Posts Tagged ‘Hebrews’
Gift for the Future
For most Christians, at least for most Christians living in America, dwelling on the past is considered closed minded. We are taught to look to the future. Sayings such as “The youth are the future of the church,” draw our attention to the future but we cannot have a future without a past. Brethren, all…
Read MoreNot Perfect but Patient
Four weeks of Great Lent have come and gone and you’re still here. You haven’t given up yet, but you’re close. Fasting and extra prayers are taking a toll on your endurance. Being flooded with temptation is testing your patience. You may even be thinking of giving up the fight. BRETHREN, we feel sure of…
Read MoreHalf-Way Evaluation
Today is the half-way point of Great Lent. You now realize the days go by quickly when you’re focusing on Christ. You also realize that Pascha will be here ‘before you know it,’ and you still have work to do. It’s time for evaluation. Let’s review what the Church has asked us to focus on…
Read MoreThe Power of Today
From the moment we become aware of our mortality our minds ‘live’ in the future. Will we have enough money to retire? How much life insurance do I need? Will I ever pay off my student loans? The preoccupation with the future means we ignore the present. The spiritual problem with ‘living in the future’…
Read MoreRemember Your Conversion
Whether we were ‘born into’ the Church of became Orthodox later in life, each of us has a conversion story. We can remember that day, or season, when we realized our faith in Christ was something that we were serious about. We also can remember days or seasons when that faith waned a bit, and…
Read MoreResolution of Peace
If you chose this year not to make a New Year Resolution, it isn’t too late. In fact, I may have found some inspiration for you this year. We cannot deny the world is filled with chaos and frantic souls searching for meaning in life. Money doesn’t comfort. Material comfort doesn’t soothe. We are all…
Read MoreHope Never Fades
Whether you have lived for one year or one hundred years, you know what it means to hope for something. When our hope is based on a promise, we remain laser focused. When the One Who makes the promise is God, our hope never fades. As Christians we have the benefit of reading the story…
Read MoreBeing Faithful
When we think about being faithful to someone, we imagine loyalty and sacrifice. If we are faithful to our friends, we fight for them. So long as our friends do not abandon us and our priorities continue to be aligned with their priorities, we remain faithful and willing to fight. If just one thing changes,…
Read MoreMarble and Gold
Many people complain that the Orthodox Church adorns our church buildings with majestic marble and gold. “Jesus was a simple carpenter,” they say. What these same people forget is that it was God who commanded the absolute best materials be used to build the temple. God didn’t stop at gold and marble. He demanded the…
Read MoreConsecration
Today the Church commemorates the consecration of the most glorious church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Built by Saints Constantine and Helen in the 4th Century, this Church stands as a reminder to the world that God was resurrected from the dead. Although the building has seen changes and…
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