If we claim to live as a servant of God, a doulos tou theou, we must reckon with the daily choice: Do I serve and protect my own interests and my own life? Or serve the will of God, even at the cost of my own comfort and life?

Fr. Chris Salamy compares the story of the man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden with the story of the man, Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He reminds us that serving our own wills surely ends in death, while serving the will of our Heavenly Father opens unto life. 

Fr. Chris Salamy is the author of The Way of the Warrior Saint: How to Live a Crucifixional Life. 

Listen to this episode or read the interview transcript.​

We hear early in Genesis that man is made in the image and likeness of God and given dominion over the earth. On the surface, this text might appeal to the baser side of the human ego that lusts for power and prestige. But a deeper look will acknowledge that dominion over anything, large or small, carries an important burden of responsibility.

Blaise Webster, co-host of Tell Me the Story podcast, examines the original Hebrew for "image and likeness" and its serious implications for exercising dominion over the earth. Rather than asserting possession over what God rightly owns, man is appointed like a manager entrusted with the company keys.   

Read the full episode transcript here.

Fr. Luke Veronis shares the story of how his parish trusted in the Lord's provision. Rather than clinging to the last few resources dwindling from their bank account, they accepted the challenge to "Be the Church" by sharing the resources God had provided to global, national, and local missions and ministries. A few years later, as the Church approached its centennial celebration, they invested the Lord's provision by distributing $30,000 cash among their parishioners and sent them to the highways and byways to give to those in need.

Fr. Luke bases his ministry on the Lord's word to Abram found in Genesis 12:2, "I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing."

See the full episode transcript.