Dealing with stress is something we all deal with at some point in our lives. And the more we think about it, the worse it seems to get.
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The Foreign Leper
Liturgy: A Work of Love
The Consumer It’s easy to view church as just another “commercial service.” After all, we’re used to all sorts of services in our society. There are shopping centers that seek to serve our material needs. There are restaurants that seek
Read moreDiving Into Life
Learning to Swim I learned to swim at an early age. I remember, before I started taking official lessons, my father taught me the basics of swimming. He would hold me on my back and teach me to float. In
Read moreDance, Dance Wherever You May Be
I think our seasons are mixed up. At first, I didn’t think spring would ever arrive. Then, when it finally did stop snowing, it got so hot that I wondered, What happened to spring? Now, with all the rain, I
Read morePulling Back the Curtain on Pentecost
At the Orthodox celebration of Pentecost, the Gospel reading comes from John 7, which is a story about Jesus celebrating the Feast of Sukkot? But, if it’s Pentecost, why would the Church have us read about Sukkot? How does that
Read moreShouting Hosanna!
Listening closely to the hymns of Palm Sunday, there’s one theme – among many – that reappears. It can be found the 2nd Apolytikion: “We were buried with you through baptism…and thus by your resurrection, we have been granted immortal
Read moreAbandoned by God?
Abandonment. This is probably one of our greatest fears. As children, we don’t want to be abandoned by our parents. As adults, we fear that we’ll be abandoned by our spouses or our friends. And, in our old age, we
Read moreBelief and Trust
In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus say, “All things are possible for the one who has faith.” We like to believe that this means that if we put enough mental effort into something, or if we believe something hard or
Read moreCross: Life not Sacrifice
For most of us, the cross is seen at best as a decorative symbol, or at worst as an instrument of torture. But now – at the midpoint of Lent – the cross is presented as an image of refreshment
Read moreForgive or Die
In January, it was good to own stock. Prices soared and, recently, the Dow hit a record high. For many of us, this is where we place our trust: it’s our financial security, our 401(k) retirement, our indication of good
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