Today’s guest post comes from my good friend, Walter Rooks. Walter is currently serving as an Air Operations specialist in Afghanistan, but he is also a certified John Maxwell speaker, coach and trainer (what he calls “his true calling in life”). You can read more of his work on his blog, Journey of a Lifetime.
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Do This and You Will Not Lose Heart
Today's guest post comes from Pastor Steve King, senior pastor of Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington, VA. Pastor Steve has faithfully served in the ministry for close to 40 years and has become both a friend and mentor to me personally. Below is a letter he wrote to a group of ministers about "losing heart." While the letter was written originally to people in full-time ministry, I think it has tremendous value for all who call themselves a servant of Christ.
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The Gift of "Philoxenia"
“But first I want you to tell me this: do you know the power of love? Christ passed over all the marvelous works which were to be performed by the apostles and said, ‘By this shall men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’” --St John Chrysostom
The idea of hospitality has challenged me over the past few weeks and seems to have culminated in the latest Vesper and Liturgical Gospel readings both regarding how we treat one another, and how we rely on the Holy Spirit to work in us, God to provide for us, and Christ to show us the way to be holier hosts (Luke 14:7-15, Luke 9:10-17).
A word often used for hospitality in the New Testament, philoxenia, combines the idea of loving as if you would love someone bound to you by blood or faith (philo) and applies it to a stranger (xenos).
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The Wild Grape
This is a guest post from Linamize, a first-year graduate student originally from Eritrea, who is now studying to be a physician’s assistant in California and who has guest posted before. In today's post, she shares an eye-opening "moment of truth" she experienced while reading a passage in Scripture recently. If you too are interested in guest posting, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
"And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?" (Isaiah 5:3-4)
When I opened my Bible this morning and read that, I felt as if the Lord was speaking directly to me (or about me).
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The Grass is Greener on the Other Side
This is a guest post from Marina Abdel Malak – a FrAnthony.com guest post favorite. In her previous posts, Marina spoke about her battle with ANOREXIA NERVOSA and how God helped her overcome it. Now, thanks to God, Marina is preparing for a career in helping others overcome their illnesses in medical school. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
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“Face to Face” with Grace
It hasn’t been a long time since I’ve begun to write, but it has been long enough for me to truly notice and witness God’s grace in my life.
Most people who help me with my writing pieces, know that my favorite topic to write about is the grace of God. The all-knowing, all-merciful and all-loving God. His love extends so far into every facet of my life that I find it so difficult now to understand how blind I can sometimes be, and how much better I need to be every single day.
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From a "Leader of Two Lives"
We just recently concluded the season in the church known as “the Holy 50 days” – that is the 50 days going from the Resurrection of Christ (aka, Easter) to the descent of the Holy Spirit (aka, Pentecost).
While this season was meant to be a time where we rejoice because Christ is here with us in all of His glory, unfortunately for many of us, it is seen as a time of “recovering” from Lent and soon becomes a breeding ground for sin.
Why is that?
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The Prayer App
Sometimes I wish prayer was as easy as using an app. I would ask to get to my next life destination and God would Uber me from point A to point B. I would ask for direction and He'd lead me to google maps. I would ask for creative inspiration and I'd get a Pinterest thread in my thoughts.
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Child, Why Do You Cry?
I sat their on the church stairs, barely able to take a breath. The ringing in my ears, the dust in the air, the people running back and forth, in panic. I look around me and I see body after body, full of blood, carried and rushed out the church doors.
In the background I can hear the screaming and with each tear a mother cries and falls to the ground, the earth beneath me rattles. Each hug a father gives to their dying child, I feel their arms around me holding me close. Every sibling that holds their loved ones hands for the last time, trying to tell them it’s going to be okay; I feel their fingers in-between mine.
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Submission & Partnership
The two seem pretty contradictory right?
Submission is a word that has caused confusion, and sometimes, disgruntlement for many engaged and married women. A newlywed myself, it was something I struggled with prior to my wedding. I struggled to understand what God was commanding of me and I was unsure that I’d be able to fulfill and obey what was asked of me properly.
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My "AHA" Moment
A recent sermon by Fr. Anthony talked about evangelism. How do we go around and talk about Jesus, and how do we bring Jesus to the people around us. I am surrounded by friends who are atheists. They are aware of my belief and respect my religion and are aware of my fasting time and have seen the many pictures of St. Mary and Jesus Christ in my room.
Despite that I always feel the need to be cautious when we talk because of fear of being teased and embarrassment, and sometimes because I think I will be offending them.
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Performing Orthodoxy – A Newbie’s Take!
In the Orthodox Church, we are now in the period known as the "Holy Fifty" – a period of feasting where the church celebrates Jesus’ presence with the disciples after His resurrection – and yet, my heart is still meditating on Christ’s last week on earth before the crucifixion.
Throughout Holy Week, as I attended daily liturgical worship services, I reflected over the mode of worship in Orthodoxy, which emphasizes outward expressions of piety and devotion. I don’t mean this in a negative sense. Consider. Almost every part of the Orthodox Church is intended to lead Christians through a physical act of worship in order to model for us the posture that our hearts should be taking.
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A Reflection after a Visit to STSA
Alrighty blog readers, I have a special treat for you. Below is a guest post from Eric Young, the Assistant Dean in the Georgetown University MBA Career Center and also a member of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. Eric paid us a visit at STSA on Sunday, April 23 and below is his reflection after that visit. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
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What Learning to Drive a Car Taught Me about Life
I am NOT a natural born driver. Never have been and never will be. I'm not one of those people who just gets into a car and "just knows” how it works. In fact, the first time I put my foot on a car pedal I was so anxious that my nose began to bleed.
Despite the effort it takes, there’s great value in trying to learn something new. Since learning is multiplied when shared, I decided to share some lessons I’ve learnt whilst learning to drive a car. These lessons can be applied on the road just as much as they can on your spiritual path.
So buckle up because here we go!
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Finding My Soulmate
This is a guest post from Peri Koussa - a fourth year PharmD student at MCPHS University in Boston. Aside from being a future health care professional, Peri is also - in her own words - "a closet poet and strong believer in the power of words." You can see more of Peri's work by checking her out on SoundCloud. And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Here I am, a young girl in her twenties, drowning in the waves of a community I struggle to understand. It is a community that boasts of an ultimate feat: finding a soulmate.
Everywhere you go there seems to be some sort of indication that it is time to start the search for 'the one'.
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The Vastness of God's Creation
This is a guest post from a group called Team Humanity. Their mission is to help you "discover the beauty of unity, of our one humanity, with His Divinity." You can learn more about Team Humanity by following them on YouTube, Twitter or Facebook. And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Have you ever sat and thought about the vastness of creation? I don't mean the Earth… I mean the universe and the galaxies! How about the stars? Did you know that the sun is 93 million miles away (150 million kilometres) from Earth and is so large that 960,000 earths could fit inside it!? And that's just one star in our galaxy!
How about Betelgeuse? No not the movie. That's another star. It's 427 light years away.
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On the Contrary
This is a guest post from Shereen Marcus - a proud member of St. Timothy & St. Athanasius church who has guest posted before. In today's post, Shereen speaks candidly about her experience with the children's program at STSA - a program she has been instrumental in creating and managing since the start. And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Several years ago, I was entrusted with heading up the Youth Ministry program at my church. Then, a short time later, I was asked to take a step away. I thought I was doing a good job, and my priest didn’t disagree, but yet he still asked me to step away from it. But… I wasn’t done yet.
“You don’t have to agree,” he said, “But you do have to obey.”
I was devastated. Re-vamping the Orthodox Church model for Sunday School had become a passion of mine. And to be honest – I really thought I was doing a good job. Kids were having fun – and parents were telling me how it was their kids who dragged them to Church instead of the other way around.
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“Special Needs” have a Basic Need
Today's guest post comes from Nancy Gwany - a statistical analyst by trade but someone who, in her own words, "started journaling to communicate with God" and has since found God "in between the lines" as she says. You can read more of Nancy's work at her blog, Meet You At The Altar. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
"Some lives are worth more than others."
As painful as it is to read those words, it does not remotely compare to experiencing it first hand in a third world country where ones’ assigned value is equitable to a life sentence. A value that is often unjustly derived by a society immensely unqualified to evaluate it. A society that dictates paths and closes doors solely based on a perceived notion of worth.
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There’s Nothing Sexy about Sexual Addiction
This guest post comes from Danielle Adams - a freelance writer who works with Lifestar Therapy and has guest posted here before. Danielle is committed to helping people practice open communication and build healthy relationships. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Mainstream media has long been pushing to normalize and romanticize pornography and sexual addiction and make it a part of everyday life. The media regularly promotes characters who indulge in sexual behaviors such as BDSM, pornography use, and visits to strip clubs as if there’s no harm in these practices.
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How to Be Happy with Your Age
This is a guest post by Uwe Bower, a dear friend of mine and integral member of the STSA church family. Uwe is also a recent fellow inductee into the 40-year-old club and today he shares his thoughts about "getting older." Couldn't have said it better myself! If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guideline for more info.
"You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake."
Recently, I turned 40. Many people asked me how it feels like. Some joke if I can still walk a straight line without help. Most seem to be thinking there is a problem about getting older. Why?
Usually, people get freaked out when they pass a milestone. Already 30! Oh no, life is over at 40! 50 - are you kidding me? Most of us want to be younger than we are. Look younger, be more active, independent, free. The result can be quite funny. 30-year-olds dress like college kids. 40-year-olds are as uncommitted as twenty-somethings. 50-year-olds undergo plastic surgery to make sure nobody discovers their real age.
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