Earlier this week in my post Death is Overthrown I mentioned that I was reading Way of the Ascetic by Tito Colliander. I've been pondering on this very short section of his book, On Times of Darkness, all week. I shared how comforting it was to know that "even the saints have had their dark …
In the Name of the Lord
This is what I read this morning. Everything. In word or deed! Everything in the name of the Lord. I kind of see this as, would the Lord bless what it is that I am doing? Or am I doing this for my own selfish gain or is what I am doing glorifying God? This …
Death is Overthrown
The joyous message of the Resurrection is ours to hear, "Death is overthrown! Christ God is risen, granting the world great mercy!" It makes me happy to sing this. This sentence is so powerful! It peels away the heaviness that has been weighing me down. I feel as if I have been overcome by heavy …
Enlightened!
I have started taking early morning walks lately and it has been truly inspiring. It has become clearer to me, even more so, that all has been enlightened. All of creation that is. I will never tire of it's explicit beauty all around. Rich in colors. Intricate in detail. While walking I often find myself …
Worship in the house of the Lord!
Last night we sang this beautiful hymn of the Resurrection... This picture was taken yesterday as well, at a friends house. I just love the colors. And to me it is "the house of the Lord". May this day fill you with hope and joy as we worship Him Who rose from the dead.
A Morning Prayer
Many years ago I received a prayer card from a sweet friend of mine. This morning prayer was written by Elder Sophrony (+1993) of Essex, spiritual child of St Silouan the Athonite. I found this description of the prayer on AbbaMoses.com. "He gave this prayer to his own spiritual children, to be said ‘on rising …
Milestone Announcement
Milestones. Webster defines milestones as an event marking a significant change or stage in development. I’m entering a milestone year. It feels surreal. I look back over the last 49 years, about 45 of which I can remember. But admittedly probably less than half of that well. Of course, our early years we don’t remember. …
Resurrection Reminders
Today's Resurrection Reminders comes a tiny bit earlier than usual. In our services at Church we have a Vespers service each and every Saturday evening. This service is in preparation of the the Sunday Divine Liturgy and it is when we sing all the Resurrectional Stichera hymns. Tonight we sang a hymn that actually mentions …
Farewell to Maxim Mondays
Last week I posted the final of the 55 Maxims of Christian Living. Father Thomas Hopko created this list for a podcast he did in 2008. I decided early on when I created this website that I would do a focus on them each Monday. I did my first Maxim Monday on March 19, 2018. …
Free Us From Our Sufferings
Today we sang this beautiful hymn, reminding us that our Lord trampled down death, freeing us from our sufferings! Christ is Risen, every day! See Him all around, in His creation. Magnificent, bright, beautiful world.
