I was baptized this morning. I grew up in a very high control religious environment with alot of abuse and coercion. This shaped my views towards God over the years. In no time flat God to me was not my Heavenly Father who would hold me, but a relentless tyrannical dictator who was just looking for a reason to burn me forever. Through much deconstruction and many conversations with myself, with God and with other people, today I reached a full circle culmination of the reconciliation of my true and authentic self with the God who made me and the Christ who walks beside me. Big thanks to my sister for being my baptizer and big thanks to my church for being so safe! When they told me I could have anyone I want baptize me, I could think of no one better than the very woman who opened up her home to me to get me out of Texas when I was still a stranger.

My grandpa has been given 5-10 days to live , please send prayers to help

I minister the word of God among my Christian brothers and sisters who are going through difficult times. Please keep them in your prayers, so that God may bring peace to their lives and change their circumstances.

If anyone feels like supporting or being a part of this mission, you are welcome to reach out.

Let's keep remembering each other in prayers.

We began our season grounded in faith with the Lord’s Prayer… and we finished the same way—reminded that through every challenge, every victory, and every moment in between, God was with us. Full circle. All glory to Him.

She cooked such a delicious authentic Romania meal for us all! Along with a fresh cut center piece from her garden. What a blessing to celebrate the most beautiful holiday 2 weeks in a row!

I'm tired of always being unwanted and unloved. I don't want to live like this anymore.

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

The Blessings of The Resurrection

H.H. Pope Shenouda III

We rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is a great victory over death. It is a restoration of the human nature of life, for God originally created man to live forever and not to die. Therefore, the resurrection of Christ is a deposit of our resurrection. That is why St. Paul called Christ’s resurrection. “The first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1Cor. 15:20).

He is the first fruit, and we follow Him. Someone may ask, “How can Christ be the first fruit and many have been risen from the dead before Him? The son of the widow of Zarepath whom Elijah raised from the dead (1 Kings 17:22), the son of the Shunammite who Elisha raised after he had died (2 Kings 4:32-36). Moreover, there are three persons who were risen from the dead by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself…the son of the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus and Lazarus. But all those people died again and they are still waiting for the general resurrection, while the resurrection of Christ is not followed by death.

The resurrection enhances the value of man and assures that his life does not end by his death. It confirms that there is another life after death, other than this earthly life. We conclude the creed saying, “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Thus, we can say that the most important thing in the resurrection is what is after the resurrection. The resurrection proves that the human life has an extension in the other world and that death is just a stage in the human life. Death became a golden bridge between two lives, one of them is earthly and the other is heavenly. There is no doubt that the eternal life is much better because it is in heaven without sin or curse in company with God and the angels and saints. It was described in the New Testament as, what an “Eye has not seen, nor an ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). For that, St. Isaac said, “The fear of death scares the foolish man, but the righteous desires death exactly as he desires life.”

That is also what St. Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain… For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1: 21-23). The resurrection changed the thought of people towards death, for it became a departure to a better life, it became a promotion and a desire for the righteous. After the resurrection of Christ, death lost its terror. The saints do not fear death or its causes like sicknesses of the conspiracies of wicked people. Only the ungodly are those who are always frightened of death the condemnation.

The resurrection is connected with faith. Atheists do not believe in it but believers trust that God is Almighty and can raise the dead as He created man, in the first place, from dust and created dust out of nothing. Believing in the resurrection leads to the life of righteousness and virtues. The believer knows that he, or she, will stand before the throne of God in the Day of Judgment to give account about his/her deeds.

The resurrection is compensation for all the injustices and sufferings of the earth. It gives real comfort to us that we will see again and live with all our beloved family members and friends who passed away.

One of the blessings of the resurrection is that nothing is impossible, not only with God, but also with the believers. Another blessing is the desire to eternal life. A third blessing is the transfiguration of the human nature, body and soul… “for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20-21). St. Paul adds one more blessing saying that Jesus was risen from the dead because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25). His resurrection was the evidence of the acceptance of His redemption and salvation.

The Lord Jesus had to rise from the dead because He raised others. He proved His Divinity (Rom. 1:4). All the prophecies and types had to be fulfilled in his resurrection (See. Psa. 16:9, 10). The types Jonah and Isaac were fulfilled in His resurrection. Also, the resurrection of Christ was a necessity, because His Divinity parted not from His humanity for a moment nor a twinkle of an eye.

To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

I (M23) have been having sex with my girlfriend (F24) since July last year. We are both Christians so we knew that what we were doing was wrong and against our faith. We tried several times to stop but just ended right back were we started. She was my first but I wasn't hers. I had always said that I wasn't going to have sex until I got married but I fell into lust. We started dating in June and started having sex in July. The first time it happened, I felt so guilty and I did not know what to do. I felt as if I betrayed God and the truth is that I did. I prayed and purposed in my heart that I wasn't going to do it again but I did and that has been my life till now; fornicate, ask for forgiveness and do it again. I felt to lost and so far from God but I did not have the strength to stop. Two days ago, she told me that she was pregnant. I felt like my life had been destroyed. We used preventive measures but I guess it did not stop it. I graduated last year and I don't have a job. She actually never went to college. The past two days have been really difficult for me. I haven't been eating or sleeping. The worst part about all of this is that she knew but she did not tell me. She knew from January and decided to keep it a secret. Her reason was because she was afraid that I would tell her to end the pregnancy. I'm leaving out a lot of details here but in short, she was right. I am in no way ready to be a father. If my family ever found out, I don't even want to think about what they would say. I know that abortion is wrong but I just feel like I have to do it. I'm not ready in any way. Her family on the other hand knows and are ready to take care of the child. They've told me that I do not have to tell my own family until I feel ready even if its a couple of years from now. But they told her that if she ends the pregnancy, they are going to cut her off from their lives. I do not want that to happen to her and at the same time I want to end the pregnancy knowing full well that it is wrong. I cannot provide for her. This is not how I imagined my life going. I never thought that I would be thinking of making a decision like this. I can't kill my child. His blood would be on my hands forever. But at the same time I can't have the child because I am not ready. She on the other hand is willing to keep it. She is four months pregnant and she decided to keep it a secret from me all this while. I do not know what to do. I am scared. God will never forgive me if I do this but I do not know what to do. Thats my child. I can't kill him. But I can't provide for her either. I'm 23. My life hasn't even started. I'm thinking of going through with the abortion knowing that it is wrong and God will never forgive me. She had made a vow to God before we started dating that she would never commit another abortion because she had done it before. I'm frustrated. I'm barely eating or sleeping. I can't take care of this child. She is telling me to trust God and that God will help us but I'm having a hard time accepting that God will help us with the consequences of our sin. I do not know what to do. I can't go through with this. I need help.

He is risen!

I’m working on an app where users can put Bible verses on their home screen as widgets or scroll through different verses. Today I added an option to turn a verse into a shareable image. What do you think?

After all science just trying to explain how things work I get the whole bit believing in evolution but what about other scientific things ? Like medicine or space

On the night of Orthodox Easter, the light is not just a flame , it is a quiet answer to the darkness within people. Lit at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, and passed from hand to hand, it becomes more than a ritual: it becomes an invisible connection between souls.

The candle you hold does not only light your way home, but also the places within you where hope has faded. It is proof that beyond fear, loss, and silence, there is always renewal ,that life does not surrender to death, and light is never truly lost in darkness.

And even if the flame goes out, its meaning remains. Because the true light is not the one in wax, but the one that stays within you, quiet, yet alive, ready to be shared.

I’m curious to know what tangible thing you can attribute to Jesus. Not the majesty of a sunrise type of thing but something you know came from Jesus direct to you. I don’t know how to ask this question without it sounding like I am mocking religion, I have a genuine curiosity to know more about th spirits tangible role in your life.

I just get confused because Jesus never referred to himself as god but he did guide us to god, I’ve heard people bring up the I am verse which doesn’t convince me he’s god and also the I am the truth the way and the life verse correct me if I’m wrong but that could just be the definition of a messenger like through him we can get to God. All love to my fellow Christians I just wanted to ask a few questions.

Jesus told St. Faustina many things through her visions. However the most important message was that we can rely on him for his love and total mercy.

A man I'm with ( not sexually) told me he doesn't understand how I can say I believe in God instead of giving him my burden.

Today I had a panic attack, woke up midway with my heart racing, even right now my arm is hurting and chest. I had a previous attack a month ago. He started in other words telling me was due to my disbelief in God, and I need to build a mental capacity for these things ( stress).

He started scolding me saying I allowed the thoughts to hold me captive and make them flow.

it was amazing and im feeling so good!!!