Eleventh Doctor Q&A

[Helios]

Because parish means something slightly different?

[Eleventh Doctor]

I live 26.8 miles and about 35-40 minutes away from my parish, depending on traffic. I call it a parish because parish is the term for a church within a dioceses. A dioceses being the area administrated by a bishop. So my church is within the Romanian archdioceses under the archbishop Nathaniel and the Orthodox Church of America dioceses under Metropolitan Tikhon.

[Paula]

Are you moving to Canada for a bit, due to a job or a church related thing?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Bit of both, its a church related ministry job. I will be living in a parish community learning how to run a ministry by practicing hands on ministry in their parish; which includes a soup kitchen, a consignment store, community classes & events.

[Paula]

Ah, I see. Sounds like a good experience! So are you planning on starting a parish in your future?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Probably not a parish, there are plenty of parishes in the area already. I'll more likely be starting a ministry that is supported by several area parishes.

[Paula]

Cool! Do you know what type of ministry you'd like to start?

[Eleventh Doctor]

No idea, that's one of the things I'll be figuring out up there.

[Paula]

Ah, I see. Well I wish you the best with that.

[aragtaghooligan]

You want to work in ministry? I didn't know that. No offense, my friend, but I'm not a huge fan of ministries. I just fee like it's so typical. I love Jesus. Then start a ministry. NOOOOOOOOO Lots of people love Jesus. We can't all start a ministry. Ministries aren't even the most efficient ways to help people. Honestly, I think we need more Christian Janitors. People who just fu;fil a role for society but exude Christ in their very being. Sorry I'm ranting. Are you offended by my thoughts? I just want you to contemplate them. I don't want you to change your mind, it's ok, good luck with your ministry, friend.

[Eleventh Doctor]

I want to understand them better, I don't understand your objections. Of course not everyone is called to start a ministry, the body of Christ is made up of different parts. Some can be janitors and some can work in ministry. Ministry isn't the default for everyone but for me I feel like I've lived most of my life not serving God so I need to make up for lost time by focusing on serving others.

Also if you want me to contemplate your thoughts then you should want me to change my mind. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Tarol]

That's really awesome, ED!

Have you heard of the fallacy I told MF about in her Q&A? What do you think of it?

[Eleventh Doctor]

I had not actually heard of it before, I don't have a strong opinion of it yet though.

[Miss Friendship]

Did you read other Q&As before you started posting around?

Do you think you will get this thread to page 100 before May?

Any country you have not visited that you'd like to sometime?

If you had a few million dollars, what would you do with it? Pay off some of your countrys debt?

[Mandy]

If you could talk to God face to face and ask him one question, what would you ask?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Did you read other Q&As before you started posting around?

Do you think you will get this thread to page 100 before May?

Any country you have not visited that you'd like to sometime?

If you had a few million dollars, what would you do with it? Pay off some of your countrys debt?

I generally try to keep up with the rest of the threads, if only because I'm suppose to be moderating them.

If posting keeps up at its current rate I believe so.

I actually haven't been to Canada before so that's convenient.

A few million dollars would be a drop in the bucket of our countries debt. I'd pay off some of my parish's debt and then set up some kind of secure low yield investment so I wouldn't have to worry about supporting myself and could pursue writing and ministry.

@Mandy Someone asked me this earlier in the thread and I said how to pray. To expand on that answer prayer is how we communicate with God so if I knew how to do that then I feel like everything would flow out of that communication.

[Miss Friendship]

Do you ever just pray in your church? Or do you always use written prayers? And what do you use in normal life?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Written prayers are still prayers

During our services no, we do not have impromptu prayers and instead use written prayers.

In my personal prayer life, because in church is still part of my normal life, I use written prayers but also some impromptu prayers all though not very much and usually in a form and style similar to the written prayers. But here are the morning prayers I try to say every morning: https://oca.org/orthodoxy/prayers/morning-prayers

[Miss Friendship]

Can't argue there.

Suppose someone in Church wants prayer for a specific need, you don't even bring that specific thing before God in prayer?!

Those prayers are extremely wordy. It sounds more like a lengthy adoration of God than a one on one conversation between a son and his Father. And I believe that's how God wants us to come to Him. Shouldn't we be praying without ceasing? Which means we are always lifiting up our thoughts and problems before God all the time?

What are you going to do if you have no written prayers on hand and you want to pray?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Give me a specific need and I guarantee you we have a prayer for it

I think adoration is how God wants us coming to Him. I think when Jesus taught us how to pray He gave us a prescribed prayer, do you think the Lord's Prayer sounds like a one on one conversation between a son and his Father?

I agree we should be praying without ceasing, I don't see how that contradicts anything I've said.

Then I'd probably recite the Lord's Prayer or the Jesus Prayer. The Jesus Prayer is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."