Fatherhood and True Leadership = Service
My friend, Bill Mariannes, recently published a post on social media that, frankly, scared me. I think I had a sense that these statistics were real, but the combination of all of them shook me up. He was writing on the crisis of fatherlessness in current society. As a...
Examining The Ground That Grows Your Choices
We were talking in Bible study recently about “First Principles.” It seems this is something we so rarely consider, but if we miss fundamental truths, we always end up in places we never intended to go. I will go further and say that a regular examination of the ground that...
Making Things Worse!
Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses! But how do you do that, especially when emotions are involved? It seems I was at a very familiar place in my life. Being someone who loves to help and loves to be seen as a benefit in someone else's life, I was...
Wisdom Makes Compassion Effective
Is compassion enough to make real change or make good decisions about how to live your life? There are so many voices in our culture today that claim to justify choices about actually changing timeless moral virtues based on their insistence that they are compassionate towards persons who have...
A Priority Check! Are You Paying Attention?
OK, I'll come clean. I really have a hard time really paying attention. Oh, I can keep attention for a while, but, inevitably, my strength gives out and I'm distracted by my pain, or expectations, or even my hopes. My attention is pulled in a million different directions by...
Peace in The Middle of the Storm
What struck me was his strong, silent presence even in the face of chaos and tragedy. Here we were, dealing with the human tragedy and destruction in the aftermath of a hurricane. We were there as clergy to help people. We were moving through the American Red Cross “tent...
To Know Him Is To Become LIKE Him!
“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy; he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rims at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I...
Fr. Barnabas Powell – Why A Pentecostal Became Orthodox
I recently enjoyed being on the "According to John" podcast. If you have friends who are interested in Orthodoxy, this might be a good video to send them. Hope you enjoy it and I pray you'll share it too! "In this interview, you will hear Father Barnabas Powell speak about...
Developing The Discernment to Spot the Wolves!
Marketing experts expect U.S. companies to spend over 200 BILLION dollars on advertising and marketing this year. While TV advertising is still number one in marketing dollars, online ads are gaining ground, with the mobile ads now appearing on the phone screens of Americans gaining the most ground. And do...
Loving Rightly – A Cosmic Invitation
On this Sunday of All Saints in our Orthodox calendar, we are confronted by the stark beauty of the "friends of God" and how they loved God first in their lives. All other priorities are AFTER my love for God. Jesus, Himself, says a disturbing truth when He declares...