The Morning Offering
Two Types
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Which type of Christian are you? There are two types of Christians. There are those who can say with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20)”. And then there are those Christians who believe Christ was crucified so that we do not have…
Grace Here and Now
#selfcare
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“On an airplane, as a flight prepares to depart, the flight attendant tells the passengers that, in case of an emergency, oxygen bags will drop from overhead. Those passengers with infants will receive two masks. The adult is to put his or her own oxygen mask on first, and only then put a mask on the infant. For me, as an Italian grandfather, those instructions are counterintuitive. I want to give my…
Glory to God for All Things
With Envy and Justice for All
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We use many words and concepts in our daily lives without bothering to consider their true content. In my experience, few words are less examined than “justice.” It is a word that is foundational in the modern world with deep roots in religious tradition. Most people would agree that the desire for justice is virtually innate in human beings. However, it has a dark side of which very few seem to be…
Walking an Ancient Path
The Hidden Advent of Spring
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Spring arrives late at mile-high altitude in metro Denver. I notice its earliest stirrings not with my eyes, which see only bare limbs, brown grass, and frozen mud, or on my skin, which is still swathed in sweaters and jackets. My ears hear the first signal in the reappearance of birdsong in March, or even in late February. The finches, sparrows, and chickadees, tucked away in the tops of the trees,…
Faith Encouraged
I Will Kill My Brother
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“He’s a liar!” Yep, he sure is, and his actions send ripples throughout his life and the lives of so many others. We were discussing a politician we both knew. But, here’s the rub; this politician held many of the same values and positions we both felt strongly about. However, this politician had been caught in a public and inescapable lie, and not just any lie, like “I really did finish my…
The Morning Offering
The Banishment of Hell
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The Lenten Journey and the banishment of hell One of my favorite authors as a young man, was Thomas Merton, the famous Trappist monk. In the introduction to his work New Seeds of Contemplation he wrote: “Hell was where no one has anything in common with anyone else except the fact that they all hate one other and cannot get…
Eastern Christian Insights
There is No Shame in Repentance: Homily for the Commemoration of St. Mary of Egypt and the 5th Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church
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Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45 It has never been hard to find examples of people using religion to get what they want in this world. It is usually easy to see when others do that, but much harder to recognize when we fall prey to the temptation of trying to use God to fulfill our self-centered desires. The harsh truth is that doing so is simply a way…
The Morning Offering
Orthodoxy
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A religion for the sick Our Orthodox Church has always seen herself as a hospital for the soul, the place where her children can seek healing. It is within her walls that we find the medicine we need to make us holy (whole), and where we can find the means for transformation that opens the doors to the Kingdom of…
The Morning Offering
Watchfulness
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The guarding of the heart Watchfulness has been described by Elder Ephraim of Philotheou as “the axe which shatters the large trees, hitting their roots. When the root is struck, it doesn’t spring up again.” A conscientious attention to our thoughts is an important tactic in spiritual warfare, and is necessary if we are to have effective weapons that are…
Father Bill's Blog
114. The Seven Deadly Sins, Part Two: Sloth - Slothfulness about Leisure, Spiritual Sloth, How to Overcome Sloth
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Last week we looked at Bodily, Intellectual and Moral Sloth. Now, moving ahead… 5 Slothfulness regarding Leisure. This sounds like a contradiction. It is not. Fifty five years ago one of my professors predicted that the big problem by the end of the twentieth century would be finding something for people to do with all their spare time. I don’t think so! at least not in America. After Sunday Liturgy not long ago someone said…
No Other Foundation
Pentecostal Orthodoxy
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I suppose that the adjective “Pentecostal” in the title should be placed in scare quotes, because by “Pentecostal Orthodoxy” I do not refer to a combination of Protestant Pentecostalism and Orthodoxy, but that Orthodoxy itself is essentially Pentecostal. In his book The Orthodox Church (then) Timothy Ware described the Orthodox Church as “a continued Pentecost”, and as “the temple and dwelling place of the Spirit” so that those who dwell in her…
Time Eternal
5 Ways the Divine Liturgy Connects Time, History, and Eternity (Infographic)
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I recently finished reading the recently updated version of Benjamin D. Williams and Harold B. Anstall’s Orthodox Worship: A Living Continuity with the Synagogue, the Temple, and the Early Church (check it out on the Ancient Faith site here). Part Church history, part explication of the liturgy, the book introduces readers to the legacy of Jewish Temple worship…
Faith Encouraged
God Provides AFTER the Test
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“But I don’t understand!” How many times have I said these very words concerning something I was going through in my life? If I had a nickel for every time I said this or heard this, especially from my children, I’d be very wealthy. And I really don’t understand why God does what He does; why He allows what He allows, and why He doesn’t do what I think is obvious He…
The Morning Offering
The Place
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Returning to where it all began A number of years ago I joined my younger brother, Dwayne, for a travel back in time, to places that were important to our youthful formation. This visit turned out to be one of the best I’ve had with my brother, and the highlight was the day we drove to a remote portion of…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Samson and the Origins of Monasticism
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The principles of monasticism are deeply embedded within the scriptures. The call to monasticism is twofold. It represents a call to adhere strictly and without compromise to the commandments of God. It also represents a call to asceticism, to the sacrificing of material goods in this world in favor of spiritual goods in this world and the world to come. Ascetic practices are performed by figures throughout the scriptures, in the form of fasting and prayers and vigils. There are also, however, individuals called to whole lives of consistent asceticism, both as individuals for the benefit of their communities and communities as a whole. The first person whom we see receive a monastic calling, a calling received before his very…
Faith Encouraged
Let's Make a Deal
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“So, now we’re negotiating.” It was a great moment. We had been going back and forth for a while and finally had agreed on a course of action and all that was left to do was determine the details. You see, it had become clear to me that we were not really on the same page about the general vision and direction we wanted the ministry to go and if we were…
The Morning Offering
Sin as Illness
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The Church as the Hospital of the Soul Our Orthodox Faith defines sin as an illness that is in need of healing, not as a crime that requires punishment. The Church is a hospital for the soul whose therapists (priests) first sought therapy and then became the therapists. As a healing institution the Church is the place for broken souls.…
A Light So Lovely
St. Augustine: How to Best Engage with Secular Culture
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Another week, another story about how Harry Potter books are being publicly burned by Christians. This time, the group in question included African tribal masks as well as some other objects in their bonfire. So at least it wasn’t only books. Never mind that it was in Poland, and the Polish, more than most, should remember how much the Nazis liked to burn books. I’m actually not trying to start an angry…
Faith Encouraged
God Changes Your Name
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“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Well, sure, but the name “rose” captures that smell perfectly, doesn’t it? You see, names matter. They aren’t merely random labels we attach to things, places, and persons. That kind of thinking has gotten us in deep trouble as a society! No, it is no mistake that one of the first jobs God gave Adam was to “name” things! Names reveal (or…
The Morning Offering
Rejected
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When people don’t forgive There are people who insist on holding on to resentment, often inventing situations in their minds that never happened, justifying their bad behavior, and putting the blame on others. They see themselves as the abused party, always quick to take offense. Rarely are they able to have healthy relationships, for they are in reality, the abusers.…
Glory to God for All Things
As Lent Moves On - The Greatest Fast Awaits
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As Great Lent has passed its mid-point, attention begins to move towards Holy Week itself and its very intense focus. It has been an unusual time for me, having traveled on two successive weekends to lead retreats. Travel is always disruptive, and absence from your own community creates a break in the normal continuity of the Fast. I have great sympathies for those whose jobs involve frequent travel. It adds a difficult…
Faith Encouraged
Believing IS Doing!
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There’s a prevailing notion that the mere granting of mental assent is believing. But is that really true? Is that really enough to actually believe? Does simply saying you think something is true mean you truly believe it? I know we live in a society that likes to reduce life to “manageable” sizes. We want to reduce achievement to “imagine the possibilities.” We want “positive thinking” to replace the hard work of…
The Morning Offering
Why Do You Judge Your Brother?
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Standing up against a critical spirit Fearing the loss of control, we construct a wall of defense around us, keeping authenticity at bay. Fearing rejection, we see ourselves as unlovable, and blame others. Knowing we are inauthentic, we flee from the truth by becoming critical of others. We lie to ourselves, and to others, hiding our insecurity and unworthiness, and…
Behind the Scenes
Orthodox Worship: Changing the Way I Approach the Divine Liturgy
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Faith Encouraged
Where Are Your Holy Places?
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The concept of “holy space” takes a beating in our modern society that values egalitarianism above hierarchy. But without one place being set aside as “holy” we lose the ability to see the “holy” in every place! In our Scripture Lesson today we read how God promised Abram (later his name would be changed to “Abraham”) the land of Israel for his people. Look at Genesis 13:12-18: Abram dwelt in the land…
The Morning Offering
Struggling for Holiness
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Holiness comes only to those who struggle Not an hour should pass without taking time to examine our heart, for the hour of judgement can come at any time, and we must be ready to give account to God for our life. There is no spiritual improvement if we do not seek to please God with holiness of life. If…
The Morning Offering
Theologians
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Theologians are those who have mastered the art of prayer Evagrius Ponticus wrote that “If you are a theologian, you will pray truly. And if you pray truly, you are a theologian.” (Treatise On Prayer, 61). There are only a few Orthodox saints who’ve been given the honor of being called, “theologians”. Saint John the Theologian, and Saint Symeon the…
