The Gourd Reborn is my return to the world of blogging.
Back in 2004, I started “Hark! The Gourd Speaks” as a way to share my life and all my thoughts and feelings on a lot of different interests. As is common, I got bogged down, stopped updating regularly, and generally had little interesting to say.
I don’t expect that my life is much more interesting now than it was then, so the focus of this blog will shift from me to things I find useful and interesting, with occasional commentary. I’ll include small reviews of books I’ve read, particularly interesting posts I’ve read elsewhere, and so on.
I’ve managed to save all of my old posts, which are in the category “Former Gourd”, but in many cases the images will be missing, as there is no easy way to import them with WordPress. They are there for historical reference, and may or may not actually represent my current beliefs or values, so please be merciful.
The Gourd Reborn 
Who the heck are you? 🙂
A CofCer hanging out with Orthodox? How does this stuff keep happening? (I converted recently.)
Star Trek, GO, Netflix, reddit (OK some days I DIGG), CMASS (ok, so I’m a computer nerd not a particle nerd) but still. I’d say you’re creeping me out a bit. How about Good Eats and Dirty Jobs?
Hi David,
As some friends of mine have been noting lately, there are a lot of things about Orthodoxy that can be appealing to cradle CofC’ers (a capella worship, weekly communion, baptism by immersion for remission of sins, etc.) Apparently there is a bona fide Movement going on in the non-institutional sphere. Myself, I find Orthodox theology and liturgy very fascinating, and I might possibly be on the road to conversion. (At this point there is plenty of “pull” coming from the East, but conversion would require a “push” from the Church of Christ, which I don’t see as forthcoming. Then again, what do I know?)
Remarkably, I actually discovered Father Stephen’s blog via reddit, as someone there occasionally posts his stuff in the Theology subreddit. About that time he was doing a set of posts that happened to tackle my remaining “hang-ups” about Orthodoxy. (Icons, Mary, etc.) My biggest remaining “hang-up” is infant baptism, although to be fair, I can’t exactly find the phrase “age of accountability” anywhere in the New Testament.
Regarding the other things, I’m more of a computer nerd than I have perhaps let on. I certainly love to code. That should explain the rest. (How many computer nerds do you know who don’t like Star Trek and reddit/Digg?) I’m afraid I don’t watch enough TV to get into Good Eats, although my brother is a big fan.
Thank you for stopping by! I actually think I remember some of your comments from Fr. Stephen’s blog (I certainly recognize your user logo), and thinking at the time that you must come from a Church of Christ background, but I was unable to find out more than that. Perhaps your could fill me in a little?
PS – If you go to blog “Anastasis” linked from my page, he has links to a few CofC-turned-Orthodox bloggers, namely Paideia and “Into the Light”.
I’ve run into a few others who’ve converted.
Conversations with some of them we’re very helpful to my own explorations. At one point I was a member of a private message board with a few dozen folks (private because folks had been getting harassed by family, friends and former brothers and sisters).
I’d love to run through how and why Orthodoxy is where my feet walked, but I think that would be indulgent of me. Certainly some embarrassing records are public as comments on people’s blogs, but then I need to learn some humility.
You are lucky that you haven’t had a push out the door. I’ll admit that some of the reason I’m Orthodox today (instead of 5 or 10 years from now on a more natural path) is my experience with the CofC over the last decade (and strangely, my political dissatisfaction). I’ve heard some Anglicans say they didn’t leave the Church, it left them; I feel a strong common cause there.
It’s not that I haven’t been in churches full of wonderful people (one wonderful group of people supported us as my son fought cancer for 3 years), but they are wonderful in spite of being CofC not because they were.
Anyway, I think I’ll add you to my RSS reader and see what’s what with you. 🙂
Any time you want to chat, you’re welcome to email me… heck, I’ll give you my phone number, or skype if you prefer. This doesn’t show my recently read books, but I thought I’d show you my Amazon wish list:
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/15L86UF8HO8C7
FYI gents we have a new social group at monachos.net for protestant converts to Orthodoxy http://www.monachos.net/forum/group.php?do=discuss&discussionid=23
What’s wrong with the old group?
http://www.monachos.net/forum/group.php?groupid=9
What’s wrong with the old group?
Hebrews 8:13. (Further proof the Orthodox don’t read their Bibles!) 8)
Hey Gourd,
I came over here from Father Stephen’s blog. As a (former) coCer who has been very involved in the emergent church (birthed and killed one – the same one – in Seattle) and who is considering very strongly converting to orthodoxy, I will enjoy reading your blog. Your recent post “What’s a church of christ boy to do?” hits the nail right on the head.
CoC for 62 years converted last June on Pentecost.