God IS Fire!
It was insulting. It was hurtful. And, to make matters worse, it wasn't fair. I was shocked when someone I truly cared about started saying some very hurtful things about me to someone else. I guess my ego was so big that I believed no one would ever do...
He Came The First Time. He Will Come Again!
He loved scaring me. I had a buddy of mine who thought it was hilarious to sneak up behind me and yell as loud as he could. Of course, I'd jump two feet off the ground and he'd just laugh and laugh. After I stopped shaking, I'd laugh with...
The Power Of BEING Holy
The word Holy means "set apart for a specific and exclusive use." Something or someone who is holy is singularly dedicated to a single purpose and action. No wonder the Church gives us the gift of marriage as an icon of faithfulness and dedication to teach us about our...
Being Orthodox On Purpose
I've been saying "Orthodox on Purpose" for so long that sometimes I wonder if I've grown deaf to the wisdom behind the words. After all, the danger for any minister is to keep all the words of his purpose and forget the meaning behind them. Terrifying! But I've discovered that...
Giving Tuesday Is Here! Will You Help?
Today is Giving Tuesday. This focus started several years ago to help us reorient ourselves away from the overly hyped shopping frenzy of the holiday season so we don't tumble into the sad prison of merely consuming! So Giving Tuesday has become a time where we donate to non-profits...
That’s All I Can Stand; I Can’t Stand Anymore!
As a boy, I loved the old Popeye the Sailorman cartoons. Every afternoon, we’d come home from school and my grandmother would let us watch the Popeye Club on Channel 5. It seemed each episode would have the patient and good Popeye put up with some shenanigans from Bluto....
You Are Our Glory And Joy!
St. Basil said, "And so let us be glad and bear with patience everything the world throws at us, secure in the knowledge that it is then that we are most in the mind of God." What a true blessing to read and know, especially in a moment in human...
On This Thanksgiving Day
I hated what was coming and, what made it worse was, it was unavoidable. It was a confrontation with a supervisor that had been building for some time, and it wasn't going to be pretty. As he and I sat in the office of the consultant that the company...
A Blessed Thanksgiving To All
From all of us at Faith Encouraged Ministries, Faith Encouraged TV, and Faith Encouraged Daily Devotionals, may the God of Loving Grace keep you and your family during this Thanksgiving Holiday. Remember that Fr. Alexander Schmemann once said: "Everyone capable of Thanksgiving is capable of salvation and eternal joy!" We...
Being Grateful Makes You Strong
St. Paisios said, “Sometimes the devil deceives us and makes us unable to be pleased with anything; however, one can celebrate all things in a spiritual manner, with doxology, and secure God’s constant blessing.” The older I get, the more I see the gratitude and the cultivation of gratitude that...