Be Happy for Others

Women celebrating, throwing confetti into air.

When those closest to us are successful we celebrate with them. Our love for them is poured out in banquets and honors. We tell our neighbors about the honor and success that our friends and family experience. We live through their success. We are happy for their joy. When those we do not know are…

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Eternal Union

Close-up of 'eternity' engraved in stone.

It is easy to talk about forgiveness when it doesn’t matter. Too often I hear, “Sure I forgive them. God will take get them. I don’t have to.” I’m sorry to tell you, this is not forgiveness. This is vengeance. The problem isn’t now. The problem comes later when we are eternally together. There are…

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Authority is for Good

Red chess queen among fallen pawns.

As human beings we are consumed with power and authority. Our politics reflect it. Our personal relationships reflect it. Even our home life reflects the desire for power and authority. The problem is, we don’t use our power and authority for good. Brethren, let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is…

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Sign of the Times

Various colorful traffic signs clustered together.

With modern technology it is just about impossible to not know where you are located. GPS in our phones and even our watches leave us with a false sense of security that we can never be lost. If you’re like me, you have found yourself in that one place with no signal and no location.…

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Mind Your Business

Green sign with "Mind your own business.

We all like to think we are successful Christians. We all like to think we ‘know what we’re doing’ when it comes to how to live our Orthodox Christian Faith. If that weren’t bad enough, we all also like to think we ‘know better’ than other people how to be ‘good’ Orthodox Christians. The sad…

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Coexist

Symbols spelling "Coexist" with fireworks background.

There is a popular bumper sticker which uses symbols of different religions and cultures to spell the word ‘coexist’ that I see often on the road. On the one hand, the bumper sticker expresses the desire to be ‘left alone’ to ‘live and let live’ those around us. On the other hand, it is truth.…

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How Much do You Love

Survey with love options checked "Infinitely".

As Americans we are independent thinkers and actors. We choose our own destiny. We make our own rules. We ignore what others think about our choices and beliefs. What if I told you this was not a Christian manner of thinking? What if I told you being independent was wrong? If we believe that our…

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No Shame in Believing

Man surrounded by pointing hands, feeling judged.

In our society it can be more than a little intimidating to admit we believe in Christ. Maybe not among our close friends, but in public we may even be ashamed to admit our faith in God. Afterall, our society teaches us to keep our faith to ourselves. Maybe we should obey. No! I don’t…

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Mercy is God’s Choice

Two people gently holding hands outdoors.

Two people can hear the same words and understand something totally different. Each person will hear what they want to hear, regardless of accuracy. I find that true almost every day in the Church. We all hear God’s word through Holy Scriptures, but we don’t all understand the same. Brethren, it is not as though…

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Wise Innocence

Two white doves flying against a bright blue sky with the sun shining.

I am embarrassed to admit that I have, on more than one occasion, chased birds. I have never caught a single bird, no matter how I tried. They always saw me coming. Big ones and little ones, they always outsmart me. On the other hand, I have caught snakes in the wild. The Lord said…

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