Well, the truth is I was worried (OK, actually worried and scared). I had never faced anything like this before and all I had ever heard was this situation was serious. And it was. But as I stood there waiting to face the music I so dreaded, I noticed...
One of the greatest attractions to me towards the Orthodox Church was the continuity of practice and, more importantly, a real connection to the People of God. There's an old story about a British journalist visiting the library of one of the ancient monasteries on Mt. Athos in Greece. He...
The playground bully was speechless. He was bigger than me. He was stronger than me. And he was better at fighting than me in every way except one. I was faster on my feet with a verbal response. He had just taunted me about being a "weak, mama's boy"...
Distracted again! And once again the familiar reminder! "Sweetheart, stop watching the IPad and finish your homework." Back to the task, but slowly the distraction returns and the pull of what I want rather than what I need starts its all too familiar tug of war inside my precious...
"Well, you should have known better!" Oh how I hated hearing that from my mom. It was the tone in her voice as well as the words. You know the one. The tone that communicated disappointment, disapproval, AND frustration all at the same time! Oh, I HATED it! But...
Life is simple. It is. Life is not complicated. Life is not hard to figure out. I know, amazing statements given the complexities of our daily lives, but it is true. Notice I didn't claim life was easy! And that, dear one, is the difference. But it amazes me how...
It never ceases to amaze me when I succumb to fears that flow from a forgetful faith. It seems a week doesn't pass (or sometimes even a day) when I am either mindlessly faithless or I have reduced my faith to mere "decoration." But that is easy to do in...
Listen to this quote from St. Symeon the New Theologian: "In the future life the Christian is not examined if he has renounced the whole world for Christ's love, or if he has distributed his riches to the poor or if he fasted or kept vigil or prayed, or...
We moderns love systems. What I mean is we read all the time about "10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism," "4 Steps to a New You!," "8 Days to a Clean House!," and so on. We simply can't resist clicking on those links to read those stories. We seem...
What is it about close relationships that either blind you or enlighten you? What I mean is, I've known folks who were so close to someone else that they were absolutely blind to that other person's faults. I've seen it get so bad that the two people were so...
