Thaddeus Patrick (Orthodox Coaching)

Orthodox Christian Coach/Therapist http://thaddeusthought.com

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Pain combined with prayer heals our hearts (nous) in a real way. Pain is a partial death, a spiritual experience of the world being broken, and in that state our ego and passions and self love that keep us from God have a chance to die, to starve. So in that state the "moneylenders" (selfish passions) in the temple of our hearts are pushed out. And if in the moments of pain we offer thanksgiving, such as "Glory to God in all things", then our hearts are cleaning out junk while simultaneously inviting God to come in and fill its place. If we do this, we will slowly experience more of God's love, we will give a deeper love back to Him, and we will be able to give divine love to others as the Saints do.

I always challenge people: for one year, try to thank God every time you feel any negative feeling. Physical pain, emotional pain, rejection, insecurity, shame from sin. Try to thank God in the middle of feeling the pain, specifically asking Him to use it to soften your heart and draw you close to Him. I think anyone who fights to do this for a year will notice their heart dramatically change.

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God will judge us by our struggle, not our results, as it is our struggle that reflects our heart.

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"A person who dwells in a state of Grace is ready to weep for anyone. He weeps when he sees the suffering of an animal, a plant, a person… Such a person is always ready to shed tears for the whole world...Those are tears that save."

- Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

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#orthodoxy #orthodox #easternorthodox #jesus #god #christ #christian #christianity #religion #spirit #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualbutnotreligious #love #peace #humility #prayer #pray #theology #worship #bible #faith

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One of the biggest dangers I have had to work to overcome, and one I am often talking about with my coaching clients, is letting go of the illusion that growth should always be immediately felt.

No, your good behavior and good feelings don't mean you are in a good state spiritually. Neither do your bad feelings or dry spiritual state mean you are in a bad place.

The desert is where we become holy.

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"He who has the Kingdom of God in himself will imperceptibly pass it on to others. People will be attracted by the peace and warmth in us; they will want to be near us, and the atmosphere of heaven will gradually pass on to them. It is not even necessary to speak to people about this. The atmosphere of heaven will radiate from us even when we keep silence or talk about ordinary things. It will radiate from us even though we may not be aware of it."

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

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The War Against the Heart

I wrote a while back about some of the issues with the war against masculinity, and also the war for masculinity. I proposed that we often shoot ourselves in the foot in our good intentions, and that the only true path to masculinity comes from the sacrificial love of Christ revealed in the Cross. This time, I want to focus on what I believe is the deeper problem in our culture: the war against…

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