Posts Tagged ‘Church’
Episode 484 – Closer to Christ in Forgiveness and Healing
When a community gathers united in Christ, healing takes place. When we bring each other closer to Christ, sins are forgiven. When Christ sees our faith as a united family, He blesses us, forgives us, and heals us. At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And…
Read MoreAvoid Divisions in the Church
It seems to be ancient practice. Find a unified group of people and try to divide them. Kingdoms have risen and fallen again through ‘divide and conquer’ philosophies. It all started in The Garden. It all started with the ‘divider’ Satan. Saint Paul knew this. Before becoming Christian, and the greatest evangelist in Church history,…
Read MoreSlow Down and Develop Your Roots
These past few days I had the blessing of attending the Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Among the several outstanding workshops I attended was a session about outreach and preparation of converts. There was discussion about the timing as equally important as the learning for those seeking to enter the…
Read MoreOnly Constant is God’s Love
Seasons change. Hair and clothing styles change. Technology is constantly changing. Even we change as we age. With everything changing around us, it can create a feeling of uncertainty. Here’s one thing that is constant. God’s love is constant, even if we change. Brethren, I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am…
Read MoreServing God VS Serving the Flesh
According to logic and the Holy Scriptures, it is impossible to serve two masters. You “will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6.24) We talk about multitasking and threading the needle, or walking a fine line, but when push comes to shove, we have only one loyalty. I once led a…
Read MoreDenial and Sin are a Dangerous Combination
Everyone knows toddlers are treated differently than teenagers when it comes to behavior. What is ‘cute’ in a toddler is ‘inappropriate’ for a teenager. If we never teach children about proper behavior, they will grow to become destructive adults. Today’s blog isn’t about childrearing. Today’s blog is about sin, and the danger of denying sin…
Read MoreRejecting the Church is Rejecting God
We risk alienating ourselves from God when we reject the guidance and teaching of the Church. It isn’t because the Church is powerful. It is because the Church is the Body of Christ. It is because the Church is guided into the entire truth by the Holy Spirit. Christ said as much. The Lord said…
Read MoreBelief is not Enough
We all know that being a Christian isn’t easy. There are teachings to memorize and rules to follow. For Orthodox Christians there are Sacred Traditions to keep and spiritual disciplines to practice. Is all this necessary? Why can’t we ‘just believe’ in God? Consider today’s lesson from Saint Paul. There were many who knew God,…
Read MoreTruth is not Subjective
Music can be defined as a series and combination of sounds pleasing to the ear. Music is subjective. What is a masterpiece to one, is garbage music to another. Nonetheless, music brings joy to every human being. The same can be said about God, but for a different reason. Some love God while others think…
Read MoreTake No Offense
We’ve all said it. We’ve all had that moment when we needed to tell someone the truth, but we knew it would hurt to hear the truth. So, we soften it with a simple warning. “No offense, but…” Let’s face it, with the wrong heart, hearing these words are always an offense. We take offense…
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