Posts Tagged ‘Gospel of Matthew’
Save our Children
The other day I went to see the movie Sound of Freedom and was profoundly disturbed. Knowing what happens to children in the wickedness of the slave trade was not the same as watching it. We are supposed to protect children. We are supposed to honor children. We are not supposed to harm them. At…
Read MoreTake a Chance on the Church
I wonder sometimes just how it is possible for people not to want to be Orthodox. That may sound snobbish. It just seems like so many agree with what the Church teaches but refuse to become part of the Church. It is like someone who hears but does not understand. Even that is nothing new.…
Read MoreHow are you Using Your Gifts?
We hear about Stewardship all the time. The problem is, we only ever hear about money. What is worse, we only hear about how much money the Church needs. We might hear a token mention of time and talents in the annual stewardship pitch. We hardly ever hear about stewardship outside of the Church’s needs.…
Read MoreRejecting God
Ever since Eve listened to the advice of the serpent, humanity has been stuck between a rock and hard place. On the one hand, we hear God’s voice in our hearts calling us to a better life. On the other hand, we hear the devil’s voice urging us on to please our ego. More often…
Read MoreStanding Up as Christians
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…
Read MoreEpisode 400 – We Have a Job to Do
When Christ invited the first disciples to follow Him, He called them to a job. He called them to become fishers of men, to bring people into the Church. Today we are called by Christ to bring people to Christ. We are not just supposed to bring them into our community, but into Christ. The…
Read MoreJudge Yourself
I hear it all the time. Don’t judge! Under most circumstances I hear this as a defense of someone’s behavior. We cling to God’s warning against judgment not for salvation sake, but for our self-interest. We think if we are not judged by those around us, then our behavior is given the ‘green light’ to…
Read MoreRun to God
It never ceases to amaze me how many people outright ignore God until they need Him. We go through life ‘minding our own business’ until suddenly something takes place that we cannot control. It can be a natural event like a hurricane. It can also be the actions of other people. Either way, because we…
Read MoreFalse Prophets
Intuitively we understand the idea of false prophets. It is those who lead us stray from God through their words of warning. In the biblical sense prophets are not future tellers per se. True prophets are allowed by God to see what might happen if and when certain behaviors take place. False prophets use this…
Read MoreTrust and Betrayal
There are so many examples of human betrayal it can be difficult to trust anyone. Some parents abandon their families. Some adults abuse the people in their care. Even the ‘system’ can betray us when corrupt leaders take control. It is no surprise then that so many Christians do not trust the Church. I get…
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