Posts Tagged ‘humility’
Patience Saves
Our world moves quickly. Deals are made in ‘fast time’ using communication technology ‘at the speed of light’ without consideration of consequences. Our fast-paced life might work in the secular business world, but fast-paced spirituality can lead to shipwreck. IN THOSE DAYS, when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul…
Read MoreUnity in Love
Since before Christ’s Holy Passion, He has been urging us to unity in love. In the twenty centuries since, the Church has been fighting to maintain unity. We have not always been successful, so we have also been fighting to restore unity where it has been lost. The Lord said to his disciples, “The words…
Read MoreNaming Rights
Drive through any town and you wonder who ‘all those people’ were. Every street has a name. Every town building has a name. Parks have names. Airports and even schools have names. Lately our society has argued intensely about these names, even removing some. What is it about a name? In those days, Peter opened…
Read MoreConverting Our Will
At the beginning of His public ministry Jesus challenged us to deny our will to follow Him The entire Christian journey rests in giving our will over to God’s will. We simply cannot follow Christ into heaven so long as we focus on our will over His. Being obedient to God saves us. Being obedient…
Read MoreEpisode 423 – Wanting More for Others than for Ourselves
When we think about our relationship with God in heaven, it can be easy to focus on ourselves. We tend to want the best seats and the best treatment in heaven. We forget that Christ teaches us to want more for others than for ourselves. The message of the Gospel, and the ultimate goal of…
Read MoreGet Past Your Ego
We all struggle with our ego. We think we are better than others when we are not. We think we are worse than others when we are not. Good or bad, we often think of ourselves before others. Even the Disciples had difficulties with their ego. What makes us think we are so different? At…
Read MoreEpisode 418 – Stop Keeping Score
It is so easy to list the sins of everyone around us. The prayer of the Pharisee was focused on the sins of others rather than his own sins. It was the prayer of the Publican who understood his need for God’s mercy. Being preoccupied with following the rules of the Church for the sake…
Read MorePride Cannot Save the Church
I encounter it quite a bit in discussions with keyboard warriors. Mostly new converts and even some who are not yet Orthodox think because they read a couple books or ‘that one’ blog post, they are the ‘last standing true Orthodox’ in the world. Everyone around them, especially those with canonical authority are ‘sell outs’…
Read MoreEmpty Words
Whether you understand it or not, your faith speaks aloud to those around you. There is a reason the old saying is, “Actions speak louder than words.” It rarely matters what we believe if our actions are not generated from that belief. If our words have no meaning, they are of no benefit to those…
Read MoreGod is Never too Busy
There is no doubt that it can be difficult to fall short of our goals. This is especially true when it comes to life-changing events. We desire a God-loving spouse. We want to work in a job that honors God. These are common to most of us. We also desire good health, a good job,…
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