Finding One’s True Home in the Orthodox Church The one thing I have learned since my entrance into Orthodoxy is that this is the preserved Church that Christ founded, and the very Church whose first pastors were the apostles themselves. Preserved once and for all, it is neither East nor
Passing on the Gift of Love My father was a golf pro in Spokane, Washington, during my grade and early middle school years, and the country club was the center of our family’s social life. My brother, Dwayne, and I use to play an average of 18 to 36 holes
Putting Aside All Hypocrisy Correct faith does not benefit anything, when life is corrupted. St. John Chrysostom How easy it is to worship with all piety and correctness while standing in a service within an Orthodox temple, yet make no effort to live Orthodoxy during the rest of our week. If
If You Are to Win the Battle, Focus Only on Your 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 the Response of Authentic Christian Charity The Church, if she be authentic in her Christian witness, must grapple with the challenges of society starting from its most marginalized sector. If the Church does not teach with a loud voice that the Great Lenten Fast is about more than refraining from
And the Acquisition of a Humble and a Contrite Heart When the monk attempts to rely on his own strength to do battle with his fallen nature, he will be defeated. The arena, his field of battle, takes place in his own heart, and will be a life long battle.
Bishops and Priests Must Serve Their People with Simplicity and Christ-like Love Orthodoxy has traditionally avoided clericalism, yet in more recent times this very corruption of priestly service has enter the doors of the Orthodox Church. It has led some clergy to seek out, for personal gain, even the heavy
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 Holy Scripture to Holy Tradition. For example: “Many have undertaken to
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
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,