The Keys to Making the Invisible Visible! Christ is born! "To Make the Invisible Visible." These were the words of a catechist to a catechumen when he was asked why would God become a man? The Christian Faith is unique among all world religions in this mystery of God in the...
Are you Being Born Again? Christ is born! "You must be born again." Hey, where I'm from, that scripture is as well worn as John 3:16. In the '70's fad of the "Jesus Movement" (anybody who was paying attention at all to the culture of the early '70's knows this) being...
There is a great story about St. Paisios dealing with some folks who were scandalized by this or that event or behavior in the Church. He then tells the story of the honeybee and the fly: I tell them that if you ask a fly, “Are there any flowers in...
Christ is born! Glorify Him! "You can pick your friends, but you're stuck with your relatives." That's an old saying around these parts and it reflects a reality that sometimes your family can embarrass you. Truth be told I actually try to embarass my daughters when we are in public....
Christ is born! Glorify Him! My doctor looked at me and said "Father, your body is thirsty! You need to drink more water!" What I mistook for hunger was actually my body being thirsty! Wow, what a revelation. So, it is with our lives. We can mistake our thirst for God...
Christ is born! Glorify Him! I always wonder at those who constantly insist "You can't judge me." Of course I can't. Besides, I don't need to judge you. We always judge ourselves. Our words, our actions, and our thoughts all contain all that is needed to "judge" rightly the true...
Christ is Born! Glorify Him! The Christian Church has been around a long time! And the place it's existed the longest is the place where it first sprang up. The Church is, at it's heart, a Semitic Faith, an Eastern Faith. And that's because the Christian Church is the fulfillment...
It's been an Incredible YEAR! Thanks be to God! I am So Grateful to God for this Season, and I wanted to drop you and your family a note to wish you a blessed Feast of the Nativity. And to thank you for showing interest in Faith Encouraged Ministries this year! It's been...
As uncomfortable as it may sound it's just impossible for me to be saved. Of course, that begs the question "What do you mean by 'saved'?" And that is the question, isn't it? In my old way of thinking being saved meant not going to hell when I died. Or,...
"I don't believe in God." "OK" I told him. "Tell me about this god you don't believe in." This young man began describing Zeus. You know, a god who is vindictive and angry; who punishes the mortals with the lightning bolts of pain and sorrow. This god tries to...
