Common Good

Sign reading 'HELP OTHERS' in bold black letters on bright green paper.

We work hard to provide for our family. We save and invest for the future. We struggle to maintain the balance between work and family, sometimes forgetting the purpose of the blessings from God. Everything we have from God isn’t for us. It is for the common good. The prayers of the Church are filled…

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Do You Pray for Your Church?

People gathered in ornate church interior.

One of the basic “to do items” on our list as Orthodox Christians is to say our daily prayers. Depending upon the prayer rule given to us by our Spiritual Father, we all spend time in prayer, no matter how long. The question I have for you today is, “Do you pray for your Church?”…

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Faithful or Zealous?

Silhouette with "FAITH" at sunrise background.

The modern Orthodox experience in America is complex with both longstanding members born into the Church coexisting with pious converts who have chosen Orthodoxy as their religion. Neither is more important than the other since both are members of the Body of Christ. Yet there appears to be a battle for the ‘soul’ of the…

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Eating or Fasting

People enjoying a diverse feast together.

As Orthodox Christians living in a secular world, fasting takes on an additional burden. It is easy to fast when we cook for ourselves, but when others are doing the cooking, things get a bit sticky. When the ‘others’ are not Orthodox, fasting sometimes becomes optional. Now, you must understand that I would never characterize…

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Don’t Waste Hope on Today

Bible with flowers and "Hope" card.

You hear it all the time. Have hope! We tell those struggling to have hope in Christ. Hope is a good thing to have but hope in today is waste of time. As Christians we are supposed to have hope in tomorrow’s resurrection from the dead. We aren’t supposed to hope for a new job.…

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What is Your Plan?

Chalkboard with "What's Your Plan?" message.

As the saying goes, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Nothing is truer when we speak about our spiritual life. We simply will not make much progress in our journey to God if we wake up every morning and just ‘do life’ as it comes. We need a plan if we want…

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Whose Side are You On?

Strength On Your Side" on brown background.

Nobody knows the struggle of the Christian better than those who have endured in the past. Countless martyrs and witnesses of the Faith in Christ have stood against demons and the world for their faith in Christ. Every one of them endured the fight and so can you. I meet a lot of people who…

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Beware of Temptation

Temptation Ahead sign

It is so easy we tend to forget the fight. It is so easy to think we have conquered sin because we don’t have any ‘big’ sins to confess. “Father, you know what I mean. I struggle just like everyone else. I don’t have any big sins to confess.” These are the words of someone…

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Chase Away Sin

Children running in a grassy park area.

Take a moment and look around at the behavior of those around you. Is the behavior worthy of Christ? We are surrounded by people who refuse to honor Christ. Or worse, those who think they are honoring Christ while refusing to ‘give up’ their sin, so we chase them away. This is the most common…

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Who is Your Father?

Child holding adult's hand in trust.

Of the many accusations against Christ was the claim to know what where He came from. Of course, this was a ruse because they didn’t want to admit that He was Christ. So, they kept asking Him questions. They ask us all sorts of questions too, but we never properly answer. The Lord said to…

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