Sometimes, when I read the Bible, it really is hard to understand and it sometimes strikes me as God being "unfair!" Is it bad that I say that out loud? But when I read that "God has mercy on whomever He wills and he hardens the hearts of whomever He...
It was a defining moment in the Old Testament when, at the end of Joshua's life, he apportioned the land of Israel among the 12 tribes. Joshua was Moses' successor and had led the tribes of Israel since entering the Promised Land. He and his people had driven out...
The gradual shift in modern educational philosophy to a “self-esteem” emphasis is complete. From the math standards that discourage teachers from “correcting” incorrect answers to the ball fields where “we don’t keep score” so no one “feels” bad, this shift is now producing consequences of its own. In fact, some...
William Barclay once said, "Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory." Of course, we've heard this most of our lives. We have to stick with it. We can't give up. We give up just when the breakthrough is coming. And...
Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses! But how do you do that, especially when emotions are involved? And especially when you don't know yourself well enough to see the end of your personal talents and gifts in a given situation! It seems I was at a very familiar place...
At the risk of really dating myself with this movie reference, I remember the movie “Love Story” and the famous line from the film “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Hey, it was the early 70s and we were just coming out of the tumultuous 60s. We needed a bit...
https://youtu.be/5EIcutO8Q0s How (and why!) do we transform our communities from being inward-focused to outward facing? In our keynote address, Fr. Barnabas Powell of Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene GOC of Cumming, GA (http://stsrni.org) and Faith Encouraged Ministries (https://ecdm01.cc) challenge the parish leadership of the communities within the Metropolis of Pittsburgh...
On All Saints Sunday, we find ourselves in an increasingly "enchanted" world. If we are ever going recover the centrality of Christ in our lives, we are going to have to avoid the temptations to idolatry in worshiping false gods, it is going to be by loving God with...
"As Your grace cannot be fathomed, so Your mercy cannot be measured..." With these words, I invited this very precious person to confess her sins. We were at confession and this was the very first time she had ever done this before. And even though she had grown up...
"Have you been saved?" The sincere lady was looking intently at me and waiting for my answer to her probing question. You see, she was "witnessing" to me in hopes I would be "saved." Most of us have either experienced this sort of question or know someone who has...
