Be defined and bound by God alone and not by people. We don’t let anyone define our life. God defines our life. And even the closest people to us should not be defining our life—our parents, our spouses. No, only God is defining who we are, and we’re only bound to his definition. Fr. Thomas …
Tag: quotes
Maxim Week 44
When I was working on this I decided to ask for help from my family. This is a tough one to elaborate on. Father Thomas doesn't say much more about this Maxim. He does say this, which is heard in the original podcast... Don’t defend or justify yourself. The Saints say: “Those who try to …
Meet Francis
An author, blogger, Orthodox Christian, fellow parishioner and a friend. Francis has written three books you can find on his blog, Prayerful Life. He writes essays, short stories and poetry. He also shares quotes from the church fathers. His writing is incredibly thought provoking and encouraging. He really shares his heart and it is a …
Meet Ann
I thought I'd introduce to you one of the women who first helped me start down this path, this journey to joy. She was the first to challenge me. She was the first who seemed to be in my thoughts and know me. To know what needed changing. Meet Ann. Ann Voskamp. I can't remember …
Joy is Thankfulness
One year ago today (and I didn't do that on purpose), I wrote a post about the book “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica”. It is the sort of book that you will read on and off for the rest of your life because there is so …
Maxim Week 39
Don’t complain, grumble, murmur, or whine. Complaining, thinking, looking at the faults of others, we work during Lent and all our life to stop doing that. We pay attention to ourselves. Fr. Thomas Hopko This week's Maxim really is a good one. One that I really need to hear and maybe reflect on how much …
Back Into Focus
Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. I’ve recently lost sight of my big overall goal of writing this blog. I’ve felt lost. Unsure. I’m not sure why. I went through this feeling back in January when I needed to …
It is Good to Give Praise
This mornings Psalter reading was such a great reminder... Let us praise the Lord today! Proclaim His mercy this morning and His truth as we lay down to sleep. Sing unto the Lord!
Live as if…
A fellow Orthodox blogger and friend of mine recently posted an Evagrius Ponticus quote... [One] should always act as if [they] were going to die tomorrow; yet [they] should treat [their] body as if it was going to live for many years. The first cuts off the inclination to listlessness, and makes [one] more diligent; …
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2019! A new year to walk on the path to salvation…to meet the risen Lord. Another year to make changes. In me. To take one step at a time to work on joy and love. Daily. I don’t really like the term “New Years Resolution” as it has such a bad reputation. My …
