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real life
Posted on Monday, July 05, 2010 at 10:12 PM by Jason Barker
real life, my new series of studies and podcasts with Ancient Faith Radio, has officially launched! real life will feature free studies (with study guides, discussion guides and mp3s) on being transformed through your relationships with God and others.
The first unit of the first study-on joy-is now up.
Also associated with real life is real life minute, a new daily podcast series (similar to Orthodox Life Tips) with advice from saints and Orthodox teachers on living as an Orthodox Christian in the modern world.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources
Worship & You Unit 12
Posted on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 5:02 PM by Jason Barker
The study guide, discussion guide, and re/CALL episode for Unit 12 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, re/CALL, Youth Department
Worship & You Units
Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 5:10 PM by Jason Barker
I've fallen behind on posting links to the Worship & You study on this blog, but since the last post I've uploaded units nine, ten and eleven. Each of these units also contains the most recent episode of the re/CALL podcast.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, re/CALL, Youth Department
Worship & You: Unit 8
Posted on Friday, March 19, 2010 at 10:52 AM by Jason Barker
The study guide and discussion guide from Unit 8 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources, Youth Department
Worship & You Unit 7
Posted on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 11:23 AM by Jason Barker
The study guide and discussion guide for Unit 7 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources
The Future of My Teen Bible Studies is in Your Hands!
Posted on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 4:56 PM by Jason Barker
Hi, I'm Jason Barker, the host of Get Wisdom. For over 6 ½ years I've been producing Bible study materials for Orthodox Christian teens, and for almost 2 ½ years I'be been producing the Get Wisdom podcast. I'm doing this special episode of Get Wisdom because I need your feedback.
I love studying the Bible, and I love sharing Bible study with Orthodox Christian teens and adults. But now, after years of creating these—and other materials—I have a bit of a dilemma: I need to make some choices about what work (both Orthodox and otherwise) I'll be doing in the future. This is where you come in.
Don't worry, I'm not asking for any money!
What I need from you is feedback: do you value my teen Bible studies and Get Wisdom podcast? Do you want me to create more of them (such as continuing the series on the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew)? If so, then I need to hear from you. Let me know that you want me to continue creating Bible studies and podcasts for teens. Or, if there's something else you'd like to see and use, let me know about that.
Send me an email, or contact me using Twitter, Facebook, or a number of instant messaging services, from my website at orthodoxresource.com.
I'm not asking for any type of financial commitment, or even any personal information; if I continue creating these resources, I'll create them entirely for free, just as I always have. All I want is to know that there are enough people who use and value these resources that you're willing to tell me you want them.
If I hear from enough people, then I'll know that I need to continue creating teen Bible studies and the Get Wisdom podcast. If I don't hear from people, however, then I'll know that it's time for me to move on and do something else. In either case, praise God.
So again, send me an email, or visit my website at orthodoxresource.com. In two weeks I'll let you know what I've learned. Until then, thank you.
Posted in Bible Studies, Get Wisdom!, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, OCN, Youth Department
Worship & You: Unit 6
Posted on Friday, March 05, 2010 at 3:23 PM by Jason Barker
The study guide and discussion guide for Unit 6 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources
Worship & You: Unit 5
Posted on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:53 AM by Jason Barker
The study guide and discussion guide for Unit 5 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources
Worship & You: Unit 3
Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 at 12:04 PM by Jason Barker
The study guide and discussion guide for Unit 3 of the Worship & You study are now available.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Online Resources, Youth Department
Worship & You Now Live!
Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 at 12:34 PM by Jason Barker
Worship & You, my new multimedia study with Ancient Faith Radio, is now live! The study examines how you can carry the transforming power of Orthodox worship into daily life.
The study offers free downloadable study guides, discussion guides, and podcasts in two versions: one for teens, and another for adults.
Unit 1 is currently available; new units will be added weekly until the study concludes.
The Department of Youth Ministry is also partnering in the project to create the teen version of the study.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources, Orthodox News, Youth Department
Worship & You Starts in One Week!
Posted on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 12:26 PM by Jason Barker
Worship & You, the new multimedia study on carrying the transforming power of Orthodox worship into daily life, begins February 1st!
Worship & You will feature free downloadable study guides, discussion guides, and podcast in two versions: one for adults, and another for teens.
Worship & You is a production of Orthodox Resource, Ancient Faith Radio and the Department of Youth Ministry - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Miscellaneous, Online Resources
Worship & You
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 9:47 AM by Jason Barker
Starting February 1, 2010
WORSHIP & YOU: Carrying the Transforming Power of Orthodox Worship into Daily Life
Do you want to deepen your worship of God, and take the transforming power of that experience with you into your daily life? If so, you’ll want to participate in WORSHIP & YOU, the exciting new multimedia study for Orthodox Christian adults and teens from Jason Barker (host of the re/CALL podcast) and Ancient Faith Radio.
WORSHIP & YOU will focus on the main services of the Orthodox Church and personal prayer, looking at the meaning of what we say and do during this worship and how we can take this with us into our daily lives. Each week you can download a study guide discussing how you can grow in your worship of God, as well as a discussion guide with questions to help you better understand the material. These free resources will be available in two versions: one for adults, and another for teens.
You can also download the related episode of either the Worship & You (for adults) or re/CALL (for teens) podcast to listen to the study when you’re on-the-go.
Get ready: WORSHIP & YOU begins FEBRUARY 1, 2010!
Posted in Ancient Faith, Jason Barker, Online Resources, Orthodox News
Orthodox Life Tips
Posted on Monday, October 05, 2009 at 11:50 AM by Jason Barker
My new daily one-minute devotional podcast, Orthodox Life Tips, launches today on the Orthodox Christian Network. The press release is below:
The Orthodox Christian Network is excited to announce its newest addition to its already dynamic and ever-evolving list of Podcast Channels – Orthodox Life Tips, launching October 5, 2009.
Orthodox Life Tips will be a one-minute program offered each weekday, reflecting on an issue we face in our daily lives and offering advice from a saint or Orthodox teacher on handling that issue and growing in our relationships with God and the world around us. Rev. Dr. Christopher Metropulos, Executive Director of the SCOBA agency, says, “Our faith offers a wealth of guidance for handling and growing through the issues we face in our busy lives. We are excited to offer this resource to help listeners experience the lifetime impact that can develop from just one minute each day.”
Jason Barker, the host of Orthodox Life Tips, is also host of the OCN’s popular podcast Get Wisdom, a weekly Bible study program for Orthodox Christian teens and adults. Jason brings to his programs both enthusiasm for Orthodox Christianity and years of experience writing and teaching about how to live the Orthodox faith in the modern world. Among his many productions and publications are the annual Bible studies for the Department of Youth Ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
To learn more about Orthodox Life Tips and Jason’s other resources visit http://www.orthodoxresource.com, and listen to the Get Wisdom podcast at http://www.myocn.net.
Posted in Jason Barker, OCN, Online Resources, Orthodox News
Hope for the Heart
Posted on Friday, July 10, 2009 at 1:16 PM by Jason Barker
Hope for the Heart, an Evangelical Protestant radio program, will air excerpts from an interview with me on July 13-17. In this interview (recorded in 2002) I talked about my upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness, as well as how to engage in outreach to people in that religious group.
Posted in Jason Barker
Hope for the Heart
Posted on Tuesday, July 08, 2008 at 3:59 PM by Jason Barker
Several years ago I was interviewed by June Hunt of Hope for the Heart about my upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness; segments from this interview have been played almost every July since the interview was recorded. This year the interview segments will air July 28 - August 1.
Posted in Jason Barker, Miscellaneous
Change in Status with the OCN
Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 4:33 PM by Jason Barker
Effective at the end of this week, I will no longer be on the staff of the Orthodox Christian Network. Due to a restructuring in the OCN, Fr. Christopher Metropoulos and the board of the OCN have found it necessary to eliminate my position (as well as eliminating or redefining a number of other positions within the organization). This means that after this week I will no longer create the study guides for Come Receive the Light or OCN newsletters and program descriptions.
I want to emphasize that I am not being "fired," and this does not in any way adversely affect the areas in which the OCN and the Department of Youth Ministry are working together in partnership. I will continue to create GET WISDOM for the Youth Department, and it will continue to be streamed each weekend on The ARK. The program currently being developed by members of Teen SOYO for the OCN is also still scheduled to be launched this winter.
If you would like to help the OCN during this time of particular need in the organization, please click here.
The Department of Youth Ministry, of course, can also use your support to help make possible things like my Bible studies and radio programs.
Posted in Jason Barker, OCN
New Email Address
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2007 at 9:31 AM by Jason Barker
Last week I was suddenly unable to access my antiochian.org email account (and am still unable to do so). Since this problem is continuing, I have - at least for the short term - switched my email address to . If you sent email to my antiochian.org address between Tuesday and Thursday last week, I have probably not received it. You will therefore need to resend it to the above address. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Posted in Jason Barker, Miscellaneous
Little Blogging This Week
Posted on Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:01 AM by Jason Barker
I will do very little - if any (beyond this post) - blogging this week. I have a far-above-average workload for the week, and thus will not have time to write articles for the blog. If possible, I'll upload a link or two to articles I come across on the Web that are of interest.
If all goes well, I'll have some big things to show you next week.
Posted in Jason Barker
On Staff with the OCN
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 at 10:10 PM by Jason Barker
I'm privileged to announce that - in addition to my work with the Department of Youth Ministry - I am now on the staff of the Orthodox Christian Network. I will be creating study guides to accompany episodes of Come Receive the Light.
I will continue, of course, to engage in the work in which the Youth Department and OCN are partnering: my online Bible studies and upcoming radio program.
I thank both Fr. Christopher Metropulos and Fr. Joseph Purpura for the opportunity to participate in their ministries.
Posted in Jason Barker, OCN, Youth Department
"Hope for the Heart" Interview
Posted on Wednesday, August 01, 2007 at 8:45 AM by Jason Barker
For those who might be interested, this week Hope for the Heart is re-broadcasting an interview June Hunt recorded with me in 2002 about growing up as a Jehovah's Witness.
Posted in Jason Barker
Popularity and True Success
Posted on Wednesday, June 06, 2007 at 1:03 PM by Jason Barker
I live in largely rural southeastern Oklahoma - as of 2006 there were only 38,395 people in my county, which by way of comparison is only 5.5 percent of the population in Fort Worth (my former hometown) alone. As a result, the types of radio stations to which I prefer to listen - primarily classical and jazz - are unavailable. I therefore listen to Internet streams from KUAT and WGMC (as well, of course, as The Ark and Ancient Faith Radio).
I say all this, not to bemoan the cultural sacrifices one makes when living in a small town (although my wife would point out that I do plenty of that), but to note that classical and jazz stations are unavailable here - as they are in much of the country - because they are simply not popular enough to be financially viable. This was called to mind when I read today's post on KUAT's Cue Sheet blog on the financial and listener success of the format change of Washington, D.C.'s WETA back to its original classical format. The writer comments on this success:
This is very nice...but let’s not forget that the purpose of public radio is not to earn big ratings and make lots of money in pledge drives. It’s to serve the otherwise unserved, and, frankly, that’s not an inherently lucrative or popular mission.
This comment really resonated with me because Orthodox Christian ministry is "not an inherently lucrative or popular mission." Only someone unfamiliar with Orthodoxy in North America would mistake Orthodox work with a path to fame and fortune; it is instead almost a guarantee of (admittedly relative) obscurity and a lack of affluence. I - and other Orthodox layworkers and clergy - do not engage in the ministries to which we are called because we will become wealthy or famous, but because we are called to faithfully serve others. This point was particularly brought home to me during Divine Liturgy last Sunday, the Sunday of All Saints, where the Epistle reading was from Hebrews 11 (I'm quoting verses 35-40):
Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
This passage is a powerful antidote to our contemporary North American financial and popularity-oriented definition of ministerial success. First, these saints did not receive temporal acclaim and riches: they suffered greatly in their lives. At the same time, this wasn't pointless suffering: their lives were given for God, and they are now the "great cloud of witnesses" who watch and support our Christian lives (Hebrews 12:1). Furthermore, look at the writer's statement about perfection: both the earlier and later generations of God's servants are perfected together - all Christian lives, and all Christian service, is essential for the salvation of others.
When I became an Orthodox catechumen, I needed to resign my staff position with an Evangelical Protestant ministry. While I was still able to do some contract design work for the ministry, I was no longer able to write, teach, or speak at churches or with the media, and no longer was editor of the magazine (the magazine was driven into the ground by my successor). Losing that steady income was a real blow, but it was even more difficult to give up the position for which I had worked for years to attain (and if anything worked even harder while I held it).
Some of the people I know in Evangelical circles - and, even more to my regret, some Orthodox friends and acquaintances - think that it is absurd to work in Orthodox lay education, where I am paid very little and where I see far fewer measurable results (i.e., money and numbers) than I did working in Evangelical ministry. I will not pretend that it is always easy - at times, in fact, it has been a tremendous struggle, and the lack of significant income from the many hours of work (and added need for resources) is always a strain on our budget - but I nonetheless am always struck when I read Hebrews 11 both by the fact that my struggles are truly nothing compared to what so many of the saints have endured, and by the fact that even my struggles play a role in God's work for His people. Those occasions when I hear from someone about how they have used my Bible studies or other works are a tremendous blessing to me, and help me keep a proper perspective on my work and life. Furthermore, I know that other layworkers and clergy feel the same way.
Take a moment today to thank someone whose sacrifices help you with your life with God and His Church.
Posted in Jason Barker
Sickness
Posted on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 12:52 PM by Jason Barker
Just a quick note to let you know that my wife is struggling with a very nasty cold, and therefore I am taking care of everything around the house - as well as frequently running out to make sure that Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble stock remain high - for the time being. I'm cramming in a litle work on Luke when possible, and will have chapter two up soon.
Posted in Jason Barker
Youth Worker Application is Complete
Posted on Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at 7:05 PM by Jason Barker
Just a quick note to let you know that I've finally finished YouthWorker V3. If you are an Orthodox youth worker and are interested in this application, please contact Fr. Joseph Purpura.
I will get back to Luke in the next day or so.
Posted in Jason Barker
FInishing the Youth Worker DVD
Posted on Friday, May 04, 2007 at 5:15 PM by Jason Barker
I'm working on the final additions to the Youth Worker DVD - it will go to the publisher next week. These last minute additions will enable users to do a number of things, such as install the program (instead of being forced to run it from the disc), and some of the other additions will be of particular use to officers in Teen SOYO.
I can assure you that these really are the last additions, and I'll be able to work full-time on Luke beginning next week.
Still, feel free to sing along with Shari Lewis and Lambchop:
"This is the project that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friends..."
Posted in Jason Barker
Youth Worker Disc Preview
Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 12:19 PM by Jason Barker
Below are screenshots from the application that has consumed my time for the last few months: Youthworker V3 (called "V3" because it is the third edition of the Youth Worker discs). Click on the image to see a full-size version:
Screenshot 1: Home Screen
Screenshot 2: Typical Article Screen
The application contains hundreds of resources for Orthodox youth workers: articles, camp and retreat curricula, videos, music, etc. The resources were submitted by the youth departments of the SCOBA jurisdictions: the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, the Orthodox Church in America, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church USA.
You can contact Fr. Joseph Purpura for more information about Youthworker V3.
Edited on: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:51 AMPosted in Jason Barker, Miscellaneous
Yet Another Postponement
Posted on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 11:02 AM by Jason Barker
I promised late last week that chapter one of Luke will be up this week. Unfortunately, I will yet again be unable to finish and upload the chapter this week. The reason for the continual delay in progressing on the Bible study of Luke is that I have been burning the midnight oil (and frequently the 2 am and 3 am oil) for the last few months finishing a new multimedia CD application for Orthodox youth workers. The application has hundreds of articles, documents, videos, MP3s, and photos, and will be a tremendous resource for youth workers in parishes across North America. Among the resources will be a demo of the Luke application featuring the first two chapters.
You might be interested to know - and here's where scheduling comes in - that the youth worker application is scheduled to be finished next week. This means that the first two chapters of Luke should be finished next week.
Thus, assuming that I do not receive anymore last-minute items to include in the youth worker application, I will finally finish that project and be able to devote my full time to working on the study of Luke.
Posted in Jason Barker
Great and Holy Friday
Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 at 11:48 AM by Jason Barker
This will be my last post for a few days as we finish Holy Week at Pascha. I will probably not post early next week as I catch up on some of the work I've been unable to do this week (and I promise, Luke chapter one WILL be up next week).
Here is the fifteenth antiphon of the Matins:
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross. He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. He who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face. The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails. The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear. We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ. Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.
You can read much more at the Greek Archdiocese's website for Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha.
Posted in Jason Barker
Out of the Office
Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 11:01 AM by Jason Barker
I need to make an unexpected trip, and thus will be away (and not blogging) for a few days. I'll be back next week.
Posted in Jason Barker
Back at Work
Posted on Monday, March 12, 2007 at 10:56 AM by Jason Barker
This is just a quick note to let you know that I've been quite sick, but am finally back at work.
I need to catch up on the pile of things that have accrued while I've been sick, and then Luke chapter 1 will be uploaded in a few days.
Posted in Jason Barker
Mr. Boffo
Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 at 3:49 PM by Jason Barker
There are people who would say that today's Mr. Boffo could be applied to me.
3/16/07: I've replaced the original link in this post. If the comic you read has a joke about something different than computers, please let me know.
Edited on: Friday, March 16, 2007 4:49 PMPosted in Jason Barker
Computer Status
Posted on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 9:40 PM by Jason Barker
I have largely transitioned from my old PC to my new Apple. There are still bumps in the process, but I'm becoming increasingly familiar with OS X, and have found a number of open source and freeware applications to replace the ones on which I relied on my PC (in the future I may give a rundown of these applications, as I did on the old blog of the applications I used on my PC for developing Bible studies).
The only primary development software I currently have for the Mac is Macromedia Director MX 2004 - I am waiting for Adobe Creative Suite 2 with Flash 8 to be delivered. Until these arrive, I am able to run Windows on my Mac, and thus can use the older versions of those products for basic development (as well as working on legacy projects like the Youth Worker 3 application for the Department of Youth Ministry).
The fact that the Mac has Intel processors, therefore allowing me to run both OS X and Windows on the same computer, is a tremendous breakthrough for people like me. By using Parallels Desktop to create a virtual machine running Windows, I am able to have both OSs on the same screen, making it easy to use whatever application is needed for a task. At this point, I've been amazed by how well Parallels works. Installing Windows was flawless, and I've been able to run all the applications I installed into the Windows VM (my beloved Fritz 9 chess program requires having the disk in the drive, but otherwise there have been no noticeable problems).
At the same time, Parallels isn't perfect; it uses a significant amount of memory (I've allocated 1 GB of RAM out of 2 GB to improve the use of Photoshop and Director MX), and its hardware support is limited (the current version does not support such things as Firewire, disc burning, or 3d graphics, and it reads USB ports as 1.1 rather than 2.0).
Edited on: Thursday, February 01, 2007 5:25 PMPosted in Jason Barker
Switching Computers
Posted on Saturday, January 27, 2007 at 8:23 PM by Jason Barker
My 5 1/2 year-old desktop is finally headed into a very creaky retirement (if you call a future of being abused by my three year-old son "retirement). As a result, I am making the Switch, and thus am somewhat between computers (and, more specifically, applications) at the moment. I will be more up to speed when I obtain a copy of Windows on Tuesday, and will be even more so after my new suite of design software arrives.
Since the computer switch is slowing me down, there will be a slight delay in uploading the first chapter of the Luke application. The first chapter should be finished within the next two weeks.
Posted in Jason Barker
Possibly Out of Action
Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 at 7:50 AM by Jason Barker
For those of you who subscribe to this blog, or who are interested in the daily progress of the Luke project, I may be out of action for another day or two.
The ice storms that have buffeted Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas (as well as other states) have frequently left us without electricity. Our electricity was just restored, so I'm dashing off this quick note, but please be aware that we could easily lose our electricity for another period.
Please pray for those who have suffered extensive property damage, injury or death as a result of these storms.
Posted in Jason Barker