“It’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.” And with that caveat, my initial lesson in becoming Orthodox began. You see, I always thought that the Christian Faith was about giving mental assent to certain doctrinal precepts and saying the “proper” words. I thought that I could argue and use “apologetics” to convince others that my version of Christianity, or even morality, was the “right” one. I was wrong. Oh, to be sure,…

I remember the first time I heard the prayer “For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.” I thought “What a curious prayer?” Why would the Church have us pray this at every litany? What is really being asked for here? It wasn’t long until some reading of the Fathers of the Church, listening to the hymns of the Church, and actually pressing out…

Do you know the difference between a barrier and a threshold? It’s actually quite an important distinction. There’s actually some really important contemplation to be done here. Boundaries are necessary for healthy relationships BUT those boundaries need thresholds to stay healthy. I can’t tell you how many people have sat in my office talking about troubles with their relationships with family and heard them talk about how they never talk to their…

Growing up in that sliver of Christian sub-culture of the American South in the 70s and 80s, that was the time of the Left Behind novels and constant speculation about who is the Anti-Christ and if Jesus’ Second Coming was just around the corner. Was Russia going to invade Israel? Is the bar code the “mark of the beast” from Revelation? Are you ready for the Rapture? Frankly, it was all both…

Christ is Ascended! There was an article recently in the Wall Street Journal talking about the noticeable increase in the amount of Americans converting to Orthodoxy. And one of the more amazing discoveries is that these converts are embracing the Orthodox Faith in spite of having no cultural connection to traditional Orthodox cultures. And, a sizable amount of these converts are young men. Why is this happening, the reporter asked me when…

Christ is risen! (On this Leave-Taking of the Feast of Pascha!) One of my very first jobs was at the fast-food restaurant Burger King! Man, that was a hoot. I loved the fact that I could work there after school and on weekends and get a free hamburger too! Yeah, that wasn’t a very healthy choice. But Burger King was one of the first fast-food places to let you decide what you…