BLESSED Part 2 - The Blessed Test

August 12, 2013

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (Luke 16:10-11)

Did you know that right now God is testing you? He's testing you to see if you are ready for more blessing. He wants to bless you and bless your life, but He can't/won't unless you pass the test.

What's the test? That's the topic of Part 2 in the BLESSED. In it, we talk about a verse from Luke 16 which explains why we might not be living with as much blessing as we'd like.

BLESSED Part 1 - The Life That's Blessed

August 5, 2013

Who wants to be blessed? Be honest. Raise your hands/mouses. How often do you pray “please God bless my life” or “bless my career” or “bless my family” or just even plain old “BLESS ME!" We all want to be blessed but the problem is that the path to get there is often a mystery.

That's why we started a new series called BLESSED. The goal is to figure out how to live a life that's full of blessing.

I Am the Way (I AM Part 5)

July 29, 2013

We wrapped up the I AM series yesterday with a final message on Jesus' most politically incorrect statement ever:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

How could Jesus say such a statement? Doesn't He know that it's offensive to say that your religion is better than someone else's? And isn't this somewhat arrogant - to believe that your way is the ONLY WAY to heaven?

I Am the Vine (I AM Part 4)

July 22, 2013

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

How important is it for the branch to stay connected to the vine? Is there anything a branch can do it on its own without the vine?

According to Jesus, He is the vine and we are the branches. And without Him, we can do nothing. Check out this week's message in the I AM series to find out why and what you can do to stay connected to the true Vine.

I Am the Light of the World (I AM Part 3)

July 15, 2013

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

This week's message in the I AM series is based on one of the inspirational and grace filled encounters that Jesus ever had. The statement appears at the end of a dialogue between Jesus, some mean spirited Pharisees, and a woman caught in adultery.

Which is better: being the recipient or being the channel?

July 10, 2013

One of my all-time favorite Bible stories also happens to be one of the most famous - the feeding of the 5,000. It’s a story that we’ve all heard – when Jesus fed a large multitude of people with only 5 loaves and 2 fish. Who wouldn't love a story about free fish sandwiches on a hot summer day? Now’s that what following Jesus is all about!

But something hit me the last time I read this story – something that made me ask myself this question: is being the recipient of a miracle what I really want? Or is there something better?

The story starts in Luke 9:10-11, “When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed Him.”

I Am the Good Shepherd (I AM Part 2)

July 8, 2013

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

In the first message of the I AM series, we heard Jesus declare His power and His divinity. In this message, we heard how Jesus plans to use that power and divinity - that is, to lay down His life for us.

In a world where power corrupts even the best of people, come see how Jesus uses His power for the sake of His sheep.

I Am the Resurrection and the Life (I AM Part 1)

July 1, 2013

"Who do you say that I am?" Jesus asked a lot of questions during His time on earth, but none more important than that. The answer to that question will impact both your life on this earth and your eternity.

That's why we started a new series yesterday called I AM. The series will look at 5 of Jesus' I AM statements and we'll use Jesus' own words to help us answer the question of "who is Jesus?"

Here is the first message in the series - based on John 11:25 - where Jesus said "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

Why “Loving One Another” is the Key to God’s Heart

May 29, 2013

“Do you think we should leave the kids or not? Will they be ok without us? Or should we just take them with us and forget about the waterpark?”

That was the conversation that I had with my wife just three days ago as we were debating whether or not to leave our children – ages 8 and 6 – at a waterpark during our church’s weekend getaway to a local resort. They wouldn’t be alone there. They’d be with several other members of the STSA family – about 100 or so – but they would be without us.

As you can imagine, everyone was super excited to go to the waterpark on Saturday afternoon (remember it was Memorial Day weekend). But Marianne and I had to return home for a wedding that evening. So we had to decide what to do with our kids. They were excited to go to the waterpark, but we were worried.

Pascha Week is Here

April 29, 2013

Just wanted to let my faithful readers know that I won’t be blogging at all this week because this is the week that we in the Orthodox church celebrate Pascha Week (aka Holy Week).

And during Pascha week we have pretty intense schedule of services so therefore I’ll be offline till next week. However, I wanted to share a message which I delivered last night (the first night of Pascha week) over at St. Mark’s church. Something important to keep in mind throughout this week…

It’s Time to Launch Out into the Deep

April 25, 2013

“Launch out into the deep.” Those were the words that the Lord Jesus spoke to Peter after a long night of work (see Luke 5), during which Peter labored and toiled to catch fish but had come up empty. After that night of frustration, Jesus commands Peter to go back out into the deep waters and let down his nets and try one more time to find what he was looking for.

You probably know how the story ends [Peter catches more fish than he knows what to do with], that isn’t the point of the story.

Are You Ready to See the Judge?

April 23, 2013

When I was a child, I used to love getting asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I loved it because the answer to that question was never the same. Like most kids, I was constantly changing my mind about what I wanted to be one day (and believe me, I still haven’t figured it out what I’m going to be when all is said and done).

But I remember that there was a long period where I really wanted to be a lawyer. That was my dream. Coincidentally, this happened to be right around the time of A FEW GOOD MEN – the Hollywood hit starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson. Man I loved that movie!

(even more coincidental was the fact that I also wanted to be an Navy pilot after seeing TOP GUN – the original Tom Cruise classic – where Maverick and Goose stole all of our hearts. “I feel the need…for speed. Whoa!” What can I say. We all have our little quirks. Mine is Tom Cruise movies. Judge not, lest ye be judged.)

Preparing for Holy Week (sermon video)

April 22, 2013

I'm back online! Sorry for being out of touch all last week. We were getting our house ready to be put on the market for sale - so I was wrapped up with that all day, every day, last week.

But now, thanks be to God, we're done and I am back and more pumped than ever! Lots of stuff I can't wait to share with everyone out there in the blogosphere so stay tuned... But for today, I wanted to share the video of the message that I delivered yesterday: PREPARING FOR HOLY WEEK.

NOTE: if you're not Orthodox and you're wondering why we're preparing for Holy Week now, it's because we are on a different calendar than you. You celebrated Easter a few weeks ago; but we don't get to it till May. So you can look at it as we are a month behind the rest of the Christian world, or as I prefer to see it, we are about 11 months ahead. :)

Either way, check out the video and hopefully this helps get you in the right frame of mind - regardless of when you celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord.

Faithful Stewardship

April 11, 2013

“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2

I always wondered why the Bible says that. Why is faithfulness the one thing that is explicitly listed as a requirement for “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1). Why not love? Or patience? Or kindness? Why not the ability to recite all the books of the Bible in order or memorize the most verses? WHY FAITHFUL???

The key to this passage is understanding what a steward is – someone who was given something and asked to take care of it. If you read the rest of the chapter, St. Paul makes it clear that he doesn’t think highly of himself or what he has accomplished. He says that we are just stewards – not people who accomplished a lot, but people who received a lot. In other words, all of us are just like little orphan Annie – we got lucky and hit the jackpot when God adopted us into His family.

But as a member of His family, there are certain expectations. And those expectations center around faithfulness. What must I do to remain in good standing in the house of our heavenly Big Daddy Warbucks? I must do whatever I am asked to do.

Jesus in Weakness (sermon video)

March 26, 2013

I’ve been a priest for close to 12 years now. And in those 12 years, I’ve probably preached more than 1,000 sermons. But very few of them have ever touched me in the same way as the one below.

This is the video of a sermon I gave two years ago during this same time of year – the second week of Lent. It is based on the passage from Matthew 4:1-11, the temptation of Christ in the wilderness.

I just watched it this morning and could still feel the chills in my spine as I remembered the picture of Jesus during those 40 days in the desert. The picture is not a pleasant one at all – it’s not the strong Jesus that we love to picture, or the Almighty Jesus or the Eternal Jesus. Instead we see a picture of a weak Jesus. A hungry Jesus. A Jesus in need of help from the angels. And that picture breaks my heart.

Forgiveness Sunday – by Fr. Alexander Schmemann

March 15, 2013

Below is an article written by the late Reverend Alexander Schmemann – a prominent 20th century priest, theologian and writer in the Orthodox church here in America. Fr. Alexander published many books and articles and did much to help the spread of Orthodox Christianity in America before his untimely death from cancer in 1983.

The article below is about the significance and meaning of Forgiveness Sunday – the Sunday before the start of Lent. I am publishing it today because it is a perfect follow up to yesterday’s very popular post on FORGIVENESS: What Lent is All About.

I hope you enjoy this article from one of the modern day heroes of the Orthodox Church in America.

Forgiveness: What Lent Is All About

March 14, 2013

Two days ago I posed a question to my blog readers: what do you think God wants us/you to focus on during Lent?

If we are going to get the most out of Lent and we are going to reach the destination we are aiming for (remember Lent is a journey, not a season), then what do we need to take with us along the way?

We agreed already that fasting is a key element, but there is certainly more. Much more! God is always more focused on the attitudes of the heart more than on the actions of the body. As the Scripture says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (see also Matthew 5:21-22 and 5:27-28).

So what heart attitude do we need to focus on at the start of this Lenten journey? Where should our emphasis lie?

Spiritual Sweat Part 7 - CELEBRATION

February 25, 2013

Yesterday was the finale of the Spiritual Sweat series at STSA. Our final discipline wasn't one that you'd usually think of as a discipline per se, but I personally believe it might be the most important.

The discipline of CELEBRATION is the practice of bringing more joy into our lives and it is the culmination of all the disciplines. It's where we are all striving to get to. Is there anyone out there who couldn't use a little more joy in their life? Check out the video below and you'll see how you can work towards achieving it.

Spiritual Sweat Part 6 - WORSHIP

February 18, 2013

Worship - a word that means many different things to many different people. Yesterday I spoke about what the word means to God and what God is looking for when it comes to us worshiping Him. From the earliest days, who/what you worshiped determined whether or not you belonged to God's family or not. The people of God worshiped the One True God and they did so in the way in which He prescribed. We need to check our worship to make sure it's in line with what God is looking for today.

Take a look at yesterday's message, the 6th part in the Spiritual Sweat series, and let me know what you think.