Christ is risen!
An old preacher friend of mine once said "Jesus ain't all you need until He's all you want!"
Lousy grammar, but good theology. Just listen to our Lord in today's Gospel reading: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never…
Fr. Barnabas Powell
Christ is risen!
Abundant life! What does that look like? Life that goes beyond mere existence or survival and enters into a life that is fulfilling, meaningful, and purposeful. Abundant life means that death, every manifestation of death, is overwhelmed by life that makes death irrelevant and impotent. Abundant life is the life God knows. Abundant…
Christ is risen!
Have you ever wished your life had a "do over" button? Most of our lives have moments in them we would love to change if only we could. And the reason is that my mistakes set up a pattern of repercussions and reactions that I would really rather avoid. My past mistakes sometimes…
Christ is risen!
One of the greatest discoveries of medical science was when doctors found they could build immunity to a disease by giving the patient just a small dose of the disease itself. A little bit of something can make you immune to the full blown sickness.
Well, that also works for those things that are…
Christ is risen!
Its easy to get a "persecution complex." When you think of yourself as the center of the universe, anything that disturbs you or inconveniences you can be experienced by you as a source of "persecution." After all, what are all these folks doing on my highway making me late for work? They must…
Christ is risen!
Prepare, prepare, prepare, arrive, crash! All too often this is the pattern of our lives, both physically and spiritually. We are working hard toward a goal, we achieve that goal, and then follows a period of "letdown" as we experience the after-effects of our labors.
To be honest, this is the experience of many…
Christ is risen!
Confrontation is not fun. In fact, most studies show that, when given a choice, most folks prefer to avoid confrontation. And that is because confrontation isn't usually a pleasurable experience.
But confrontation and conflict are necessary to grow and mature. This has been my experience with most of the confrontations I have seen in…
Christ is risen!
Yesterday was the Sunday of St. Thomas the Believer. Notice I didn't call St. Thomas by his "popular" name of "Doubting Thomas." That's because the Church never takes a snapshot of a man at his worst unless that's how he ends his life. The Lord remembers us at our best because that's when…
Christ is risen!
On this Bright Saturday, we recall with love and joy Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlighteners of the Slavic peoples.
"Since you were equal in character to the Apostles, and teachers of the Slavic lands, O divinely-wise Cyril and Methodius, pray to the Lord of all to strengthen all nations in Orthodoxy…
Christ is risen!
On this Bright Friday:
As a life-giving fount, you did conceive the Dew that is transcendent in essence, O Virgin Maid, and you have welled forth for our sakes the nectar of joy eternal, which does pour forth from your fount with the water that springs up unto everlasting life in unending and mighty…