Taxi Needs Genie in a Bottle

The Orthdox Fast is upon us, and as those who are determined to go to the gym or run in any weather, we are called to exercise ourselves spiritually as well. I remember the taxi driver when I first came to live in Omsk. He said, "Once I put a candle in church because I wanted to get a Mercedes Benz, but I didn&get anything, so I don&go to church." That&practical! Using God like a genie in a bottle. God is up in heaven, and He does what He wants, and we are here below, and we do what we feel like. But, but I wonder if we applied that to going to work. What would the boss say? I never came to work a day in my life, but now I expect a full salary, retirement, and everything else. Of course, the boss wouldn&recognize us, so we can&expect God to be naive either. In short, it seems the best thing to do is to go to church more. And it really is nice.Now, the national news put out an article about the movie &Rublev&by Tarkovsky. I&seen this a few times, and it is one of the finest films ever made. In fact, it&hard to compare with Tarkovsky, who is like a Dostoyevsky in a way. His movies are heavy and tortuous almost but have an incredibly important message. Andrei Rublev, by the way, was a monk during the time of the Mongol rule and painted the most fantastic Orthodox icons, which dazzle today. The movie depicts the incredible spirit of the Russians, the patience, and that in the midst of it all, marvelous things happen, such as the creation of the bell in the movie. The movie is by...