Posts Tagged ‘relationships’
2026 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 MoreInward Beauty
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…
Read MoreDoes Your Life Convert Others?
We’ve all heard about the recent trend of people converting to Orthodox Christianity. Seekers, many of whom are frustrated with their own Christian past, begin to watch videos, and read books and blogs about Orthodoxy. What happens when they show up at your parish? Will the seekers find a church filled with faithful followers of…
Read MoreKeep Holy Company
We embark on a new year today while celebrating the Feast of Great Saint of the Church, and also the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Both the readings for today and the life of such a great saint inspire me, and I pray you for the New Year. At…
Read MoreFamily Betrayal
In more than thirty years of ministry I have rarely witnessed pain greater than the pain of betrayal. We are often betrayed at work or friends. We can even feel betrayed by total strangers after we had reached out to help them. Nothing is worse than family betrayal. Brethren, you become imitators of the churches…
Read MorePleasing God or Pleasing Men?
Let’s be honest about priorities for a moment. From the moment we awake we are faced with choices of whom to please. From our family and friends to employers and coworkers, we constantly walk a tight rope of tension, hoping at all costs to please those around us. I recall a mentor’s advice when I…
Read MoreFaithful or Zealous?
The modern Orthodox experience in America is complex with both longstanding members born into the Church coexisting with pious converts who have chosen Orthodoxy as their religion. Neither is more important than the other since both are members of the Body of Christ. Yet there appears to be a battle for the ‘soul’ of the…
Read MoreLoyalty and Betrayal
We all have that one person that we would go to the end of the earth for, until they betray us. Every relationship hangs on the verge of loyalty and betrayal, and the smallest issue can tilt the balance out of our favor. Today’s loyal companion is tomorrow’s enemy. I say this today not in…
Read MoreHow Much Love?
Nobody likes to think they are cold without love for others. Everyone likes to think their love is exemplary. Others should take notes of the way they love. If you don’t think so, you are the problem. You are just jealous because they don’t love you. Sound familiar? At that time, one of the Pharisees…
Read MoreCounterculture of Love
You hear it all the time. We’re supposed to be counterculture as Christians. We’re not supposed to be like the world. Yet, we spend most of our time being ‘just like’ the world when it comes to our personal relationships. Brethren, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we…
Read More