Just a story.....

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Willie T

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The Drunk Monk and Elder Paisios (OrthodoxChristianity)
submitted 4 years ago by [deleted]


Once on Mount Athos there was a monk who lived in Karyes. He drank and got drunk every day and was the cause of scandal to the pilgrims. Eventually he died and this relieved some of the faithful who went on to tell Elder Paisios that they were delighted that this huge problem was finally solved.

Father Paisios answered them that he knew about the death of the monk, after seeing the entire battalion of angels who came to collect his soul. The pilgrims were amazed and some protested and tried to explain to the Elder of whom they were talking about, thinking that the Elder did not understand.

Elder Paisios explained to them: "This particular monk was born in Asia Minor, shortly before the destruction by the Turks when they gathered all the boys. So as not to take him from their parents, they would take him with them to the reaping, and so he wouldn't cry, they just put raki into his milk in order for him to sleep. Therefore he grew up as an alcoholic. There he found an elder and said to him that he was an alcoholic. The elder told him to do prostrations and prayers every night and beg the Panagia to help him to reduce by one the glasses he drank.

After a year he managed with struggle and repentance to make the 20 glasses he drank into 19 glasses. The struggle continued over the years and he reached 2-3 glasses, with which he would still get drunk."

The world for years saw an alcoholic monk who scandalized the pilgrims, but God saw a fighter who fought a long struggle to reduce his passion.

Without knowing what each one is trying to do what he wants to do, what right do we have to judge his effort?

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos
 

Frank Lee

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Jim Melton was a missionary to Mexico and worked out of Fort Huachuka Arizona. An army veteran he'd worked in supply and had many connections with all kinds of suppliers. He began to take all kinds of things that America would throw away and distribute them to the village. Most were not shod and had no shoes at all. Contacting shoe distributors and makers he gathered seconds, overruns and gave them to the shoeless population there.

Agua Prieta is a cardboard village just across the border where Jim spent much time. This was several years ago when Jim used to visit our church here and tell us of God's work at that place.

Jim went to the "house" basically a shack, of a man and found him out back at a crude altar that was filled with lit candles. Many there are Roman Catholics or catholic with Indian superstitions mixed in.

The man was kneeling there praying and Jim came up and knelt beside him. He told the man to be quiet and listen. After awhile Jim asked "what do you hear"?

"I hear nothing" the man's reply. The man began to cry, Jim said, as God moved on his heart.

"neither does God" Jim answered. The man was led to Jesus and no longer had to buy candles to reach God!

Jim's favorite testimony was of a 90 year old blind woman there that was saved and given her sight at a meeting he held for those unspeakably poor villagers. We were blessed to met this man and experience the love of God that radiated from him.

From army supply sergeant to supply sergeant for God a nice promotion.
 
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