A Reflection on Personal Prayer
Once again I have the extreme joy of being [...]
I Can Do All Things – and the SLB!
Flashback to one year ago this spring: I was sitting [...]
The Transfiguration of the Secular World
Last month I was in Washington D.C., and I met [...]
Cultivating a Heart for Service vs. A Heart of Consumerism
In the months of November and December we are inundated [...]
Lighting the Beacons: Letting Our Light Shine Before Others
Again, Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light [...]
Holy Priorities: How Living as Children of God First Empowers Us in Everything Else
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, [...]
Lord, It Is Good for Us To Be Here
“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and [...]
Finding Gratitude in Perseverance
Last summer looked abnormal for me, as it did for everyone I knew. In the span of a week, I had been sent home from my freshman year of college on an “extended spring break,” was told I would not be able to study abroad in Italy, summer church camp, and the Parish Life Conference were canceled, and I couldn’t physically be with my friends and family. Even though I was FaceTiming my friends multiple times a day and had more family time than ever before, I felt alone.
Dressing up for Christmas as Christians
It is tradition to adorn our homes and even ourselves festively this season. In doing so, we are communicating a piece of the joy of the Nativity. But these adornments, even some silly pajamas, might point to something more profound. We feel the warmth, cheer, and joy of the holiday season when hearing Christmas music or seeing beautiful lights and we want to spread this cheer into the world.
Permission to Struggle
Learning to struggle teaches us to ask for help. Asking for help teaches us humility. Through struggle, even with the small things, we build the skills necessary to grow. When we accept struggle as a central component of our lives as Orthodox Christians, we will find ourselves in a pattern of growth that will train us for a life full of struggle, and ultimately, toward eternity.
