I had a bout of sleeplessness...

last night and so I took the time to do a little fix up work on the blog.The search for a header reminded me that I do like church buildings wherever I find them. At times, even to this day, I'll be driving though a town and take a detour when I see a steeple, trying to guess who the church belongs to before I arrive.

There's an aesthetic part about it. I just think churches are interesting. I like the sight of them, the smell of them (Orthodox churches smell best), and the sense by their presence that everything is stable in the world, even when its not and may not even be within the church. Even the word down ones are beautiful in their own way and sometimes a simple one out in the country carries as much magnificence as the edifice on the big city corner.

Now when I see them I think, too, about just having a place to be. I've been on the road for going on five years now and little St. Elias has made big strides. I'm so proud of them. We put in a sink this past week in the sanctuary, not a big thing for most parishes but it was the first time that we've ever, since the early 1900's mind you, had hot and cold running water on the main floor. We have some money in the bank now and we've made major improvements throughout. These are good people and everyday it seems like one more step and we'll cross over to the next level.

Yet time and the economy have taken their toll. It's hard for a small parish to fund a full time priest and in these times its harder still. Jobs, especially for khourias, are essential and in smaller towns the right one is harder to find. It's like a hand is holding things back even as God's hand is in all of it.

And so a steeple here and there reminds me of a settled life yet to come, a town, a parish, the simple blessing of stability and the sense of belonging. Oh well, not yet.