Our Saturday Guest Post – Humbled Through My Children
“Venti iced chai with soy please.” I pulled away from the drive-thru and pressed the straw to my lips before heading back out onto the highway. Alas, another road trip. My mom had kindly and lovingly let my boys take her portable DVD players with us in the van. This,...
Dead, And Loving It
There is an old story about a monk who was bothered by the insults from his fellow brothers, so he went to the wise abbot and asked what he should do to overcome these feelings of hurt, resentment, and anger. The old man looked at the young monk and...
An Upward Life
He arrived in the US with $26 in his pocket from an Eastern European country. In his native land, he sold music records (remember those!) to make ends meet. But he spent every penny he had to buy an old computer that costs as much as someone made in...
I Never Knew You
I love this line from Shakespeare: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips...
Official Fruit Inspector
Marketing experts expect U.S. companies to spend over 177 BILLION dollars on advertising and marketing this year. (eMarketer.com, August 22, 2013) While TV advertising is still number one in marketing dollars, online ads are gaining ground, with the mobile ads starting to appear on the phone screens of Americans...
Saying No So You Can Say Yes
Several days ago quite a few news outlets reported on a scientific study done to test the effects of fasting on our immune system. The discoveries were presented in a paper that suggested that fasting reboots the immune system and encourages the creation of stem cells. Isn't it fascinating when...
Saturday’s Offering
On Saturdays our goal will be to share with you from other wonderful Orthodox voices insights and helpful commentary to encourage your spiritual maturity. This Saturday, please enjoy one of my favorite Orthodox writers, Fr. Stephen Freeman. Fr. Stephen is the parish priest at St. Anne's Orthodox Church in Oak...
False Swearing and Striking Cheeks
There is a radicalness to the Gospel of Jesus that simply confounds most in our world, even those of us who claim to follow the Man from Galilee. The truth is this radical message is in stark contrast to much of the underlying philosophy and "epistemology" (an important word worth...
The Opposite of Love
What do you think is the opposite of love? The easy answer is hate but that isn't even close. Because hate takes attention and focus and (usually) preoccupation with the object of your hate. And the truth is love takes the same. To love something or someone takes attention, focus,...
Son of Encouragement, Pray for Us
Today's reflection is in honor of Sts Bartholomew and Barnabas, so today is my name day in our Faith. The Name Day is as important (if not more important) than one's actual birthday, and it is celebrated as such in traditional Orthodox countries. But today, I want to especially wish our...