Your Salvation is Outside Your Door

In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazaros (Luke 16.19-31), Jesus tells of an opportunity for salvation that goes unnoticed by the rich man. Day after day he stepped out his door passing over his salvation, an unnamed and unknown poor man “desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.” (Luke 16.21) Day by day the rich man was sealing his fate for an eternity of torment and grief, while the fate of the poor man rested firmly in the bosom of Abraham. Both men died, and both men met their fate.

Just outside your door, if you are choose to notice, is your salvation waiting for you. Every time you step out your front door is an opportunity to meet your salvation face to face. The rich man in the parable was so focused on his own comfort that he didn’t even know the name of the man lying across his front steps. When you step out your door you leave behind the comfort of home, but you also leave behind the chains of torment and grief. Every person you meet, rich or poor, is your opportunity for salvation.

Your salvation isn’t about rich or poor. It isn’t about names. It is about bread crumbs and dogs. It is about being able to see the person just outside your door, not as a burden or inconvenience but with compassion and love. Salvation is about love.

Don’t Pick the Pigs over the People

When Jesus healed the man with legion demons, He used a
heard of pigs from the nearby town for the demons to enter. We all remember the
story; the pigs went running off the cliff and died. The town folk, not wanting
to lose the investment of the pigs, could not bear to see their resources taken
away from them, just for some poor demoniac. They were so greedy; they chased
Jesus away from their town. Many times, we find ourselves chasing Jesus away by
refusing to allow Him to use OUR resources for the ministry of His Church. We
would rather see the Church limp along; barely able to keep the doors open than
to go without cable television. This story isn’t just about healing a demoniac;
it is about stewardship, and whether we pick the pigs over the people.

Don’t Allow your Greed to Send Christ Away

After Jesus cast out legion demons from someone, the demons entered a heard of swine. As a reaction to having the demons enter, the entire heard ran off a cliff and drown. The demons were so violent and oppressive, the swine just couldn’t handle the presence of so many demons. Demons have a nasty effect on people, but there is always a limit to their abilities.

During the exorcism prayers of every baptism, the Church recalls this Gospel story, as the demons are cast out of the new infant or adult who is seeking to join themselves to Christ. The demons are obligated to obey the Church and depart, just as they were obligated to depart from the young man in Gospel. So if demons have been cast out of our lives at our baptism, why does the Church offer this Gospel story? In the story, the man from whom the demons were cast out glorified God, but the same cannot be said for the owners of the swine, and the town folk.

“Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.” (Luke 8.37) For the town folk, it was easier for them to witness the young man completely tormented by demons, than to lose the money they had invested in the swine. They had grown comfortable with their fellow citizen being tormented, but could not tolerate losing their investments. They had become so greedy; the presence of God was more of a torment for them than the torment of demons on their fellow human being. 

Put Your Trust in the Church

In a world with more than 43,000 denominations of
Christianity, it is ever more crucial that we learn to discern the truth among
the many partial truths spoken in the name of Jesus Christ. The Orthodox
Christian Church, loyal to the truth as taught by the Holy Apostles, has been
the caretaker of the wholeness of the truth for more than 2,000 years. Jesus
Christ said, “He who hears you hears Me.” When we hear the voice of the Church,
we hear Jesus Christ. If you truly desire to live united to God, then put your
trust in the Church.

He Who Hears the Church, Hears God

Words are nothing if they are not spoken with authority, and authority is given, not taken. In the Gospel of Luke we hear Christ give authority to the Church to speak and preach on His behalf. Jesus said, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Luke 10.16) Then the seventy apostles whom Jesus had sent out to preach the Kingdom in advance of His Passion, returned saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (Luke 10.17) The mission of the Seventy was to prepare others to encounter God. They healed the sick, they cast out demons, they spoke on behalf of God. Despite all these blessings the Seventy experienced, Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10.19-20)

The mission of the Church has not changed in two thousand years. Jesus Christ has given the Church authority over the power of the enemy. He who hears the Church, hears God, and He who rejects the Church, rejects God. He has given the Church authority, not so people could rejoice in earthly blessings, but that their names (OUR NAMES) might be written in Heaven. This responsibility is taken very seriously by the Church, which is why our teachings MUST BE loyal and consistent with the teachings and way of life of the Holy Apostles, to whom Jesus first gave the authority. This is what we mean when we say, “One Holy Catholic and APOSTOLIC Church” in the Creed. The way of life and teachings of the Church are the same as the Apostles.

The words spoken by the Church are for our benefit, not for earthly blessings, but that our names are written in heaven, and they are words spoken with authority given directly from God. It was Jesus Christ who said, “He who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” Do you want to hear God, listen to the Church!

Pluck Out the Thorns from Your Heart

Using the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8.5-15), Jesus taught
that there are four conditions of the heart. Either the heart is hardened and
the Word of God cannot penetrate, or the heart is shallow and the roots cannot
grow deep, or the heart is filled with thorns which chock the heart, or the
heart is rich fertile soil which produces fruit a hundred fold. Most of us
spend most of our time surrounded by thorns, so God has given us His Church to
assist with plucking the thorns from our heart. Without proper care, our heart
will never grow deep roots and produce the fruit of faith, but by using the
life of the Church you can pluck out the thorns from your heart and produce
fruit a hundred fold for the glory of God. 

True Diversity Requires True Tolerance

I was recently appointed to serve for one year on a "Faith and Values Advisory Board" for our local newspaper. We meet once each month to discuss life in the community and how people of faith might be "view the issues" facing our community. This month was my first column, and I thought I would share it with my fans here as well.... I pray my words are a source of comfort and hope to anyone in our city who might read them....and you never know......by God's grace maybe someone will be inspired to Live A New Life In Christ by the column.

For the past four years I have been blessed with the opportunity to participate on a diversity panel along with several religious leaders from the Pee Dee area. The panel is part of the Building Bridges program sponsored each spring by the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Each of the four years, I was asked to speak about what was needed to build bridges of diversity for the greater community, and each of the four years, I have responded with the same answer. “We need to be OK with allowing each other to be who we genuinely are.” The reality of being genuine requires something that, quite frankly, goes against our immediate impulse.

(continue reading...)

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Are the flood waters of life beating you down?

As I celebrated our weekly Wednesday Orthros/Matins this morning, I was especially thankful to God for keeping our community families safe during the recent flooding. The Gospel for this morning was especially appropriate to the past week...

Luke 6:46-49, 7:1 "The Lord said, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." After he had ended all his sayings in the hearing of the people he entered Capernaum."

We are thankful that our homes are safe, and the storm is behind us. Many noticed possible weaknesses in their properties, and will make improvements to ensure flooding is less damaging during the next storm.......but what improvements are we making to protect our soul for the DAILY storms that face our soul?

If you are interested making improvements to your soul for the storm, find your local Orthodox Christian Church and begin attending services, Bible Studies, and community gatherings as soon as you can.

Simply Because We Want to Love

Jesus said, “Just as you want men to do to you, you also do
to them likewise.” (Luke 6.31) Jesus also said, “But if you love those who love
you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.”
(Luke 6.32) God doesn’t want us to love simply because He said so; He wants us
to WANT to love. When we are forced into love, it isn’t love at all, but an
obligation. Sinners love those who love them because they want something in
return, but we are called to be better than sinners. We are called to love
simply because we want to love. It’s better that way.

Why is Love Such a Challenge?

When Jesus gave us the Golden Rule, He gave us something much more than a commandment. He gave us a challenge. It seems Christ knew that we enjoy a challenge. He said, “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6.31-32) With these words Jesus challenged us to look at others as if we are looking in a mirror, and that is a great challenge.

Because of our fallen nature, we tend to look at others with a sense of comparison. “At least I don’t look like that.” “At least I don’t behave like that.” “At least I’m smarter and richer than that.” When was the last time we looked at someone else, as if we were looking at ourselves and said, “I know they are struggling with something nobody else knows.” “I know they feel like they can’t seem to catch a break.” “I know they just want us to trust them.” The point is, we all struggle with living our Christianity according to God’s commands. The only true comparison is “which” sin we have committed that someone else has not. We all sin, so why place our right to be loved ahead of anyone else?

Christianity was not the first to understand the concept of treating others the way we want to be treated, but that is the easy part. The challenge – what makes the rule ‘golden’ – is to place ourselves in someone else’s situation and love them. The challenge – what Christians are uniquely called to live – is to love even whom we think we know to be the most sinful. Sin is sin, and nobody is without sin – except God – so why not love. Are you up for the challenge?

A New Season

The Church calendar includes different seasons during which
we read different Gospel lessons each day. On the second Sunday after the Feast
of the Holy Cross, known as the First Sunday of Luke, we witness the calling of
the first disciples by Christ. Jesus Christ calls a few humble but faithful
fishermen to trust Him enough to leave everything aside and follow Him. This
new season of the Church, allows for us to reconsider our role within the
ministry of the Church, and whether we desire to leave aside the secular
temptations of the world to be part of the team we call, The Church. Jesus
Christ didn’t accomplish His ministry in isolation; He involved the Disciples to
help Him. Adam couldn’t exist in isolation; God created Eve to assist him. The
Church also doesn’t work in isolation; we are called to assist the Church – and
therefore Christ – to cast our nets out into the deep and bring in as many as
God has determined should join the Church. But all this takes requires a fresh
perspective. It requires a fresh vantage point. It requires a new season in our
lives. And in this new season, when God is with, nothing is against us.

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Do You Have a Bucket List?

We’ve all heard of them, and some of us actually create one. I never have, so I thought I would. NO....I’m not talking about jumping out of airplanes or climbing Mt Everest. I’m talking about an Orthodox Christian Bucket List. I think the common bucket list is a waste of time, which may be why I never wrote one. I have been mountain climbing, but who really cares about Mt Everest. I’ve been in lots of airplanes, and trust me when I say, I’m quite comfortable staying INSIDE the airplane. Those types of bucket lists seem to me to focus on thrill seeking rather than what really matters. Preparing our soul is what really matters. So today, I thought I would create an Orthodox Christian Bucket List....

(In no specific order, but the order they came to me while blogging this morning)

1. Go to confession four times this year
2. Pray my morning Prayer Rule every day this month
3. Pray my evening Prayer Rule every day this month
4. Ask my spiritual father for a prayer rule
5. Attend Divine Liturgy every Sunday this month
6. Visit every Canonical Orthodox Christian Monastery in America (33 male monasteries, 38 female monasteries)
7. Attend Divine Liturgy in every Canonical Orthodox Christian Church within a two hour drive of my home
8. Read the entire Bible (Orthodox Christian edition)
9. Attend every Holy Week Service (in the same year) at least once
10. Visit Jerusalem and the Holy Lands
11. Visit with my Bishop in his office
12. Visit the Cathedral of my Bishop
13. Visit the Cathedral of my Archbishop or Metropolitan
14. Visit the Cathedral of my Patriarch
15. Witness the ordination of a Deacon
16. Witness the ordination of a Priest
17. Witness the ordination of a Bishop
18. Witness the Consecration of a Church
19. At least once attend every Divine Liturgy for the 12 Great Feasts of the Church in one year
20. Go on a short-term mission trip (less than 3 months in length)
21. Visit an Orthodox Christian Orphanage
22. Visit every Orthodox Christian Seminary in America
23. Establish a home Altar
24. Have my home blessed by the Priest this year
25. Spend an extended-stay spiritual retreat at an Orthodox Christian Monastery
26. Venerate the Relics of my Patron Saint (if they are known to exist)
27. Venerate a miracle Icon (weeping, crying, myrrh-flowing etc) of the Theotokos
28. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen
29. Distribute food at a food bank
30. Distribute clothing at a clothing bank
31. Visit a stranger in a hospital
32. Visit a stranger in prison
33. Visit a stranger in a nursing/assisted living home
34. Read “On the Incarnation” by Saint Athanasios the Great
35. Read “On the Holy Spirit” by Saint Basil the Great
36. Read a complete commentary on a Book of Scripture by an ancient Orthodox Christian Church Father
37. Read a book on Orthodox Christian spirituality this year
38. Read Eusebius’ book on Christian History
39. Keep a strict fast for the Great Fast at least once
40. Keep a strict fast for the entire Apostles Fast at least once
41. Keep a strict fast for the Dormition Fast at least once
42. Keep a strict fast for the Christmas Fast at least once
43. Keep the Wednesday/Friday Fast this month
44. Keep a strict fast for the Feast of Holy Cross this year
45. Keep a strict fast for the Feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist this year
46. Keep a strict fast for the Forefeast of Theophany this year (January 5)
47. Attend Divine Liturgy for the Feast of my Patron Saint this year
48. Attend Divine Liturgy for the Feast of my Parish this year
49. Attend Great Vespers at least once this month
50. Attend Matins at least once this month
51. Attend a Paraklesis Service at least once this month
52. Attend every Paraklesis Service during the Dormition Fast at least once (in one year)
53. Invite a friend to attend Divine Liturgy with me this year
54. Establish a personal prayer list for family and friends
55. Pray my personal prayer list every day this month
56. Submit my personal prayer list to my Parish Priest and ask him to include it his prayer this month
57. Submit my personal prayer list to a Canonical Orthodox Christian Monastery with a donation
58. Make a donation to International Orthodox Christian Charities this year
59. Make a donation to the Orthodox Christian Mission Center this year
60. Make a donation to the Orthodox Christian Network this year
61. Make a donation to the Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry this year
62. Make a donation to an Orthodox Church building fund this year
63. Make a donation to a National Orthodox Christian Charity this year
64. Make a donation to a regional Orthodox Christian Charity this year
65. Make a donation to my Bishop’s ministry this year
66. Make a donation to my Archbishop/Metropolitan’s ministry this year
67. Make a donation to my Patriarch’s ministry this year
68. Tithe to my Parish this year
69. Volunteer for a ministry at my Parish NOT INCLUDING the Festival or major fundraiser this year
70. Volunteer for my Parish festival or other major fundraiser this year
71. Volunteer to serve as a greeter for my Parish at least once this year

I’m not sure how long bucket lists are supposed to be, but I thought this was a good starting point. I hope you enjoy my list, and I invite you to create your own. Feel free to use mine as a starting point. I tried to include as many aspects of an Orthodox Christian life as I could. I may have missed a few, and I probably will remember (and then add) a few later, but I really believe that if we each had this sort of bucket list, our souls would be much better prepared than worrying about jumping out an airplane.

Oh....I just remembered another one....Make a donation to Be Transfigured! 

You Just Can’t ‘Go It Alone’

Moments before calling His first disciples, Jesus invited a group of fishermen to cast out their nets in a place where they had fished the night before with absolutely no success. When they did as He commanded, “they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.” (Luke 5.6-7) It was only together that they were able to haul in the greatest catch they would ever see. It was at this moment; they dropped their nets and followed Christ.

There are many times in our lives that we are tempted to ‘go it alone’ rather than depend upon the helping hand of others. We are often too proud to look to the experience and knowledge of others to help us get to where we are going. And it is too often that we find ourselves lost and unable to accomplish our goal simply because we refuse to call out and signal to our partners that we need their help. So why do still insist on trying to go it alone?

You could call it our fallen human condition. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been trying to live independently from God, even though we, like the fishermen, keep coming up short. As human beings, we were created to live in communion with God and each other, not as isolated individuals. In fact it is only when we accept the invitation of God to join Him, that we can finally accomplish our true purpose. And what is our true purpose? Entering into heaven and living eternally with God, and we can’t do THAT alone......that’s for sure.

The Illness

Since Adam and Eve, all human beings have suffered from the
illness I call “ego.” We tend to see every option in our path using the
pronoun, “I.” Whether it is when to attend Church, how to spend our money, what
to eat, even how to interpret the Holy Scriptures, we invoke our God-given
freedom to swear off any influence from anyone over our decisions. So when
Jesus invites us to follow Him with the challenge, “Deny himself, take up his
cross, and follow Me,” it should make us think twice about the illness we call “ego.”
The Church’s way of life of reading and interpreting the Holy Scriptures,
prayer, fasting, attending Church services, house blessings, caring for the
poor, and Confession, are meant to cure the illness of the “ego” so that we can
follow Jesus into heaven.

The Cure

When we are sick, we follow the advice of our doctor if we
desire to be healed from whatever sickness or disease we have. We do this,
because we believe the doctor knows the best cure. We trust him to have our
best interest at hand. We put our belief in his abilities into action, and
follow his instructions to the letter of the law written on the prescription. But
when our soul is in need of healing most of us, most of the time, ignore the
advice of the Church. The Physician of our Souls, Jesus Christ Himself, has
provided a cure for our spiritual sickness, and we ignore it. He has given us a
way of life we call the Church, and though we claim to believe in the cure, we
refuse to follow the instructions necessary to experience a full recovery. We
refuse, all the while rationalizing away our poor choices in the name of
comfort and wanting to avoid suffering, the very cure that has been tried and
tested for two thousand years. Sometimes the cure is painful, and causes nausea,
but healing comes through the struggle of the cure. If we avoid the struggle,
we avoid the cure. The time has come for us to embrace the life of the Church,
struggle and all, and allow Christ to heal us through His Church.

Our Ministry Continues to Expand

Our LIVE STREAM Bible Study ministry continues to grow, and for this I am extremely thankful to God. Through the cooperation of many individuals, many of them fan of this blog, we have succeeded in expanding our internet presence for the glory of God. I just wanted to outline a few new elements of our Bible Study ministry. Of course, I invite EVERYONE to join us "in person" but I also know many people live in an area without an Orthodox Christian Church, or their particular schedule makes it difficult for them to attend a Bible study in their local city. Thankfully we are blessed to be able to share our ministry with others.

The Orthodox Christian Network has been a strong supporter of our ministry in the past seven years. You may remember hearing a few of our sermons on the OCN Podcast "Theologically Thinking" over the years. Last year, the OCN expanded their support of our ministry by sharing our video sermons and LIVE STREAM Bible studies on their website. Immediately, support of our ministry began to expand, and this year the OCN has again expanded its support of our ministry by creating a dedicated area within their website where fans can download study guides and watch LIVE STREAM Bible studies and register to receive reminders and links each week.

In addition to the expanded presence on the OCN, the audio version of our weekly Bible study airs three times each day on The Anchor, an online radio ministry of the OCN. Now, even if you miss the LIVE STREAM or just want to listen "in the background" at work, you can tune in to The Anchor. Our Bible study follows the very popular "Come Receive the Light" radio program daily at 9am, NOON and 6pm.

IF THAT weren't enough.....we have also been working with Orthodox Circle (sort of like a facebook for Orthodox) to offer a LIVE CHAT ROOM where fans could chat about the Bible Study during the LIVE STREAM. I had noticed that many wanted to chat, but with certain YouTube limitations, people could not engage in the discussion. I am currently working to establish a group of approved moderators who will be willing to "bump up" certain questions from the Orthodox Circle chat room to YouTube (since I can only see the YouTube feed during LIVE sessions) so I can include additional questions in the live stream. The Orthodox Circle requires a special membership, but doesn't require members to be Orthodox. I invite ALL my fans to join Orthodox Circle AND join the dedicated "circle" for the Bible study.

So now there are many opportunities for you to connect with our ministry, and for that I am thankful to God. May He continue to bless our ministry to inspire YOU to Live A New Life in Christ.

A Not-so-New Temptation

Many American Christians can be heard waxing and waning over the persecution of the Church in America. Arguments around the water cooler about gay marriage and religious freedom are but the most recent example of how politics becomes spiritual in our nation. But I want to talk about a different type of persecution, what I see as a not-so-new temptation of secular praise.

Many Christians in America expend a great deal of thought and effort into their decision process, especially when it comes to their children. What preschool will best put them on the right path to success? What school will give them the best education? What education will best prepare them for college? What college will be prepared them for a stellar career? What career will earn them the greatest income? What image will the family have in the world in which their children are raised? Will their children be considered prudish or small minded? Will their children have out-dated ideals about family and the social welfare? And these are just the obvious questions. Then there are agonizing questions about the “extra-curriculars” that are presumed a requirement to earn prestige and the all-coveted scholarship to college. All this in the name of, “I want my children to be well-rounded.”

When was the last time you heard a parent include their child’s spiritual health in their life-plan? Why don’t we ask questions about faith? How will this particular extra-curricular prepare my son for heaven? Will that school encourage my daughter to turn against her Church? Will this Sunday soccer league teach my son that it is ok to be absent from Divine Liturgy for three months? Will attending boy scouts or girl scouts, two organizations which promote moral choices against the teachings of the Church, create too much temptation for my children? Will my children grow up thinking their Church is out of touch with the modern world? Have I taught my children that attending Divine Liturgy is more important than sleeping in on the “only day” available?

I could go on and on about the questions we SHOULD be asking, but I think you get the idea. Christians of the 21^st century are faced with a choice that is neither new nor is it unique to any time of Christian history. Parents (and just parents) are faced with preparing for the world or preparing for heaven. WE CANNOT prepare for both as Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6.24) When the first followers of Jesus were faced with this same reality, many refused to confess their belief in Him, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12.43)

Extra-curricular activities are not necessarily sinful or dangerous in themselves. What IS dangerous is the reason we insist upon placing them above the life of the Church, “so that our children are well-rounded.” EVERY time our children are faced with a moral choice that conflicts with the Church, they are tempted to choose against the Church. It is high time that we begin to live the words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Led us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.”

v  BEGIN with faith by asking questions about faith rather than the world, and commit to always placing the life of the Church “first on the list” of importance ahead of “being well-rounded” according to worldly standards.

v  CONTINUE with avoiding temptation at every step.

v  FINISH by making a choice that being prepared for heaven is infinitely more important that any college scholarship.