Conflict Resolution in the Church

Nobody is perfect but Christ, but that does not mean the Church doesn’t know the truth. Before His Passion Christ promised the Holy Spirit would come to the Church and guide the Church into the whole truth. If we don’t agree with someone it is the Church that resolves our conflict. Although the Church should…

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The Danger of Rejecting Truth

Just one week ago we sat in Church commemorating Jesus in the Tomb. Holy Week witnessed Him arrested, tried, crucified, buried and then gloriously resurrected. We came out in thousands to celebrate. All this was just one week ago. Will we be in Church tomorrow? It can be too easy to excuse ourselves from being…

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2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 7

A person engaged in a Lenten devotional prayer with candles and religious items.

A Celebration of Truth and Communion One of the things I love about Great Lent is the Sunday themes. The theme sets the tone for the week, both the week we just finished and the week ahead. Today the Church celebrates the victory of Holy Icons and the Incarnation of Christ. Year round every Sunday…

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Let Them Say Whatever They Wish

Three men in vintage attire engaged in a serious conversation indoors.

It is human nature to defend one’s honor. Our entire justice system is built upon protections against false accusations. That never stops others from speaking falsely about our character as Christians. Some even make up entire stories to smear our reputation. We’re not alone. Our Lord was smeared, lied about, and ultimately executed based upon…

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In my Prayers

Person with outstretched arms in sunlight.

I blog about prayer often. It is, after all, a central part of our Orthodox life. It is also one of the most underutilized spiritual tools in our Orthodox tool kit. Even when we pray, we rarely give our prayers the attention they deserve. Worse, we rarely give others the attention of our prayers. One…

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Understanding is a Gift

Person balancing heart and brain symbols representing emotion and logic.

Try as we might to understand God, it is ultimately impossible. Jesus Christ is both God and man. The Father is the source of all things. The Son is begotten but has always existed. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father but exists everywhere and fills all things. WHAT!? At that time, a lawyer came…

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All Authority is from God

Man placing a crown on his head.

In our human understanding, authority is equal to power. Whoever has authority has power. Since we like power, we love when we have authority over others. The sad truth is that we have no authority that was not given to us by God. Let’s face it. We barely have authority over ourselves. At that time,…

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Don’t Be Afraid of Correction

Card with "Incorrect" being cut in half.

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…

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Truth in Love

Volunteers packing aid boxes from a van for distribution.

Speaking the truth can sometimes be awkward or even dangerous. Saints were martyred because they spoke truth. Holy men and women lost their fortunes because they lived the truth. Even we are forced to discern, daily, whether it would be good to speak the truth or not. In today’s reading from Saint Paul’s First Letter…

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