Inward Beauty

Shiny gold bars stacked neatly with reflections on a dark surface.

Morning routines are a part of everyone’s day. We awake with ‘just enough time’ to be ready for our day. We bathe and feed our bodies before spending time making ourselves presentable for our coworkers and friends. If we have time, we may even say our prayers. No surprise. The way we present ourselves is…

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No Shame about Christmas

Man sitting with head in hands.

When everyone around you seems to have forgotten why Christmas is important, it can be awkward keeping focus. We are fasting. ‘They’ are feasting. We are praying. They are shopping. We are serving others. They are demanding special treatment at the checkout lane. Being a Christian is hard enough in modern America. Being an Orthodox…

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The Pain of Violence

Hand shattering the word "violence" into pieces.

Last night the world was witness to yet another example of political violence. This is something the world has known for centuries, millennia even. Since the first murder of Abel by his brother, humanity has known the unfortunate reality of violence. When Jesus came to bring us a better example of peace and love He…

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Sometimes You Must Walk Away

Person walking on a rural dirt road.

Standing up for your beliefs can be exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Will those around me respect my defense or rally against me? In a split second we are forced to face death, even if metaphorical, or praise. Sometimes, we just walk away. IN THOSE DAYS, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at…

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One Disagreement Away from Enemies

Office confrontation with boxing gloves.

I have watched best friends willing to die for each other, only to stop talking over a single disagreement. We put so much energy into our relationships that when they ‘go bad’ we are lost. Even family members can turn on each other if loyalties don’t align. In those days, Saul was with the disciples…

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Orthros Prayer Two

Stone tablets with engraved commandments under sky.

Yesterday we prayed for God to always have compassion on us because we can’t do with without Him. In our Orthros Prayer series, we now turn our attention to the commandments of God. His commandments light the way through the darkness to heaven. The problem is we fail to follow His commandments and have been…

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