by Rev. Fr. Dr. Bijesh Philip
Principal, St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary, Nagpur, India

by Mother M. Angelica

We live in an age - of technology and science that demands proof - and yet, we desire mystery. But when God gives us mystery, we seek to destroy it by gross indifference or childish reasoning.

We take pride in our advances in technology and in the fact that we found the invisible power called "atomic energy" - energy that can heal, destroy, renew and rebuild. Yet, we deny Angelic Spirits who are also invisible powers who can destroy, heal and renew.

We take pride in geniuses sprinkled here and there and yet deny multitudes of intelligences that stagger the human mind.

We acknowledge evil in the world and man's inability to cope with it and yet, we deny evil spirits who harass man in an effort to destroy him.

We realize God is infinite and limitless and yet, we limit His creative powers to the visible world and its inhabitants. We take pride in the fact that we face reality and tell it like it is, and then we spend thousands of dollars on tranquilizers in an effort to forget reality.

We find anything that concerns the other world below the level of our intelligence and yet - we watch programs and read books dealing with E.S.P. and occultism.

We watch with great interest as science delves into mental telepathy and mind reading and yet, we consider a mental conversation with God or our Angel as wild imaginings and day dreams.

We are full of contradictions and seem willing to accept anything as long as it is within the realm of our comprehension - and yet, our hearts and minds yearn for the invisible reality that pride puts beyond our reach - the reality that only faith and humility can grasp or comprehend.

How true is the saying that to those who believe no explanation is necessary and to those who do not, no explanation is possible.

by Lori Freeland

When's the last time you rode a roller coaster?

For me, it was four summers ago. The kids and I spent the day at Six Flags pushing the limits of gravity and our ability not to vomit. They came home hyper and happy, ready for another visit. I came home queasy and sad that my stomach no longer belonged to a twelve-year-old.

The cool thing about a roller coaster is its ups and downs and twists and turns. Climbing to the big drops spikes adrenaline and builds anticipation.

The bad thing about a roller coaster is its ups and downs and twists and turns. Just when I'm flying high, my stomach dips and punishes me for everything I've eaten.

Even though the adventure only lasts for minutes, I cycle through the entire scope of the tracks. Some parts I love. Some I clench my jaw to ride out.

Roller coasters mirror life. Our lives are filled with seasons. Seasons of blessings and joy. Seasons of hardship and grief. No matter who we are, whether we're believers or not, there's one thing that's sure about life—the bumpy ride.

Most of us cling to the good seasons and fight to escape the bad. None of us like to wander the wilderness. The worst for me seems to be when the bad seasons feel like they've become a forever thing.

It doesn't matter why those seasons hang on. It could be I'm not listening to God or he's not done molding my character or even that, for whatever reason, I've chained myself to the wilderness. The why of wandering is another topic.

Let's talk about the while.

I've had plenty of while-I'm-wandering moments. Some short. Some endless. Currently, I'm going on eighteen months. In addition to the daily drain of keeping up with two active teenagers, my oldest had to drop out of college, give up his life, and move back home to fight his second long-term battle with cancer. And I'm his primary caretaker. Three months ago, I broke my ankle in a way that's kept me in a wheelchair. The injury has definitely cramped my caretaker-style. Some days I'm completely useless to him and to the rest of my family.

Take those three issues—teens, cancer, broken ankle—and picture them as an outline. Under each, add a lengthy list of sub-issues. One problem breeds a hundred more, until each of them sit on your chest and you can't breathe. That's what this wilderness feels like for me—being a chained-up claustrophobic in the dark.

I'm tired of this season of hardship and grief. I long for my season of blessing and joy. I can't remember what it feels like to be light instead of heavy. But I'm still waiting. And I'm a lousy waiter. I want to fix myself and move on. But sometimes, I can't. I can't fix teen issues. I can't cure cancer. I can't heal my ankle.

A few sermons ago, our pastor made an interesting statement. He said, "You can deliver yourself out of your situation, but you can never deliver yourself into God's plan."

So what can I do while I wander? Here are three ways I'm waiting out my wilderness.

1. Prayer

One of the hardest things for me to do when I'm in pain—mental, physical, or spiritual—is pray for myself or my situation. The words don't come. But I can prayer for other people. My list of others who need help never runs dry.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16 NIV).

When I can't pray for me, I pray for someone else.

2. Fasting

After my son relapsed with leukemia, when I wasn't trying to be his one-woman pep squad, I sunk into myself. I spent a month watching entire seasons of TV shows on Netflix. Curled on the couch with a warm blanket, hot tea, and my favorite pillow, I let TV people transport me to worlds I could deal with.

That was my escape.

But my Netflix binge didn't help. Reality always lurked beyond my flat screen and when I clicked the remote off, my real life clicked back on.

Fasting doesn't have to be about food. It can be about giving up the thing you run to instead of running to God.

"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning" (Joel 2:12).

When I need comfort, I can fast my earthly fix and return to God instead.

3. Giving

The wilderness drains me and turns me inward. I'm so wrapped up in a minute-by-minute struggle to survive it's hard to look outside of myself.

It doesn't make sense in any kind of non-spiritual way, but when I force myself to reach out to someone else, I'm energized.

"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed"
(Proverbs 11:25).

When I'm exhausted of my wilderness, I can sit with someone else in theirs.

by Caleb Greggsen

It's a big question, no doubt. All too often we leap ahead to form opinions about the world around us without addressing how we should form them. We tend to take for granted that how we think through things is the right way to do so. But before addressing what we should think, we need to examine how we should think.

In light of that, Romans 12:2 provides a helpful warning and exhortation to us. Paul says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Before becoming a Christian, all of us thought in ways that conformed to a pattern of worldliness. But now, by the power of the Holy Spirit through God's Word and his people we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds. That means that as we grow in holiness, we also grow in thinking in the ways godly people think.

We could spend a long time considering each and every specific instance of what godly ways of thinking - of perceiving and responding to the world should look like (A great tool for this is the book of Ecclesiastes, read slowly and prayerfully). But let's look at some large-scale patterns that provide a framework through which Christians can accurately see the world. Here are 5-points of a fully Christian world view:

1) Under one God

The world is all under one God, and one alone. There is only one God, and he is the one who made the whole universe, which means that he holds exclusive rights to ruling everything (Gen 1). That means that he is absolute in his control and authority over the world. As the Psalmist says, "Our God is in the heavens, and does whatever he pleases" (Ps 115:3).

Since humanity is made in the image of this one God (Gen 1:26-27), we have a place of privilege and responsibility in the world. We are higher than other creatures because of this, and we have a unique duty to watch over the world. This is why humans are responsible for the wellbeing of other species in a way that lions or rabbits are not.

The fact that the universe was made by one God only, rather than out of the conflict between deities (like some pagan religions believe), is crucial. That means that the world is one coherent system. In other words, there is a system to reality that is true for all people and all times.

2) Relational

The universe is not a disconnected mixture of individual components, but neither is it a sea of oneness. No, the world is made up of distinct but interconnected parts. This is true from the top down. The Bible's assertion that God is Triune shows that reality even in the Godhead is relational. Three persons, one God.

This is also how God is connected to his universe - not because they are one, but because they are bound by a relationship of Creator and creation. That is why covenants are so important to the biblical narrative. They are formal relationships that God initiates with his people.

Likewise, we are not disconnected from other people - we are really, truly, and significantly bound by relationships, though we maintain distinct personal identities and responsibilities.

3) Corrupt

But the world is also corrupted by sin. Humanity's sin affects not only humanity, but the rest of creation as well. So, even while humans are dead in our sin (Eph 1-2), creation is also subjected to futility (Rom 8:20). When terrible things happen in the world, Christians should not be surprised. But neither should we be blasé about it. Tragedy is, in fact, more tragic for the Christian, because we know how the world really should be - that is, without sin, or heartbreak, or death.

4) Christocentric

The whole of the universe is centered upon Jesus Christ. He is the solution to the problem, the first and last, who holds all things together (Col 1:15-20). He has been granted all authority (Matt 28:18). It is for this reason that we have authority to proclaim the gospel to all people, as the Great Commission says. But it also means that everything we do is governed by the authority of Jesus Christ. This parallels the authority of God, who even governed what humanity could and couldn't eat (see Gen 2:15-17and Gen 9:3). His authority is total.

5) Forward looking

Christianity looks forward to the time when all things will be made right. When Christ will return, and make all things new. We anticipate the day when we as Christians will be raised to new life, and be exalted - we who were once shamed by the world. It will be a time of paradise restored, when wrong will no longer be done, nor evil thought.

Finally and ultimately, to think like a Christian is to cry out "Come Lord, Jesus. Come" (Rev 22:17). How are you doing on these five points? Are you thinking like a real Christian?

About The Author:

Caleb Greggsen lives and works in Louisville, KY. He holds a Master's of Divinity and a Bachelor's of Applied Science (Psychology), and is pursuing full-time pastoral ministry.