Growing the Church
2. Management/Administration: 2.7 Consumption / Participation
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It has been some time since I have been able to post anything to this site. All of us have been battling the many consequences of the pandemic gripping our country. I would now like to take this work up again, but not exactly where I left off. I had been discussing various ways in which the Church has been affected by North American consumerism and I would like to bring that…
Faith Encouraged
Is It Lawful to Do Good on the Sabbath?
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What is the purpose of rules? Is it for control? Or maybe for a set order of things or behaviors? Why does every society formed have rules for conduct, behavior, and actions? Well, I know that sounds a little silly to ask. But is it really? If there are rules then there has to be a reason they are there. And that, my dearest, is an issue that never goes out of…
The Morning Offering
The Reality of God
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Some years ago I had the mother of a boy of about thirteen arrive at the monastery, son in tow. She was upset because her son had declared himself an atheist and she was afraid he was in danger of eternal damnation. I sat down with the boy and told him that each one of us has to come to…
No Other Foundation
A Loving God
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Recently I was asked the question, “How can a loving God send anyone to hell?” I appreciated the question because it provided an opportunity to focus more closely upon the question of what we mean by the phrase “a loving God”. It is my conviction that our modern age has no clue what real love means or what the Scriptures mean when they assert that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). That…
The Morning Offering
The Whole Person
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We are both soul and body Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith and is an affirmation of the sacramental nature of this material world. Because of…
The Morning Offering
The Stars and Stripes Forever
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Standing up to those who would destroy our nation’s heritage Earlier today it was announced that the statue of Christopher Columbus that has long stood before the state capital in Columbus, Ohio, has been removed. But what really shocked me was hearing that they are now considering changing the name of their city, seeing Christopher Columbus as responsible for the…
Shepherding our Little Flock
Bozhenka - "Little God"
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My mother grew up speaking Russian. Although she moved here at age 7 and speaks flawless English she still says some of her prayers in Russian. As with many other languages, Russian uses the diminutive a lot – an ending that makes the word “little” in an affectionate way. She has often shared how she grew up using the diminutive of God – Bozhenka (little God) – when addressing God in prayer.…
Faith Encouraged
A Prayer and An Encouraging Word
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A Lamp for Today
On Slaves, Fruit and Freedom: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
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Romans 6:18-23, Galatians 5:22-26; 6:1-2; Genesis 22; Leviticus 26:12-18. We come to a place in the Church year in which Orthodox jurisdictions following the same calendar diverge in their epistle readings, though not the gospel readings. In the gospel for this Sunday, the fourth after Pentecost, we are heartened by Jesus’ encounter with a Gentile centurion who, though not a formal member of God’s family, exhibited faith: Jesus marvels at his spiritual…
Father Bill's Blog
205. About Opening Up Our Churches Again
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I have some suggestions and thoughts, based on my own reading and thinking and praying and personal experience. Take them for whatever you think they’re worth. So you understand where I’m coming from: 1 I have degrees in science (meteorology) and in theology and have been shaped by both disciplines. 2 I have much respect for our hierarchs. They are good responsible men. 3 For almost sixty years, first as an Anglican and now as an Orthodox,…
Faith Encouraged
God Bless America
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I love my country. I know that may not be fashionable in today’s chaos, but I do. I love my country. I thank God I was born here. I thank God my children are Americans. I thank God I live in a nation the whole world is trying to get to. I am thankful I am an American citizen. Again, that may not be fashionable today in an atmosphere were there are…
Glory to God for All Things
Words As Icons
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Creation has a sacramental purpose: it reveals God. For from the first making of the world, those things of God which the eye is unable to see, that is, his eternal power and existence, are fully made clear, he having given the knowledge of them through the things which he has made (Rom. 1:20) This is inherently true in things as they exist in nature. However, it becomes another matter as things…
Walking an Ancient Path
The Pursuit of Happiness, according to the Founding Fathers and the Holy Fathers
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I can’t say that I think of the Declaration of Independence much throughout the year, unless I’m listening to the Hamilton soundtrack. But as the Fourth of July draws near, I often recall the famous words that open the second paragraph: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the…
Faith Encouraged
Can I Go With You?
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“I want to go with you!” My daughters love to go places with daddy. It doesn’t really matter where I’m going; they just like to tag along. And that makes sense. After all, daddies buy candy! There’s something comforting about being with Another Who is stronger than you and seems to know where He is going. There is something comforting in the surety, in the confidence that that sure direction brings. It…
The Morning Offering
My Sins
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I must accuse myself, blame myself, judge myself We see people’s sins, but we don’t know whether they have made peace with God. We don’t know if the person who has sinned regrets it, but we are not called to judge them, but only to forgive them. As we become aware of our own sins, and begin to realize how…
Faith Encouraged
The Tent Of Your Own Heart
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I’m not a big, outdoorsy, guy. So, camping out was never something I really enjoyed, except for this one time. Me and my best friend, Mark, had a great “fort” in the woods near our apartment complex in Orlando when I was about 11 or 12. Being central Florida, the pine trees in these woods were kinda scrawny and they were lots of palmettos. But the clearing we had made seemed perfect…
The Morning Offering
Knowledge
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Simplicity and humility lead to true knowledge The Apostle Paul tells us that it is better to be ignorant in speech rather than in spiritual knowledge (2 Cor. 11:6). Being skilled in speaking is a matter of human learning, as are the other forms of worldly education, but they do not contribute to the salvation of the soul. Even if…
Faith Encouraged
A Prayer and An Encouraging Word
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Faith Encouraged
How To Have a Sound Eye
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Faith Encouraged
Are You A Generous Person?
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Most people want to believe the best of themselves. We have an idealized image of ourselves in our brain, and sometimes this “image” is so different from reality that it is actually a danger to our spiritual maturity. But the struggle to embrace reality is filled with difficulties and dead ends. We were meant to be set free from delusion. And this freedom was also meant to be shared with those around…
The Morning Offering
The Orthodox Temple
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The link between the Old and New Testament temples Orthodox temples have kept to the same form and function since ancient times. Using the Old Testament Temple model, Orthodox churches are divided into several courts or spaces peculiar to their function. The Holy Table, upon which is celebrated the Eucharist, is situated at the east end of the building behind…
No Other Foundation
Unveiling the Scriptures (entire text)
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Some months ago it was arranged by the good people of the Russian Orthodox diocese of Souroz in Britain that I would give a talk at their diocesan conference this May entitled Unveiling the Scriptures. That plan came to grief with the coming of the Covid virus which resulted in our government cancelling flights to Britain and the probable cancellation of the conference itself. But the talk has long since been written,…
Faith Encouraged
Following the Wrong Gods
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OK, I’m a bit of an Eagles fan, and when they released their first CD after years of being apart, I jumped at it! The CD was called “Hell Freezes over” and was named that because one of the guys said that would be the time the Eagles all got back together again to do another project. Well, guess what… There’s a song on that album that I have loved since the…
The Morning Offering
Acquiring a Grateful Heart
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We must give thanks to God for everything that comes our way Whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves, God is giving us the opportunity to gain a freedom that comes only when we acquire humility. Whatever our job, whichever task we are asked to perform, whatever life places before us, all is an opportunity to give thanks to God.…
The Whole Counsel Blog
War, Famine, Disease, Death, and Hades
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The Apocalypse of St. John contains countless evocative images and creatures demonic and bestial. One group of figures who have become well-known even outside of religious circles, entering into popular culture in a variety of ways, are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as described in the sixth chapter of Revelation. This chapter is structured around one of several cyclical depictions within the text of Christ, here the Lamb, executing judgment to retake the creation and reestablish justice. In St. John’s vision of the divine throne, Christ has taken the scroll which is the title of ownership for the whole creation, being the only one found worthy to do so. This scroll is sealed with seven seals (Rev 5:1, 5-7). …
Glory to God for All Things
And Justice for All - The Heart's True Desire
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The scene was clear: three men were beating another man who had been handcuffed. The injustice of the situation was clear. No danger could possibly be seen coming from the handcuffed man, and no reason could be discerned for the beating. The man with the handcuffs was black, though he need not have been. The officers were white, though they need not have been. It made me feel sick. I recall a…
Faith Encouraged
A Firm Foundation for Life
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We were talking in Bible study recently about “First Principles.” It seems this is something we so rarely consider, but if we miss fundamental truths, we always end up in places we never intended to go. For instance, if you don’t build your life on the fundamental truth that when you say “God” you mean the Holy Trinity, you mean the Father, and you mean the UNCREATED, you will wind up with a basic…
