Source: Cross Currents: Holly Cross Church Newsletter     Luke Skywalker.  Frodo Baggins.  These are names and characters I’m sure you’ve heard of.  They’re the heroes of very popular movies.   What makes these characters so interesting is that they had no idea what they were going to become.  They had no idea that they were chosen for something huge,... 

Source: Greek Orthodox Youth Online         One of the most difficult things facing Sunday School teachers, I believe, is having to combat with erroneous information communicated from home. Though parents, grandparents, Godparents, and extended family can be a great resource for children to learn about their faith, they can also deter children from discovering true Orthodoxy.... 

Source: Orthodox Family Life   Why is there evil in the world that God created? Why do bad things happen, even to innocent people? When first asked to write an article to address such questions when they come from children, my first thought was that I am in no way the person to address such questions, which have plagued some of the highest intellects in the history of mankind, and required deep... 

Source: Greek Orthodox Youth Online       It’s defined as “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.” We see it in politics, in social gatherings, amongst the young and old, in every language and regardless of cultural background. It’s whispered from one person’s mouth into another’s ear, behind closed doors, and under a cloud of... 

Source: www.aroy.org It has been said that at the end of your life the only things that really matter are the people you loved, the people who loved you, and what you did for God. The importance of our other accomplishments, however great, do not have the same significance. They even tend to fade into oblivion and be forgotten. How then do we discern what is truly important in our lives? How do... 

Chapter XVIII. Prisms As the warm August days passed, Pollyanna went very frequently to the great house on Pendleton Hill. She did not feel, however, that her visits were really a success. Not but that the man seemed to want her there–he sent for her, indeed, frequently; but that when she was there, he seemed scarcely any the happier for her presence–at least, so Pollyanna thought. He... 

The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen (1844) N China, you know, the emperor is a Chinese, and all those about him are Chinamen also. The story I am going to tell you happened a great many years ago, so it is well to hear it now before it is forgotten. The emperor’s palace was the most beautiful in the world. It was built entirely of porcelain, and very costly, but so delicate and brittle... 

Chapter XV. Dr. Chilton The great gray pile of masonry looked very different to Pollyanna when she made her second visit to the house of Mr. John Pendleton. Windows were open, an elderly woman was hanging out clothes in the back yard, and the doctor’s gig stood under the porte-cochere. As before Pollyanna went to the side door. This time she rang the bell–her fingers were not stiff to-day... 

CHAPTER VI. A QUESTION OF DUTY It was nearly seven o’clock when Pollyanna awoke that first dayafter her arrival. Her windows faced the south and the west, soshe could not see the sun yet; but she could see the hazy blue ofthe morning sky, and she knew that the day promised to be a fairone. The little room was cooler now, and the air blew in fresh andsweet. Outside, the birds were twittering... 

Miss Polly Harrington entered her kitchen a little hurriedly thisJune morning. Miss Polly did not usually make hurried movements;she specially prided herself on her repose of manner. But to-dayshe was hurrying–actually hurrying. Nancy, washing dishes at the sink, looked up in surprise. Nancyhad been working in Miss Polly’s kitchen only two months, butalready she knew that her mistress did...