Nearly Orthodox Quotes

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. —Thomas Merton”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“Sometimes, late at night, the words are only whispers– Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God. The quiet is kindness and gratitude and calm–Have mercy on me, a sinner. And I fall asleep like that, the words of the Jesus Prayer melting from English to Greek– Kyrie Iesou Christe. Floating around me– Yie tou Theou. Swimming apart from me– Eleison me.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“We are all seeking the steady beauty of the One who made us, we are all desperate for His breath on our skin, His lips on ours to ease the crushing weight of the world we feel pressing in on that deep, empty place in our hearts. Where matters of faith are concerned, everything is remedial.

Carlson, Angela Doll (2014-09-09). Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition (Kindle Locations 119-121). Ancient Faith Publishing. Kindle Edition.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“BE HERE NOW. The laundry list in my head never stops. It runs on a constant loop, in the car, in the movie theater, in church. It’s at its worst when things are quiet, which is why I think the megachurch we attended in Nashville was such a good distraction for a while when we moved there. It was rarely quiet in the megachurch.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“Punk has always been about doing things your own way. What it represents for me is ultimate freedom and a sense of individuality.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“Faith is homesickness. . . . Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position on than a movement toward, less a sure thing than a hunch. Faith is waiting. —Frederick Buechner”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“It was the unchanging nature of Orthodoxy that drew me in from the start, the structure being solid, built on something deeper than the layer of sand and dirt, build to weather the shifting of cultural things. I wanted that solidity, that history. It was exotic as it stood apart from the churches trying too hard to be coffee shops in the never-ending pursuit of being relevant to someone, to everyone. The foundation of this tradition was thick concrete, a protection from the driving rain and rising waters.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition

“When I am away from Liturgy for too long, I find I burn for it now, for the steadiness of the calendar, the words" that ring out in repetition, the heavy scented air. When I return each week, I am coming home again. Liturgy is written into my flesh, sinking into my skin and my spirit.”
― Angela Doll Carlson, Nearly Orthodox: On being a modern woman in an ancient tradition