The RC Deep Dive Podcast

I've been blessed to be able to help out with a group of vintage RC car hobbyists with a new daily podcast about radio controlled cars called the RC Deep Dive. Here is the announcement that they have been making after posting our 100th episode yesterday, so I wanted to share it here too: 

Our new podcast, The RC Deep Dive, just posted its 101st episode, so we thought we would dare to come announce our podcast to the RC hobbyist community! After 101 episodes, we want your questions and topic ideas for future podcasts. Our focus is on vintage, classic, rere (re-release), and modern RC cars, buggies, trucks, and vans. We review RC model vehicles, hop-ups, and give you advice on how to fix, upgrade, repair, and improve your radio-controlled vehicles and teach you about the history of the RC hobbyist community and culture. We are all about that RC life!

The year was 1985. Little did I know my prayer would be answered 40 years later!

We had new neighbors down the street. Mike and J.J. Vigil, who had lived there since the 1970s had moved out of state. In their place were new Filipino neighbors, Malcolm and Douglas MacLean with their mom and step-father.  Malcolm was my younger brother, Eric's age. Douglas was younger and the first one to start the Tamiya obsession in our neighborhood when he bought the Grasshopper, a 1/10 scale remote control buggy. These were the types of R/C cars that required you to build everything from boxes and bags of parts and required lots of tuning and you painted them yourself. They would take easily 6 hours to build with a father's help.

American Christian Nationalism?

American Christian Nationalism is coming up in the news a lot lately. But what does the Church have to say about this movement that seems to have its root in the heresy of phyletism and tribalism? Here are the five Orthodox Christian articles that I was able to find on this pertinent subject that address this from the point of view and instruction from the Orthodox Church Fathers and saints. 

What Septuagint (Old Testament) to Use for Study?

The Orthodox Church uses the Septuagint over the errant Masoretic Old Testament for many reasons previously mentioned in articles on this blog. See the following blog posts for more on that: 

• "Protestant Myths About the Deuterocanonical Old Testament"
  from 02 August 2010 
  
  
• "The Text of the Orthodox Bible"
  from 25 November 2010 
  
  
• "Metropolitan Isaiah: Which English Translation of the Bible Should I Use?"
  from 29 September 2011 
  
  
• "Why Orthodox Christians Prefer the Septuagint"
  from 10 March 2012 

But if you aren't fluent in Greek, then which English translation should you use for Bible study? While the Lancelot C. L. Brenton Septuagint Version is written in a poetic style like the KJV and NKJV versions of Holy Writ, it is not as good for accuracy, as beauty is the more important goal for this translation. 

After decades of studying this, and since Holy Apostles Convent has yet to make an Orthodox Old Testament or a Prophetologion, I have settled on the NETS: A New English Translation of the Septuagint translation. It uses a more wooden literal translation for better understanding like The Orthodox New Testament and The Orthodox Psalter (Psalterion), which makes it worthy for study. 

Christ Opening the Eyes of the Blind Man through the Works of His Apostles and Disciples

Just like previously with my physical therapist, my doctor at MyoCore (MyoFascial Release and Chiropractic) and I were talking about the stories behind the stories in the Holy Writ, such as how the reason that Jesus used dirt to make the blind man see was because the blind man was born without eyes and Christ was showing us that he was God by making human organs from the dust, like he did when he created Adam in the Garden of Eden on the sixth day. 

He, being unaware of many of these connections that fascinated by them, asked for 5 or 6 books that would open his eyes to these connections. Thus I suggested the following: 

1. The Orthodox New Testament Volume One: The Holy Gospels (Evangelistarion)
2. The Orthodox New Testament Volume Two: Acts, Epistles, & Revelation (Praxapostolos)
3. The Orthodox Psalter: The Psalterion According to the Seventy, With the Nine Odes, & Patristic Commentary
4. The Lives of the Holy Prophets: The Major & Minor Prophets of the Old Testament
5. The Lives of the Holy Apostles: Saints Peter, Paul, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Jude, Simon, Matthias, Mark, Luke, & James
6. The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos

I also pointed to him to the following three blog articles I wrote on this blog:

1. The Gospel According to Saint John, Chapter Six: A Parallel of the Passover & the Exodus of Israel
2. The Theophanies of Christ in Both the Old & New Testaments
3. Types & Anti-Types in the Holy Bible

How Should We Live?

 

Because we all need a reminder from time to time, including myself... 

Luke 3:11 “And answering, he saith to them, ‘The one who hath two tunics, let him share with him who hath not; and the one who hath food, let him do likewise.’” 

Acts 5:32 “And of the multitude of those who believed there was one heart and soul; and not even one of them was saying that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them.”

Acts 5:34 “For neither was there any among them in need; for as many as were owners of lands or houses, selling them, they were bringing the values of those being sold,” 

Romans 15:1-2 “We then who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. For let each of us be pleasing his neighbor for the good, toward building up.”

Iakovos (James) 2:15-16 “Now if a brother or sister be naked and wanting of daily food, and any of you should say to them, ‘Go in peace, warm yourselves and feed yourselves,’ but ye give them not the necessities of the body, what is the profit?”

More on Some of You Wrongly Trying to Elevate Worldly National Politics to Dogma

Just a few reminders from the Holy Writ, which you should be holding above that of politicians, if you are a Christian, even if only in name. I offer these quotes without commentary, as they should be clear to anyone that this vile gnashing of teeth over politicians as if they were saviours to you, your land, your city, your state, your country, and the world is contrary to the teachings of the Church and thus, Antichrist behaviours which you should repent of. I say this, having once been guilty of this same mortal sin. 

I'm so Sick and Tired...

 ...too many people, not only Orthodox Christians, but people who declare any faith, or even no faith at all, have made it clear their one and only true religion. It is, sickeningly, whatever their political party tells them to believe. Their only 'saviour' is their favoured political candidate. 

It should be clear to any person of faith, that neither American party of the duopoly teaches the same as the Bible. Each pick and choose parts to say that they do, and show how their opponents' teach the opposite, but as politics prove time and time, politicians and political parties cannot be trusted. 

"Do not have trust in rulers, in sons of men, in whom there is no salvation." 

-Psalm 145(146):3

A True History of Palestine and Israel 🍉

This true history, given by The Reverend Priest, Father David of Saints Constantine and Helen Antiochian Orthodox Church, is a great telling of the history of Palestine and Israel of the last 2000+ years, that simply states facts without excusing any of the many evils done by either the Zionists nor Hamas. 

His message of the forgotten people of this world begins at 01:26:00 at https://www.youtube.com/live/WyRTVHB6sE4?si=nrsaWCElm5JiMOgg and I cannot reccomend this highly enough. 

Who is "Cereal"?

Once upon a time, my youngest son was errantly called Cereal by a substitute teacher, who could not pronounce his name. Seeing that he is a skateboarding enthusiast, and some of the skaters he admires have nicknames like Bam, Benson, Blinky, Boo, Bucky, Dune, Gator, Holmes, Horsey, Jinx, Manchild, Mutt, Ollie, Pork Loin, Slomo, Sluggo, Spanky, Steak, Wee-Man, Yelawolf, Zorlac, etc. he decided to roll with it. 

Could be worse, I guess.🤷🏻But in many ways, his nickname became official when the some of his most-beloved skaters from Death Skateboards, his favorite skateboarding company, wished him a happy birthday, using his nickname of Cereal at https://www.instagram.com/p/CqPd6SEO2cX/.

Connecting the Dots & Finding the Hidden Truths Behind Well-Known Stories

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently shattered my ankle, damaging a lot of the soft tissue in my lower leg and foot. I have had home health nurses and physical therapists visiting my home three times a week since then to help me get to the point where I am now walking with a very cool yet functional cane. 

My physical therapist and I were talking about the stories behind the stories in the Bible, such as how the reason that Jesus used dirt to make the blind man see was because the blind man was born without eyes and Christ was showing us that he was God by making human organs from the dust, like he did when he created Adam in the Garden of Eden on the sixth day. 

He, being unaware of many of these connections, yet fascinated by them, asked for books that would show him more. Thus I suggested the following six books for him: 

1. The Orthodox New Testament Volume One: The Holy Gospels (Evangelistarion)
2. The Orthodox New Testament Volume Two: Acts, Epistles, & Revelation (Praxapostolos)
3. The Orthodox Psalter: The Psalterion According to the Seventy, With the Nine Odes, & Patristic Commentary
4. The Lives of the Holy Prophets: The Major & Minor Prophets of the Old Testament
5. The Lives of the Holy Apostles: Saints Peter, Paul, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Jude, Simon, Matthias, Mark, Luke, & James
6. The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos

I also pointed to him to the following three blog articles I wrote on this blog:

1. The Gospel According to Saint John, Chapter Six: A Parallel of the Passover & the Exodus of Israel
2. The Theophanies of Christ in Both the Old & New Testaments
3. Types & Anti-Types in the Holy Bible

Have You Seen Them? The Quest for Wide Skate Shoes!

For those of you who don't know, I have wide feet. When getting back into skating, I found that Vans are now way too narrow (Yes, even the pro models - I confirmed with Vans that they intentionally have made all of their shoes narrower in order to save on materials, thus increasing profit). and I cannot wear them. I finally found that the vegan suede Vallelys by Cariuma stretched to fit my wide feet and stood up to a beating.

In May, I suffered a triple ankle fracture and dislocation and am finally walking after 6 months of recovery and healing with strenuous PT (physical therapy). However my left foot and ankle are now wider than before and I no longer can even get my Cariuma Vallely skate shoes on. Cariuma confirmed that the vegan suede Vallely shoes were their best shoes for wide feet and refunded the camel coloured pair I had on pre-order (I currently have charcoal and black Vallely shoes). So I reached out to the subreddit, r/OldSkaters, for suggestions for truly wide shoes. 

I got many suggestions and reached out to the skate shoe companies to ask what their widest shoes were. Nike SB, New Balance Numeric, and Adidas Skate Shoes were all out, as their shoes are narrow and have no wide options. Plus, I prefer to support skater-owned companies (like Death Skateboards, Film Trucks, Snot Wheels, Zealous Bearings, etc.) when I can.

• Shoe #1 was the Etnies Marana. I was excited by its fashion-forward looks, but unfortunately, I could not even put my foot in it, just like my Cariuma Vallelys. Immediate return. Etnies Footwear confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #2 was the DC Court Graffiks. They looked nice, and thankfully, I could get my foot in, but the toe box was way too narrow. Sent them back. DC Shoes confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #3 was the Osiris D3 2001s arrived and they were a chonky shoe that seemed to fit good with a wider toe-box but, while comfortable as-is, will definitely require some breaking in at the upper over the toes and at the achilles tendon area. Osiris Shoes confirmed this was their widest shoe.

• Shoe #4 was the Globe Mens Tilt Skate Shoe. I could get my foot in with some pushing, but then it slid in nicely. It felt really good... ...until my toes hit the toe-box. Immediately I felt compressing pressure on my pinky toe. Not only on my recovering broken ankle, but the good foot too. While these looked good, there was no way I would be able to wear them. Globe Shoes did not respond to my query on if this was their widest shoe or not.

POLL: The Pandemic & Orthodox Churches

If you are a part of any Orthodox Church (Eastern or Oriental) in the USA, please click on the link below to take part in a large national survey. It's about the effects of the pandemic on parish life, and is funded by the Louisville Institute. Your responses are strictly anonymous. Please also pass this on to any Orthodox friends or relatives; the more participants, the more meaningful the data will be! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PandemicAndYourParishNow

Help and Pray for Ukraine

Are you wondering how to donate and help Ukraine besides prayer, and don't want your money to errantly end up in the hands of scammers? You can donate money that will 100% go the Ukrainian people, without any executive or administration fees to pay anyone a salary through the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.uocofusa.org/news_220224_1 marking your donations with the comment, "LET’S HELP UKRAINE". They have already used this money to get everyday supplies and medical supplies to the people of Ukraine and evacuate an orphanage of children and their teachers to Poland with the donations that they have received so far. If you prefer to donate with Facebook's own platform, you can do so at the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA at https://www.facebook.com/uocofusa.

Real Cancel Culture

Cancel culture is real and both the left and right are guilty of using it against their perceived enemies. Sometimes it can be used to shutdown a harmful practice, but often times it can also be harmful to the innocent. In my lifetime I remember BADD (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons) trying to shut down D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) in the 1980's due to the Satanic Panic, which has been proven to be a false and unnecessary panic. My Dungeon Master's (referee's) parents bought into it and did not allow their son to play D&D anymore at his house. Instead we had to play a Christian RPG (Role-Playing Game) called Dragon Raid at his house. We still played Dungeons & Dragons at my house, because my parents did not buy into the panic. You can read more about the fraudulent Satanic Panic and attempts to cancel D&D at https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26328105

Recently a priest's blog was removed from Ancient Faith Radio after multiple warnings about not posting about partisan politics. This was not a case of internet opinion charging him before he was in a court of law, but a company that warned a content provider to stop a prohibited activity over and over until they felt they had to remove him. People cried "Cancel Culture" but this is NOT cancel culture. He was removed from one platform, no judgement was made upon him as a bad person, and AFR even offered to help him set up his blog at new platform. AFR only made a statement about it because the priest had made one first, claiming he was cancelled (Which he has now, thankfully retracted). I am not even a fan of AFR, but these are facts, which I will not twist because I like and respect the priest in question. 

However in the modern day, there are actual victims of cancel culture in the world. The problem is that this is done off of accusations, not someone being found guilty in a court of law. In fact, one of these cancelled creators, Zak Smith, actually ended up suing his accusers and was found that he was being defamed and that the accusers had to pay-up and/or post retractions to their accusations. But those facts were not important to the Twitter troll mobs who keep spreading the accusations (only made on social media) and as such, no one will publish Zak's work. Zak, thankfully, makes lots of money from his art, but the TTRPG is missing out by not having his Adventure Campaigns which are also works of art. There are others that are also being cancelled and it is hurting their ability to make a living for them and their family. To this end, I recently interviewed Zak, being a fan or his art and writing and wanting to get the facts of his story from his POV without the interviewer (me) passing judgement. WARNING: This interview has adult language and talks about adult situations.