Archive for September 2023
Being Inspiring
We often wonder what we must do to inspire others to be faithful to Christ. Do we argue with them? Do we debate them with facts and figures? Maybe we sit with them and use logic to convince them that Christ is worthy of our devotion. None of these ultimately will inspire anyone to follow…
Read MoreCondescension VS Enabling
I hear it all the time. We’ve got to get down to their level! We say this with all good intentions. We want nothing more than everyone to embrace the Orthodox Faith. It can be frustrating when we are surrounded by people who do not desire what we desire. So, we think it helps to…
Read MoreThe Church Mission
It has become vogue to talk about Church as a family. It is a family, but being a family is not the Church’s mission. It is not the mission of any family to keep to itself, but many churches do just that. We live as if our Church is ‘just’ for our entertainment. It is…
Read MoreEpisode 405 – Having a Spiritual Father
We are all at different stages of our spiritual journey. The Orthodox way of life can be complex and difficult to determine just is the best way to practice our Orthodox Life. We cannot just ‘pick and choose’ like a cafeteria. The Tradition of our Church is to have a spiritual father who is guiding…
Read MorePro Life Church
The Orthodox Church was pro life before there was such a term. Long before Roe v Wade, and long before so-called reproductive rights, the Church honored the conception of children as a blessing from God. There are references to conception in the Scriptures and even the daily calendar honors conception as a thing to be celebrated, not destroyed.
Read MoreThe Blood of Christ
Among the differences between Christians is the understanding of salvation. Some believe ‘once saved always saved’. Others believe that salvation is by grace alone. Still others believe that salvation must be earned. One thing is consistent. Salvation requires the Blood of Christ, but we can’t seem to agree on what that means. Brethren, we have…
Read MoreHeaven is for You
As humans we are so preoccupied with getting into heaven, we forget that we can’t ‘do anything’ to get in. We can only prepare ourselves to accept what God has already done for us in the first place. A life of prayer, fasting and taking care of the poor isn’t about getting ‘in’, it is…
Read MorePractice Endurance
Do you have what it takes to be a Christian in the 21st Century? Every news report seems to include stories about moral struggles that are at odds with our Christian way of thinking. It seems like we are quickly returning to a time when the Church will be considered the enemy rather than sin.…
Read MoreNews Cycle
The week after the feast of the Holy Cross, the Church begins a new cycle. We began yesterday reading from the Gospel of Luke, and we will continue throughout the Fall. I bring that to you attention because if your discipline includes reading the ‘daily readings’ of the Church, you might be tempted to skip…
Read MoreModern Pharisees
It has been a problem since before Christ. People who read one part of the Law and demand its exact obedience while ignoring other parts of the Law. The Pharisees were good at it, and many today are quickly adopting their way. Many today look at the Holy Canons like modern pharisees, demanding exact obedience…
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