by Dennis McCallum and Gary DeLashmutt Have you tried and failed? Repeatedly? I have, in many areas of my life. If you want to succeed at preaching, embrace a theology of failure. You must be willing to fail more often than other have even tried. Failure separates the quitters from the servants. The biggest problem […]
About Fr. John A. Peck
Depression: Battling the Demon of Dejection
June 13, 2017 By
by Abbot Tryphon Depression is one of the plagues of the modern age, overtaking many with it’s insidious poison, and ravaging many a life. The pain and suffering that comes with deep depression can infect those who surround the sufferer, for the depression of one person can spread like mold on stale bread. Psychiatrists are […]
How to Teach Your Children to Read and Understand the King James Version of the Bible
June 9, 2017 By
by Fr. John Whiteford Why? Before getting into the question of how you get teach your children to read and understand the King James Version, we should probably first discuss why you should want to do so. If you are an English speaker, even if you are an atheist you should want your child to […]
Eucharistic Bread: Leavened or Unleavened?
June 5, 2017 By
In the ninth century the use of unleavened bread had become obligatory in the West, while the Orthodox continued the exclusive offering of leavened bread. The issue became divisive when the provinces of Byzantine Italy which were under the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople were forcibly incorporated into the Church of Rome following their […]
Orthodox Christian Stewardship
June 5, 2017 By
by John G. Panagiotou If you want to know the spiritual state and strength of a church, just look at its stewardship report. What do Jesus, the Bible, and the Church Fathers say about Tithing and Giving to God? “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”1 These words of Jesus have resonated […]
The Great Preacher
June 3, 2017 By
By Fr. Ephraim Once an older priest went up to a remote village in order to comfort and support the weary. The village was perched on a cliff, a living painting, and there was a small church in the middle next to the fairytale-like stone houses. Behind the sanctuary of the church was the cemetery […]
Why the Repetitions of “Lord Have Mercy”?
May 31, 2017 By
by Sr. Vassa “Lord, have mercy!” (Frequent refrain in Byzantine Liturgy) Isn’t it somewhat morbid, how often we repeat, in our church-services, “Lord, have mercy” (Kyrie eleison)? It is, if we misunderstand the word “mercy” (eleos), limiting it to what it means in today’s English, a “withholding of punishment.” But the term means much more […]
Growing Your Parish: It’s Possible!
May 30, 2017 By
By Reader John (Jason Terpack), M.Div. While driving home from work today an overwhelming thought struck me towrite on the topic of “Growing Your Parish” and to contact Fr. John Peck for collaboration on such a project. The thought stayed with me and I mentioned it to my wife as we visited on our back […]
