Practicing contemplative prayer in our busy lives today can be hard. But perhaps an ancient desert monk can still be our coach in the 21st century! (Part 2)
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Being Coached by St. Anthony, Part 2
Seeing God Face to Face
(A version of this article originally appeared in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Saturday, July 30th, 2016. View that article here.) OVERWHELMED AT FIRST VISIT I remember the first time that I visited an Orthodox Church. I knew Orthodox Christianity predated the
Read moreIT’S HOW GOD MADE ME
One aspect of the gospel that gets ignored too often today is the fact that we – along with the entire cosmos – are fallen! We have lost that “goodness” that was proclaimed in the beginning of Genesis.
Read moreGUIDED TOWARDS JESUS
One question I get often is: How do Orthodox Christians start Lent? Do they have an Ash Wednesday like Catholics and Protestants? The answer is: nope, no Ash Wednesday. Instead, we follow an ancient Eastern practice that guides us into
Read moreLEARNING TO LOVE BY GOD’S EXAMPLE
(This post originally appeared in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald on May 7th, 2016. You may view the original post here.) For Orthodox Christians around the world, today represents the last day of “Bright Week,” which is the week of Christian Passover
Read moreThe Children of Abraham Discover the Cross
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 RSV)
Read moreThe Calendar Jumble
This year, “western Easter” is March 27th but “Orthodox Pascha” is May 1st? We use the same formula to calculate the Feast of Feasts, so why do we have different dates?
Read moreThe Surprising End of the Sabbath!
Many Christians speak of the Sabbath as an opportunity to rest from work. However, if we enter deeper into the Bible and the mystery, it becomes clear that the Sabbath was when God rested BEFORE FINISHING creation, from on the
Read moreWHEN JESUS CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY
It is common to say that Jesus lived and died as a Jew, but did he? Perhaps we’re missing a part of the story? Come and enter deeper into the mystery of Theophany and learn how Jesus became “Christian.”
Read moreFrom Water to Words!
For 300-million Christians, the feast of Epiphany is about Christ’s baptism, but what is the deeper meaning of this feast? Why do the Orthodox drench everything with water? What’s up with that?
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