Today’s Guest blog comes to us from our dear Fr. Stephen Freeman. Fr. Stephen has written his past few articles on the subject of the Holy Scriptures in the Orthodox Church. His valuable insights, rooted in the historic and consistent wisdom of our Orthodox faith, offer what I believe is one of the best and…
My very best friend in all the world died of a brain tumor several years ago. I know, a weird way to begin a devotional, but I wanted you to know the end of the story so you will value it as much as I do.
You see, Rod was a conscientious objector during the…
“Daddy, when will the leaves change colors?” With that, I knew I was entering into the time when my 8 year old was beginning to understand the changing of the seasons. “Do they call it ‘Fall’ because the leaves fall on the ground?” Wonderful!
Being a typical man (that’s not a bad thing!) I always assume I don’t need to read the directions! After all, I’m educated. I’m capable. I know what’s going on, right? Uh, yeah, right.
“Don’t judge me!” With that, the argument was suppose to be over. After all, my interlocutor had used the nuclear bomb of debate. He had pulled out the “Judge Not” card. And, after all, since he was debating a Christian, that meant the discussion was over and he had effectively shut down the uncomfortable reality…
She said this to me with such painful expression. I had really let her down by wondering aloud if another one of our mutual friends was really going to follow through on what he promised to do. I can still hear the pain and disappointment in her voice “you ‘doubting Thomas!'”
So what is it…
The message of the Lord Jesus invites us to a stark "change of mind." The Lord invites us to give, without expecting any return, love even those who hate us, and purposely delay all expectations of reward until His Kingdom comes in fullness.
Today, is this your attitude towards life?
How we Christians look at our Holy Scriptures reveals a deep truth about how we see God, faith, and even ourselves. This matters!
“Those who engage in debates on a regular basis know that the argument itself can easily shape the points involved. This is another way of saying that some debates should be avoided entirely…
He sat in the chair opposite me, and his discomfort level was off the charts. Eyes, darting around, feet fidgeting, obviously rather being someplace else, this life-long Orthodox Christian was making his very first confession. He was 64 years old.