Stance: Mettle Maker #305

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Stance: Mettle Maker #305

Self-defense: Work on your stance. It’s surprisingly hard to alter your stance once you’ve habituated it. Take it from someone who spent decades in kickboxing stance and had to change to Rough ‘n’ Tumble stance! Slow down, pay attention, get into RNT stance, and stay there. Interested in a taking a martial arts course? Check our our free martial arts distance learning program!

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Fitness/Wildwood Combo: Just like last week, I’m asking: Are you gym fit, or real-world fit? Last week I suggested you take the 50-vault challenge. If you missed last week, you really should try to finish 50 Safety Vaults so that, if you ever had to clear an obstacle in real life, you might have to do it tired. This week, I’m challenging you to put on your backpack, go for a hike, stop at the turn around, do some movement drills, and then hike back. When was the last time you hiked under load? By the way, this rucking craze? Good grief. I’ve been “rucking” since the 70’s, and I never heard of “rucking” until a few years ago. We always called it “backpacking.” Call it what you want, it’s one of the best forms of exercise there ever was or ever will be, and it’s fun too! Need help developing and sticking with a fitness program? Interested in learning outdoor skills? We’ve got both! Check our our free distance learning programs.

Spirit: Where do you stand on the question of God? Whether you’re an atheist or an agnostic, you should consider your position carefully and thoughtfully, because there really isn’t a more serious and important question. If you’re an atheist, you should know that there are a number of fantastic proofs for the existence of God that are very hard to refute. And if you’re a Christian who’s struggling with the reality of Jesus — our if you don’t know how to answer to people who say you’re delusional! — you should get stronger in your belief and in your apologetics. Here’s a YouTube playlist for those who doubt Christianity. CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion 4/24/22: Second Sunday of Easter

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the second Sunday of Easter, 4/24/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily Second Sunday of Easter – Sunday of Divine Mercy

Readings: Acts 5:12-16, Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24, Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19, Jn 20:19-31

John 20:19-31 (American Standard Version)

19 When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had said this, he showed unto them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus therefore said to them again, Peace be unto you: as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit: 23 whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called [a]Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and see my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, [b]thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30 Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.

Doubts are good.  Doubts keep us from falling for con-men, getting drawn in by liars, and falling for scams.  They keep us from being gullible.  But it's easy get tricked.  In 1983, magician David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear on live TV.  Everyone gathered on the dais and looked out at Lady Liberty.   The curtain went up.  Loud music played, fireworks went off, and when the curtain fell, she was gone.  A helicopter hovered over the empty platform.  The secret to the trick?  The observers were seated on a rotating platform that turned them in another direction.  The lights surrounding the monument were switched off and switched on around a mock platform.  Lady Liberty was still there, off to the left, hidden in the dark, and nobody noticed.  Copperfield said the message of his trick was that liberty could be taken away at any moment.  He was wrong though.  We’re giving it away.

You see, we are beset on all sides by the tricks of the culture and we’re buying them. Almost every song, movie, and book carries a message about pursuing passion, possessions, power, and prestige.  This is the age of the selfie -- self-gratification, self-empowerment, self-promotion.  Our TV villains are pedophile priests, rapist pastors, hypocritical believers, and nuns possessed by demons.  The heroes are brave atheists, heroic skeptics, and valiant scientists, or perhaps drug dealers and mob bosses.  The culture says that Christians don’t believe in science, Christians hate gays, and Christians are transphobic. 

How is a person desperate for meaning supposed to find God amidst the fog of lies?  How is a believing person to hold onto his or her faith in an environment where facts like these are hidden in the dark, far out of view?

• ·       The largest charity in the US is Lutheran Services of America, and the Catholic Church is the largest non-governmental provider of education and medical services in the world.

• ·       Priests are 1/100th as likely to abuse minors as public-school teachers.

• ·       A humble friar named Roger Bacon pioneered the scientific method, a Belgian priest named Father George Lemaître was the originator of the Big Bang Theory,  Father Gregor Mendel was the world’s first geneticist, and Francis Collins, former director of the Human Genome Project and director of the NIH wrote a best-selling book called The Language of God relating his journey from atheism to Christian belief.

• ·       In 1688 – 177 years before the Emancipation Proclamation – the first organization in the Western world to publicly denounce slavery was the Society of Friends, the Quakers.  And the most distinguished civil rights leader in history was a Christian pastor named Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. [i]

 Jesus knew there was only one way he could be heard over the noise of the Roman Empire.  There was only one thing he could do that would forever make his message stand above all the rest.  There was only one act that would prove, once and for all, to all people, in all places and in all times, that he is God incarnate.  The only way he could cut through the fog of lies was to do something no spiritual teacher could ever do.   He had to defeat death.

Rest assured my friends, that there is no way that the Christian message could’ve possibly reached our ears if Jesus of Nazareth had not risen from grave.

[i] To see the references for these facts and more, visit https://wp.me/ppc1y-1Rc

Breakdown: Mettle Maker #304

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Breakdown: Mettle Maker #304

Self-defense: A Consistency Challenge. There’s a time to push, to test your limits and find “your line” like we do during Mettlecraft Month every November. But mostly martial arts are about consistency. If you can’t do it at any time, and under any circumstances, then you can’t do it. Your fancy technique’s no good if you can only perform it when you’re all warmed up and ready. Can you fall safely on asphalt, or only on 2” mats? Encourage yourself to train consistently by creating a challenge for yourself. Set a goal 30-day goal. Don’t aim for something extreme — this is in the exact opposite spirit. Aim to perform all your forms daily, to complete 100 kicks a day, or just try to train every weekday for the month. Check our our free martial arts distance learning program!

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Fitness: Are you gym fit, or real-world fit? Try the 50-vault challenge. The other night, at the end of my training session, I decided to finish up by doing 50 Safety Vaults. If you ever had to clear an obstacle in real life, you might have to do it tired. I could only make it to 30 by the way. I was so gassed that I was worried about hurting myself and I had to stop. Pick a fence, large boulder, or other obstacle, and see if you can get to 50. Stop when you get shaky. The most important rule is, “Don’t get hurt!” Need help developing and sticking with a fitness program? Check our our free distance learning program.

Wildwood: Do you wish you could go camping more often? Well, start breaking down the barriers. I love to go camping. But for years a part of me dreaded the ordeal of climbing up into the attic, getting down all the gear, loading it into the truck, and then putting it all back afterward. And then there was the problem of taking time off. So I removed the barriers. I built an adventure trailer so that all I had to do was hitch up and go. And I started booking my days off well in well in advance. Whatever your barriers are, start breaking them down, and get out of town. You need to spend more time in the woods practicing your outdoor skills. Want a structured program to help you along? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Where do you find God? At the end of your rope. (Dallas Willard). Things go wrong. You get betrayed, sick, unemployed, abandoned, and depressed. Perhaps worse still, you realize, maybe for the first time in your life, that you are wholly or partially responsible for your undoing — you got yourself addicted to something, you got yourself fired from your job, you wrecked a relationship, etc. When these things happen, and your life starts to break down, often you will go to your father figure for advice (or to your mother, if you have no father). But what if your parents have passed? Or what if they just aren’t reliable sources of advice and support? Fear not. Rest assured, there is a Father you can rely on to give perfect advice and unconditional love. CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion 4/17/22: Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for Easter Sunday 4/17/22, the Resurrection of the Lord. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for Easter Sunday 4/17/22

For this Easter Sunday, I would like to present the Paschal homily of St. John Chrysostom which was originally delivered around the year 400 AD.  In the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches it is read aloud at sunrise service on Easter Sunday.

“Are there any who are devout lovers of God?  Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!  Are there any who are grateful servants?  Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!  Are there any weary with fasting?  Let them now receive their wages!  If any have toiled from the first hour, let them receive their due reward;  If any have come after the third hour, let him with gratitude join in the Feast!  And he that arrived after the sixth hour, let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.  And if any delayed until the ninth hour, let him not hesitate; but let him come too.  And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.  For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.  He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, as well as to him that toiled from the first.  To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.  He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.  The deed He honors and the intention He commends.  Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!  First and last alike receive your reward; rich and poor, rejoice together!

Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!  You that have kept the fast, and you that have not, rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!  Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.  Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.  Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!  Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.  Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.  Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.  He has destroyed it by enduring it.  He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.  He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.  Isaiah foretold this when he said, "You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."  Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.  It was in an uproar because it is mocked.  It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.  It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.  It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.  Hell took a body, and discovered God. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?

O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!

Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!

Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead; for Christ having risen from the dead, is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!”

Rise: Mettle Maker #303

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Rise: Mettle Maker #303

Self-defense and Fitness Combo: Whether you’re into martial fitness or just general fitness, this one’s for you. Here are your four exercises: RCL, RSQ, PSM, JKF. For those new to our abbreviations, that translates to Rope Climbs, Russian Squats, Push-ups Smearing (hands overlapping), and Jackknifes. Intermediate and advanced folks looking for a stand-alone, high-impact training session should aim for 12 rope climbs, and 25 reps of the others. Beginners or those looking for a low-impact training adjunct, complete 4 sets of 1 RCL, 4 RSQ, 4 PSM, and 4 JKF. Subs: No rope? You should get one. For now, sub out Chin-ups. If you can’t climb the rope, hang until failure and call that 1 rep. Same goes for Chin-ups. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Do what you can, where you are, with what you’ve got!” No excuses — modify, adapt, overcome. Looking for a martial arts or fitness program but short on cash? Check our our free distance learning programs.

Wildwood: Consider reading Bradford Angier’s classic How to Stay Alive in the Woods. Originally published in 1969, this little paperback contains a wealth of knowledge, and I just love the 60’s era illustrations. Many, many of the techniques that are now considered standard, must-have skills were first put into print by Angiers in this book. Wanna know another way you could learn outdoor skills? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Don’t forget that tomorrow’s Easter Sunday. Times are tough, people are busy, and just about nothing in our modern world points toward what’s eternal or transcendent. Try to spend just one day putting aside the temporary — your needs, wants, and desires, your goals, your happiness, and so on. Try not to fantasize about the future or dwell on the past. Rather, spend the day rejoicing in the gift of being. Slow down. Put your phone aside. Turn off the TV. Take a moment to contemplate how crucially important it is that the Creator of the Universe entered into this world for the express purpose of saving you, and “whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.“ (Matt 16:25). And by all means, tune in tomorrow and view the Holy Communion service for Easter Sunday. CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion 4/10/22: Palm Sunday

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for Palm Sunday 4/10/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for Palm Sunday 4/10/22

Readings: Lk 19:28-40, Is 50:4-7, Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24., Phil 2:6-11, Lk 22:14—23:56

CLICK HERE for today’s Gospel Reading

The same religious and political story has unfolded for all of human history. For over 3,000 years, Egyptian emperors known as pharaohs ruled as God-kings. On the other side of the globe, for the 3,000 years from 1,500 BC to 1,500 AD, the emperors of the Incas ruled in a similar way. The Greek Emperor Alexander the Great was a God-king. The emperor of Japan was a god until 1945, the emperor of China was considered divine until 1911, and Nepal’s king was considered so until 2008.

There were many Roman cults in Jesus’ day, each dedicated to one of the many gods – Jupiter, Isis, Dionysus, and so on – but the Roman imperial cult was the most popular. The Roman emperor was a God. During private and state religious functions, offerings of wine called libations were poured onto the ground as a sacrifice to the various gods, including the emperor.

And when the emperor returned to Rome after another successful mission to conquer a foreign land, he donned his purple cloak and crown, climbed aboard a chariot drawn by four proud horses, and led a great procession into the city. He and his army put their swords aside and entered unarmed. Behind him came his army, his slaves and captives, the gold and other spoils of war.

Jesus enters the holy city of Jerusalem at the peak of Roman power, authority, and influence known as the Pax Romana, Latin for Roman Peace. But it was only peaceful insofar as there were no internal revolts or external challenges to Rome. At that time, as ever, there was no reason to believe that the ancient, eternal story should be challenged. The eternal story, best summed up by the popular mythologist Joseph Campbell in his groundbreaking 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, is as follows:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

This is the hero’s journey, the so-called monomyth, the story of the man who achieves great success, eventually becoming a god. Hercules, Perseus, Romulus and Remus – the founders of Rome – great generals and leaders from time immemorial, kings and emperors, regularly achieved godhood. This was the story believed by every culture the world has ever known, as far back as history and archeology have been able to uncover. And many is the mythologist to puts Jesus in the same category. After all, isn’t he just another man who went on a great adventure, did some miraculous things, brought home some sacred knowledge, and became a god?

No, brothers and sisters, Jesus shatters the monomyth and breaks the mold! He is not a man who becomes a god, but God become man. He is not a man who thinks his achievements will make him immortal, but God himself come to earth to help man reach immortality in the world to come. He is not a man who exalts himself and is exalted by other men, but the Son of God who humbles himself before men and is exalted by God the Father!

When the Roman emperor enters the city in triumph, he puts his sword aside and enters the city unarmed. But this is a token disarmament. Everyone knows the worldly power that emperor wields. Jesus enters the city humbly, not on a chariot drawn by four stallions but on a colt. Strangely though, he is not disarmed and neither are his soldiers. They bring with them a very special sword – the Sword of Truth – the sword of discernment, the Holy Spirit, which separates fact from fiction, right from wrong, and good from evil!

The emperor of Rome brought peace by force at the point of a sword; but Jesus brings with him a sword whose point brings voluntary peace from within – the peace that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Watchfulness: Mettle Maker #302

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Watchfulness: Mettle Maker #302

Self-defense: Heavy bag endurance rounds. I’m a huge of fan of training for speed and power for self-defense. After all, most self-defense situations last just a minute or two. That said, I also advocate that you train all six of dimensions of body mechanics: speed, accuracy, form, endurance, mobility, and power (SAFE MP©). Try putting in some endurance rounds for a change. Set a timer for 9 x 3:00/1:00. Hit with as much speed, accuracy, form, mobility, and power as you can without extending your breaks beyond the 1:00 intervals. Looking for a martial arts program but short on cash? Consider training with us either in person here in Richmond, VA or via our free distance learning program.

Fitness : Do some Thrusters. Hard to beat for a whole-body exercise that really wrings out your washrag. I’m a big fan. For beginners new to the exercise, start with a light weight (maybe even bar only), focus on form, and do 3 x 12. Intermediate and advanced players, try Dan John’s 4:00 Tabata Thruster Workout. Set timer for 8 x :20/:10 (Tabata rounds). Use dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell. Unless you’re Captain America, use about half the weight you think you should use (yes, it’s really that hard!). Complete as many Thrusters as you can in 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, repeat. Or, just fold Thrusters into your training plan. If you don’t have a training plan, check out our completely free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention it’s free?

Wildwood: Treat yourself as well as you’d treat a rescued animal from the wild. Most everyone, at one time or other, has rescued an injured bird, a baby turtle or squirrel, etc. If you really cared about the animal, your goal was to get it healthy and back into its environment as quickly as possible — to prevent it from becoming domesticated. If you didn’t know how to do it, you found out who did, and you dropped the lil’ critter off. Look at yourself. Could you find water? Food? Find shelter until you could make shelter? What do you need to learn in order to be capable of surviving in your native habitat? Interested in a free earn at home program that will encourage you to practice, keep you on track, and reward you with rank bandanas? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Watch the video on the right and give it some thought. And if you’d like to learn the four classical spiritual disciplines — contemplation, meditation, prayer, and sacred reading — send me an email at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and let’s get you started. In the meantime, CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion 4/3/22: Why Did Jesus Weep?

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the fifth Sunday of Lent, 4/3/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent -- Sunday 4/3/22

Readings: Ez 37:12-14, Ps 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, Rom 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45

John 11: 1-45  American Standard Version

11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 The sisters therefore sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he abode at that time two days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he saith to the disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8 The disciples say unto him, Rabbi, the Jews were but now seeking to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him. 11 These things spake he: and after this he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he is fallen asleep, he will [a]recover. 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Thomas therefore, who is called [b]Didymus, said unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

17 So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already. 18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary still sat in the house. 21 Martha therefore said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 And even now I know that, whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, God will give thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; 26 and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world. 28 And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary [c]her sister secretly, saying, The Teacher is here, and calleth thee. 29 And she, when she heard it, arose quickly, and went unto him. 30 (Now Jesus was not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met him.) 31 The Jews then who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going unto the tomb to [d]weep there. 32 Mary therefore, when she came where Jesus was, and saw him, fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her [e]weeping, and the Jews also [f]weeping who came with her, he [g]groaned in the spirit, and [h]was troubled, 34 and said, Where have ye laid him? They say unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept. 36 The Jews therefore said, Behold how he loved him! 37 But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man also should not die? 38 Jesus therefore again [i]groaning in himself cometh to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay [j]against it. 39 Jesus saith, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time [k]the body decayeth; for he hath been dead four days. 40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the multitude that standeth around I said it, that they may believe that thou didst send me. 43 And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with [l]grave-clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

 Brothers and sisters, we say we believe.  We come to church, we say our prayers, we profess with our mouths and wear our crosses, and all of that – but do we really believe?  And how do you think God reacts when our faith is weak?  These are the questions embedded in the story of Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus.

We read that as soon as Jesus found out that Lazarus was ill, he told his disciples that Lazarus’ illness was not going to end in death because he intended to raise him from the dead.  He tells them he’s going to go back to Judea, but they warn him against it because on their most recent stay there, they were looking to stone him.  Jesus tells them a parable about faith and reminds them that they have to go because Lazarus has fallen asleep and he intends to awaken him.  They think Jesus is talking about literal sleep.

And when they arrive, Martha greets him and says, “if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”  Jesus consoles her.  He tells her Lazarus will rise again.  But she’s as dense as the apostles.  She thinks he’s talking about rising on the last day.  Jesus has to repeat himself – again!  Mary shows up and says the exact same thing Martha said. “If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”  They just don’t get it.  Nobody has any faith in him at all.  The Greek word for how Jesus’ emotion is embrimaomai (em-BRIM-ah-OH-mahee) “to snort like an angry horse.”  Make no mistake – the New Living Translation of the Bible reads, “a deep anger welled up within him.”  He’s beside himself.  He says simply, “Where have you laid him?” 

And then, in one of the most poignant moments in the entire gospel, Jesus weeps.

Why does he weep?  Because nobody believes.  He’s standing right there with them.  Are they singing hymns?  No.  Are they rejoicing because Jesus has arrived?  No.  Are they filled with anticipation to see the promised miracle?  They know what’s going to do, don’t they?  He’s been telling them, in no uncertain terms, for over four days!  But no, no, no.  Instead of being filled with faith, they’re milling around the tomb of Lazarus grumbling, saying, “He healed the man born blind, didn’t he?  Well, why didn’t he prevent this man from dying?” 

And at that, Jesus groans with anger again.  The gospel uses the same Greek word.  Maybe he goes, “Ugh” or “Aargh!” – we just don’t know.  But at any rate, he’s had enough.  He tells them to roll back the stone.  Martha says, “Are you sure?  It’s been four days, by now he’s starting to decay and stink.”  Picture this now – he hasn’t gotten through to a single person.  Jesus says, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”  Finally he calls out to Lazarus, who is resurrected and emerges from the tomb still wrapped in burial cloths. 

And then the gospel says many believe, which implies that many others still do not.  Brothers and sisters, Jesus wept because he loves us so much.  He wept because it’s tragic how maddeningly dense human beings can be.  And he’s still weeping.  Because today, just as we did in at the tomb of Lazarus, people continue to struggle with the problem of evil.  If God is good, why do bad things happen?  Just like the people outside the tomb of Lazarus, we want God to prevent sickness and death.  We are materialists.  Like Martha, the stench of death is always in our nose.  “If Jesus was real,” the atheists cry out, “why didn’t he just bring antibiotics?  A modern first aid book have have done more good than a Bible.”  I’ve actually heard that said.

And meanwhile, Jesus weeps.  He weeps even now.  Brothers and sisters, the Kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.

East vs. West? Mettle Maker #301

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

East vs. West?: Mettle Maker #301

Self-defense: Work on your breakfalls. Don’t ask me why, but breakfalls seem to figure much more prominently in Eastern martial arts than in Western. But it doesn’t matter whether you live in Katmandu or Kansas, you gotta be able to fall down without getting hurt. Watch the video on the left and then put in a few rounds of practice, and make sure you practice falling regularly. Beginners, start on thick mats or on soft outdoor surfaces like mulch. Intermediates, graduate to grass. Advanced players, start gently experimenting on harder surfaces like wood floors and concrete. And if you need some basic instruction on how to fall properly, consider training with us either in person here in Richmond, VA or via our free distance learning program.

Fitness : Try “Very Bad Karma” from my bestselling ebook The Calisthenics Codex. Select three or four exercises (in the video I picked Squats, Knuckle Push-ups, Lunges, and Crunches). Decide on your rep count of each exercise by dividing your single set max by 4. Complete as many sets as you can in 15 minutes. Interested in a fitness program? Check out our completely free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention it’s free?

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Wildwood: Learn to tell direction by the stars. Sit down and marking a star against a distant landmark. If it moves up, as it does in the picture on the left, you're facing east. If it moves down, you're facing west. Interested in a free earn at home program that will encourage you to practice, keep you on track, and reward you with rank bandanas? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: East or West, wisdom is wisdom. Consider the two quotes below, one by the Buddhist teacher Dogen, the other by Jesus. We must always remember, however, that Jesus is not just a great teacher among many. He is the Son of God, the Logos, the creator of the spiritual path who makes the discovery of wisdom possible. All who speak wisdom are standing on the divine ground of the true master, Jesus Christ, whether they realize it or not. For true wisdom that delivers from the death that lasts forever, follow him.

“Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self.” Dogen, Zen Master (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, III, 3)

2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Jesus Christ (Matthew 6 2-4)

CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Holy Communion 3/27/22: We Are All Born Blind

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the fourth Sunday of Lent, 3/27/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent -- Sunday 3/27/22

Readings: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a, Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Eph 5:8-14, Jn 9:1-41

John 9 : 1-41 American Standard Version

9 And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, [a]and anointed his eyes with the clay, 7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent). He went away therefore, and washed, and came seeing. 8 The neighbors therefore, and they that saw him aforetime, that he was a beggar, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? 9 Others said, It is he: others said, No, but he is like him. He said, I am he. 10 They said therefore unto him, How then were thine eyes opened? 11 He answered, The man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to Siloam, and wash: so I went away and washed, and I received sight. 12 And they said unto him, Where is he? He saith, I know not.

13 They bring to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 14 Now it was the sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. And he said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and I see. 16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, because he keepeth not the sabbath. But others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. 17 They say therefore unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, in that he opened thine eyes? And he said, He is a prophet. 18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight, 19 and asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? 20 His parents answered and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21 but how he now seeth, we know not; or who opened his eyes, we know not: ask him; he is of age; he shall speak for himself. 22 These things said his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man should confess him to be Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him. 24 So they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner. 25 He therefore answered, Whether he is a sinner, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 They said therefore unto him, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? 27 He answered them, I told you even now, and ye did not hear; wherefore would ye hear it again? would ye also become his disciples? 28 And they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God hath spoken unto Moses: but as for this man, we know not whence he is. 30 The man answered and said unto them, Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he opened mine eyes. 31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and finding him, he said, Dost thou believe on [b]the Son of God? 36 He answered and said, And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that speaketh with thee. 38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he [c]worshipped him. 39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and that they that see may become blind. 40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind? 41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth.

Friends, we are all born blind.  As babies the world is a riddle.  We don’t what things are, so we stick them in our mouths.  We can’t feed ourselves, sleep the whole night through, or control our bodily functions.  Our parents and educators teach us.  At work we learn from bosses and mentors.  We learn how to pay bills, follow laws, protect ourselves from bullies, thieves, and con artists.  We graduate from the school of hard knocks.  We thicken our skins.  We become blind to the innocent love and wonder of childhood.

Humanity itself was born blind.  We had to learn how to make fire, how to make clothes and shelter, how to grow crops, how to form social groups and governments.  Eventually we learned how to see microscopic bacteria and into the heart of the atom.  But every riddle we unlock reveals another.  In many ways we are still as blind as we ever were.

The blind man in today’s Gospel is nameless because he is all of us.  He is a stand-in for each of us and for humanity itself.  Like us, he isn’t blind by any fault of his own, or even because of his parent’s faults.  Like us, he takes his blindness for granted.  It’s part of life.  He doesn’t even ask to be healed.  Often, we don’t either.

But God pursues us.  That’s the story of the Bible, isn’t it?  God breaking into the human narrative trying to get us to open our eyes and see?  And so, Jesus spat on the ground and made clay, which he put on the blind man’s eyes.  This is the story in Genesis 2.  It says, “no plant of the field was yet on the earth” for “God had not caused it to rain” because “there was no a man to till the ground.”  God sends rain upon the earth at the same time he makes man in his own image.  And what are we, brothers and sisters, but a mix of dirt and water?

By spitting on the earth to make a bit of healing clay, Jesus offers us a perfect symbol.  He is remaking man and remaking the world!  God, who sent his rains on the earth when he made it, and when he washed it clean in the time of Noah, has now sent his Son who is the living water.  The flood waters which receded in the time of Noah have returned as the healing waters of baptism. This is why, after placing clay on the blind man’s eyes, Jesus sends him to bathe in the pool of Siloam, which means “sent.”  If the blind man is going to remake himself, he must baptize himself in the waters of the Son sent by God.

Jesus says, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  What a strange, peculiar riddle this is!  The answer is that Jesus came into the world to teach us to use a new form of judgement – a new way of seeing!  We, as individuals and as a species, think we can see.  Like the Pharisees, we think we have all the answers.  Jesus wants us to remake ourselves in his image and see the world in a new way.  He wants us to become blind to the ways of the world – to the allure of power, pride, money, consumerism, lust, intoxication, gluttony, and all of that.  He wants you to see with eyes of empathy, humility, patience, self-restraint – and most importantly – with the eyes of love.

Baptize yourselves in the living water of the one God sent to you.  Become blind to the ways of the world, step into the light, and see!

Steps and Stairs: Mettle Maker #300

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Steps and Stairs: Mettle Maker #300

Self-defense: Work on your footwork. Watch the video on the left and then put in a few rounds practicing the maneuvers with which you are least familiar, experimenting with them to discover which are best under which circumstances, armed or unarmed, etc. Try them out while hitting your heavy bag empty-handed and with your mock weapons and see what works. I could tell you, but self-discovery is the best way to learn.

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Click here to view the original article courtesy of Hathi Trust (digitized by Google)

Fitness : Are you as fit as a 13-year-old boy in 1945? Today we’re calling back mettle maker #146. It’s an adorable little fitness drill called the “Army’s Daily Dozen” from the Boy’s Fun Book of Things to Make an Do (Grosset & Dunlap, New York 1945) pages 142-143. Beginners, do perhaps 10 of each. Intermediate, do half. Advanced players, try ripping out the whole enchilada. If you get it all in under 25:56 you got me beat.

• 40 Burpees (no hop, no Push-up)

• 25 High Jumpers (a.k.a Standing Broad Jump)

• 25 Squat Benders (Squat, then touch toes)

• 25 Rowing Exercise (a.k.a. Jackknifes)

• 25 Sit-ups with Plough (dead stop after each Plough)

• 25 Push-ups (narrow)

• 30 Banks Twists (a.k.a. Windshield Wipers, over-back = 1)

• 25 Side Benders (look at the drawing and good luck!)

• 25 8-Count Push-ups (Burpee with 2 Push-ups and no hop)

• 25 Squat Jumps (Split Jump Squats w/ hands on head)

• Stationary Run (100 taps of each foot)

• 25 Trunk Twisters (Windmills, elbow to knee, 25/side)Regardless of which program you’re in, be it Heritage Self-Defense or Heritage Fitness, watch the video on the right and get ‘er done. If you’re new around here, we call these things constitutionals. Interested in one of our free programs? Click here to sign up for Heritage Self-defense, or check out the also-free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention they’re free?

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The creaky stairs leading to and from my office. I love trying to go up and down them silently.

Wildwood: Practice your skulking. Maybe you don’t go hunting every day (or at all!). Maybe when you do hunt, you do so from a blind or from a tree stand. Whatever your reasons for lack of regular skulking practice, don’t take your skills for granted. Moving as slowly and as silently as possible for 100 yards is, in it’s own unique way, every bit as strenuous as running a mile. Practice makes perfect. Build practice into everyday life so that you practice daily. Make it a habit to move as slowly and as quietly as possible whenever you go the kitchen for a snack, every time you go upstairs in your home, every time you take out the trash, etc. That way you’ll have be prepared to execute the skill when needed. Interested in a free earn at home program that will encourage you to practice, keep you on track, and reward you with rank bandanas? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: What does this mean? In the the Gospel of John 9:39 we read, “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’” Sit with these words for 10 minutes. Breathe deeply as you repeat them over and over. See if you can get to the bottom of what they are saying. If you get stuck, look to the bottom of this post for a hint † — but don’t cheat unless you really must.

You don’t need to go on a pilgrimage to India to sit with gurus, to go on a Zen retreat, to trek the snows of Tibet, or take ayahuasca. The Master’s words hold the deepest and most penetrating philosophical insights humanity has discovered, and they are within arm’s reach — they are in the top drawer of every nightstand in every hotel room in America, on your bookshelf, at the thrift store, and online — in the Holy Bible.

All you have to do is take the first step, and a new way of seeing will begin becoming available to you.

CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

† Hint: How do determine what’s important in our lives and what’s not? If that’s not enough of a hint for you, read the entire discourse here.

Holy Communion 3/20/22: Time is Short

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the third Sunday of Lent, 3/20/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent -- Sunday 3/20/22

Readings: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15, Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11, 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12, Lk 13:1-9

Luke 13:1-9  American Standard Version

13 Now there were some present at that very season who told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered and said unto them, Think ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they have suffered these things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were [a]offenders above all the men that dwell in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

6 And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 7 And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? 8 And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.

Friends, my great-grandmother Evelyn Koch was a very Christian woman who read her Bible daily, lived each day as it came, and never lost her childlike faith or sense of wonder.  But she wasn’t very educated.  She was prone to misspelling and mispronouncing words.  And so, when she wanted to convey the idea that someone was stuck on a small detail but missing the larger issue, she would say they were “heaving at gnats and swallowing camels.”  She had misread the word strain in Matthew 23:24 as meaning choke or heave instead of as sift or sieve.  But her homespun phrase still makes sense, and I use it myself to this day, warts and all. Thanks Nanny!

“Heaving at gnats and swallowing camels” sums up exactly what’s going on in and around today’s Gospel reading.  The people of Jesus’ time asked him to comment on the Galilean people Pilate executed while performing sacrifices and the eighteen people who were killed when the Tower of Siloam fell upon them.  Their presumption was that these victims of tragedy must have been very sinful indeed to have been struck down during sacred rites or killed in the Holy City.

But Jesus says no, bad things happen to good people.  These victims are no more or less sinful than anyone else.  He tells them to take instead another lesson from these events, which is that time is short – repent and start bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit now, before it’s too late, lest they perish in the final judgement.

The people standing before Jesus, you see, are choking on the gnat of random misfortune – the things they can’t control – and swallowing the camels of their own sins which are completely within their power to change.  And too often, despite being separated from those folks by two thousand years of history, people of today focus on the repentance and the judgement part and walk right by the larger lesson.

That larger lesson is the so-called “problem of evil.” You hear it expressed many ways, but usually it goes something like, “In a universe created by a good God, why is there evil?” or, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Entire books have been written on this topic, such as Alvin Plantinga’s God, Freedom and Evil and Jung’s Answer to Job.  Many people get stuck on this problem and lose their faith, or can’t come to faith because of it.  I know because I assisted a young man named Brandon in his return to faith in part by helping answer this question. 

Brothers and sisters, God wants us to love, trust and obey him voluntarily, therefore he gave us free will.  Wicked and misguided people, the Pontius Pilates of the world, have the freedom to commit acts of evil on both the evil and the good.  Wind, rain, deterioration and decay affect all material things, animate and inanimate, the evil and the good.  Storms, fires, earthquakes, and building collapses like the falling Tower of Siloam, can claim the lives of anyone at any time. 

What philosophers have taken books to debate, Jesus has fully answered in a paragraph.  Don’t blame God for human frailty or the physical realities of meteorology and physics.  Folly and superstition of this kind could cost you your faith. 

Focus instead on what you can control – cultivating the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  In Galatians 5, St. Paul lists those fruits as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – but rest assured that those are the tip of iceberg.  Time is short.  Repent and believe in the Gospel!

Autodidactic: Mettle Maker #299

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Autodidactic: Mettle Maker #299

Self-defense and Fitness combo: Do some calisthenics. Regardless of which program you’re in, be it Heritage Self-Defense or Heritage Fitness, watch the video on the right and get ‘er done. If you’re new around here, we call these things constitutionals. Interested in one of our free programs? Click here to sign up for Heritage Self-defense, or check out the also-free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention they’re free?

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Some of my favorite outdoor skills resources.

Wildwood: Read a good book and then go practice what you learned. I am, for the most part, a self-taught outdoorsman. I’ve only taken a handful of classes, mostly through my membership in MAPS Group (Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Group). The best ones were taught by the very powerful Tim MacWelch. Mostly what I’ve done is read books and then I’ve gone out, gotten dirty, and tried out the stuff in the books. Why don’t you give that a try? On the left is a photo of some of my favorite outdoor skills resources. All of them are books except for the DVD on the very top of the pile. That’s Wild Edibles and Medicinals of Appalachia by the incredible Ila Hatter, a renowned naturalist and descendant of Pocahontas. The one on the left is The Wildwood Workbook by yours truly. Interested in a free earn at home program that will encourage you to practice, keep you on track, and reward you with rank bandanas? Click here to sign up for the totally-free Heritage Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Why do bad things happen to good people? This is called the problem of evil. If you don’t have an answer to this question, it will likely prove fatal to your happiness, your health, and your spirit. I suggest getting started today. Blaming God for tragedy and evil causes loss of faith, emptiness, hopelessness, and nihilism. In times past, folks would’ve arrived at a satisfactory position on the problem of evil during grade school, and would’ve made it more robust into adulthood. Nowadays, the state of philosophical and theological teaching is so poor, that the average adult — Christian or otherwise — is unlikely to have adequately contended with it. Have you? I prefer the free will defense, which I think Jesus makes in Luke 13:1-9. which is the gospel reading for tomorrow, and on which I will be homilizing. Stay tuned! CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with archdeacon Mitch.

Luke 13:1-9 New International Version

13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”

Screens (a short film)

Holy Communion 3/13/22: The Perfect Teacher

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the second Sunday of Lent, 3/13/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. Please click here to schedule a chat with archdeacon Mitch if you are in need of pastoral counseling. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent -- Sunday 3/13/22

Readings: Gn 15:5-12, 17-18, Ps 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14, Phil 3:17—4:1, Lk 9:28b-36

Luke 9:28-36  American Standard Version

28 And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and dazzling. 30 And behold, there talked with him two men, who were Moses and Elijah; 31 who appeared in glory, and spake of his [a]decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: but [b]when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. 33 And it came to pass, as they were parting from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three [c]tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah: not knowing what he said. 34 And while he said these things, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is [d]my Son, my chosen: hear ye him. 36 And when the voice [e]came, Jesus was found alone. And they held their peace, and told no man in those days any of the things which they had seen.

Brothers and sisters, it’s important for us to realize that the episode we read about in the Gospel of Luke today, which we call the Transfiguration, is a miracle, sign and wonder unlike anything else we see in the Bible.  It is completely unique in its content and character.

What sets it apart is that it is not a performance or a demonstration that was orchestrated solely for the benefit of the apostles or for us.  The apostles present were sleeping.  They awoke to find the event already in progress.  They, and by extension we, are only intended to see the end of the interaction between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  The question is, “What did they miss? What did we miss?”

We are told that Jesus has been praying.  To pray is to ask, and it appears that the answer to Jesus’ prayers was the appearance of Moses and Elijah, and that the three of them were discussing Jesus’ coming exodus.  We can only assume that Jesus, who was preparing himself to make his miraculous exodus out of death into life through the Resurrection, is drawing on the knowledge and experience of his predecessors.  If you want to know how to lead foolish and ignorant people through a desert into a land of promise, who better to ask than Moses?  If you want to know how to turn the hearts and minds of sinful idolators back toward God, who better to ask then Elijah?  If you want to know how performing signs and wonders will affect you personally as well as those who witness them, who’s better to ask than Moses and Elijah?

In the Transfiguration we see our great teacher being taught by the greatest teachers and prophets of the Old Testament. We see him reconciling, elevating, and indeed perfecting all that came before.  All great teachers stand on the shoulders of the great teachers from whom they learned.  What we see in the Transfiguration is not a self-contained incident but the culmination of the life’s work of the world’s greatest teacher.

Jesus has achieved his perfection as a teacher, leader, and prophet.  This intellectual accomplishment is so incredible, so earth-shattering, and so profound that it brings with it a transfiguration of his countenance.  The light of Glory is made to pervade and surround him.  God himself appears and from a cloud proclaims the identity of his son. 

But even this miracle pales in comparison to the Easter miracle.  For then, through the power of the Resurrection, Jesus becomes wholly perfect – not just perfect in his teaching and intellect, but in his physical body as well – and becomes the risen Christ.

Step Up: Mettle Maker #298

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Step Up: Mettle Maker #298

Self-defense: Footwork drills. On paper this is as easy as puddin’ ‘n’ pie — but in real life it’s a whole other matter. Assume your dominant fighting stance. Complete 6 reps of each of the 8 essential foot maneuvers of Western martial arts: Front Lunge, Back Lunge, Rear Lunge, Surge (forward, then off-angle backward), Skip Step (forward then off-angle backward), Split Step, Switch Step, and Décollage. Switch to non-dominant fighting stance and repeat. If you don’t know what these foot maneuvers are, perhaps you’d benefit from the Heritage Self-Defense program. Click here to sign up — it’s free.

Fitness: A go-to fitness routine. When I’m asked to recommend a simple fitness routine, or I’m stuck in a hotel with no gym, or I need a training idea with zero prep time, this is my go-to. It even has a built-in warm-up and cool-down. Complete a pyramid of Push-ups, Jackknifes, and Squats. Do 1 of each, 2 of each, 3, 4, 5, etc. Beginners climb to 5, intermediate to 7, advanced to 10. Then go back down he pyramid to 1. A full pyramid to 5 = 25 reps of each, 7 = 49, and 10 = 100. Need help designing a fitness program that suits your specific needs? Enroll in the free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention it’s free?

Wildwood: When was the last time you went for a hike? Stop fantasizing about it. Step up. Pick a route, set a date, text your friends, send out an evite or whatever, and go. If nobody shows up, go by yourself. Life’s too short to sit around waiting for things to happen! Actually go do the things you want to do. Maybe you always wanted to hike in the Swiss Alps, but you’re broke. Well, I bet there are some mountains within driving distance that you could go hike instead! If you want daily inspiration sent straight to your cell phone, and you want to learn more about nature appreciation and survival, click here to sign up for the 100% free Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Where do you find God? At the end of your rope. In tomorrow’s readings we’re going to have to contend with a dark and frightening tale from Genesis 15 that ends in an important promise. See below for a sneak peak. There are a ton of adorable, witty, memorable quotes and aphorisms to remind us of how to deal with situations like this: it’s always darkest before dawn, things have to get worse before they get better, you have to make a mess before you clean one up, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, etc. But in real life, getting through a dark patch isn’t something you can navigate that easily. You need the support of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the company of brothers and sisters in Christ. CLICK HERE to join our email list and to begin participating in church activities. And if you need someone to talk to, CLICK HERE to set up a phone call with Archdeacon Mitch.

Genesis 15: 10-12, 17-18 American Standard Version

And God said unto Abram,

“Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. 11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.

17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. 18 In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Holy Communion 3/6/22: Standing on Faith

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the first Sunday of Lent, 3/06/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent -- Sunday 3/6/22

Readings: Dt 26:4-10, Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, Rom 10:8-13, Lk 4:1-13

 Luke 4:1-13  American Standard Version

 4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led in the Spirit in the wilderness 2 during forty days, being tempted of the devil. And he did eat nothing in those days: and when they were completed, he hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command this stone that it become bread. 4 And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. 5 And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him, To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 for it is written,

 He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee: 11 and,  

On their hands they shall bear thee up,

Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone.

 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, [g]Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God. 13 And when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him for a season.

 We, as baptized Christians, sometimes experience manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the form of apprehensions of the truth. We see the world in a new way.  Our vision clears and we start to see the lies, corruption and evil both large and small that permeate human kingdoms; and, like Jesus, we begin to turn our backs on the ways of the world.  That can feel like going into a desolate, lonely place.

When our friends are all out drinking, carousing, and partying, getting drunk and having a great time, we feel left out. When family members put rich foods and decadent treats on the table, we are invited to overindulge.  When our neighbors are driving fancy cars and wearing fine clothes, we’re enticed to do the same.  The devil makes us feel out of place, uncomfortable, like outcasts for being different. 

But Jesus has a message for us.  The less value we place on the needs of the body, the more we are able to happily do without during difficult times, and the more willingly and joyfully we can share with those less fortunate.  He tells us that one does not live by bread alone.  Food, wholesome entertainment, clean clothes, a safe bed – the simple pleasures of life – provide for the health and nourishment and of the body.  Denying the temptation toward excess provides nourishment of the spirit.

The temptations of the mind are every bit as potent as the temptations of the flesh.  We are surrounded by the petty kingdoms of humanity.  Every workplace has its little princes and every social group its princesses, the kings and queens of the TV shows and movies strut back and forth, emperors and empresses that rule the nations of the world are flex their muscles and flash their smiles.  And guess what?  We too can have a piece of the pie that is power.  All we have to do is suck up to our bosses, behave like our pop icons, or march in lock step with politicians and pundits, and compromise a little morality for expediency.  The devil says, “If you’re going to make an omelet you have to break a few eggs, am I right?”  Jesus says no, plain and simple. “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”

Denying the temptations of the flesh and of the mind are high aspirations and lofty goals.  As Christians we know that our God is merciful.  Jesus tells us, in Matt. 5:45, that our Heavenly Father “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”  If we make a mistake or two, and we honestly repent, we can reasonably hope that we’ll be forgiven.  But what happens if we begin to think that resistance of these temptations is impossible?  What if we think ourselves around to the position that God’s expectations of us are exaggerated?

In today’s Gospel reading we get an answer.  Standing on faith alone and throwing ourselves off expecting God to catch us would be like doing what the devil tempted Jesus to do in our Gospel reading for today.   Jesus says to us, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”  Resisting the temptations of the world is almost impossible, but we have to fight the good fight!

Quickening Cut: Mettle Maker #297

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Quickening Cut: Mettle Maker #297

Self-defense: Knife constitutional. Wrap up weapon week with a knife constitutional. Complete as many as you can in 2 minutes of each: Get-ups, Push-ups, Pikes, Shrimps, Prisoner Get-ups, Sprints, and Jackknifes (14 mins total). Complete a slash/hack/stab combo between each rep, and change hands and grips often. Weapons of opportunity have to be wielded however your hand falls on them. See video on the right for more info. If this material seems foreign, perhaps you’d benefit from the Heritage Self-Defense program. Click here to sign up — it’s free.

Each of these has 140 calories: 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 eggs, 3 oz of lean roast beef, 2 mandarin oranges, and .68 ounces of butter (just shy of 1 1/2 tbsp).

Fitness: Too many calories from fat? My definition of fitness is being fit to fight, but then, I’m a self-defense instructor. For lots people though, fitness means looking good with your shirt off. If that’s your definition, and your concern is that you’re overweight, the way forward is dietary. Eat less calories. And since fat has almost twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates do by weight, being careful about fat intake is a great way to start. If you’re a Luddite like me, put a pad and pen in your purse or pocket, otherwise download an app on your phone to keep track of what you eat for a week. 9 out of 10 people who do this find that they eat too little protein and twice as much fat as they thought they ate. Need help designing a fitness program that suits your needs? Enroll in the free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention it’s free?

Wildwood: Cut the crap, and take a stab at friction fire. “I could figure it out if I had to,” you say to yourself, or “I did that in the scouts when I was a kid. It’s like riding a bike.” Well, if you mean because it’s so easy to crash, you’re right. Actually go do it. And if you get stuck, or you want to learn more about nature appreciation and survival, click here to sign up for the 100% free Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Put a knife to your own throat? In Proverbs 23 we read the passage below. The metaphor here is a powerful one. To “put a knife to someone’s throat” is to threaten death to get compliance. So, to put a knife to your own throat is to force yourself to act as though your life depends on your actions. In this case, the action in question is to quell your appetite for money and power in the presence of a powerful person. Why do you think the ancient Hebrews thought this was of life or death importance? Read the passage below and contemplate what this means to you in your life. When you sit down with your supervisor or boss, do you check your appetites, or do you bow, scrape, and fawn to get into his good graces? When you have a meeting with a powerful customer or client, are you honest and forthright, or do you like and schmooze to get a slice of his pie? Dig deep, self-analyze, and write a few words in your journal. And if you don’t journal, you should start today. If this sort of thing is appealing to you, CLICK HERE to join our email list and participate in church activities.

Proverbs 23:1-5 (Revised Standard Version)

23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

observe carefully what[a] is before you;

2 and put a knife to your throat

if you are a man given to appetite.

3 Do not desire his delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;

be wise enough to desist.

5 When your eyes light upon it, it is gone;

for suddenly it takes to itself wings,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Holy Communion 2/27/22: Speaking from the Heart

Join us today as we celebrate Holy Communion for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2/27/22. To follow along at home, click here and print the Holy Communion Program. Text of today’s homily below.

CLICK HERE TO GET AN EMAIL OF EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE IN YOUR EMAIL BOX and to receive email updates about the mission of St. Barachiel Chapel.

If you would like to have prayers offered for you, a loved one, a friend, for someone who is suffering, ill or who has departed, please email Archdeacon Mitch at mitch@heritageartsinc.com and we will pray for you. And if you’d like to assist in the beautification, improvement and maintenance of St. Barachiel Chapel, or support our educational mission, please click here to make a donation.

Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time -- Sunday 2/27/22

Readings: Sir 27:4-7, Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16, 1 Cor 15:54-58, Lk 6:39-45

Luke 6:39-45  American Standard Version

39 And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the blind guide the blind? shall they not both fall into a pit? 40 The disciple is not above his teacher: but every one when he is perfected shall be as his teacher. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 43 For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

 Actor and race car driver Steve McQueen, the so-called “King of Cool” who was the peak of his popularity during the ’60s and ‘70s, was famous for choosing the movie scripts with the least dialogue.  The iconic actor, known for popular movies like The Sand Pebbles, The Magnificent Seven, Papillon, and The Great Escape, understood that the less he said, the more his words would be heard.  Steve McQueen was right.  Many of you may have noticed that I limit my homilies to 500 words.  An unceasing drone, like the whirring of a fan, fades into the background.  But a single word uttered in silent theater echoes like a peal of thunder.

That’s how it is for a mortal actor. But God’s Word explodes into the darkness of non-existence in the book of Genesis.  When God speaks time, space, and all of reality into being, do we imagine he spoke literal words from material lips?  No.  Rather, we understand that his Word was so perfect, so pure and so simple – so singular! – that it contained no literal words at all.  A speech of infinite words has no meaning; a speech of infinite meaning has no words. 

This is why those who talk the most – politicians, pundits, publicists, and pitchmen – are often the ones we perceive as the least truthful.  The more someone talks, the more contradictions and lies appear, both intentional and unintentional.  And we hear this echoed in Sirach 27:4, “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear.”  When nuts, seeds, and grain are crushed and placed in a sieve, the small, delicious kernels fall through out of sight, and the worthless outer covering remains caught in the screen for all to see.  The idea is that the most perfect speech is the most simple, pure and truthful – this is the origin of the phrase, “a kernel of truth.” 

 From this we take the lesson that, as evangelists of the Word, we should emulate God and be very precise and careful in our speech.  The more perfect, pure and truthful we are when we open our mouths, the more wonderful things we can speak into being – the more positive inspiration, the more motivation toward charity, the more beautiful ideas, the more words of love and encouragement toward goodness.

Now, returning to our Gospel reading for today, it should be obvious why Jesus brings together several seemingly dissimilar metaphors into a single parable.  If we all take the logs out of our own eyes before trying to help remove splinters from the eyes of others – that is, if we focus our attention first on perfecting our own thoughts, desires, actions, and beliefs – we are making ourselves into trees that can’t help but bear good fruit.  We’ll be people whose actions speak louder than words, and speakers of the Word whose words ring true.  We will cease to be the blind leading the blind, and all become teachers in the image of our teacher Jesus Christ. 

Reflections in Sweat and Dewdrops: Mettle Maker #296

What is the weekly mettle maker? It’s a weekly shot in the arm, a semi-fortnightly kick in the pants — your helpful heckler, hammering away at you to stop hemming and hawing and hurdle headlong into becoming your own hero!

Reflections in Sweat and Dewdrops: Mettle Maker #296

Self-defense: Wrestling Half-Pyramid. Wrap up wrestling week with a half-pyramid of Shrimp, Buck, Reverse, Circle and Shin Ride. A half-pyramid is 1 of each, 2 of each, 3, 4, 5, etc.. Beginners climb to 6 (21 reps of each), intermediate climb to 8 (36 reps of each) and advanced to 10 (55 reps of each). Take as few 12-count breaks as you must in order to finish. If this material seems foreign, perhaps you’d benefit from the Heritage Self-Defense program. Click here to sign up — it’s free.

Fitness: 4-minute Thruster Challenge. This one comes from the mind of the amazing Dan John. Set a Tabata timer — repeating rounds of :20/:10. Pick up either dumbbells or a barbell. Start the timer and complete 8 rounds of as many Thrusters as you can for 20 seconds and 10 seconds of rest. Beginners use total weight equal to about 20% of bodyweight (if you’re 150, use #15 dumbbells or a #30 barbell). Sound easy? It ain’t. Need help designing a fitness program that suits your needs? Enroll in the free Heritage Fitness Distance Learning Program . Did I mention it’s free?

Wildwood: Are you making assumptions? Do you say things to yourself like, “Oh, that’s easy. If I didn’t have any water, I’d just…”? Maybe your mouth is writing a check that your stressed-out, stranded, less-than-ideal self can’t cash. Maybe your imaginary self is a lot more skilled than your for-real self. No excuses. You need to go to the back side of yonder to practice your survival skills. Go out your back door and train. The wide world is waiting. Go say “hi.” See the video on the left. Want to learn more about nature appreciation and survival? Click here to sign up for the 100% free Wildwood distance learning program.

Spirit: Are you trying to “win” at Christianity? As a person who’s always trying to promote, succeed and produce, I know how hard it is to get wrapped up on achievements and forget that being in Christ is the goal. Watch the video below, and join with me brothers and sisters in the is important reflection. If this sort of thing is appealing to you, CLICK HERE to join our email list and participate in church activities.