Let's face it, the only way to guarantee one never makes an enemy is to never speak, never act, and never make a choice. In other words, it's not going to happen. Winston Churchill once said "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime, in your life."
There was a man who…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
A friend of mine is something of a daredevil. He loves those extreme sports we see on the internet or on some special TV sports report about such daring do. He thinks its cool to jump off a high cliff and then open his chute right before he hits the ground. He thinks its great…
Perspective changes everything. Just take for example the modern tendency to hold up the anti-hero as someone to be admired or at least respected, and sometimes, even cared for.
This is especially true in several contemporary television series. From Tony Soprano to Walter White of Breaking Bad fame, it seems our modern media is desperate for…
With the growth of the "nones" as the fastest religious category in America, those of us who love the Faith are left to wonder what is happening. It's simple. People are becoming MORE honest about their dissatisfaction with Church.
What if there was a tool to help your parish introduce interested persons to the Orthodox Faith?…
Paul Laurence Dunbar, an American poet of the early 20th century, wrote a wonderful poem called "Sympathy" and the third stanza is powerful in its pathos and beauty and heart-breaking truth:
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It…
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I loved public speaking. I loved it because it allowed me to flesh out my ideas and communication tools with real people and get real time feedback about the effectiveness of those tools.
And yet, most people are terrified of public speaking. Some surveys show that…
The American astronaut Buzz Aldrin once said "Timing has always been a key element in my life. I have been blessed to have been in the right place at the right time." And, of course, this reminds me of the old saying in comedy "Timing is everything."
It really is amazing when all the elements of…
Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,
When we started following up on folks who expressed interest in learning more about Orthodoxy after our first Church Festival in 2010, I never expected that small beginning to grow into a full blown opportunity that share this project with the entire Church.
But here we are at a pivotal moment in…
You remember when you were a kid and Christmas seemed to take forever. My mom use to use that old tried and true way to get me and my brother to behave through the year: "Boys, Santa is watching and Christmas is just (fill in the blank) away!" Well the older I got the shorter…
Standing in line at the supermarket is such an education. As I'm placing my grocery items on the conveyor belt and watching them slide toward the cashier, I glance toward the ubiquitous magazines there in the check-out line and read headlines screaming at me that Big Foot has been seen again, the latest Hollywood starlet…