Archive for September 2022
Be Watchful
You never know what tomorrow brings. This was the case played out this past week in our host parish of Tarpon Springs. One day Hurricane Ian was headed straight for us, and the next we were safe while others took cover. Living in Florida I have come to terms with ‘leaving it all behind’ every…
Read MoreWhat Happens When God Spares You a Storm?
Our host parish of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, Florida has spent the better part of a week in the path for Hurricane Ian. Evacuation orders, filling sandbags, boarding up windows has preoccupied our town. In the midst of all preparations, even non-Orthodox residents of the city invoke the intercessions of Saint…
Read MoreSome Just Aren’t Happy
I have been in professional Church ministry for twenty-nine years. In that time, I have found a common character trait in those who fight against the Church. It doesn’t matter whether things go their way or not, they still fight. That’s because it really isn’t about their way. It is about their heart. Brethren, if…
Read MoreLove Defeats Fear
When the time came for Jesus to be crucified only one of His disciples remained until the very end. This disciple had been with Him from the beginning and never waivered in his love for Christ. He is the only one of the Twelve that did not die a martyr’s death. He cared for the…
Read MoreHow Will You Help the Lord This Week?
In the Gospel of Luke we hear the calling of the first disciples of Christ while they were “off duty” from their day of fishing. Jesus “saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.” (Luke 5.2) Their day was finished and I’m sure the…
Read MoreEpisode 377 – When we Allow God to Use Us
When we stop asking, “What’s in it for us,” and allow God to use us for His Church and His Gospel, we experience miracles. We have been given gifts and talents from God not for our use, but for God to use to preach to others. We receive the grace of God when we are…
Read MoreTime for Tradition
In our contemporary Christian setting with over 45,000 denominations, it is no longer sufficient to say the Orthodox Church is the original Church. It is not longer sufficient to say we are the Church that never changes. It is no longer sufficient to say anything. The time has come for us to be and act…
Read MorePrayer is Timeless
We are encouraged by the Church and the saints to be always in a state of prayer. As part of our Holy Tradition, we gather as an Orthodox Christian family to pray in Church. We pray in the privacy of our homes. We even pray, or at least we are encouraged to pray, as we…
Read MoreEstranged Siblings
In the past week I have been blessed to participate in two events which were historic. They were historic locally and personally. Mind you, this was not the first time such events have taken place, but it was a first for me and for the Tampa Bay Area. Orthodox Christianity has been in the Tampa…
Read MoreA Lost Opportunity
Today is known in the Church as “Wednesday of the First Week of Luke” as it pertains to the liturgical cycle. In practical terms that means this week we begin reading from the Gospel According to Saint Luke. Each year on the Monday following the Feast of Holy Cross we begin a new season by…
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