"O Lord, I cry to You. Hear Me!"
The word "asceticism" is something of a mystery to our modern way of life. We have lived with such plenty and such amazing comfort and ease for so long that now we assume that all of life is meant to be pain (and even effort) free. Just consider…
Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" album was one of my favorites years ago. And my favorite song on that album was "You Learn." The chorus is going through my mind today: "You live you learn, you love you learn. You cry you learn, you lose you learn. You bleed you learn, you scream you learn."…
"You simply HAVE to get active! I mean it, father. If you value your health AND your ministry. You HAVE to start moving more!" How I HATE these annual physicals! But seriously, the older I get the more my metabolism slows down and the more I have to work hard to stay active. The truth…
Greater love has no man than to lay down his life...
The girl needed a transfusion and the only suitable donor was her brother, and he was just 11 years old! So, the family talked it over and said it had to be up to the brother to do this. The doctor approached the boy and…
"Friendship is the greatest of worldly good. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. C.S. Lewis
The old saying goes "No man is an island." And we are all quick to agree and embrace this sentiment, up to a point.
You see, our culture prides itself on its commitment to "rugged individualism." So…
Here's the Way to a "more excellent way!"
The word "excellent" is such a wonderful word, and shouldn't be emptied of its value by overuse or misunderstanding. Something that is truly "excellent" stands apart and suggests a standard to be aspired to and attained through diligence, admiration, and emulation. If something or someone is truly "excellent"…
The Path OUT of Prison!
"Well, you should have known better!" Oh how I hated hearing that from my mom. It was the tone in her voice as well as the words. You know the one. The tone that communicated disappointment, disapproval, AND frustration all at the same time! Oh, I HATED it! But what made…
Effective Church Model – Program 1: Consensus Vision and Strategic Plan
Join Bill Marianes on an All New Stewardship LIVE program Sunday night at 8 PM on AncientFaith.com/live!
Bill will join his in studio producer and side kick, Fr. Barnabas, to talk about the 4 Essential Dimensions to a truly effective Church!
Dr. Gayle Woloschak, a leader…
So much wisdom in the First Testament
I have a habit of calling what many call "The Old Testament" the "First Testament." And I do that because too many in the Church treat the books in the front of our Bible as either unimportant or not as valuable as the New Testament. I confess I've had a…
Faith IS Life
St. Paul tells us today that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." I confess, every time I read this passage and contemplate this phrase, it always drives me to reconsider my own life. Can I really say this along with Paul?
Of course, the answer is "no," but before I…