Preaching the Paradox of Freedom
It’s just who I am. I remember my time at an Evangelical Protestant school for my undergraduate degree, and the 2 years of homiletical (how to give a sermon). It was a bit grueling and my professor was particularly tough on me. One day, I was walking with another...
True Healing at Jesus’ Feet
There is a story about a great man. He had searched the world over for wisdom. He had gone to gurus and sought out great religious leaders and learned philosophers. But still, his heart ached for more. Sure, he learned great and awesome ideas and heard wonderful words, but...
The Temptation of Shallow Self Awareness
"Shove me into shallow waters, before I get too deep." This was a popular song in the 1980s espousing the "virtue" of shallow living. "I don't want to get too deeply insightful about myself. I'd rather be shallow." I get it. Doing the work to truly know yourself is...
The Poison of Doing Right with a Wrong Heart
“Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?” You can almost hear the sneer in this question to Jesus in the passage for today! And, frankly, it’s a good question. You see, as a Church, we Orthodox place a great deal of confidence in the consistent witness...
The Merciless Mastery of Undisciplined Passions
I know it is a bit “old-fashioned” and it may be hard for those of this generation to understand, but the timeless message of the Faith is that we are called to battle and tame the passions SO THAT they are our servants and never our masters! So what...
Woman, Go In Peace
Listen to this quote from Fr. Alexander Schmemann, of blessed memory, "Man was created priest of the world, the one who offers the world to God in a sacrifice of love and praise...Priesthood, in this sense, is the very essence of manhood, man’s creative relation to the “womanhood” of...
The Church Is The Answer
Our modern age is suffering a crisis of meaning. This, of course, is a natural consequence of decades of the proactive dismantling of the timeless wisdom that had been shaping our culture for centuries. You can't tear down something and not have chaos during your attempt to reconstruct something...
Living Temporary Lives
Orthodox Christianity is an eschatological religion! O, Mr. Fancypants with your big words! 🙂 Ok, Orthodoxy is the Faith that keeps eternity in mind and the ultimate victory of Christ over all darkness. Is that better? Ok, let me add more: Orthodoxy is the Faith, the Way of Life, that...
Ordinary Men
I love this quote from C.S. Lewis: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work...
More Than Flirting
“There’s no time like the present.” This and many other “time” quotes really get to a pearl of central wisdom we humans have learned: Timing is everything. I have a dear couple who are dating. And, on top of that, they are exploring becoming Orthodox. Talk about a double whammy!...