Posts Tagged ‘Acts of the Apostles’
Being 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.…
Read MoreLearn the Way of God More Accurately
In a society that lifts individuality and promotes self-reliance, it can be difficult to promote the Orthodox Church as the true Church. Since just about everyone can read, unlike the ancient days, everyone has received the gift of being able to read the Holy Scriptures on their own. The problem is, they don’t stop at…
Read MoreVoice of Prophecy
If I were to begin today’s blog by telling you horrible things would happen if you do not repent, you would think I had gone off my rocker. This is because, first and foremost, I am not a prophet. Second, we don’t often hear from prophets in modern times. The voice of prophets seems to…
Read More