What Do You Desire?

A white dog with brown and black coloring chasing its tail

It is a simple question with a difficult answer. Our desires drive our decisions. Our decisions drive our behaviors. Our behaviors drive our emotions. Our emotions complete the cycle by driving our desires. It is like a dog chasing its tail. We’re constantly moving but going nowhere. At that time, as Jesus went out of…

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You Can’t Read Your Way into Heaven

Shelves filled with books

We are a highly educated society. Literacy rates are higher today than ever in the history of the world. Bibles are printed daily and sit, even if collecting dust, on almost every bookshelf in America. We love to read, and we love to learn. There is only one problem. We can’t read our way into…

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Dating and Marriage

Two rings on top of a book

When it comes to matters of the heart, many of us ignore the Church. We think, wrongly, that who we date is of no consequence. Then one morning we awake in love with someone the Church says we cannot marry. Instead of accepting that we may have fallen in love with the wrong person, we…

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Reconciliation to God

A man approaching a cross during sunrise

It is dangerously easy to think of God as angry and judgmental. He is our Father and we constantly disobey Him and disappoint Him. He is the Creator and we are not known for taking very good care of His creation. He is the lover of truth. We are not. Brethren, Christ died for all,…

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WWMD

Black WWMD text on a red background

I’m sure you remember the fad in the 90’s when just about everyone was asking, “WWJD – What Would Jesus Do?” We wore the four letters on bracelets, around our neck, even had them printed on t-shirts. It was supposed to inspire us to live like Christ. Like so many fads, it faded. I have…

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We Need More Soft Hearts

Comfortably in my 50’s I realize it has become too easy for my heart to grow cold and hard. The more I am cheated and taken advantage of, the more difficult it is to remain open. I’m not alone. I hear many confessions of people who suffer the same reality. Just how much can one…

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For the Sake of the Elect

It is a common line of thought on this blog that the world is against the Christ and His Church. We often talk about how we are called to endure to the end. We often talk about persecution being a real thing not only in the lives of the martyrs, but in the lives of…

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Celebrate Properly

The entire Orthodox World (those on the New Calendar) celebrated yesterday. If you went to celebrate the end of the fast, you celebrated the wrong thing. We say we celebrated the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which we did. Today is a fast day since it is Wednesday. If you awoke this morning…

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No Harm in Forgiveness

The road to victory

It is no secret that every relationship has struggle. We hurt each other, normally unintentionally. We say hurtful words. We sometimes get into patterns of anger that hinder us from reconciliation. We think, wrongly, that if we forgive each other, we will be the loser in the argument. Brethren, my joy is the joy of…

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