No Harm in Forgiveness

The road to victory

It is no secret that every relationship has struggle. We hurt each other, normally unintentionally. We say hurtful words. We sometimes get into patterns of anger that hinder us from reconciliation. We think, wrongly, that if we forgive each other, we will be the loser in the argument. Brethren, my joy is the joy of…

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Standing Up as Christians

Neon sign for Standup

The idea of ‘standing up’ for what we believe has become synonymous with the idea of protest. If we don’t like what someone is saying or doing, we protest. As Americans we have been protesting since the first days of our nation. In that, nothing has changed. What has changed is what we are willing…

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Orthodox Bucket List

Whats On Your Bucket list Written On Front OF A Notebook

Christ is Risen! The other day I saw a meme about aging. It said something to the effect of, “With age every day becomes more urgent to get right with God.” I laughed, because today we normally associate fewer days ‘left’ in life as fewer days to have fun. We are encouraged to have bucket…

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2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 24

A golden abstract artwork of the Jesus

Many do not know the original practice of Holy Confession was public in the Church. That meant that people would publicly admit to each other their sins. This was important because of our union in the Church. When we sin, we bring sin into the body of the Church. Of course, pretty quickly this practice…

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True Forgiveness Begins with Coexistence

Forgiveness engraved on wet sand

As you can imagine I meet many who struggle in the art of forgiveness. Many say they can’t seem to forgive no matter how much they try. We’ve been wronged! We can’t get over what they did to us. I’m still angry. I know I should forgive them, but I just can’t. These are all…

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The Unforgiveable Sin

Forgiveness engraved on wet sand

We’ve all heard about the unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit, but do you know what that sin is? Meriam-Webster defines ‘blasphemy’ as “the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God.” I wonder sometimes if it is even possible for a believer to show contempt for God. We get angry…

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You Can’t Get There by Yourself

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

We live in a society that prides itself on independence. The very fabric of our great Nation is woven by the threads of self-government and self-accomplishments. Awards are given for “Person of the Year”, not “Group of the Year.” But we all know there are just sometimes we need help. There are just some things…

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Just Hold on and Climb!

A group of men raising their hands together in the air

I believe it is part of the ‘fallen’ human condition. Generally speaking, we do not like to take blame for our shortcomings, let alone our mistakes. Take any young child caught eating something forbidden. With total confidence in the ‘blame,’ a typical child with either blame the dog, claim that what was eaten was not…

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We Cannot Control God

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

I hear it all the time. “I can’t believe in a God who…” or “I would believe in a God who…” and we insert our opinion of Who God ‘should’ be. The only problem is (as if there is only one) we don’t control God. God is Who He is, and we either accept Him…

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