Joel & Tessi News

15th All American Council in Pittsburgh

2008-11-15T09:19:00.004-06:00

We all just got back from the 15th AAC in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. It was a much more tiring trip than we anticipated (still getting used to having the third member in our family), and poor Mara ended up getting sick on Wednesday. But the level of tired didn't come close to comparing to the level of hope and joy we received from the Council. Many people have described the events that took place as "shocking." We were all taken by surprise at the election of (now Metropolitan) +Jonah. Last year we heard recordings of Fr. Jonah speaking on several topics, including prayer of the heart. But hearing the way he spoke at the Council confirmed for everyone who the next leader of the OCA would be. Fr. David Rucker liked to say something along the lines of, "the Church doesn't make priests, it just manifests and blesses what they already are." After hearing the talk that (then Bishop) +Jonah gave on Tuesday night before the election (on Wed), the Church definitely manifested and blessed the one who already was the leader of our Church. We are so joyful walking away from this Council. The OCA, abused and broken, now has a path and possibility of healing laid out before us. Even more than that, we have a leader who is engaged, who understands authority not as power but as responsibility, who wants to teach in a way that we can understand, and above all, urges us to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourself. Glory to God!! Here is a link to articles and talks given by Metropolitan Jonah throughout the years for your reading and listening pleasure.

Our First Harvest

2008-08-31T16:00:00.002-05:00

So, one thing about our new place is that it came with its own grape vine. Well, today was the day that we saw the birds out there starting to pick 'em off, so we got our plastic bags and started harvesting. (Interestingly enough, Tessi's name "Theressa" means "harvester.") We've kind of always had this dream of owning a vineyard someday, so this was really fun for us. These are Concord grapes and, though they aren't very good for winemaking, we figured we'd give it a shot anyway. We found out there's a class in Indianapolis at a place called "Great Fermentations" on September 21st where we can learn how to make wine at home. Should be fun! Here's a shot from yesterday (pre-harvest): And here's a few shots from today before and after we got them: Can you find Tessi? The people who own this home (our landlords) just HAPPENED to have an old wine barrel in the garage. We hauled it in and it fits nicely with the icon of the Wedding at Cana!

We're In!

2008-08-22T10:24:00.001-05:00

Well it's been a long time coming, but we're finally settled in (with Internet installed)! For those of you who don't already know, we decided to move to Indiana in mid June to be closer to the Wilson family, and to move us one step closer toward seminary (most likely in NY). God has been so good to us, as well as our family and friends during this time of transition. We found a house to rent only a few miles from Mom and Dad Wilson's, and we're loving having a little more room than our apartment down south. We've got a lot of photos to upload, so check back soon to see more!

A Mother's Day Study

2008-05-14T09:58:00.002-05:00

What a Mom is worth in today's fast-paced world. Just thought this article was worth sharing for all you Mothers out there. Thanks for all you do. :)

Our First Year

2008-04-29T10:51:00.004-05:00

Today we have officially been married for one year! Looking back on our time together, it seems like it's flown by, and so much has happened - Mara will already be 3 months old on Thursday! We are so blessed to have each other, and want to thank all of our family and friends for the kindness and generosity shown. It makes it easier when others before us have set such a good example. We also had someone who was kind enough to send us footage they shot at our wedding! So here's a short and sweet version of our wedding in commemoration of our one-year anniversary. P.S. Christ is Risen!

Pascha!

2008-04-27T21:54:00.003-05:00

"This is the day of Resurrection; let us be illumined by the Feast, let us embrace each other! Let us call "brother" even those who hate us, and forgive all by the Resurrection. And so let us cry:" Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! Death is overthrown and Life reigns! All things are new again in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What an awesome and loving God we have.

Great & Holy Saturday

2008-04-26T16:33:00.003-05:00

These were just a few verses that we sang in church last night and this morning that really kind of blew my mind (bold emphasis my own): From the Canon of Great & Holy Saturday: "The Life of All accepts burial in the tomb, And the tomb becomes the source of resurrection Unto the salvation of us who sing: Blessed are you, O God, our redeemer!" This verse hit me because, not only did Christ defeat death by His death (paradoxical enough), He made it His slave (essentially) by wielding it to be a new source of life. That even though we all die, we're no longer held captive by death. Whoa! From the Liturgy on Great & Holy Saturday: "Today hell cries out groaning: I should not have accepted the Man born of Mary. He came and destroyed my power. He shattered the gates of brass. As God, He raised the souls that I had held captive. Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, O Lord. "Today, hell cries out groaning: My dominion has been shattered. I received a dead man as one of the dead, but against Him I could not prevail. From eternity I had ruled the dead, but behold, He raises all. Because of Him do I perish. Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, O Lord." Fr. Alexander Schmemman of blessed memory describes Christ's time in hell as an "active repose." Interesting contrast. Have a wonderful Pascha!

St. George Choir on Good Friday

2008-04-25T23:22:00.001-05:00

Tonight is Orthodox Good Friday, so we got a little video snippet of the choir during one of the songs at church. What a beautiful service it is! This is the night when Christ's death is recounted and brought to the forefront of our minds. An icon of Christ in the form of a shroud is brought out and placed in the "tomb". At the end of the service it is processed around the Church with all of us following and singing with candles lit. We then reenter the Church underneath the shroud as it is held above us. The songs, scriptures, readings that are done . . . they all make you feel like you are in the moment when Christ was actually crucified and buried. You can see a brief moment of Joel, Mara and I as we sing in the choir too. Mara will be a great choir member some day! :)

Please Pray for Father Antonio

2008-04-24T12:54:00.002-05:00

This week is Holy Week that leads up to Pascha (Easter) for those of us in the Orthodox Church. It is packed full with beautiful services each day to help us draw near to God, recounting so much about His death and resurrection. However, this Tuesday our priest, Fr. Antonio, was diagnosed with pneumonia! The doctor wanted him to go the hospital, but Fr. and Matushka Elizabeth told him about all the services he has to do this week for Holy Week, so they just gave him shots of antibiotics to allow him to go home. Out of the whole year, this is the most inopportune time to get sick for Fr. Antonio. He must feel so burdened wanting to perform the services for the sake of his flock, not being able to rest fully because of it. The church is trying to do as many parts of the services as we can without him having to be there to allow him to rest. Please pray for him, that he would recover and would not be too overwhelmed by it all. It seems that SOMEONE did not want us to participate in Holy Week this year, but God is still using the efforts of his faithful that are picking up the slack to work in the lives of those in our church. God will always prevail and can use all things to draw us closer to Him. May He be glorified this Paschal season!!!

Mara's New Bonnet

2008-04-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

We're on our way to San Anton this weekend and Tess just finished
knitting this at our first stop along the way. Thought you'd enjoy. :)

Please Pray for Grandpa Wilson

2008-03-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

Grandpa is currently in surgery having cancer removed from around his pancreas. The doctors are having to remove parts of several other vital organs as well, and will make for a long recovery. Please remember him in your prayers today. UPDATE: Grandpa had a successful surgery (or so we're told) and the doctor is saying he's four to five days ahead of schedule in his recovery. Thank you so much for your prayers! Once he gets home it will be a long six or so weeks to get back to normal physical shape, but at this rate, maybe only two or three!

Please Pray for Renee

2008-03-26T11:14:00.004-05:00

Renee is 34 weeks pregnant and went into the hospital at 4:00 this morning after going into premature active labor. They've given her magnesium to try and slow the labor down, and apparently it's working so far. Once they get her contractions to stop they will be transferring her to Abiline where there is a Neonatal ICU. They're hoping to keep her for another two weeks. For those of you who don't know, 36 weeks is considered "safe" to deliver the baby, but not too much before that. Please remember her and Joel and the baby (and Calvin and Donny) in your prayers today. UPDATE (10:15 P.M.) : Renee was able get the contractions stopped long enough to be transferred to Abilene. Once she got there the labor started up again and progressed entirely. Little Josephine was born around 10:00 tonight! They don't know much about her yet, as she was whisked away to the Neonatal ICU, but we know that she's doing well at this point. We're hoping to go up this weekend to see them all. Thank you everyone for your prayers - please continue them for the Duffield family these next few days.

Smilin' Mara

2008-03-08T11:04:00.003-06:00

(Click for more)

St. Tarasius • Archbishop of Constantinople

2008-02-25T08:39:00.002-06:00

Today is Tessi's namesday! Upon her Chrismation into the Orthodox Church, she chose St. Tarasius as her patron saint because of his significance in the Seventh Ecumenical Council in dealing with the heresy of iconoclasm. Today is the first time for her to be able to celebrate her namesday as a newly illumined Orthodox Christian. Here is the icon and story of St. Tarasius' life:

Saint Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople was of illustrious lineage. He was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a fine education. He was rapidly promoted at the court of the emperor Constantine VI Porphyrogenitos (780-797) and Constantine's mother, the holy Empress Irene (August 7), and the saint attained the rank of senator. During these times the Church was agitated by the turmoil of the Iconoclast disturbances. The holy Patriarch Paul (August 30) although he had formerly supported Iconoclasm, later repented and resigned his office. He withdrew to a monastery, where he took the schema. When the holy Empress Irene and her son the emperor came to him, St Paul told them that the most worthy successor to him would be St Tarasius (who at this time was still a layman). Tarasius refused for a long time, not considering himself worthy of such high office, but he then gave in to the common accord on the condition, that an Ecumenical Council be convened to address the Iconoclast heresy. Proceeding through all the clerical ranks in a short while, St Tarasius was elevated to the patriarchal throne in the year 784. In the year 787 the Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea, with Patriarch Tarasius presiding, and 367 bishops attending. The veneration of holy icons was confirmed at the council. Those bishops who repented of their iconoclasm, were again received by the Church. St Tarasius wisely governed the Church for twenty-two years. He led a strict ascetic life. He spent all his money on God-pleasing ends, feeding and giving comfort to the aged, to the impoverished, to widows and orphans, and on Holy Pascha he set out a meal for them, and he served them himself. The holy Patriarch fearlessly denounced the emperor Constantine Porphyrigenitos when he slandered his spouse, the empress Maria, the granddaughter of St Philaretos the Merciful (December 1), so that he could send Maria to a monastery, thus freeing him to marry his own kinswoman. St Tarasius resolutely refused to dissolve the marriage of the emperor, for which the saint fell into disgrace. Soon, however, Constantine was deposed by his own mother, the Empress Irene. St Tarasius died in the year 806. Before his death, devils examined his life from the time of his youth, and they tried to get the saint to admit to sins that he had not committed. "I am innocent of that of which you accuse me," replied the saint, "and you falsely slander me. You have no power over me at all." Mourned by the Church, the saint was buried in a monastery he built on the Bosphorus. Many miracles took place at his tomb.

Finally, More Pictures!

2008-02-03T19:43:00.000-06:00

We're thrilled (albeit tired) and grateful to God for such an incredible blessing. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we nurse this little one through the fragile initiations of life. Click the photo below for about 20 photos of lil' Mara. (Click for more) Thank you to everyone for your congratulations and prayers. This world would be a very difficult place to bring a new life into without the love of God expressed through all of you. Thank you!

Mara Breigh Wilson

2008-02-01T15:21:00.000-06:00

8 lbs, 5 oz. 19.5 in. Born on Jan. 31st, 10:35pm. These are all the shots we can post for now. Mommy and Daddy are tired. First hair rinse. Getting her hair combed. A tired team. Thank you for your prayers, and thank you Lord Jesus Christ, for a healthy baby.

Ask the Readers: Best Objective News Source?

2008-01-10T16:51:00.000-06:00

So acting in line with our new year's resolution, I thought I'd post a more conversational topic to you, our readers. It's not uncommon for someone to tell you to quit listening to main-stream media and to "get the facts." But where exactly are these "facts" found? I've got my opinions, but do you have any news sources you've found that you think are truthful and objective? Do you think they exist? Leave a comment and let us know!

Blessing of the Waters - Theophany 2008

2008-01-07T12:35:00.000-06:00

St. George had its Blessing of the Waters service at a lake in Edinburg yesterday. It was really windy, but beautiful. Theophany always has a bit of a childish nature to it for some reason. Getting sprinkled with water never fails to make you smile!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T11:13:00.001-06:00

It's absolutely incredible that another year is already here. We sent our New Year Letter out late last night. If you didn't get one then either we don't have your email address or we had an old one. So if you're achin for a recap of 2007 with the Wilsons, leave us a comment or shoot us an email and we'll get one out to you right quick! May God bless this new year for you, and help you take advantage of new beginnings!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

2007-12-25T19:24:00.000-06:00

Nativity Homily by St. John Chrysostom: "I behold a new and wondrous mystery! My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. "The Angels sing! The Archangels blend their voices in harmony! The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise! The Seraphim exalt His glory! "All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. "Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side the Sun of Justice. "And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, he had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. "This day He Who Is, is Born; and He Who Is becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became he God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassibility, remaining unchanged. "And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb. "Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His Incarnation has he departed from the Godhead. "And behold, Kings have come, that they might adore the heavenly King of glory; Soldiers, that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; Women, that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of child-birth into joy; Virgins, to the Son of the Virgin, beholding with joy, that He Who is the Giver of milk, Who has decreed that the fountains of the breast pour forth in ready streams, receives from a Virgin Mother the food of infancy; Infants, that they may adore Him Who became a little child, so that out of the mouth of infants and sucklings, He might perfect praise; Children, to the Child Who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; Men, to Him Who became man, that He might heal the miseries of His servants; Shepherds, to the Good Shepherd Who has laid down His life for His sheep; Priests, to Him Who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedech; Servants, to Him Who took upon Himself the form of a servant that He might bless our servitude with the reward of freedom; Fishermen, to Him Who from amongst fishermen chose catchers of men; Publicans, to Him Who from amongst them named a chosen Evangelist; Sinful women, to Him Who exposed His feet to the tears of the repentant; "And that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they may look upon the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world. "Since therefore all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice. I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival. But I take my part, not plucking the harp, not shaking the Thyrsian staff, not with the music of pipes, nor holding a torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ. For this is all my hope, this my life, this my salvation, this my pipe, my harp. And bearing it I come, and having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels, sing: Glory to God in the Highest; and with the shepherds: and on earth peace to men of good will." Fr. Antonio read this for the homily at this morning's liturgy. It's so beautiful, and it does such an excellent job of tying everything in. Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Pregnancy Belly

2007-12-21T17:40:00.001-06:00

Here's a recent pregnancy picture to show our baby's growth progress. And to think, we still have at least six more weeks of growth to go! Ahhhh!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T13:12:00.000-06:00

Christ is born! Glorify Him! We want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. It's definitely been an exciting year for us, lots of life changes. Thank you for your prayers and encouragements throughout this year. Our resolution for the new year? Post more frequently!

Fall In the Valley

2007-10-22T17:23:00.000-05:00

We had a great time over at Russ and Manda's last night carving pumpkins (Tess painted the one below), eating chili and pumpkin pie (not together) , and enjoying some nice Octoberfest and Pumpkin ales. The only thing missing was the cold weather... ...until today, that is. Yesterday it was 95 degrees as Tess and I were doing some work outside. I got some nasty mosquito bites and just about ruined my nice pants from sweat. But today, within two hours, the temperature dropped to a WONDERFUL 65 degrees. Thank the Lord! It feels like Fall now.

An Introduction to Orthodox Christianity

2007-10-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

I was perusing the Midwest Diocese's site today and ran across a great presentation to be used within the Church for inquirers of Orthodox Christianity. Though it doesn't go into great detail, it provides an excellent resource and outline to begin with. It's available for download (from the source) in three different forms: Powerpoint (Editable) • Powerpoint Slideshow • PDF

Tummy at 25 Weeks

2007-10-17T23:42:00.001-05:00

Just 3 1/2 months to go!! Oh and one more thing... Our beautiful baby girl! We plan to call her Mara Breigh.