First Post

okay, I've finally succumbed to the blogosphere. My initial intention is not to try to share any wisdom with the world (lacking in the dept.), but to have a place to post lessons and links from my teaching responsibilities at St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox church in Louisville KY. I currently teach Adult Sunday School and help our priest with Catechism duties. I am a convert to Orthodoxy from the Baptist/Evangelical world, and will probably post some things about that journey as well.

As for the title of the blog, it comes from a Patristic metaphor that is used in two ways.

First, it enlightens the inner relationship of the God/Man Jesus Christ. The Church has always upheld that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. One image for explaining this is the sword in the fire. Place a sword in fire and it glows read hot and takes on the properties of fire while still remaining a sword. Hence, Christ is fully man and fully God without compromising the elements of either.

Secondly, the image is used to describes man's spritual union with God. Unlike the eastern religions, man does not lose personality when uniting with God. Man becomes god by grace while remaining man.

If I can contribute anything, hopefully it will be to help seekers Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike to place their sword in the fire.

Theron Mark

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