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A Glorious End to A Glorious Race!

And so, it comes to a close…Great Lent for 2021 is ending. As we look over our journey, it is important to do a self-evaluation.  Did I draw closer to the Lord during these 6 weeks?  How disciplined was my prayer life?  Was my fasting truly unto the Lord?  Did I spend time in God’s […]

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To Fast or Not to Fast? Is That the Question?

In our reading from the Holy Prophet Isaiah today (Isaiah 58:1-11), God reminds us of what He really wants during a fast…to also stop doing bad things and do good by helping those in need. He says if we will do this during our fasting:  “Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your […]

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Beyond the Bars Blog

Adjusting to Life After Prison

Greg is a former prisoner who was recently released to perform his parole in a small town in California. Like all prisoners, freedom and reintegration into society was disorienting. Nevertheless, one of the first things he did in freedom was look for an Orthodox parish.   “I was still unfamiliar with the bus routes and schedules […]

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Suggestions from God

“I am the LORD your God…Who leads you in the way you should go. O that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea!” (Isaiah 48:18) The Lord gives us lots of great suggestions on how we should live this […]

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Can We Talk About Mary This Morning?

Can we talk about Mary this morning without someone thinking we are about to worship her?  Can we call her the most “blessed” woman to ever live without being accused of Mariolatry? I say that partly in jest, but at the same time, I have heard that so very many times from well-meaning Christians who […]

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An Amazing Symbol in Abraham offering Isaac as a Sacrifice

Take a moment to read the story in Genesis 22:1-18 Throughout the Old Testament there are amazing images of New Testament truths.  The Cross of Christ is an image that is found many, many times in the OT.  The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden depicts the Cross…whoever eats the fruit of that […]

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Saint Mary of Egypt

This Sunday is called “The Sunday of Saint Mary of Egypt.” What an amazing Saint of the Holy Orthodox Faith to have an entire Sunday of Great Lent dedicated to her commemoration. Her life story is read every year so that it has become well known to all Orthodox Christians. You can easily find it […]

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The Humbling of Kingdom Builders

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4) On March 30th, the devotional was about the arrogant king of Assyria and how God dealt with his prideful ways. […]

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Beyond the Bars Blog

Would you be ready to greet a released felon?

After serving six years in prison, Greg was a free man. But freedom did not mean that the “residue” of prison life was suddenly gone. He would need months, perhaps even years, to fully adjust to life on the outside. For one thing, he still felt deeply ashamed of the crime he had committed and […]