Making excuses comes almost as naturally as eating or sleeping, and it begins at a young age. We are wired to cover our sins with self-justification and shifting blame. But for a doulos charged with service in the Lord's household, there is no room for excuses. Jesus offers wholeness and new life, demonstrated by the story in John's Gospel of the paralytic man who was healed despite the excuses and presumed accountability to the old way of life.
Fr. Timothy Lowe shares how with this new life comes freedom from excuses and new accountability to walk in the life-giving commandments and to "Go and sin no more." Read the full episode transcript here.
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Is cheer and gladness a prerequisite to giving and tithing? Or might obedience to the Lord's instruction to give alms and tithe foster true cheer and gladness? In any case, Fr. Patrick O'Grady warns against any transactional approach to tithes and offerings. Rather, in response to the philanthropy of God, the One who loves mankind, we are invited to act in kind.
Fr. Patrick O'Grady, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Antiochian Church, opens the Wisdom of Sirach and shares the story of St. Philaret to encourage generous giving with cheer and gladness. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Loyalty, faithfulness, and reliability is what every servant leader pledges, just as Peter assured Jesus, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” Yet that very night, after invoking a curse and anathema upon himself that he knew not the arrested Jesus, the words of Jesus to Peter, "Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times," were made manifest. Fr. Timothy Lowe suggests that arrogance must run its full course so that our only hope is in the mercy of the Lord.
Read the full episode transcript here. 
We all want a champion for our cause. But a naked man hanging dead from a cross doesn't look like a winner. Even the disciple Peter rebuked Jesus who foretold of his suffering in Jerusalem by the elders, chief priests, and scribes.
Who among us doesn't pay good money to protect, preserve, and champion our beliefs, our way of life, our prestige? Perhaps Judas sought to protect religiosity or force the hand of Jesus against the Roman occupation or was simply captivated by his own greed when he betrayed Jesus. Regardless, the will of the Father was accomplished through Jesus Christ, the ultimate Champion on the cross. Fr. Robert Holet, DMin, author of The First and Finest: Orthodox Christian Stewardship as Sacred Offering, discusses Judas's entanglement with money and his ultimate betrayal of an innocent man. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Psalm 51, a prayer of repentance so familiar to Orthodox Christians, teaches the double-edged wisdom of judgment and hope. Fr. Paul Lundberg suggests the psalm provides sobriety and a connection to the grace of humility, essential for anyone who wants to take leadership seriously, and to do it well. With "my sins ever against me" and acknowledging that "against Thee only have I sinned," does self-absorption run its course, realizing that our only hope is the hesed, the mercy of the Lord.
If you want like to learn more about current Biblical Hebrew or Greek course offerings as this podcast mentions, please contact Fr. Timothy Lowe. Read the full episode transcript here. 
From the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches private prayer and gives us the words to pray in "Our Father." A discipline of prayer, meditating on the words of Scripture, transforms a doulos who serves in the Lord's household, to seek and do His Father's will. Prayer supports the transformational process of self-emptying, where we might truly pray, "Not my will, but Thine be done."
Michelle Moujaes, Director of Faithtree Resources, shares The Encounter - a prayer book, app, and community initiative to support a discipline of transformational prayer. Read the full episode transcript here. 
Leaders feel exposed and vulnerable when they must forge ahead, so they surround themselves with people they can trust. But no one trusts a leader who derails the mission to the community in order to accomplish a personal mission of power and control. When loyalty is tested and allegiance demanded, only fear and jealousy of the leader is revealed just as we see in the story of King Saul.
Andrea Bakas demonstrates how the Book of Samuel subtly reveals even our own lust for power as we find ourselves rooting for the young David and his rise to power against the suspicious and paranoid King Saul. We quickly forget that the Lord warns his people about their rebellion against Him in seeking an earthly king who constantly abuses his power on the backs of those he rules. Read the full episode transcript here. 
With plenty of grain in the barn or money in the bank, we may be tempted to relax, eat, drink and be merry. But like the rich fool, when we stand before the judgment seat, what will we have to show in being "rich toward God?"
Dr. Andy Geleris, author of Money and Salvation: An Invitation to the Good Way, reflects on the parable of the rich fool from Luke's Gospel and the importance of being rich toward God. We must live as though we believe we will die and stand before God's judgment. Dr. Geleris also suggests that the Church has severely neglected the topic of money and the salvific practice of almsgiving as mercy-giving. He urges tithing as a great first step in almsgiving and reminds us that the Lord's blessing is abundant through anonymous giving. Read the full episode transcript here. 
When tempted to say, "I quit," or "I'm indispensable," consider whether this might signal a kind of self-importance that has lost sight of the greater mission. We struggle with self-importance at every turn. When work is challenging, it's tempting to despair, quit, and presume to deserve better. And when others rely on us, it's tempting to pridefully assume that our expertise is indispensable. Even the Prophet Elijah was tempted to despair and presumed he was indispensable to the Lord's work. Fr. Timothy Lowe suggests we cut the drama and be ready with a humble and sober answer to the Lord's small voice when He asks, "What are you doing here?"
Read the full episode transcript here. 
Who doesn't love a good deal? Imagine the relief of debt forgiveness!
Fr. Aaron Warwick, co-host of Teach Me Thy Statutes, exegetes the parable commonly referred to as The Unjust Steward in the Gospel of Luke and demonstrates the wisdom of the steward through a more careful translation of the Greek which renders The Steward of the Unjust. The Master praises his steward for doing what the Master intends: distributing mercy just as the Apostle Paul mercifully distributes the Gospel to the Gentiles. The parable serves as a reminder that we will all be called to account on the Last Day for the abundant mercy the Lord provides and expects to be shared with our neighbors. Read the full episode transcript here. |
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