It’s About Becoming Perfect

In the Gospel of Mark we hear of a father who brought his son to Jesus for healing because the Apostles were unable to heal him. He called to Jesus, “’If You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible…

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Not Perfect but Patient

Four weeks of Great Lent have come and gone and you’re still here. You haven’t given up yet, but you’re close. Fasting and extra prayers are taking a toll on your endurance. Being flooded with temptation is testing your patience. You may even be thinking of giving up the fight. BRETHREN, we feel sure of…

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Follow God for another Promise

I keep referring to Great Lent as a journey. Every journey needs a destination. Traditionally we think of the destination of our Great Lenten Journey as Pascha. Our fasting leads to feasting. Our prayer leads to the Altar of God. Sometimes our idea of a destination isn’t a destination at all. Sometimes it is just…

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Humanity is always Rushing Things

It started in the very beginning. Adam and Eve wanted to rush being like God. The result was the Fall of Humanity, and death. It wasn’t that God didn’t want humanity to be like God. He did. It was that humanity wasn’t ready to be like God yet. That is always our story. We rush…

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The Power of Pride

Our daily struggle during Great Lent is much more than fasting. Great Lent is a struggle against pride. We all have it. We all struggle to subdue it, or at least we should. We all fall to its power through temptation and ego. It is what holds us back. The sons of Noah who went…

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God Destroys Evil

We should admit the battle between good and evil is sometimes difficult to decipher. We stand up against evil to the best of our ability with the hope the God is there to help us. We are tempted to become violent against evil using the Scriptures as our defense. The Old Testament is filled with…

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Evil is not worth the gain

Just look around and you will find those who choose not to live according to God’s desire. People are greedy, hungry for power, oppressive to others, even violent. It seems like ‘they’ are the ones who are rewarded with comfort and advancement in the world but their gains are short-lived. He who is steadfast in…

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Episode 422 – The Cross Leads to Life

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

During Great Lent we are not simply following rules. We are learning to deny ourselves. We are learning to take up our Cross. We are learning how to follow Christ. If we spend life focusing on ourselves, we will never take up the struggle of our cross. The Church focuses on the Cross so that…

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Half-Way Evaluation

Today is the half-way point of Great Lent. You now realize the days go by quickly when you’re focusing on Christ. You also realize that Pascha will be here ‘before you know it,’ and you still have work to do. It’s time for evaluation. Let’s review what the Church has asked us to focus on…

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