmatic?  First of all ummm.. it's fiction... dogmatism isn't the point.
Healing?  To me it sure was.
Gripping?  I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.  Even caught a cold (staying up too late) to prove it.

You know what?  I'm done here.  I need to go re-read it right now.

Metaphor Music Pt. 3: The Tune

Probably my all time favorite musical metaphor was created by chance by Larry Norman in a concert.  He improvised the entire thing live after he flubbed up a bit on the piano and jokingly said "Once there was a tune!" to kind of mock himself.  The rest is history.

As I've become increasingly disillusioned with the post-modern, nihilistic spirit I have found some humor in the lines half way through the song that kind of poke fun of the absurdity of "absolutely no absolutes":


"Well, it doesn't really matter what tune you play
As long as you play something
And you don't hurt anybody - especially me."


Standing in solidarity with Larry Norman and countless others, I reject this statement. Tunes (ideas, ideologies) matter. They can lead our souls to life or death.

In 2005 I made a little slide show that goes with it and posted it on YouTube.  You can watch it here if you like. 

Below are all the lyrics.  Enjoy!
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Once there was a tune and everyone knew how it went
But as time went by, people began to forget
Until at last no one could remember.
And there was hatred, and wars, and death.

Then one day somebody said, "How does the tune go?"

"There is no tune, there never was; it's only a myth."
These were the philosophers.

"You mean there's no tune at all?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter what tune you play
As long as you play something."
These were the religious leaders.

And so the world played on.
And there was hatred, and wars, and death.

Then one day the people became weary of this song
And they all sat down on the side of a hill
And suddenly they heard a very strange voice
And somebody said, "That sounds like the tune."

"There is no tune, there never was, there never will be."

"Well, it doesn't really matter what tune you play
As long as you play something
And you don't hurt anybody - especially me."

But the people listened
And a man appeared before them
With a smile on his face
And a sad look, too,
And he was singing the tune.

And some of the people began to sing along.

And the people who loved Him
Decided to follow him,
But the people who hated him
Decided to kill him. And they did.

And when it was finished,
They went back to their houses of philosophy and religion
And they sat down to their tables to eat and drink.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a familiar voice
And they ran to their windows and looked outside
To see who it was. It was him.

And they became confused and afraid
And they wondered how they could be rid of him
Once and for all.
And while they were watching him,
Something very strange happened.

"How did he do that?"
"I don't really know, but he's gone...
And when trouble goes, you don't ask where.
He'll never return again. I hope."

Yet again they were interrupted.
This time they ran out into the streets to lay hold of him
But they couldn't find him.
Just a lot of people smiling, and they all know the tune.

And when the people made a mistake
They stopped and they listened.
That's how they knew the tune,
Because they listened.

And if you listen, you'll heart it.
It's all around you.

Just listen to your radio,
Watch television,
Listen to your leaders, to the authorities,
To the governments, to the experts.

But if you really listen,
You can hear another tune,
But you have to listen quietly,
And you have to listen every day.

Metaphor Music Pt. 2: A Gambler

The Strange Case of Frank Cash and the Morning Paper
by T-bone Burnett

This song has been a long time favorite of mine.  It's easy to love story telling songs for me,especially those with a little humor and a twist like this one.  Judge it for yourself.  I've got a link here so you can listen to it in low quality.  If you want the high quality stuff go support the artist and buy it on iTunes or with this Amazon link.



Here are the lyrics:

it was late september two years ago
frank cash was down on his luck
he'd made a killing at churchill downs
and that left him somewhat thunderstruck

so he rented a place down on lonely street
he was looking for somewhere to hide
the paper showed up at the door every day
and he'd go through the classifieds

then one morning he turned to the sports page
and he noticed that something was strange
the race results were from the day before
but the football scores were from next week's games
frank felt a scared and a little deranged
but a switch board lit up in his brain

that sunday he watched in amazement
as the scores flashed by on his tv set
monday morning he ran for the paper
and made it to the phone and began placing bets
he put ten thousand that night on the jets
ten grand he didn't have on the jets

it happened like that the whole season
he couldn't even count all the money he'd made
he started buying italian women and shoes
which he kept on a sprawling estate on the lake
and by that i don't mean by the lake
i mean ON the lake

he waited all summer for the football to start
the maiden brought him the paper every day
but all he could find was yesterday's scores
the damned paper had ceased to prognosticate
then a look of horror crossed his face
it finally dawned on him but too late

his rolls hit the pavement at a hundred and twenty
heading for lonely street
he rang the bell and a john walker answered
frank pressed his luck against the door screen

frank asked if he still got the paper
john walker said "what do you care?"
frank answered "i need to see the sports section
just for a minute" and john walker stared

frank tried to push through the doorway
john pulled a real forty-five
the dogs were all barking as the rolls pulled away
john walker was no longer alive

the judge looks down through his bifocals
the peers of the jury squirm in their seats
the courtroom is silent except for his footsteps
frank cash is about to speak

and frank says:

your honour and ladies and gentlemen of the jury
all this has been happening to me because of this guy
named t bone burnett. he's been making all this up
and i just want to say i don't believe in him
in fact i don't even think he exists and not only that
BUT THIS SONG IS OVER

frank got a suspended sentence
the jury ruled it was self defense
they ignored his statement
on the grounds it didn't make any sense

frank cash had a pretty good year
considering the dizzy chain of events
that paper was never delivered again
but i gave him back all the money he'd spent

and he married a woman with a lot of soul
and his first son will become president
if you see him tall him i said "hello"
and that i'm happy to be able to call him my friend

God's Love and Wrath

I really struggle with all the graphic depictions and words on God's wrath in the Bible.  Perhaps it's because I've had more than my share of hellfire and brimstone preaching growing up.  It almost gave me a view of God as a pouting, angry man, not getting His way, crossing His arms, turning His back and throwing a bunch of well aimed lightning bolts over His shoulder at us.

The Psalms especially mention God's wrath a lot.  That's why I guess Father Pat felt the need to help us understand a little more about it in his book, Christ In The Psalms.  It is from his comments on Psalm 6 that the following quotes are extracted...

"The divine wrath is not some sort of irritation; God does not become peeved or annoyed.  The wrath of God is infinitely more serious than a temper tantrum.  It is a deliberate resolve in response to a specific state of the human soul.  In Romans, where the expression appears twelve times, the anger of God describes His activity toward the hard of heart, the unrepentant, those sinners who turn their backs and deliberately refuse His grace, and it is surely in this sense that our psalm asks to be delivered from God's wrath.  It is important to make such a prayer, because hardness of heart remains a possibility for all of us to the very day we die.

"...This deliberate hardness of heart, this radical recalcitrance to grace, is the sin that calls down the wrath of God.  "So that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful" (Rom. 1:20, 21).

"Three times in this passage, the Apostle Paul pounds the point home: paredoken autous ho Theos -- "God gave them up..." (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).  In this, then, consists the wrath of God:  that He turns man loose, that He lets man go, hands him over, that He abandons man to his own choice of evil.  The full context of this passage deserves deep reflection, because the moral evils to which God delivers the hard of heart appear to be the very vices characteristic of our own times (cf. Rom. 1:24-32).  These verses describe in graphic detail exactly what happens when "God gives them up," and no attentive reader of this text will fail to recognize in it a description of the world in which we live today."

Father Patrick goes on to explain much more here but I wish to focus just on the wrath and compare it with what I'm learning about it being so closely intertwined with God's fierce love for us.  Many Christian writers down through the centuries would even go so far as to say that God's love IS God's wrath.  The difference lies in us, not in God who never changes.

Even scripture attests to the fact that "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29).  Many Christians see God's love as that blazing flame which warms our souls when we are seeking His face... OR...  when we are rebelling against Him, this same flaming love burns us.

It kind of makes sense really.  In our physical world, one has to be careful around fire.  One has to respect it or get burned.  But with proper respect and care one can be warmed by it and it has many other good benefits as well.  Why then should it be surprising that something as infinitely powerful as God's love can be both beneficial and unpleasant depending on our attitude?

I am finally starting to get the smallest glimpse of why the
Psalmists were so serious about repenting.  Deliberate sin surely brings on God's wrath, that is, His resolve to let us have our own way.  But the Psalmists have learned that "their own way" leads to alienation and misery and eventually death.  They don't want God to let them go... and so they plead with God to not be angry, not to display His wrath, not to let them go...

Now this is a wrath that I can grasp a little better.  The corrective side of a parent's love that lets a child go to learn things the hard way.  Of course this isn't easy.  If it is hard for me to watch as a parent, how much harder is it for God who loves His children perfectly?  He takes no pleasure in our suffering, but is willing to allow it in hopes that it will teach us to cling to Him, the source of life.

I don't have it all figured out, but this certainly helps me get my head around the Biblical images of God's wrath a tiny bit better.  Thanks again Father Pat!

Metaphor Music Pt. 1: A Train

I thought it might be fun and interesting to share some of my favorite metaphor songs that I've collected over the years.  The first one I want to share is by a group that broke up long ago called Bourgeois Tagg.  They broke into the top forty with I Don't Mind (click here for YouTube video) but then quickly faded from view even though "Perfect Life" made top 5 charts overseas.  They recorded a song back in the late 80's about an electric train and the creation week references are pretty humorous.

Their stuff is virtually unavailable these days, unless you want to buy a collector's edition vinyl or a rare CD for $100.  That's why you can click here to download/play "Electric Train".  Enjoy!


Electric Train Lyrics:

In the beginning I had nothing to do
I was all alone in a big empty room
So I decided to build myself an electric train
It took six days time, things were never the same

Monday (monday) I built the track
It looked straight but it came right back
'Cause it curved so slow if you leave from here
You go far as you can go and you'll be back in a year

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, make it straight
Friday, saturday, watch out that day
Saturday could be a big mistake

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, make it straight
Friday, saturday, watch out for saturday
That day could be a big mistake

Friday (friday) I took my train
I shined it, I greased it, I shined it again
I set the groove of the wheels on the rail
But it only moved when I pushed it myself

So by saturday evening I wasn't alone
'Cause I took it and gave it a mind of it's own
It'd grease it's own wheels, it'd make it's own way
I said to myself
"this train is gonna run 'til the judgment day."

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, make it straight
Friday, saturday, watch out that day
Saturday could be a big mistake

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, make it straight
Friday, saturday, watch out for saturday
That day could be a big mistake

Sunday was my day of the rest, I sat back and watched it go
It went backwards and forwards, it went too fast
It heated up the track 'til it started to glow
And pretty soon the rails were fried
My electric train jumped the track
And there it was, it lay on it's side
All twisted and burnt black (black, black)

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, you gotta make it straight
Friday, saturday, next time for saturday
That day was a big mistake (that was a big mistake)

Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, you gotta make it straight
Friday, saturday, next time for saturday
That day was a big mistake (that was a big mistake)

I'll make it again, I've worked out the kinks
You can't win with a train that thinks
Monday, tuesday, line the railway
Wednesday, thursday, you gotta make it straight [fade]

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Here is a popular video from the band:

To Arms!

As I've journeyed toward the Eastern Church I've paid Father John of Saint George a few visits.  On my first visit a couple years back I remember telling him how much I disliked some of the violent Psalms that were part of daily Orthodox prayers.  His response was quite helpful to me and while I can't recall his exact words I do know that I walked away with a new perspective.  I began to understand that though the Psalms were often penned about real physical battles, the implications for the spiritual battles we face have always been there.  I started seeing that this especially became true for Christians as they reapplied the Psalter in the light of Christ's victory over death, the devil and the demons.

My son is heading into the Marines soon and I have been trying to help him grasp this core truth sooner in life than I have.  Since he will be training for and fighting physical battles my hope is that like King David (one of the world's most famous warriors) he will see and appreciate the parallels to the spiritual realm.  I've dedicated a page on this blog to all those who have served or may serve their nation's military (see Christian Warriors).

In addition to my chats with Father John, Father Patrick Reardon's book Christ in the Psalms has also been beneficial for cementing this idea of spiritual warfare into my mind.  Father Patrick's comments on Psalm 3 have been especially helpful to me, and I hope they will be to you as well.  Let's start with the words of the Psalm and then some of his comments:

Psalm 3
A psalm by David, when he fled from the face of his son, Absalom.

O Lord, why do those who afflict me multiply?
Many are those who rise up against me.
Many are those who say to my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in his God.”  (Pause)

But You, O Lord, are my protector,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.  (Pause)

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord will help me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who set themselves against me all around.
Arise, O Lord, and save me, O my God,

For You struck all those who were foolishly at enmity with me;

You broke the teeth of sinners.

Salvation is of the Lord,
And Your blessing is upon Your people.


"Conflict we have here, and the distress that conflict brings, for fighting battles is one of the major motifs of the Book of Psalms.  This is not a prayer book for the noncombatant, and unless a person is actually engaged in hostilities it is difficult to see how he can pray Psalm 3:  "Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God; for You have smitten all my enemies on the jaw; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly."

"This warfare has to do with the themes already inaugurated in the two preceding psalms--God's Wisdom against wickedness in Psalm 1, and the Messiah against ungodly mutiny in Psalm 2.  The first tells us that the Psalter's battle is moral; the second tells us that it is theological.  Thus, the many conflicts described in the psalms are engagements of the spirit, struggles of the heart, wrestlings of the mind.

"To pray the psalms correctly, then, it is very important that we properly identify the enemies.  Some modern Christians, not understanding this, have even gone so far afield as to exclude certain of the psalms from their prayer, attempting to justify the exclusion by an appeal to Christian charity and the spirit of forgiveness.

"This is unmitigated nonsense.  The enemies here are the real enemies, the adversaries of the soul, those hostile forces spoken of in the very first verse of the Book of Psalms--"the counsel of the ungodly."  "For we do not wrestle," after all, "against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"  (Eph. 6:12).  To relinquish any one of the psalms on the excuse that its sentiments are too violent for a Christian is a clear sign that a person has also given up the very battle that a Christian is summoned from his bed to fight. The psalms are prayers for those engaged in an ongoing spiritual conflict.  No one else need bother even opening the book." 

I've never been that combative in sports and such, but for as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a prayer warrior.  With this growing understanding I am now resolved to train as a soldier in the Lord's army more than ever.  My primary weapon?  The Word of God, sharper than any two edged sword, especially the Psalms.

I'll end this with a reflection from St. Nikolai from the May 31 Prologue that follows the same line of thought:

This life is a spiritual struggle. To conquer or to be conquered! If we conquer, we will enjoy the fruits of victory through all eternity.  If we are defeated, we will endure the horrors of destruction through all eternity. This life is a duel between man and all that opposes God. God is an Almighty ally to all who sincerely call upon Him for help. "This life is not a joke or a play thing," says Father John of Kronstadt, "but men turn it into a joke and plaything. The capricious play around with time given to us for preparing for eternity; they play around with empty words. They gather together as guests, they sit and chatter and after that they sit and play this or that game.  They gather in theatres and there they entertain themselves. All life for them is an amusement for them. But woe unto them who do nothing but entertain themselves."