Have you ever walked into a gym and seen someone pushing those weights, sweat pouring down, muscles trembling, face turning red? If you didn’t know better, you might think something was wrong. You might even think they were being punished. But we know better. They’re not being hurt, they’re getting stronger. Every repetition, every stretch, every moment of discomfort is shaping their body, building endurance, and making them stronger than they were before. In many ways, our s

On the first day of the year, an altar server decided to make a list of everything he would do for God. He wrote down every habit he needed to break, every ministry he planned to serve, and every way he could become a better servant. He brought that list to the church altar, expecting to feel joy. But instead, he felt empty inside. So he tried again. He went back home and added even more promises. He made his list longer and stronger. Then he placed it on the altar a second t

Today is the last day of the year. Standing on the threshold of a new beginning, we are naturally filled with mixed emotions. There is excitement for new opportunities, but if we are honest, there is also a quiet trembling of the heart. A whisper of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what might happen next. The fear of uncertainty is a profoundly human experience. It’s the quiet voice that asks, “What’s going to happen next?” It’s the anxiety that keeps us awake at night with

Recently, I was visiting St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, MA, and one of the parishioners handed me a small gift, an Armenian spinning top. The moment I held it in my hand, I was instantly taken back to my childhood. When I was a child, one of our favorite games was spinning tops. We didn’t have many toys, but that little wooden top was more than enough. We could play with it for hours, winding the string carefully, holding our breath, and then pulling with all our str