A Common Starting Point

If you have ever had a conversation about religion with someone who wasn’t Orthodox Christian, then you have likely struggled like the rest of us. “Where should I begin?” Is it necessary to start with Genesis, or can we start someplace else? In those days, an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and…

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Whom do you Desire to Please?

Two signboards of different colors

We all like to be liked. There is no pleasure in being disliked, that’s for sure. As Christians though, we find ourselves between a rock and hard place. We are either liked by people or we are liked by God. There is a difference. About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some…

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Familiar but Different

Have you ever wanted to read the Bible in its entirety? A very popular Christian desire is to read the entire Bible. It is almost as if Christians as a rule don’t read the entire Book on a regular basis. The Church thought about that a long time ago when it established the Lectionary. Today’s…

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Easter is Over…What now?

On Bright Saturday, also called Renewal Saturday, we glance back at last week and Pascha seems so long ago. It was just last week we were preparing our lamb and leaving for Church to light our candles and celebrate the Resurrection. Now what do we do? We don’t deny that Holy Week and Pascha is…

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Our Work Must Go On

Shortly after the Resurrection ‘experience’ of the Apostles, it was clear there was more work to be done. Instead of ‘just’ sitting around celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection, they realized their purpose. Judas had killed himself, so the Apostles replaced him with Matthias. There was more work to accomplish. I feel the same way today. We…

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Prayer of the First Hour

Our Daily Lenten Journey this year is focused on prayer. Yesterday we finished our series on morning prayers. Did you know the Church has ‘services’ dedicated to the different hours of the day? Now we will turn our attention to communal prayers offered during the day. For centuries the People of God have gathered throughout…

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Were the Ancients Wrong?

So many modern Christians look at the ancient customs of the Church with speculation and distrust. Many have been led to belief the traditions of the ancient Church led believers away from Christ. Many believe that only modern Christians can ‘save’ the Church from paganism. Today is one of those days that highlights the schism…

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Is there a limit to God’s Power?

The power of prayer. The power of faith. As Christians we are always talking about and invoke the power the God. Still, bad things happen. Still, sick people die. Still, evil seems to be spreading. You might begin to wonder if there is a limit to God’s power. Well, yes and no. About that time,…

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Faithful to the End

Being faithful today is synonymous with being loyal. We are loyal to friends. We are loyal to family. We are loyal to our employers. If any of these groups betray us, our loyalty fades or even disappears. As Christians our loyalty is to Christ, who never betrays us. In those days, Peter said to the…

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What if it was God the Whole Time?

I am not afraid of truth. Science doesn’t scare me. It doesn’t shake my faith. It doesn’t matter what someone tells me, I believe God, Father-Son-Holy Spirit, is the Creator of the Universe. The only difference between my belief and countless other ‘creator stories’ is God. In those days, while Paul was waiting for them…

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