We Got Trouble….

I love the old musical “The Music Man” and one of my most favorite scenes in when that old con man Harold Hill begins to spring his trap on the good folks of River City by pointing out they have a pool hall in their little town, and we all know that that spells “Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool!” You see, Harold…

Friend, How Did You Get In?

It’s not just my recurring dream (nightmare, really) but it has been found to be a common dream for much of humanity. You know the one I mean: I’m standing in a fancy party with either my pajamas on or no pants! In other words, I am NOT dressed for the occasion. How embarrassing! And that’s why this is such a common dream of we humans. We fear being embarrassed! And why…

Do You Love Me?

I’ll never forget seeing “Fiddler on the Roof” for the first time! “If I were a rich man….” “Tradition! Tradition!” But one of the most moving moments was when Tevye, being confronted with the “new” way his daughters were finding a husband (actually choosing for themselves! The HORROR!), asks his wife of so many years “Do you love me?” What follows is an amazing tender moment for a couple who have had…

Deceived!

He was slick and I was young. He was offering me “a great deal” and it was only a 12 month contract. I was young and naive and I signed. It was too expensing; it was a lousy deal, and it was an annual contract that automatically renewed! And I was snookered! It took me months to finally extricate myself from this “great deal!” But that’s the nature of deception. Deception hides…

What You Treasure Reveals Where Your Heart IS!

I’ve always been both inspired and disturbed by the Lord’s words “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This passage has always struck me as an immediate “gut check” no matter when I confront it. And that makes sense because the whole purpose of the phrase is to “arrest” you in that moment for a quick inventory and inquiry “Do you know where your heart is?” And the…

By What Authority

You’ve heard me say this before if you’ve been reading a while: Being shrewd isn’t necessarily the same as being wise. And the reason is an evil man can be shrewd and calculating, but only a good man can be truly wise. Now that doesn’t mean that shrewdness is always evil. Far from it. Our Lord told His disciples in Matthew 10:6 “…be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” And He…

He Escaped From Their Hands

OK, I’m afraid of closed in places. I think it’s called “claustrophobia.” The first time I remember discovering this uneasy feeling was when I was a boy and we were playing hide and seek. I found this perfect hiding place in a small cupboard in the kitchen. And it must have been a good spot because no one could find me. But after a few minutes in that closed in place, I…

THIS Sunday’s NEW Faith Encouraged LIVE Program

Please share this with your parish and your friends and join me and my very special guest Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh as we discuss the Power and Purpose of Baptism. Your calls and questions will make this program special so get ready to call in Sunday night! Our call in number is 1-855-237-2346 and you can even leave your question or comment online by going to www.AncientFaith.com/Radio/LIVE and clicking on the Start Recording button…

The Spirit Drives Him into the Desert!

The Centers for Disease Control came out with their 2012 report on Births in the US and they discovered that out of the almost 4 million births in America, over 1,600,000 babies were born in this year to unwed women. You can read the entire report at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr62/nvsr62_09.pdf While I truly appreciate the old saying that figures don’t lie, but liars figure, I can’t help but be struck by the almost complete…