Posts Tagged ‘spiritual father’
Man of Your Word
Integrity is ‘everything’ today. If people cannot trust that we will do what we say we will do, things begin to collapse. We see this to be true, especially in politics. Politicians rarely do what they say. Instead, they say what they think we want to hear, then do what they want to do. It…
Read MoreFlesh and Spirit
Many people struggle to understand the spiritual benefits of fasting. Food is blessed by God, so why does the Church ‘punish’ us by not letting us eat? There is so much suffering in the world. It would be nice if food wasn’t the source of our suffering. Fasting is not about suffering. Fasting is about…
Read MoreBeing Taught
Christ is Risen! As you can imagine I regularly meet individuals who express a desire to become Orthodox. Sometimes they have never been baptized. Other times they are fleeing from one ‘version’ of Christianity or another. Sometimes even, as was likely the case in the ancient world, some want to be Orthodox because it comes…
Read MoreSheep or Goat?
Being free has its difficulties. As free human beings, regardless of various laws and social mores, we are free to live as we wish. Sure, there might be consequences if our behavior does not fall in line with sanctioned choices. Sure, we might become outcasts if we choose a life those around us do not…
Read MoreWhat Should I Read?
Some people love to read, while others struggle getting through a few paragraphs. Some buy ‘good books’ but never crack open the cover, while others have half-read books laying around every corner. Whether you enjoy reading or only read what is necessary, we can all agree that there are ‘good books’ and not so good…
Read MoreDon’t Be Led Astray
It is tempting to trust everything someone in authority says. We know intuitively that not everyone will speak the truth. In fact, many will speak lies to further their own agenda. This is true not only in politics, but also in the Church. For centuries the Church has been fighting against such realities, always remaining…
Read MoreMany Patiences
I recall many times during my seminary days when my professor would say to us (in Greek but I will translate) “You must have patience, not just patience but many patiences.” Of course in English it sounds silly. You ‘can’t’ have many patiences. You are either patient or not. Truth be told, I have depended…
Read MoreBeing Saved is Hard Work
The idea of working out our salvation is foreign to most Protestant Christians. We have been taught that salvation is a free gift from God. Nothing we can do can ‘earn’ our salvation, so there is ‘nothing’ to work out. That would be nice if it were true. Yes, salvation is a gift from God,…
Read MoreZero to One Hundred in a Lifetime
I remember when I was young and ‘cared’ about cars much more than I do now. It seemed like every conversation about a car included “How fast is it?” Even in commercials the answer was in terms of zero to sixty. How fast could the car get up to speed in other words. It might…
Read MoreSpiritual Obedience
If we’re being honest, the idea of obedience to another human being is contingent upon our agreement with said human being. Every day we willingly place ourselves under obedience to those around us. It is what makes society civil. In the Church, it is what makes us worthy of the kingdom. BRETHREN, when you come…
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