Sparks Among the Stubble

We are Spiritually Blind

Without the illumination of God, we are all spiritually blind. 

Worship in Spirit and Truth

On the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, we learn what it means to worship in Spirit and Truth. This passage is often interpreted to mean that our worship should be sincere or come from our individual feelings. More important than our individual emotions is that we live our lives in Christ daily and that we increase the grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Rather than being mere assembled individuals, the people of God are called to be united in mind and heart as they approach the throne of G...

Words of the destitute: "I have no man"

Jesus went to the destitute paralytic and healed him. As the body of Christ, we too are called to seek out the destitute and be present with them. 

The Church: A Nurturing Mother

As the Body of Christ, we are all called to support and nurture one another in the faith. 

Dealing with Doubt

The Church always encourages us to humbly tell the truth about ourselves and ask for God's help. This is especially helpful during times of doubt. Suppression and/or denial are pathological. 

Palms of Christ's victory over death

Pursuit of happiness or Pursuit of God?

Our culture tells us that doing what makes us happy is a good thing...but it is toxic for Christians to live this way. We are not called to pursue happiness, We are called to do what Glorifies God. 

The Power of Fasting and Prayer

Transformation through the Cross

It is often thought that Christians are people who simply suppress themselves but self-denial is really about bringing our unhealthy passions to the Cross so that we can be transformed by God.

Lenten Retreat Part Two: The Eucharistic Life of the Cross

Lenten Retreat part 1: Shame and the Poetic Language of the Liturgy

Fr. Stephen Freeman gave our annual Lenten Retreat this year.  Session 1: Saturday, March 19, 2022 The language of the services, as well as the traditional words in Orthodox prayerbooks, is often expressed in terms that can provoke a sense of shame - descriptions of our unworthiness, or of our fear before the presence of God. How do we read these words in a healthy manner and use them in the way they are intended? This can be an especially important topic for those who were raised in a tradi...

God is with us!

Fr. Stephen Freeman preaches on the St. Gregory Palamas, his significant theological contributions, and what it means for each one of us. 

Maintaining the fullness of the faith

Sunday of Orthodoxy 2022

Living in Exile

We continue to live in the exile of Adam and Eve. The Church gives us the tools of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer to help us experience this exile so that we can long for our true homeland, the Heavenly Kingdom.

The Three Characters of the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Which one are you?

Don't believe your own propaganda

A homily on the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee 

The transformation of Zacchaeus

The Three Holy Hierarchs

St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Chrysostom. May God bless us to raise up such saints in our day and age.

What Christian Persecution Looks Like

Today we celebrate the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia who became witnesses to the true faith through their trials and tribulations. 

Sanctification and Repentance

If we want to grow closer with God, we will always have to face our impurities and repent. 

The Goal of the Christian Life: St. Seraphim of Sarov

"The goal of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit." 19th Century, St. Seraphim of Sarov

Joseph, a man of virtue

Fr. Thaddeus preaches on the virtues of Joseph the betrothed. 

Living in anticipation

Like the Fathers and Old Testament Prophets, we live with faith in anticipation of Christ. For them it was the first coming, for us it is His glorious second coming. 

Don't Miss your Invitation

We are invited to the banquet for our benefit, not because the Master needs us there. Don't become so preoccupied with worldly affairs that you miss your invitation to communion with the Living God. 

Are you Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22-6:2  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gen...

Bearing the Grace of God

In order to be bearers of the grace of God, we have to empty ourselves so that we can be filled.

Preparing the Temple

She was prepared to be the Temple of Christ  so that we can be made Temples of the Living God.

When God is not on our time

We see many examples in the Gospels of God providentially healing people after they have suffered for many years. God's timing is not our timing and His providence of when He acts is beyond our understanding. 

Demonic temptation

We are all in a spiritual battle that takes place within our own hearts. We are called to be watchful over our hearts and actions. It doesn't take much for the demonic realm to influence our passions and lead us to irrationality. Sorry about the static in the middle.

Unoffered gifts rot our souls

Our God, Who is rich in mercy and pours out His spiritual and material blessings upon us. If we don't offer these gifts back to God, then they can spoil our souls.

Formed for Battle: The Liturgical Life as Bootcamp

This is the first of two talks on Spiritual Warfare given by Fr. Barnabas Powell in October of 2021. The Liturgical life of the Orthodox Church forms our inner lives enabling us to be spiritual soldiers in Christ’s army.  Fr. Barnabas brings a fresh perspective on the timeless teachings of traditional Christianity. Fr. Barnabas Powell was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. His journey to Orthodoxy came as a result of many years of searching for a “lifestyle” that would be truly Christian. Afte...

Idolatry and Infertile Soil

When we have idols in our hearts, it makes our hearts less fertile and receptive to God's word. 

Practical advice for the End Times

It is not for us to worry and try to figure out when Christ is coming. It is for us to do the daily little things that prepare us for His coming.

The Glory of God revealed through broken people

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:6-15 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the bo...

Challenged to Emulate St. Innocent

We thank God for 25 years in Middle Georgia and ask Him for the grace to fulfill our mission of emulating our patron, St. Innocent of Alaska.

Our cross is never the one we want

A prayer from Fr. Stavros: Lord, thank You for the gift of this day. Whatever happens to me today, help me to consider today a blessing, for the mere fact that You’ve given me another day of life. Help me to carry my cross (name your crosses) with strength, with humility and with confidence. Help me to deny my own desires and to seek after Your commandments. Help me to be a good follower. Help me to do these things today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day, for as many days as You will...

Through the Cross, Joy comes into the world

What the devil intends for evil can be turned to good if we are willing to face it with Christ and pass through the crosses we are given in life. 

Captive to our Appetites

"By our own words, we may needlessly place ourselves under grievous moral necessity, so that Satan snares us through our own words freely spoken. Such tragic misjudgments continue to plague those who become captive to their own appetites" (Chrysostom)

Avoiding "rustout" and "burnout"

Our Lord retreated in prayer often. As we serve Christ, we too should retreat into prayer so that we have something to offer others.

Commending our Live to Christ our God

Fr. Thaddeus preaching on the Dormition of the Theotokos about death and the Panagia's living of the Gospel. 

Commending our Life to Christ our God

Fr. Thaddeus preaching on the Dormition of the Theotokos about death and the Panagia's living of the Gospel. 

Calling out to God with belief and faith

The two blind men believed and had faith that Jesus could heal them. We too need to come to Christ with these attitudes and be healed. 

Anxiety, a symptom of mixed priorities

When we have anxiety it often means we lack trust and faith in God. Instead of faith in God, we believe that we are in control. When we make the pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven the center of life, we will still have daily troubles, but we will also rest in faith, knowing that our Lord guides and guards our life.  FYI - this sermon is not about clinical anxiety disorders

Using our Freedom to Pursue Christ

On this Independence Day, we should give thanks for all that God has given our nation. Let's also use the freedoms we have to pursue Christ as the Saints of North America did. 

Know and live your faith

We live in a time where our beliefs are becoming increasingly unpopular in secular culture. It behooves us to know and live according to what we believe. 

Jesus Christ illumines us but we can choose darkness

John 3:19 "And this is the condemnation: that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Let's always be vigilant in our spiritual lives so that we are not blinded by our passions and our predisposition to choose darkness over the light of Christ.

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

ILLUMINATION OF THE SPIRIT ENABLES WORSHIP. BASIL THE GREAT: To worship in the Spirit implies that our intelligence has been enlightened. Consider the words spoken to the Samaritan woman. She was deceived by local custom into believing that worship could only be offered in a specific place. But the Lord, attempting to correct her, said that worship ought to be offered in Spirit and in truth. By truth he clearly meant himself. If we say that worship offered in the Son (the truth) is worship o...

Having a sacramental world view

The Christian life consists of offering back to God all the gifts He has given us so that He can make them life and communion. 

Love, duty, and service

Christ can and will reveal Himself

Some have seen Him (Christ) and have said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have only heard Him and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have only felt Him and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have only observed Him in the fabric of events and in the destinies of peoples and said: "My Lord and my God!" Some have felt His presence in their lives and cried out: "My Lord and my God!" Some have recognized Him by some sign, on themselves or on others, and cried out: "My Lord and my God!" Still some have on...