Hold Fast to Your Boundaries—Honesty
And as for what fell in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience. Luke 8:15 For these next few reflections, we will be discussing boundaries that we should hold fast to. Another...
Hold Fast to Your Boundaries—Drinking and Drugs
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out of them, and be separate...
Creating Environments Where it is Safe to Be Vulnerable
For who is God, but the Lord? And Who is a rock, except our God? —the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe. Psalm 18:31-32 In the last reflection, we discussed the concept of vulnerability. In order to have an authentic relationship, there needs to be...
Vulnerability
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes...
Come and See: A Christian is Supposed to Spread the Faith
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the...
A Christian Must Have Faith
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for...
Empathy –Getting In the Sufferings of Others
On one of those days, as He was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with Him to heal. And behold, men were bringing on a...
Managing the Things that Cannot Be Changed
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hopes does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 There are...
Mental Illness
Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you. I Peter 5:7 One of our prayer team members asked me to write on how to live as a Christian while also living with mental issues like depression, anxiety, body image issues and others. Again, I am not an...
Coming Out of the Dark: It Can’t Happen Here. No, It Can and It Does
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress; He brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men! Psalm 107:13-15 The...
As We Begin the Great and Holy Lent
Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5: 31-32 Today, on the Orthodox calendar, is called “Clean Monday,” or “Kathara Deftera” in Greek. Why a Monday? ...
Forgiveness, Fasting and Fortunes
Jesus said “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their...
