ominous clouds: protestantism, secularism, relativism

This morning i woke up early so that i could go downstairs and run before church. It was a good strong run and i was very glad that i purchased a free standing fan for the room. It makes a real difference helping me to cool down. When running indoors there is no air resistance or light breeze so it's necessary to have something to mimic outside. It was a good run. I could have just as easily run outside but I appreciate the privacy and not having to worry about the traffic, dogs or sudden thunderstorms. I have been reading The Way of the Pilgrim and it is amazing how the lessons from studying drift in and out throughout the course of the day. I have also been reading excerpts from the Philokalia which seems like heavy reading but once in the habit of training the mind for something solid it begins to crave the sustenance. . After church the family and I met up with close friends from church to socialize and for dinner. It is always a blessing to be in the companionship of other Orthodox Christians. Time spent with God or in contemplation and learning is never wasted or regretful. It painfully obvious and yet too often we choose to focus our attention and thoughts on things that may not necessarily lead to corruption but which do not lead us to our ultimate path. I have been thinking a lot about how as Orthodox Christians we are subjected to, or rather immersed in heresy. By this I mean the constant bombardment of Protestant ideals on the one side and secularism on the other with relativism joining them. Over time in small doses they begin to seem reasonable and not objectionable. It seeps into the structure of our thoughts and acts as an improper filter for our relationship to God. Keep watch the truth is in the small print. We need to focus on sensitizing ourselves to these discrepancies. Be attentive to your soul and it will reward your effort.