Posts Tagged ‘relationships’
Think Twice and Speak Once
Growing up in shop class I learned the saying “measure twice, cut once” to avoid mistakes. I’m not a great carpenter. Carpentry is like speaking. The more time you take to review what you say, the less you say. I must admit. I’m not much better at speaking than carpentry. Wisdom comes with age, so…
Read MoreEpisode 484 – Closer to Christ in Forgiveness and Healing
When a community gathers united in Christ, healing takes place. When we bring each other closer to Christ, sins are forgiven. When Christ sees our faith as a united family, He blesses us, forgives us, and heals us. At that time, getting into a boat Jesus crossed over and came to his own city. And…
Read MoreThe Saints are Alive and Working
Many Christians struggle with praying to the Saints for help. Some say that praying to Christ is enough. Others insist we should pray to the Father ‘in the name of Jesus’ and our prayers will be answered. As Orthodox we know all prayers, even the prayers of the saints, help. Today is the Feast of…
Read MoreDo Not Judge Yet
We’ve all heard it. We’ve probably all said it, and it always means something bad. We say, “Do not judge,” when we don’t want to feel badly about our behavior. We don’t want to judge others, also because it might make them feel bad about themselves. So, why do we do it? Judgement is always…
Read MoreAvoid Divisions in the Church
It seems to be ancient practice. Find a unified group of people and try to divide them. Kingdoms have risen and fallen again through ‘divide and conquer’ philosophies. It all started in The Garden. It all started with the ‘divider’ Satan. Saint Paul knew this. Before becoming Christian, and the greatest evangelist in Church history,…
Read MoreKnow Your Audience
It won’t matter what we have to say if the person we speak to is deaf. This is also true if we are speaking a foreign language. If we want our message to be understood and embraced, we must know our audience. This is most important when it comes to evangelism. Saint Paul was an…
Read MoreTake No Offense
We’ve all said it. We’ve all had that moment when we needed to tell someone the truth, but we knew it would hurt to hear the truth. So, we soften it with a simple warning. “No offense, but…” Let’s face it, with the wrong heart, hearing these words are always an offense. We take offense…
Read MoreConflict Resolution in the Church
Nobody is perfect but Christ, but that does not mean the Church doesn’t know the truth. Before His Passion Christ promised the Holy Spirit would come to the Church and guide the Church into the whole truth. If we don’t agree with someone it is the Church that resolves our conflict. Although the Church should…
Read MoreHold Nothing Against Them
As Christians we are taught not to judge. More than not to judge, we are taught to forgive. The two issues are more related than you might imagine. I hear people all the time say, “I can forgive them because God will ‘take care’ of them.” That is not the example of the Saints. When…
Read More2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 39 – We’re in this Together
He isn’t fasting. She isn’t saying her prayers. They never come to Church. These are the sayings of those who forget an important truth of Christ. Instead of judging others we need to remember we are in this together. Great Lent seems to bring the worst out in Orthodox Pharisees. I’ve written many times against…
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