Excel in Love

Hands separating two uneven coin stacks.

We often wonder what genuine love is, how we show it, or how we feel it. We say it all the time. “I love you.” Just because we say it doesn’t mean it is genuine. Most of the time the love we express and the love we feel is not genuine, but worldly and shallow.…

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Proper Grief

Silhouette of person leaning on table.

We all experience grief. It may be a loved one’s death. We may grieve the loss of a job. Grief occurs when we lose something or someone dear to us. When we face the prospect of losing ourselves, our grief can be overwhelming. Brethren, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit,…

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Live for God

Outstretched hand offering a handshake outdoors.

There is a great book that has made it way through the Church from the business world. In his book “Start with Why” Simon Sinek leads the reader to a higher business success by focusing on ‘the why’ of the business. The focus on ‘why’ is just as effective for our spiritual life. Brethren, Christ…

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Eternal Union

Close-up of 'eternity' engraved in stone.

It is easy to talk about forgiveness when it doesn’t matter. Too often I hear, “Sure I forgive them. God will take get them. I don’t have to.” I’m sorry to tell you, this is not forgiveness. This is vengeance. The problem isn’t now. The problem comes later when we are eternally together. There are…

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Fatherhood and Faith – A Divine Partnership

Father's Day card with shoes and bowtie.

“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.” (1 Timothy 3.2-5) Summer…

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Light Over Darkness

A sunrise

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…

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Unqualified Thanksgiving

Chalkboard with autumn leaves, "I'm Thankful for...

Today is Thanksgiving Day in America. It is supposed to be a day to give thanks to God for our blessings. It was created by the government to help our nation focus on what really matters. Everything we have is from God, and we should be thankful. The only problem is our thanks tend to…

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Condescension VS Enabling

Expectations surrounded by colorful arrows on maroon.

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…

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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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