Archive for January 2024
The Value of Love
Free this and free that. They say nothing is free, but ‘they’ are wrong. Love is free. It costs nothing but pride. It costs nothing but the willingness to not be loved back. On the other hand, love is what gives everything else value. Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of…
Read MoreRemember Your Conversion
Whether we were ‘born into’ the Church of became Orthodox later in life, each of us has a conversion story. We can remember that day, or season, when we realized our faith in Christ was something that we were serious about. We also can remember days or seasons when that faith waned a bit, and…
Read MoreEpisode 416 – Planning to See Christ
When we want to be in Church, we plan in advance. When we want to see Christ, we also need to plan. Just like Zacchaeus planned in advance to see Christ, we need to clean our hearts, make plans for him, and be ready for Him. We do this by confessing our sins to the…
Read MoreCalendar Celebration
The Orthodox Calendar is much more than a tool to determine the date for Pascha. It is May 5th this year, by the way. The Calendar is a way for the Church to remember our history and faith. It is a way for us to tell future generations what was important to us and our…
Read MoreGod’s Work
As Christians, we are called to be coworkers with God. Practically speaking that means that the work we do is supposed to be part of the work God does. You cannot be a coworker and work on a different project. Then you are just colleagues. Coworkers have a shared vision. Brethren, we are God’s fellow…
Read MoreWitnessing about Christ is Contagious
A great crowd gathers down the street, and you immediately wonder what the commotion is all about. You may even wander down the block to get a look for yourself. When you get there, you notice a man speaking on the street corner and the crowd is mesmerized. You stay a while and listen. You…
Read MoreEpisode 415 – Christ Came for Everyone
When Christ healed ten lepers, including one foreigner, He taught us that His grace and healing is for everyone. God sent the ten to the priests, to the Temple, to show the priests they had been healed. They were sent to show that Christ was sent to heal everyone, not just the inner circle. Transcript:…
Read MoreLight Over Darkness
Growing up in Colorado I used to go camping in the mountains. On many occasions we found ourselves sleeping under the stars. There are not so many examples of God’s beauty than the night sky when you are away from the city lights. It is most special during the New Moon when the only light…
Read MorePride Cannot Save the Church
I encounter it quite a bit in discussions with keyboard warriors. Mostly new converts and even some who are not yet Orthodox think because they read a couple books or ‘that one’ blog post, they are the ‘last standing true Orthodox’ in the world. Everyone around them, especially those with canonical authority are ‘sell outs’…
Read MoreChained Down by Sin
The Devil made me do it. I couldn’t help myself. You have no idea how strong the temptation was that made me sin. These are all common excuses for sin. We have all used them because we have all been weak. We have all sinned, but there is a better way. About that time, Herod…
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