Orthodox State of Mind

Blessed written on wooden blocks

We begin our new season in the Church by reading from the Gospel of Matthew and Saints Paul’s letter to the Romans. Now that we have celebrated Pentecost, the Church turns our attention immediately to our state of mind. At that time, Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel…

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2023 Daily Lenten Journey – Day 12

A golden abstract artwork of the Jesus

To have a the greatest benefit from the story of salvation in Genesis, the beginning of our human journey to heaven, our 2023 Daily Lenten Journey theme is to read every reading from the perspective of salvation, rather than condemnation. Put another way, every time humanity is in jeopardy of eternal condemnation, God steps in…

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Just Hold on and Climb!

A group of men raising their hands together in the air

I believe it is part of the ‘fallen’ human condition. Generally speaking, we do not like to take blame for our shortcomings, let alone our mistakes. Take any young child caught eating something forbidden. With total confidence in the ‘blame,’ a typical child with either blame the dog, claim that what was eaten was not…

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Be a child of faith, not a check box

children putting hands on each other shoulder

We all know that living the Orthodox Christian lifestyle is difficult. I won’t say it can be difficult. I will say it is difficult, if done properly. Between prayer schedules, fasting schedules, bible reading schedules, and services schedules, and not to mention the intricate system of sacraments and blessings, we have inherited a very complex…

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Love Defeats Fear

A beautiful view of the mountains

When the time came for Jesus to be crucified only one of His disciples remained until the very end. This disciple had been with Him from the beginning and never waivered in his love for Christ. He is the only one of the Twelve that did not die a martyr’s death. He cared for the…

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Loyalty is Everything

All hands united together

Today’s society has nearly perfected the idea of networking. Businesses have networking lunches. Even Church conferences spend time focusing on networking. There is a reason for the saying, “It isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.” The best networking rests on loyalty. Loyal customers bring loyal friends who become loyal customers. As part of…

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We All Belong to God

Candles lighting

As our society becomes more fractured, the call to unity becomes more urgent. We all claim to want unity, but most of us do nothing to accomplish such a concept. Some even doubt it is possible. No, I’m not writing about our political division. I’m thinking about our spiritual division. The world is divided, and…

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What Will They Say About You?

Candles lighting

We all strive to be remembered by those we love. In every funeral we pray for eternal memory, but that more accurately means that we pray God always remembers our loved ones. We know we will remember them, but will we be remembered, and how will we be remembered? One tradition I have personally maintained,…

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Power to Do Good

Candles lighting

There seems to be a typical human response to power. If there is power to be had, then people will fight to have it for themselves. It happens in the workplace. It happens in the home. It even happens in the Church, much as I would like to wish that it did not. What do…

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