by Fr. John A. Peck At some point, every priest is asked to conduct numerous services for people he didn’t know. Someone that the parish has never met, seen, or heard of. It happens to all clergy. This is an opportunity not to be squandered by not knowing what to do, or how to do […]
7 Pitfalls to Avoid in Preaching
August 3, 2017 By
by Michael J. Kruger Preaching is hard work. To those sitting in the pews, preaching can look relatively effortless—especially when it’s done well. But don’t be fooled. Preaching exhausts the body and soul in ways incommensurate with its duration. I could work in the yard all day in 90-degree heat and (somehow) feel less exhausted […]
The Cross: A Sign for All Christians
August 1, 2017 By
Originally titled: Should Protestants Make the Sign of the Cross? A Response to Pastor Doug Wilson by Robert Arakaki In a 30 December 2012 canonwired podcast, Pastor Doug Wilson was asked what he thought about Protestants crossing themselves. Apparently, this question was asked because growing numbers of Protestants have started crossing themselves. In short, Pastor Wilson’s answer […]
A Great Lie to Searching Souls
July 20, 2017 By
“It would be a great lie to tell searching souls: ‘Go to church, because there you will find peace.’ The opposite is true. The Church tells those who are at peace and asleep: ‘Go to church, because there you will feel real anguish for your sins, for your perdition, for the world’s sins and perdition. […]
Struggling with Prayer
July 10, 2017 By
For all my spiritual children, struggling with prayer is nothing new, nor unusual. Persist. Persevere. Pray. by Abbot Tryphon Our relationship with God does not require an emotional response When we find ourselves struggling with prayer, and feel that it has become dry and lifeless, we are sometimes tempted to stop praying. When our prayer […]
St. Nikolai Velimirovich’s Message to the Orthodox of America
July 5, 2017 By
Lest we forget that the “Serbian Chrysostom” is one of our great American saints. Let us now turn our gaze from the East to the far West, i.e., to America. About 150 years ago Orthodox people of every nationality began to come to this New World, first daring individuals, then small groups, until in our […]
The Hottest Thing at Church Today
July 4, 2017 By
by Tim Challies According to a new study by Gallup, the hottest thing at church today is not the worship and not the pastor. It’s not the smoke and lights and it’s not the hip and relevant youth programs. It’s not even the organic, fair trade coffee at the cafe. The hottest thing at church […]
To Whom Was the Blood of Christ Offered according to St. Gregory the Theologian
June 28, 2017 By
By St. Gregory the Theologian More on Atonement – an Excerpt from “On Holy Pascha”, Homily 45 Now we are to examine another fact and dogma, neglected by most people, but in my judgment well worth inquiring into. To whom was that Blood offered that was shed for us, and why was it shed? I […]
