by John Anderson I (Peck) have been a proponent of taking preaching seriously for many years. Advancing in homiletics skill also means advancing in homiletics planning, and the sermon series has real value to the congregation whose needs are known by their priest. John Anderson gives an excellent introduction to this important pastoral tool for […]
Why Preachers, Priests & Leaders Need To Be Online
by Albert Mohler If you are not present on the Internet, you simply do not exist, as far as anyone under thirty is concerned…[the digital world] is one of the most important arenas of leadership our generation will ever experience. If you are satisfied to lead from the past, stay out of the digital world. […]
Religion From The Bottom Up
By Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon Fr. Patrick, in his succinct and typically charming manner, shows us just what happens when you invent your own worship. “We have seen the True Light,” we sing each Sunday in the Orthodox Church. At the very least, this means that we don’t have to guess about God anymore. We […]
Time and Eternity in Orthodox Worship
by Dr. Jane M. deVyver These few words are offered to help people in general to have a better understanding of what Orthodox liturgical practices are supposed to convey and why. In particular, comments are directed towards Orthodox cantors, singers and choir directors to help guide them in accurately fulfilling their roles in Divine Services […]
Take the Kids to Church
Based on new studies conducted by Baylor University, children from more religious families and from families with higher rates of religious attendance are better behaved and more well adjusted at home and at school. Better educated people generally had parents who attended church services twice or more a month. Among people with graduate level educations, […]
The Objective Danger of Holiness
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon One of the stories that have proved troubling to students of Holy Scripture over the years is the account of Uzzah, who stretched forth his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, we recall, was being carried by ox cart in order to be installed at David’s […]
Coming To Trust The Liturgy
From the author of the First Lights Blog A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with an old friend about my spiritual journey. We had attended church together at a contemporary evangelical charismatic Protestant church as college students. At the time, I ardently defended contemporary worship. The songs stayed in my head […]
Spiritual Preparedness for the Christian Prepper
“If you wish to gain victory over your thoughts, attend to your passions; whereupon you will easily banish your thoughts from your mind. To be precise – When you are bothered by thoughts of fornication, you should fast, keep vigil, toil and avoid harmful associations. In order to ward off anger and sorrow, do not […]
Gun Control & Genocide
Down through history, governments have disarmed their citizens only to tyrannize those citizens once they were disarmed.
“Americans, Never Give Up Your Guns”
For those of us fighting for our traditional rights, the US 2nd Amendment is a rare light in an ever darkening room. There is a lot of desire to bad mouth the Tsar, particularly by the Communists, who claim he was a tyrant, and yet under him we were armed and under the progressives disarmed.