Do the Work of An Evangelist

May 3, 2017

“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Anyone who calls themselves a Christian/follower of Christ is called to do the work of an evangelist. Actually... let me say that more bluntly....if YOU call yourself a Christian/follower of Christ, then YOU are called to do the work of an evangelist. No wiggle room there.

But evangelism doesn’t mean standing on a corner and yelling at people to repent before they go to hell (see video above).

Are You An Audio-Visual Christian?

April 26, 2017

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “Preach the gospel at all times; and if necessary, use words.” It’s become a popular cliché amongst Christians today. We use it with regards to the idea of doing evangelism in our workplaces, schools, communities, etc. The principle behind it is that we should let our actions speak louder than our words.

So don’t tell people to be honest; be honest yourself. Don’t tell people to be kind-hearted; be kind-hearted yourself. Don’t tell people that you are a Christian…show them that you are one! Let people “see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Very nice…very spiritual-sounding…very true indeed. No one can disagree with the concept.

But the question is this: is that enough? Or do we sometimes need to do more? We all agree that our witness should BEGIN with our actions, but should it END there as well?

Are You a Pillow or a Sword?

February 8, 2017

No new post again this week as I'm in crunch time prepping for Momentum. But in the meantime, I thought I'd repost one of my most famous blog posts ever, from back in 2012. Understanding this concept has made the biggest difference in my life and I hope it can do the same for you. And I'll still be on Periscope today at 12:30 pm EST for another ASK ME ANYTHING scope.

“Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another.” Acts 15:39

In the book of Acts, chapter 15, we have the story of one of the great disputes in church history. The great apostle Paul got into a disagreement with his fellow worker Barnabas – who just happened to be his mentor as well. The disagreement occurred as the two of them were about to set sail on a pastoral journey to visit the churches which they had already established.

The dispute was over the presence of another apostle on the trip – St. Mark, the writer of the second gospel. At the time, Mark was still young and not quite ready for some of the rigors of the mission field. He was still a work in progress at the time the story takes place.

What's On My Mind as We Approach Election Day

November 4, 2016

That’s it America. We’re almost there. Only four days left till the booths are opened and the most heated Presidential election of our lifetime takes place.

Most Americans – regardless of political party affiliation – are anxious about what is going to happen to our country as a result of this election. Each side fears the worst if “the other candidate” wins.

She’s gonna ruin our country…

He’s gonna start a world war…

How can I support someone like that to be my president?

And the list goes on and on.

While the entire world sits on the edge of its collective seat to see what will happen on Tuesday, I wanted to share some of my concerns and worries as we approach this election as well.

Every Wedding is a Mission (Impossible) - Crowns of Glory Part 3

October 3, 2016

It's the week 3 finale of the CROWNS OF GLORY: Lessons from an Orthodox Wedding Ceremony and this week we looked at the most controversial and most misrepresented portion of the ceremony - the instructions to the bride and groom.

TO THE GROOM: Do all that is good for her. Have compassion on her and always hasten to do that which will gladden her heart. Take care of her as her parents did in love and in humility… Remember that if you fulfill the divine commandments which urge you to look after your wife, the Lord will bless you in all you do…

TO THE BRIDE: You must honor and respect him, do not disagree with him but increase your obedience to him over what was commanded many times… Receive him with joy and cheer, do not frown in his face, observe all your obligations to him, and fear God in all you do… so the Lord will support you and provide for your livelihood and blessing will descend upon your house.

Wondering what all that means? Check out the video above and see for yourself.

Every Wedding is a New Birth – CROWNS OF GLORY Part 2

September 26, 2016

Marriage isn’t something we shouldn’t undo.
It’s something we CAN’T undo.

Week 2 in our series CROWNS OF GLORY: Lessons from an Orthodox Wedding Ceremony. This week we saw that in addition to being a funeral, every wedding is also a NEW BIRTH – that is the beginning of a new person that didn’t exist beforehand.

That new person is not born out of an agreement between two people, but rather out of a mystical union of two people. And once that union is formed, WATCH OUT! Because what God has joined together, let NOT man separate.

Check out the video above to see how this lesson is given to us in the Orthodox wedding ceremony. Enjoy!

Every Wedding is a Funeral – CROWNS OF GLORY Part 1

September 19, 2016

Kicked off an exciting new series at The Well yesterday, CROWNS OF GLORY: Lessons from an Orthodox Wedding Ceremony. In this series, we’ll take a look at the rites and rituals of an Orthodox wedding and see what lessons the Church is trying to teach us through them.

Lesson #1: Every wedding is actually a funeral.

That’s not a typo, nor is it a joke. It’s the truth. If you aren’t ready to die then you aren’t ready to be married.

What does that mean? Check out the video above and see for yourself.

What’s harder: loving your ENEMIES or your FRIENDS?

June 29, 2016

This past week I preached about the importance of watching what we say. Why? “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

Ouch! That’s a tough verse to swallow if we really take it seriously. In light of that, I remembered this post that I wrote originally three years ago which gets to the core of why watching our words is so difficult to do. Hope you enjoy!

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What’s harder: loving your enemies or loving your friends?

I know the question sounds like a no-brainer. It’s such a dumb question that it’s not even worth answering. “Of course it’s easier to love your friends than it is to love your enemies,” you’d say. How could anyone think otherwise?

Now before I get too deep into this post, let me say that I fully realize that my world isn’t the same as everyone else’s. I don’t live in a world where I’m persecuted for my faith. I don’t live in a world where I have to deal with prejudice because of the color of my skin. I don’t live in a world where I can easily identify one person or one group of people as “my enemy” (Cowboys fans excluded 🙂 )

TALKING YOUR WAY OUT OF A HOSTAGE CRISIS - Confronting Conflict Part 4

February 22, 2016

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." ~ George Bernard Shaw

Final installment in Confronting Conflict and after spending 3 weeks preparing our hearts and our minds to address conflict, we finally delved into the actual process/methodology of speaking the truth in love.

That process is based on the "5 skills and 2 tudes (attitudes)" of Critical Conversation. What are those skills and attitudes?

What the World Needs Now

February 15, 2016

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love it's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love,No not just for some, but for everyone."

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! We decided to take a break from our current series on Confronting Conflict and instead we talked about the subject that is on everyone's mind on the 14th day of February...LOVE

It's Not About the Nail (video)

February 10, 2016

Two weeks to go till Momentum 2016 and I'm in full lockdown mode as I prepare. So unfortunately, no time to write or scope today.

But seeing as I'm talking about relationships/conflict these days and Valentine's Day is this Sunday, I thought I'd repost the following video from a couple years back. This video is a) absolutely hysterical, LOL funny if you ask me, and b) profoundly educational as well (especially if you're married). Check it out and see for yourself!

MASTERING YOUR STORIES - Confronting Conflict Part 3

February 8, 2016

“Nothing in this world is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~ William Shakespeare

Ever feel like you aren't in control of your emotions, but rather your emotions are in control of you? Do find yourself saying things like "he makes me so mad..." or "she left me no choice but to..."

If so, then you need to check out Part 3 in Confronting Conflict: "MASTERING YOUR STORIES."

In this week's message, we talked about how our emotions are not as out-of-control as we think. We can influence how we feel and it isn't as hard as it sounds. All it takes is understanding the role of "stories" and how you can control your emotions by controlling your stories.

START WITH THE HEART - Confronting Conflict Part 2

February 1, 2016

To After a week off due to last week's blizzard, we're back in action at The Well with Part 2 in the CONFRONTING CONFLICT series, titled "START WITH THE HEART".

The main point of this week's message was that the first priority in facing conflict needs to be: ME FIRST, US SECOND. In other words, I need to examine myself - my motivation, my goal, what I want out of this conversation - before I look at the person in front of me in the conversation. ME first, US second.

We also talked about how to properly diagnose when a conversation has moved from "casual" to "critical" and what that means.

THE POWER OF CONFLICT - Confronting Conflict Part 1

January 18, 2016

Yesterday was Friends & Family Day at The Well and to celebrate, we kicked off a brand new series called CONFRONTING CONFLICT.

Why are we talking about conflict? Because a) life is all about relationships and b) you can't have relationships with conflict. It's inevitable!

How many marriages are broken because of a conflict mishandled? How many parents wish they could "go back" and respond differently? How many friendships end suddenly because of a conflict that arose suddenly and wasn't handled properly?

The goal of this series is to learn how to face conflict head on - in a godly, Christlike manner. Check out Part 1 above and get ready to change your outlook on conflict.

I’m Starting a Marriage Book Club TONIGHT!

November 17, 2015

I’m trying something new and I’m starting tonight. Yesterday I picked up this book, A Lifelong Love: How to Have Lasting Intimacy, Friendship, and Purpose in Your Marriage and I couldn’t put it down. Best book I’ve read about marriage in a long time. And I think the message is exactly what so many married couples need to hear today!

So I’ve decided to share what I’m learning by starting an online book club on Periscope – beginning TONIGHT! And the best news is that I won’t be alone on the scope…MARIANNE WILL BE ON WITH ME AS WELL!

LET'S TALK - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 6

August 24, 2015

It's time for the finale of REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating and we wrapping up by answering YOUR questions that we accumulated throughout the series. And as you'll see from the video, it isn't just me up on stage; we brought back all of our speakers plus THEIR WIVES!

Definitely a must watch video!

What My Kids Learned from our Family Mission Trip

August 19, 2015

I’M BACK! Finally! Thanks be to God! I’m back and so is my family and I am excited to be home! In case you didn’t realize it, I’ve been away for the past two weeks. Our entire family – Marianne, Michael, Lizzie and myself – went on a mission trip to Kenya, serving alongside one of my spiritual fathers and mentors, His Grace Bishop Paul. We spent two weeks serving with the Coptic Mission in Kenya in the capital city of Nairobi and a rural town called Maseno.

And in case you’re wondering how it went...BEST TWO WEEKS FOR OUR FAMILY EVER!

The Boy, the Girl, the Ring & the Bed - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 5

August 17, 2015

I AM BACK! After sitting on the sidelines for the past few weeks, I was back to wrap up the series on REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating.

And the final message was my somewhat disorganized way of throwing the kitchen sink at all you singles out there. It was a smorgasbord of advice centered around one central theme - a theme that applies to every area of life, ESPECIALLY MARRIAGE! And that theme is this:

"Promises are no substitute for preparation."

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend every single person to listen to this message. Trust me, it's worth your time.

THE TALK - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 4

August 9, 2015

Get ready ladies and gentlemen...it's time for "THE TALK." Yep, you know what this talk is all about. It's the talk that you never had with your mom or your dad. It's the talk you are avoiding having with your kids as well. It's the talk that you DEFINITELY never heard in church before...until today!

In this week's message, Deacon Michael Guirguis is back to share something you may not have known about sex and your sexuality. It's a message that goes against everything culture teaches today.

Culture teaches that sex is just physical, but God teaches that it's so much more than that.

LADIES NIGHT - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 3

August 3, 2015

It's Week 3 of REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating and this week, we're focusing on the ladies!

In this message, Dr. Kurt Langenbach speaks about the Biblical model for womanhood and how God views the role of a wife in marriage. He tackles the sensitive topic of "submission" and explains what it means in marriage and more importantly, what you need to do TODAY to be ready to fulfill this role TOMORROW.

Ladies, make sure you check out this message. And get ready for next week's message, titled "Real Talk: THE TALK." Stay tuned...