The same God that knows if a hair falls from your head, the same God that knows if a sparrow falls from the sky, is not surprised about COVID. We cannot, as Christians, say we believe one thing only to become addicted to the news that tells us to believe another thing. Fr Joseph preaches at St Joseph / Houston.

Fr. John shares his homily from the Sunday of Family, Love, and Fidelity, a new commemoration just established by the Russian Church.

Bishop Peter (Loukianoff) of Cleveland is the guest homilist at St. Jonah Orthodox Church.

Fr. John shares from Mark 3:19-35.

Fr. John discusses an Orthodox Christian response when asked, "What did Jesus say about homosexuality?"

Fr. John shares from Psalm 118:65-72. "God puts people in our lives because He's trying to teach us things. When we encounter a difficult person, rather than necessarily trying to seek how we can get as far away from that person as we can, maybe we should ask ourselves, 'What is God trying to teach me?' and try to learn that lesson as quickly as we can."

Fr. John shares from Matthew 13:44-52.

Fr. John uses Psalm 118, and the life of King David, to discuss the importance of living according to God's will.

Fr. John reflects on Psalm 118:89-96.

Fr. John Whiteford discusses 1 Timothy 5:3-16, and notes that "We can’t call ourselves Christians if we don’t care for our own."

Fr. John Whiteford discusses the importance of baptism as it unites us with Christ.

Fr. John Whiteford discusses the new laws in New York state regarding abortion.

Fr. John Whiteford uses the passage from Luke 7 to remind us that God arranges everything according to His providence.

Fr. John Whiteford shares the depth of God's love for us, and how we can abide it in. (1 John 4:12-19)

Fr. John Whiteford describes the important role of motherhood as seen through life of the Theotokos, the mother of our Lord.

Fr. John Whiteford tells the story of St. John Maximovitch.

Fr. John Whiteford's sermon from the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, 2024.

Fr. John Whiteford's sermon from March 10, 2024.

Fr. John Whiteford reminds us that change begins in our hearts.

What does it say about a person who has a collection of barely used daily planners stashed under her bedside table? It is a sign of a disorganized mind and an unwilling spirit, or maybe just never finding the right thing? Angela and fellow author, Katherine Bolger Hyde explore the intricacies of day planner addiction, cabinets from Ikea, and phone alarms ringing at inopportune moments.

The Roman Centurion, a Gentile, shows more faith than all of Israel, according to the Lord's observation. How is it an "outsider" without all the benefits of centuries of religious education can see more clearly than the whole of israel shaped by centuries of examples and theology? Turns out being an insider is no guarantee that you won't end up outside!

The Gadarene Demoniac was possessed by a "Legion" of demons. His spirit was so fractured and divided that he was not only his own worst enemy, but he was a threat to all around him.

When Jesus shares the parable of the man who invited his friends to a banquet and they all made excuses as to why they couldn't come, the Lord put's these words in the man's mouth: "None of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet." When God invites you to be at His Banquet, will you make an excuse?

Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath Day and this reveals the hypocritical hearts of those around Him!

On this Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, the Lord Jesus gives us an insight into a sober and humble way of life. But our world is intoxicated by anger and fear, and all our choices are hampered by anger and fear. What's the way out? The Way of Repentance.

On the Sunday of the Last Judgement we see both the Righteous and the Unrighteous as the Lord the Same Question!

On Forgiveness Sunday we remember Adam and Eve being sent out of the Garden of Eden. Why? For Punishment? The answer may surprise you!

On the Sunday of the Holy Fathers we hear St. Paul teaching his spiritual son, St. Titus, how to live the faith instead of being distracted by troublemakers!

On the 15th of January 2008 the domain name Groupon.com went live for the first time. 2008 was also the year that IndieGogo became one of the first ‘crowdfunding’ websites. A year later, the biggest rivals of each would launch in the form of Living Social and Kickstarter. At the start of 2012 Uber – […]

The post How to Steal the Next Billion Dollar Website Idea: A Case Study appeared first on ViperChill.

Are we living now in the Divided States of America as opposed to the United States of America? Does the political divide we see and hear about it each day in the news speak to who we are now as persons and a society? What can it teach us about ourselves and our own hearts? Join Michael as he discusses wholeness and division from a spiritual point of view, and what we need to do to be Christ-like in today’s current climate.

How do we understand God’s grace and providence in the direction of our lives? Is there such a thing as chance and coincidence, or is it simply our lack of spiritual perception that makes it seem so? Join Michael as he thoroughly explores this topic and shares personal examples, thoughts and the insights that apply to all of us.

Life’s often not fair and we all suffer from illness and affliction at times that are not of our own making. It is then we are often confronted with a choice – to continue to want to be with God even though we don’t understand why certain things are happening to us; or to let the seeming unfairness of our circumstance drive us away from Him. Join Michael as he uses a whimsical episode of the Brady Bunch to illustrate and discuss this profound truth we all experience.

CDC reports that suicides have increased 25% since 1999 in nearly every state and recent celebrity suicides have cause a renewed focus on this issue. The CDC report further lists reasons, warning signs, and who this is affecting most. What can everyday ordinary Orthodox Christians do, who are not clergy or mental health professionals, to help combat this tragedy. Join Michael Haldas as he shares his personal experience and offers some thoughts on this topic.

Drug related deaths due to heroin and opioids are on the rise. It’s becoming an epidemic. Why is this? What are the factors contributing to this crisis of life and death? Why is this crisis reflective of a deep spiritual disorder that demands that parishes and their members get engaged based on their resources and capacity? Join Michael as he attempts to address these questions and shares information from his Metropolis that can be useful to many.

Join Michael as he explores the webs and patterns of our life, and uses poem, story, myth, metaphor, and examples from his own life to show how we can recognize God and continuity within our myriad choices, and know His peace.

Join Michael as he tells the story of a family who all contracted the virus, what they suffered, what medical experts and articles are saying about COVID-19 and PTSD, and how we can understand this spiritually.

Join Michael for a discussion on how to avoid being paralyzed with guilt and shame over our worst failures, and experience God at work within them.

Join Michael in a discussion of how to guard our hearts and minds against the ancient sins of infidelity and individualism that are both subtle and celebrated in today’s culture.

This is the prayer of one who is still in the world, but no longer of the world. When despair and anxiety bite they feel like a little death. When your tiredness, your sin or your despondency collapse over you, you need to pray with the prayer of the dead, the prayer of our nothingness silently hoping against hope, silently crying out for Christ, silently waiting for the Resurrected One to be risen from our own tomb: our body and our soul. This is not abandonment, but the exact opposite: this is the prayer which is proper to our fallen nature, the desperate cry for Life of one who is made of nothing, but does not belong to nothing. This is the prayer of one who is still in the world, but no longer of the world - instead, they now belong to Christ

Prayer is a new creation - St Sophrony says somewhere. By that, he means that prayer will change the one who prays into a new person, a true person, the saints whom God created us to be. If we are afraid of change, we should be terrified of prayer, because prayer is deeply transformative or nothing at all. Prayer kills the evil seeds in us and it feeds the good seeds in us. Like a series of small deaths and resurrections, prayer slowly reshapes our being, until it re-creates us according to the Image of God in us.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea reminds us that who we are in Christ is the best version of ourselves.

Fr. Seraphim Aldea answers the question "If God is perfect, why did He create imperfection?", by reminding us of His love for His creation.

It is easy to ask for God's Word, but it is difficult to listen and accept His answer. That is because His answer reveals His Divine will and once we know that, we need to silence our own will and follow Him.

Don't Hide You from Christ (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

"Low" Periods Hide a Spiritual Treasure (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

In this time of troubles among the churches, we should all be looking to the light of the manger for answers.

Fr. Steven Ritter examines the possibilities.