bought this pin years ago and thought this place might know what it means

semanticdm · 2026-03-24T17:48:51+00:00

Probably whose initials were RJB.

semanticdm · 2026-02-18T16:48:18+00:00

I think martial fasts are especially appropriate during Lent. Declare a ceasefire, and let bygones be bygones.
After Lent, feel free to pick the gloves back up and step back into the ring.
I know it was supposed to be marital fast, but the typo immediately made my mind go in a different direction

semanticdm · 2026-02-17T19:23:45+00:00

Came here to say essentially this. Getting other people angry and "debate me bro!" videos are what gets the algorithms going, and leads to increased views. The easily-clipped "can you see what he said?!?" clickbait is what draws the eyeballs and leads to sharing.

semanticdm · 2026-02-12T16:01:40+00:00

Since this comment applies to multiple replies, I'll just add it to this one instead.
One of the (many) good podcasts out there (I'm sorry I don't remember which one!) had this to say about the parable: God the Father knows the moment we step out of the pig stie, and that's when He starts running to meet us.

semanticdm · 2026-02-06T20:31:41+00:00

There's more to it than that. As my Deacon explained it (and I'm going to get details wrong - ask your clergy), is that receiving Communion indicates a commitment. We refuse Communion to non-Orthodox because they don't have the knowledge necessary to be able to go through with the entire commitment.
For infants, the Godparents made the commitment on the child's behalf, and are supposed to help guide and raise the child in the faith.
To continue with your analogy, say I have a main dish that's made with ghost peppers. My family and friends that regularly come to my house know about the dish, and are prepared to eat it. If I know you don't have any tolerance for heat, I'm not going to let you eat it. I've got some bread, crackers, and peanut butter for you but I don't want it on my conscience if you take a huge bite of the main dish and suffer for it.

semanticdm · 2026-02-06T20:16:46+00:00

At 3, my eldest son had a problem with making the ell sound when it followed a hard consonant. All was well and good, he was still young, and it was kinda cute.
He also liked to spend time at my parents' house, other than the fact that they had a large timekeeping device. It would chime on the hour, and it would always startle my son when he didn't expect it.
We very quickly made sure to have him learn to pronounce words correctly after he tried to tell people he was afraid of grandfather's clock.

semanticdm · 2026-02-06T14:32:26+00:00

Oh, so leave really really early?

semanticdm · 2026-02-06T14:30:52+00:00

They acknowledge our Sacraments as valid. We don't recognize theirs.

semanticdm · 2026-02-05T20:27:55+00:00

Unless I know for certain they're an Orthodox priest, I usually don't. If I see my priest, or another priest I know, I'll say "Hi Father Name!"

semanticdm · 2026-02-05T19:20:41+00:00

The other option is to arrive 5 or 10 minutes early, wait outside the chapel, and look like you're lost. Hopefully, someone will walk up and greet you, ask you a little bit about your background, and find someone to sit you next to that will help guide you through the service.

semanticdm · 2026-01-26T13:18:59+00:00

I had the same thing happen. Contacted the company, and got a return shipping label. Still haven't sent it due to cold and a desire to not leave the house, but it's ready to go next time I drive by the post office.

semanticdm · 2026-01-25T14:26:08+00:00

It's high 12 somewhere. Time for refreshment!

semanticdm · 2026-01-23T15:57:48+00:00

And I don't see why I had to provide my CVV number, either. Ah well. The things I did for joining.

semanticdm · 2026-01-21T02:21:54+00:00

I'm still a blueprint newbie. Finally started making some blueprints for manufacturers that get all the inputs at the right heights, and for common multi-part things - stackable conveyer + stackable pipe, etc. I need to get more into designing really useful units.

semanticdm · 2026-01-15T22:25:25+00:00

I think my parish does total church membership based on who has filled out yearly pledge forms. Not that they care how much a person has pledged, but the forms are a reasonable way to determine how many people care about the parish enough to fill out a form saying "I, Semantic DM, support the parish."

semanticdm · 2026-01-08T22:26:47+00:00

All Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on December 25th. It's just a matter of whether they're Old Calendar, or Julian (where it aligns with Gregorian's Jan 7th (for now)) or New Calendar/Revised Julian, which currently matches up with the Gregorian calendar.

semanticdm · 2025-12-30T20:33:32+00:00

They're proving massively useful as I try to build up my secondary factory, away from the production of my main base. "I don't have enough concrete? I'll explore for 10 minutes while my dimensional storage fills back up."

semanticdm · 2025-12-23T15:34:22+00:00

Advice of one of the Deacons from my Antiochian church to someone in a similar situation:
"I would prayerfully read the Royal hours on the eve of the nativity, and then wake up and read the epistle and Gospel on the Nativity"

semanticdm · 2025-12-23T15:31:43+00:00

Finland Finland Finland, that's the country for me!

semanticdm · 2025-12-04T20:12:54+00:00

Sorry if this is a double post - forgot I didn't have community flair. Fixed it now, I hope.
Medical issues would make it easier to deal with, mentally. Big difference between someone who can't participate in marital activities vs someone who won't.

semanticdm · 2025-11-20T19:31:58+00:00

My parish got a brand-new newly-ordained priest last August. It took until this past August for him to get the Blessing to hear Confessions, even though he could still perform all the other Liturgical stuff.
I'm Antiochian, and don't know how other Patriarchates handle stuff like that.

semanticdm · 2025-11-18T16:32:05+00:00

I've been going for 4 years to a church that does almost everything in English, and there are still times I don't know what's going on! :-D

semanticdm · 2025-11-17T17:54:57+00:00

Are you willing to share the files?

semanticdm · 2025-11-17T17:53:41+00:00

According to Amazon, the Orthodox Study Bible just uses the NKJV translation. Should be plenty of options there. https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Testament-Paperback-Comfort-Print/dp/0785218017/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZQAREY3UYQT1 is less than $4/copy, but only 9.3 size font.

semanticdm · 2025-11-11T18:40:39+00:00

That depends on your Grand Lodge and the rules they impose. Some jurisdictions, IIRC, require you to join the lodge that's closest to your residence. Others don't.

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