Posts Tagged ‘Acts of the Apostles’
God Does not Play Chess
Christ is Risen! I hear it all the time. “God sent him to me for a reason.” Another one is, “God brought us together for a reason.” I will admit that I am not fond of this expression. To me, it sounds like God is plucking someone up from one location and placing him down…
Read MoreGenuine Repentance
Christ is Risen! It has been a long-time source of frustration for me. I watch from a distance on TV news. Politicians along with their respective detractors accusing each other of being fake. Policies change with the wind for the sake of garnering votes. Statements are retracted after receiving ‘bad press’ only to be reworded…
Read MoreBeing Taught
Christ is Risen! As you can imagine I regularly meet individuals who express a desire to become Orthodox. Sometimes they have never been baptized. Other times they are fleeing from one ‘version’ of Christianity or another. Sometimes even, as was likely the case in the ancient world, some want to be Orthodox because it comes…
Read MoreKindle the Flame of Pascha
Christ is Risen! As we begin the third week of Pascha, and the excitement begins to fade, we search for ways to keep the flame from going out. It wasn’t too long ago that we endured winds and rain to bring the light home from Church and bless our house. Now, it’s easy to forget…
Read MoreSeek the Kingdom
Christ is Risen! When we think of our resources and income, we think about investing for the future. We think about vacations in the Alps. We think about leaving a legacy for our children. It is well known that most Americans live ‘paycheck to paycheck’ thinking only about getting through today. The two concepts, focusing…
Read MoreDon’t Stop Sharing the Good News
Christ is Risen! There is an old saying. Don’t talk about politics or religion in polite conversation. You may want to keep the peace among friends, but there is a negative impact on taking this advice. First, you’ll never know what your friends believe. Second, you’ll never preach Christ raised from the dead. Neither is…
Read MoreGod, Miracles, and Faith
Christ is Risen We’ve all done it. We sit quietly, sometimes loudly, in front of our icon or in the Church, begging God for a miracle. Occasionally miracles come, but mostly they don’t. Sometimes our faith is shaken. Sometimes our faith is strengthened. Sometimes we even flock to someone who is ‘known for’ performing miracles.…
Read MoreBorn from Above
Christ is Risen! “How can a man be born when he is old?” This was the response of Nikodemos when Jesus spoke of a new life in Christ. Unfortunately for Nikomdemos, he could only think in earthly terms. Christ was speaking in spiritual terms. Unless we learn to listen in spiritual terms we will never…
Read MoreBelief Changes a Person
Christ is Risen! They say seeing is believing. They are correct, but if we don’t actually see with our eyes, can we still believe? As they Apostles began to preach about the risen Christ, one message was consistent. Jesus who was crucified was God. Seeing Him after the resurrection allowed the Apostles to belief without…
Read MoreThe Work Never Ends
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! We have celebrated Pascha and our bodies are worn out. We are tired from the late hours of services and celebrations. You might be on a spiritual ‘high’ right now and are wondering what to do next. Suddenly you feel like you ‘miss’ going to Church every day.…
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