Random Photos of a Missionary Journey I’ve returned, exhausted but elated, after a six day missionary journey into Northern California, where I served as a guest evangelist for Saint Elias Orthodox Mission, Diamond Springs, CA. Father James Steele, together with a committed parish council, had invited me. Along with his
Category: The Morning Offering
The Struggle for Repentance In our struggle on the path to God, repentance must be the central theme. Only in repentance will we find the true meaning of life, for only in repentance can one enter into communion with God. This life has been given to us for one purpose,
The Similarities Between theTrainer 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 quarter Welsh), and
Seventh Day Adventist High School When the Light of Christ is Shrouded in Darkness Asked by Father James Steele, the kind and humble rector of Saint Elias Russian Orthodox Church in Placerville, CA., I have been speaking as part of his parish outreach program. Led by this amazing priest, and
Our Enemy is not of Flesh and Blood The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood, but one of darkness and evil. The survival of humankind is not dependent
Sharing the Truth of Orthodoxy by Our Love If you wish to share the truth of the Orthodox Faith, and Christ Who is her head, you must give witness to the love of Christ by loving everyone. Without Christ, Orthodoxy is just another religion, devoid of the power to transform
Pettiness is the Enemy of Clergy Pettiness is that sickness of the heart that can lead some clergy to constantly be on the lookout for anyone who might offend them. Ready at a moments notice, they are poised to confront the offender. Such clergy build up their low self esteem
On Being Ambassadors for the Faith It was relatively late in my life when I embraced Orthodoxy. Already forty-one, I’d found myself wandering in a spiritual wasteland, knowing I was drying up, spiritually, and hoping there was something out there that would fill the void. Orthodoxy had not been in
Just Whose Recipe is it Anyway? One of the most powerful reasons for embracing Orthodoxy is to be found in the Church’s insistence that she holds to the evangelical and apostolic doctrine of the Ancient Church. In an age when everything is up for change, there is a certain security
Snow for Sunday morning Short Prayers used in Personal Devotion Many Church Fathers taught the use of the “arrow prayer”, deliberately short prayers for personal devotion that were easily remembered, and could communicate one’s love for God, while seeking His help. They were like arrows being shot into the air,