Author: Abbot Tryphon

Withered Friendships verse Godly Friendships Sometimes the only way to move forward is for us to commit to walking away from friendships that have kept us from growing, so we face the reality that perhaps it is time to leave those friendships behind. Back in the 1960’s I hung around

We Must Focus Only on Our Own Sins When we take our eyes off our own failings, shortcomings, and sins, we notice the failings of others. As the sins of others get our attention, our focus turns away from our own struggles with the passions, and we begin to fall

Holy Tradition Supports the Proper Interpretation of the Bible Many Evangelical protestants see Holy Tradition as standing in direct contrast to Scripture, as though Tradition is always relegated to “the traditions of men”. However, there are numerous references in the Bible to Holy Tradition. For example: “Many have undertaken to

The old saying, “A family that prays together, stays together” is true Any good parent knows that he must love all his children equally. No favoritism should be displayed when raising children if we want them to know they are loved. Troubled children often get more attention from loving parents

Children Must be Taught Kindness at an Early Age More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing

We Are A Culture On The Brink We have moved from a period in which little Samuel said, “speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth,” to one in which we now say, “Listen, Lord, for thy servant speaketh.” Our American culture has become so enamored, even consumed, with the importance of

Moving Beyond the Swamp of Despondency Depression is one of the plagues of the modern age, overtaking many with it’s insidious poison, and ravaging many a life. The pain and suffering that comes with deep depression can infect those who surround the sufferer, for the depression of one person can

When We Fall We Must Get Up Again It is often the case that we fail to keep God’s commandments and find ourselves despondent, unable to make progress in the battle over our sins. The same sins seem to constantly plague us. Despondency is our enemy, for it is the

The Similarities Between the Trainer and the Spiritual Director Just after my graduation from college I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I worked at various jobs, including waiting tables in an upscale restaurant (to this day, I’m a good tipper), bartender in a small Irish pub (I’m one 62% Scottish,