If we read the newspapers and watch the news we hear of many crises. The threat of terrorism and nuclear war still looms large. Economic instability still affects the job market. Moral misguidance seeks to influence changes in traditional values, especially regarding marriage.

   What do the words Perrier, Evian, Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Springs and Fiji bring to mind? They?re all bottled waters. When many of us were young, no one heard of bottled or filtered water.

   Have you ever asked yourself, ?What is the meaning of life?? Or, more specifically, ?What is the meaning of my life?? I look around and I see so much chaos, suffering and pain. I have experienced it myself. Why? What is this all about? How does it make sense? I continually ask myself these questions.

   I met a person recently and greeted them saying, ?Christos Anesti!? and he replied strongly ?Alithos Anesti!? And I thought that?s great that he responded with such power, ?Alithos Anesti!? And it touched me because some people, unfortunately, just reply ?Alithos? half under their breath.

   Who are the happy, joyful people of this world? The naïve believers or the knowledgeable skeptics? The simple faithful or the intelligent atheists? To answer this question, I offer you a child, especially one who stays up late or gets up early on Christmas day.

   In just a few minutes the whole church will be darkened. Every light will be turned off and every candle and lamp will be extinguished. Because of the street lights and cars driving by outside, we will not experience total and complete darkness but in that moment we may be scared.

   If someone is bothering us, we can go somewhere else. If it is a boss, we can change jobs. If it is a neighbor, we can relocate and move. In our day and age, more than ever before, if it is a spouse, we can separate and divorce. We can even move away from God. He does not force us to stay near Him.

   In the Old Testament, God revealed to Moses the Tablets of the Law. The centerpiece of the Law was the Ten Commandments, which were the most basic instructions God gave to the Israelites so that they might live in righteousness and peace with God and each other.

   Great and Holy Lent begins tomorrow on Clean/Pure Monday. It marks the initial step in our six week journey to Pascha, the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

   Although this winter has been very mild with warm temperatures and little snow, it?s still nice to sit in front of a nice warm fire. The warmth soothes aching muscles and bones that brace against the cold throughout the day. The glowing embers radiate a reassuring light as the sun sets at night.

   If you were invited to a special event, like a birthday party or a wedding reception, but you had never been there before, what would you do? Would you ask for directions? Would you get a paper map, unfold it, look at the table on the back that lists the streets alphabetically and then lists their

   Two people/families each have their own home. These houses are essentially the same. They are built on foundations with a basement. They are wood framed structures with everything one would want: living room, kitchen, dining room, family room, and several bedrooms and bathrooms.

   Every year on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the Supreme Court?s fateful decision on Roe vs. Wade handed down in 1973, millions of Americans celebrate the sanctity of human life.

   A man was playing golf with his buddies. With each hole, he was having more difficulty, slicing the ball off one tee and hooking it from another, three putting on one green and four putting another. On the thirteenth tee, the group had to hit over a large pond to get on the fairway towards the green.

   A high school student went out to dinner with his parents and some others at a very nice restaurant. One of the people in the larger group was a world-famous astronomer (one who studies ?the law of the stars?).