Posts Tagged ‘Isaiah’
2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 11 – Grace and Forgiveness
Great Lent is always a blessing for my soul. Sure, my body gets a health boost from fasting, but my soul is nourished even greater by the daily readings. I feel sorry for those who think reading desert mystics is somehow ‘superior’ than the Scriptures. Today is one of those days. Right off the bat,…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 10 – God Never Gives Up
The benefit we have as Orthodox Christians reading the Old Testament is that we know ‘the rest of the story’ before it is even written. I feel that today. I feel God’s love today. I feel God’s constant oversight today. No matter what we do God never gives up on us. Yesterday I wrote with…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 9 – Humans Killing Humans
It is as old as humanity itself. Jealousy and the desire for power spoil the human heart. Hate wells up overtaking peace and joy. The ugliness of war is an ancient burden for humanity. It has been on my mind for the past few days. As Prophet Isaiah says, the Lord “looked for justice, but…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 8 – The Best is for God
Here we are in the second week of Great Lent and already we are challenged to offer something to God. We’ve been offering our time through. We’ve been offering our bodies through fasting. We’ve been offering our resources through charity. Was it our best? In today’s readings we hear Cain and Abel make offerings to…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 5
One thing I love about fasting is the purity of the food. Beans, vegetables and basic bread make up the bulk of my fasting menu. The past few years I have tried to stay away from pasta ‘just because’ of the starch. I know bread is starch, but I can’t eat soup without it. Today’s…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 4
One of my favorite realities of Great Lent is sharing strategies with other Orthodox Christians. I exchange recipes and share stories of success and failures over the years. The joy of the Church is more than just gathering for worship. It is helping each other live life. We’re barely into Great Lent and much has…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 3
One of the most common conversations I have with people is how much, or how little, God is willing to help us. Expressions like ‘God placed me,’ or ‘God chose for me,’ reflect the idea that God is actively reaching down and manipulating people. I don’t see it. What strikes me in today’s reading is…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 2
Yesterday I wrote to you about how strongly I felt the Prophet’s warning and call to repentance. Today I’m still pondering Genesis. I decided to continue where it started for me yesterday. Here’s are today’s readings. Thus says the Lord: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land.…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 1
Today begins another Great Lent Journey, a journey to Pascha and the Kingdom of Heaven. Today begins another way for us to learn to love and live like God. Today begins another opportunity for us to change the way we think of life and death, heaven and hell. Each year I endeavor to offer our…
Read MoreThe Gift of Hindsight
It is said that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back on a long life, we can always see clearer using today’s perspective. We see how our struggles ‘got us here’ and we see how God led us to encounter Him. All the while, amid struggle, we were blind to God. At that time, the report concerning…
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