redeeming the time

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salt and grace

kind. disarming. wholesome. in wisdom. 

readiness to every good word

building up others

and exhorting to love

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“let your speech always be with grace,

seasoned with salt,

that you may know

how you ought to answer each one.”

Colossians 4:6

Ultimately, this is how every Christian is to live every day of his life: we must pray, forgive, be generous and live a simple life; we should go to church, confess our sins, endure all things with patience and humility and show love to all.

Papavassiliou, Vassilios

Thirty Steps to Heaven

give Him your heart

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one thing needful

a fresh, hopeful breeze

Our Lord is the sole comfort of both angels and men, of every soul that yearns for Him. He alone is eternal. We can seek comfort from our fellow men here in this life, but all this is very limited, for created beings are limited in time and space and cannot dispense eternity. God alone takes care of every need of our souls.

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives:

the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

Psalm 27:4

boundless love

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fervent_supplication

To ask mercy from God is to ask for His Kingdom, that Kingdom Christ promised to give all who seek it, assuring them that all other things of which they have need will be added unto them.

Saint Nicholas Cabasalis

For with the Lord there is mercy

Psalm 129:7

a fount and treasury of love for mankind

a light to our path

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the Lord establishes his steps

The heart of man plans his way,  but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

There, now you understand what repentance is all about. Repentance is a complete turning of one’s heart toward Absolute Goodness , and not only of the heart but also of the mind, the feelings, the body, and one’s whole being. Repentance is the unbreakable union of love with our Father and Creator. Therefore we must always be in prayer and at all times ask the Mother of God to give us the strength to love Him as she herself does, along with the saints and the angels. Then we will be blessed both in this life and in eternity as well. For God is love, peace, and joy, which fills every being that seeks Him from the heart.

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

refuge

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under His might Hand

 

Your name is permanently engraved in the palms of His hands… and no man shall pluck you out!

Isaiah 49:16 & John 10:28

Embrace the counter-intuitive and be of good cheer.

In the midst of this world’s tribulations and chaos – He is mindful of you and has you always in His sight – your refuge in Whom you may trust.

HE will deliver you through struggle and carry you on the breath of the sunrise.

freedom

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free and forgiving

The Lord commands us to love our enemies, not for their sake, but for our own good.   For as long as we wallow in the remembrance of an insult we have suffered from a friend, a neighbor, or a relative, we will have neither peace nor rest.  We must become free from such thoughts.   This means that we must forgive from the heart. Everything must be forgiven.  The peace we feel afterwards brings a sense of well-being, joy, and comfort not only to us but to all who surround us.  Everyone will feel the impact of our thoughts if our thoughts are kind and peaceful. And the opposite is true, as well.

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives:

the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

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Embrace the counter-intuitive… ask yourself what is normal?

When one sees the violence and hatred going on in the world, even now just outside of our Nation’s Capitol in Baltimore, it’s clear that we have lost touch with what is normal.  Where are the voices of healing?

Normal is not what everyone does, or even what the majority of people are doing.

Normal is the Truth, the Way and the Life.

as you judge

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as you judge

never look down on anyone, for you do not know whether the spirit of God prefers to dwell  in you or them

sayings of the egyptian fathers

embrace the counter-intuitive.

judging is simply too easy, isn’t it…  but judgement, anger, lack of forgiveness is nothing more than drinking a vial of bitter, malevolent poison, yourself, and then anxiously awaiting for the other person to die.

blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

Matthew 13:16

treasure of the heart

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paris - treasure of the heart

Christ is Risen!  Truly He is risen!

A disciple should always carry the memory of God within. For it is written: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. Your should not only love the Lord when entering into the place of prayer but should also remember Him with deep desire when you walk or speak to others or take your meals. For scripture says: Where your heart is, there also is your treasure; and surely, wherever a person’s heart is given, where ever their deepest desire draws them, this is indeed their god.  If a disciple’s heart always longs for God, then God will surely be the Lord of the heart.

Makarios the Great