Posts Tagged ‘spiritual father’
Rogue Orthodoxy
Practicing Orthodox Christianity in a society that is hyper focused on individualism can be awkward. It can be difficult. It can also be wrong when we make up our own disciplines. We read what we want, watch what we want, and pray how we want, and we’re wrong for it. While we are free to…
Read MoreTrue Freedom
As Americans we live in the land of the free. As Americans we are free to express our opinions, believe in whatever we choose, and live as we please. Enshrined in our system is the idea that I can ‘do whatever I want’ so long as I don’t hurt anyone else. If only this were…
Read MoreSlow Down and Develop Your Roots
These past few days I had the blessing of attending the Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Among the several outstanding workshops I attended was a session about outreach and preparation of converts. There was discussion about the timing as equally important as the learning for those seeking to enter the…
Read MoreDon’t Be Afraid of Correction
It is part of every aspect of our lives. School, work, family responsibilities, all have times when we are corrected by those who know better. If we refuse the correction, we ultimately do not progress nor succeed. So, why do we hate to be corrected in matters of our faith? IN THOSE DAYS, when Paul…
Read MoreOur New Life in Christ
These words are built into our slogan at Be Transfigured Ministries for a reason. The Church is ‘in the shadow’ of the Feast of Theophany and now our focus turns to our baptism. If you were born into the Church, you don’t remember your baptism, but it changed you forever. In today’s letter from Saint…
Read MoreBearing Fruit
I enjoy gardening as a hobby. I admit I am not the greatest gardener, but I love spending time in my garden. I love watching things grow. I love eating the fruit of my garden. The only problem is, I don’t get much fruit because I am not a good gardener. I have a few…
Read MoreSubmit to the Church
It may sound strange, but the Church teaches us to ‘submit’ ourselves to the teachings of the Church. As Orthodox Christians we are not ‘free’ to choose what is true and not true about God. God gave us the Church not only as a gathering place, but to protect His truth. Paul, an apostle –…
Read MoreObedience is a Choice
If you have followed this blog for any length of time you probably know my feelings about free will. It is not only a great gift of God, but it just might also be the hardest part of our Christian journey. God allows everyone the free choice to be obedient, and so should we. We…
Read MoreWhat is Your Plan?
As the saying goes, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Nothing is truer when we speak about our spiritual life. We simply will not make much progress in our journey to God if we wake up every morning and just ‘do life’ as it comes. We need a plan if we want…
Read MoreBeware of Temptation
It is so easy we tend to forget the fight. It is so easy to think we have conquered sin because we don’t have any ‘big’ sins to confess. “Father, you know what I mean. I struggle just like everyone else. I don’t have any big sins to confess.” These are the words of someone…
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