Our American nation is suffering a time of chaos, fear, anger, and, yes, even the scourge of hatred. And this suffering can lead us to despair. But the message of the Orthodox Christian Faith is that suffering can actually form and shape us into Christ-like persons IF only we...
“MINE!” The toddler was adamant that that toy belonged ONLY to her! She had no intention of allowing anyone else to play with her toy! Now that’s a familiar situation of any parent of small children or any teacher in kindergarten! But that’s also sometimes the unspoken attitude of too...
If you could know the future, would you want to? I mean, really; if you could know the exact moment of your death, would you want that information? Knowing the future has been a preoccupation for us humans forever! I remember riding in the backseat of a car with...
I never will forget what a wise, old pastor once told me about being a leader in a church: "Son" he said, "You can say anything you need to to a group of people who know you love them." Wow, how I've learned the truth of this over the...
One of the most difficult realities I’ve had to face as an adult, as a priest, as a husband, and as a father is waking up to the reality of the complexity of each human person I encounter, including myself. This continuous process of discovery has me regularly seeing...
Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses! But how do you do that, especially when emotions are involved? It seems I was at a very familiar place in my life. Being someone who loves to help and loves to be seen as a benefit in someone else's life, I was...
Ah, summertime! The season of vacations, a more relaxed pace of life, adventures, and warm weather. “Summertime and the livin’ is easy….” Summertime is such a wonderful time of year. But our society is one in which most Americans take little to no vacation time. The drive to produce creates...
I’m not a big, outdoorsy, guy. So, camping out was never something I really enjoyed, except for this one time. Me and my best friend, Mark, had a great “fort” in the woods near our apartment complex in Orlando when I was about 11 or 12. Being central Florida,...
“Excellence” is a term we hear a lot in sports and in business. And that ties the word to an idea of achievement or progress. But there is also an application of “excellence” when it comes to your relationship with God, and that has little to do with achievement or...
"Father is not a title!" By now my parishioners and catechumens are sick of hearing me say this. But I say it so much because there is real healing truth in this reality. The Church isn't some collection of "club members" or a "society for the preservation of baklava."...
