Posts Tagged ‘Gospel of Matthew’
Faithful or Zealous?
The modern Orthodox experience in America is complex with both longstanding members born into the Church coexisting with pious converts who have chosen Orthodoxy as their religion. Neither is more important than the other since both are members of the Body of Christ. Yet there appears to be a battle for the ‘soul’ of the…
Read MoreEating or Fasting
As Orthodox Christians living in a secular world, fasting takes on an additional burden. It is easy to fast when we cook for ourselves, but when others are doing the cooking, things get a bit sticky. When the ‘others’ are not Orthodox, fasting sometimes becomes optional. Now, you must understand that I would never characterize…
Read MoreFocus on Today
A recurring theme in my conversations with Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike is an obsession with the ‘end times’ and what the Church has to say about the end. Whether it is the myth of the rapture or the anxiety of the tribulation, everyone seems to panic about the end. At that time, Jesus’ disciples came…
Read MoreEpisode 458 – Learn to Forgive
It can be difficult to forgive those who use their free will to hurt us. It might be difficult but as we learn in the lesson of the Master who forgave 10,000 talents teach us, we will only be forgiven the sins we commit against God if we forgive even the smallest sin someone else…
Read MoreA New Way
The ‘original’ name for the Church was “The Way” because it expressed not only the ‘way’ to heaven, but a way of life. God came to show us a new way of living, not one bound by rules and regulations, but by love and grace. Sometimes I think the Church should have kept the name.…
Read MoreTurning Against God
Our first parents chose to turn their backs on God rather than follow Him in The Garden. The ancient Jews turned their backs on God when they didn’t like the message of the prophets. We turn our backs on God every time we choose our agenda ahead of God. We may not want to admit…
Read MoreDo I Want What God Wants?
When a man brought his ailing son to Jesus for healing because the Disciples couldn’t heal him, Jesus said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” After Jesus healed the son, He then turned His attention to His Disciples who asked…
Read MoreObedience is a Choice
If you have followed this blog for any length of time you probably know my feelings about free will. It is not only a great gift of God, but it just might also be the hardest part of our Christian journey. God allows everyone the free choice to be obedient, and so should we. We…
Read MoreBeing Honest with God
Thou shalt not bear false witness means we shouldn’t lie, and yet we lie every day. We lie to our friends. We lie to our coworkers. We lie to our families. We lie to God. Each lie has a purpose. We think we will somehow ‘get what we want’ if we lie instead of being…
Read MoreUnderstanding Sin
A popular trend in Christianity is to argue about sin. We argue about what it is, and what it is not. The funny thing is we fight about it to control the behavior of others and to justify our behavior. They sin, but we do not. If you have every been ‘there’ today’s blog is…
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