Life isn’t fair. We all know it—we can see the unfairness around us. But, why is it that some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth while others are born into abject poverty? And, why is it
Read moreLife isn’t fair. We all know it—we can see the unfairness around us. But, why is it that some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth while others are born into abject poverty? And, why is it
Read moreTranslations are good in that they help us read something we wouldn’t otherwise have access to. But, unfortunately, they can sometimes be misleading. Previously, we talked about how translators can impose their will on the text by what words they
Read moreEach week during Lent, as you know, I’ve been writing about the rich depth of our Orthodox spirituality. A few weeks ago, I talked about how fasting opens us up to others (click here), and, last week, I spoke about how
Read moreOne of the tricks to hearing and understanding scripture is to be able to hear it as a unified whole. In other words, it helps to have a macro understanding of what’s going on. When we understand scripture in this
Read moreAnd, last week, I wrote at length about the true meaning of the fast. This week, I want to discuss what is probably the scariest part of Lent: confession! The first question a lot of people ask about confession is:
Read moreIn her second Harry Potter Book—Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets—J.K. Rowling wrote, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” If I were to insert this quote into the 4th
Read moreAs you know, Lent is time that’s set aside for us to prepare ourselves for Christ’s resurrection. It’s easy to ignore it and skip straight to Pascha—after all, Lent disrupts our lives and it seems like a lot of work!
Read moreWhen it comes to Paul and James, we often believe they are at odds with each other. In one corner is Paul, who stresses salvation by faith and says that, “… all who rely on the works of the law
Read moreCommenting on the importance of teachers, Albert Einstein once said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” And, Bill Gates once said, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of
Read moreSo, which Sunday (or church service) do you think is the most important out of the entire year? Would you say it’s Pascha (Easter)? Nope, not Pascha! Would you say it’s Christmas? Nope, not Christmas, either! I believe the most
Read more