Plans Change

The saying, “The best laid plans of mice and men,” struck me today. No matter how much we plan, we cannot control other people. We can only control ourselves. Sometimes even our family will betray us along the way. That’s ok because God is on our side. When Isaac was old and his eyes were…

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Get 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…

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Are You Praying for Your City?

Last night throughout the entire Orthodox Christian world, Churches were filled with faithful. It wasn’t liturgy, but it was just as important. Tens of thousands of Orthodox Christians sang the Akathist to the Theotokos according to our custom. It is a service which commemorates a time when our faithful ancestors prayed to the Theotokos to…

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Negotiating with God

We all do it. We try to broker a deal with God. We promise the moon and deliver a dim candle. Then we still expect God to ‘do for us’ what we wanted in the first place. We forget that God is all knowing. We forget that He already knows we will fall short. Yet…

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Humanity is always Rushing Things

It started in the very beginning. Adam and Eve wanted to rush being like God. The result was the Fall of Humanity, and death. It wasn’t that God didn’t want humanity to be like God. He did. It was that humanity wasn’t ready to be like God yet. That is always our story. We rush…

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Wisdom is Power

There is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. We gain knowledge by learning either from books or from others. Wisdom cannot be taught. Wisdom is gained by experience. Wisdom requires time and discernment. Knowledge can lead to wisdom. Without wisdom, knowledge is just an empty book. My son, be attentive to my wisdom, incline your…

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The Promise of Help

I’m sure you’ve heard the say, “You can’t go it alone.” This is true whether you are climbing Mount Everest or if you are looking for God. As young children we learn the ‘buddy system’ for everything from water sports to study partners in college. No matter where we find ourselves, we always need help.…

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Pride Leads to Sin

Temptation Ahead sign

As Christians none of us wants to sin. We don’t wake up and think of new ways to sin against God. We believe in God. We were baptized. We pray and fast regularly. Sin is the last thing on our mind as Christians. That’s the problem. It should be the first thing on our mind.…

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Episode 418 – Stop Keeping Score

People along with the priest worshiping in the church

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…

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Ready to Perform

You attend every practice as a devoted member of the team week after week. The team is up against the biggest and strongest team in the league. You see your name on the team rosters as ‘first string’ for the upcoming big game. You are so excited, but a little nervous. Will you be strong…

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