Posts Tagged ‘Confession’
No Such Thing as Self Authority
Throughout the ancient world, and still in some places today, some leaders declare themselves the authority. They go by all sorts of names. Kings and emperors are the ‘nice’ names. They are also knows as dictators. There is no such thing as ‘self-authority’ in the Church. At that time, as Jesus was teaching the people…
Read MoreKnow Your Place
There is a place for everyone in the Church. That place is not just in the pews, but in the ministry of the Church. Nobody can do everything, but everybody must do something. If the ministry of Christ depended upon only the clergy, the Gospel would never spread. BRETHREN, grace was given to each of…
Read MoreWanted Dead or Alive!
As you may know I was raised in the west, sometimes called the wild west, where legends of famous outlaws blanketed history. In every small town you could always find a sign to purchase to hassle your best friends. The saying was for outlaws, but Christ wants us alive, not dead. Brethren, all who have…
Read MoreWhat is Perfection?
Are you a perfectionist? For some people, the idea of making a mistake or falling short of reaching a goal can be crippling. Whether it is at school, work or even at home, being a perfectionist is rarely a trait that inspires others to join us. What about Church? Timothy, my son, the saying is…
Read MoreToo Much Salt
Salt preserves. Salt adds flavor. Salt even brings out the best natural flavors of foods. When you add too much salt, food can be ruined and lose all its flavor. You can’t cook without salt, but you can’t cook with too much salt either. Salt requires balance. The Lord said, “Whoever causes one of these…
Read MoreThe Importance of BEING Orthodox
Whether you agree with recent statistics or not, you cannot deny the plentitude of groups calling themselves Christians. One recent statistic counts Christian denominations at more than 43,000 separate governing bodies of ‘churches’, all claiming to the be the ‘true’ Church of Christ. Brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling…
Read MoreGod Knows You
Three words that can either terrify you or comfort you. When we are told “God knows you” we often turn our minds to guilt and sin. While we may indeed be guilty of sin, there is something much better in these three words. God has known us since creation, and He is waiting for us.…
Read MoreWhitewashed Souls
You already know how it feels. You spend the day working. It could be in the garden or in the fields at work. You know how it feels to ‘get dirty’ after a long day’s work. You also know the feeling of the dirty washing off and stepping out of the shower, clean and ready…
Read MoreCommon Life
In every Divine Liturgy we proclaim our common life in Christ when we pray, “Let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.” We do not commend our unison lives to Christ. We commend our life, singular, to Christ. That should mean something. Brethren, let any one who thinks…
Read MoreMind Your Business
We all like to think we are successful Christians. We all like to think we ‘know what we’re doing’ when it comes to how to live our Orthodox Christian Faith. If that weren’t bad enough, we all also like to think we ‘know better’ than other people how to be ‘good’ Orthodox Christians. The sad…
Read More