Crazymakers Part 2 - WHO'S PUSHING YOUR BUTTONS?

March 18, 2013

How do you respond to anger? Are you a Machine Gun? A Mute? A Martyr? Or a Manipulator? That was the topic of yesterday's message. It was Part 2 of the Crazymakers series, titled "Who's Pushing Your Buttons?" In it, we looked at some of the different ways that we usually respond when angry and then saw four Biblical principles of how God wants us to handle anger.

An important message for all. Why? Because whether you realize it or not, you do have a problem with anger and you might be the only one who doesn't see it. Just because you don't explode (those are the Machine Guns), doesn't mean that you don't have an anger problem. It just means that your problem is hidden and that makes it even more dangerous.

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?

Crazymakers Part 1 - SIX KEYS TO RELATING WISELY

March 11, 2013

Kicked off a new series at STSA yesterday called CRAZYMAKERS!

What's a Crazymaker you ask? "My wife makes me crazy", "my boss makes me crazy", "my parents make me crazy..." Then they're your crazymakers! The goal of this series is to focus on our relationships and restoring health in this area of our lives. And this is especially important as we - Orthodox Christians - kick off Lent today and begin this 55 day journey towards the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is this important for us at this time? Stay tuned to tomorrow's blog post and I'll talk about it there. Or you check out the video below as well. Enjoy! And good luck with all those crazymakers!

And The Winner Is...

March 8, 2013

Congratulations to the following commenters who have been selected as the winners of DISCOVER iBook giveaway. Based on their comments to my previous blog post, they will each be receiving a free copy of the DISCOVER iBook – a 6 week group study created by The Hope Association to be used as a follow up to the Momentum conference.

And the winners are...

Different Isn't Wrong; It's Just Different

February 26, 2013

Can two people think differently and both be right? Is that possible?

Yesterday’s post on the contention between Paul and Barnabas – or pillows and swords as I referred to them yesterday – generated a lot of good discussion. I want to expand on the idea that I started yesterday about how two people can be very different – in their thinking and their personality and their decision making process – yet neither one is necessarily wrong.

People are different. That is a fact. From our fingerprints to our personal experiences to our ways of processing information, we are each unique creations of God. We are not randomly designed, but rather “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

We think differently. We talk differently. We react differently. We are different!

So far no one will disagree with me. But here comes the hard part: JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS DIFFERENT DOESN’T MAKE THEM WRONG. Different doesn’t mean wrong. It just means different.

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.

Really God? Why now?

February 21, 2013

“This stiff neck couldn’t have come at a worse time.” That is what I woke up saying on Wednesday morning of last week. It was 5:00 in the morning and I could barely move. I can’t ever remember feeling pain like that in my neck (insert your own marriage joke here) and it seemed to come at the worst possible time (emphasis on “seemed”).

Why was it the worst possible time? Because on the next day, I was supposed to be travelling up to Toronto for 5 action-packed days. The main event during this trip would be two Outreach Nights hosted by my good friends at SMSV church. During these nights, they invite all the Christians and non-Christians in the area for a night of spiritual revival. They advertised on the radio, in the newspaper and online. And this year they expected a larger turnout than ever before – the facility they rented accommodated close to 900 people!

And the main speaker for both nights….FR. ANTHONY MESSEH! The guy whose neck is so sore at this point that he can barely lift up his head and talk at the same time. What great timing for this stiff neck!

Yikes! A FLOOD!!!

February 19, 2013

Woke up this morning nice and early, ready to tackle one of those weeks - one of those weeks where I have more things to do than hours to do it. But that's ok, no worries. God is good and God is going to get me through.

That's when I heard the something like the sound of many rushing waters - but not the kind of rushing waters that heaven speaks about These rushing waters were coming from my downstairs bathroom. The toilet is leaking! Oh no! And the water is coming fast - must have been leaking all night. But it should be ok as long as it didn't go through the ceiling to the basement. Right?

WRONG! Basement flooded. Carpet soaked. And it stinks. There goes my day!

So no blog post today unfortunately. Got to deal with this disaster. I'm sure there's a lesson here somewhere, but to be honest right now, I can't see it. But I am determined not to let this ruin my day/week. DETERMINED! It might alter my schedule a bit and lead to a few less hours of sleep tonight when I get home - but no way am I going to let this get me down or distract me from what I need to do this week...

...at least that's what I am praying for. To be continued...

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.

The Temple of God

February 15, 2013

“You are the Temple of God.” I am? Really? What does that mean?

I didn’t know what to make of it when I first heard that I am the temple of God. I go to church, attend spiritual meetings and retreats – but have I been treating the "Temple of God" in the right manner? Am I keeping it holy as God desires?

I think the vast majority of people who live away from God do so because they have never understood who they are and how precious they are in God’s sight. But the Holy Bible make this clear:

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

What a privilege we have! A privilege to bear the Holy Spirit within us! Yes, we are precious – we are the temples of God. And we must treat our bodies as such.

Spiritual Sweat Part 5 - CONFESSION

February 11, 2013

This week's message in the Spiritual Sweat series focused on what I believe is the toughest of the disciplines - but also the most rewarding. CONFESSION. Think you know what confession is all about? Take a listen and see.

Hide and Seek with God

February 8, 2013

Imagine a father and son spending some quality time together on a beautiful afternoon playing “hide and seek.” The father is hiding in the best hiding spot ever and the son quickly counts to 20 and scurries around the house to find him. The father can’t help but laugh because he knows his son is never going to look there.

The son searches for 5-10 more minutes, can’t find, and gives up in frustration. Victory for the father, right?

No earthly father would ever do that and neither would our heavenly Father either. Actually, He does the exact opposite.

Often we feel that God is in places that we are never going to get to. We convince ourselves that “He’s too far from us” so we just give up.

But this isn’t hide and seek. God isn’t hiding from us. He’s not in some secret hiding spot that only the holiest people can find. In essence, He’s right in front of us at all times, waving His hands in our faces, saying “I’m here, I’m here!” And since we often can’t see Him in front of our eyes, He puts Himself in places we look at every day – to try to get our attention.

He’s in everything! In the nice view we see on our way to work. He’s in nature – in moments of peace. Believe it or not, He’s even in the people we talk to on a daily basis. And He’s in all those places with one mission – He’s determined for you to know Him.

How Should a Man Be Remembered? His Best Day or His Worst?

February 6, 2013

Let me start off with a disclaimer. I am not a Ray Lewis fan. But neither am I a Ray Lewis hater. I am just a sports fan with no particular affinity to either Ray Lewis or to the Baltimore Ravens or to anything that would make you want to stop reading this post and call me biased. I’m just a fan who likes to make observations. That’s it. No agenda. Just observations.

So here’s what I’ve observed recently…

Ray Lewis – while undisputedly being one of the greatest football players ever – is also one of the most polarizing athletes to ever play a sport of any kind. No one likes him or dislikes him. You either love him or you hate him. And even those words don’t seem strong enough to describe the type of emotion that he elicits.

Part of our culture in America these days is to either idolize or demonize people who are famous. And never has that been truer than with Ray Lewis.

There’s no in between with him. Those who love him…really really love him. To them, he is more than a player, he is some type of mythical figure – a man on a mission, sent by God to knock the heads off of opposing quarterbacks and then pick them up and tell them that God loves them. He is Ray Lewis, the hero!

Spiritual Sweat Part 4 - SERVICE

February 4, 2013

SERVICE - a word that means different things to different people. The longer you've been a "church person" the more you've probably formed ideas of what this word means and what it's supposed to look like.

Well, I think you might need to reevaluate your understanding of the word service and see what Jesus really meant when He said: "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all." (Mark 10:43-44).

The Sluggard and the Rain

February 1, 2013

I have this tradition when I get home from work. And by tradition, I mean this crazy unexplainable thing that I do every day for no apparent reason. When I pull into my parking spot at home, I sit in my car for an uncertain amount of time, look in my backseat at the bags of things I have to carry, and dread the three flights of stairs I'm about to climb to my apartment.

Every day.

5 minutes. 10 minutes.

Sometimes 15.

I finally set my record for 50 minutes this one particular day. It was a sunny day, unusually warm for the season. I pulled into my spot, thought about the load I was about to carry, the work I was going to have to do once I made it up the stairs, the dog I would have to take right back down the stairs to do her business... It was looking pretty grim.

For 50 minutes I came up with at least 7 different plans to avoid the "suffering". As the 50th minute rolled around, the bottom fell out of the sky, and the rain began to pour. Now I was going to have to carry everything in the rain, take the dog out in the rain, and then, have the nerve to be mad at God about the rain.

Which begs the question... WHY DID I WAIT FOR THE RAIN???

Spiritual Sweat Part 3 - SOLITUDE

January 28, 2013

This week's installment in the Spiritual Sweat series is on the discipline of SOLITUDE - the habit of being alone with God. Is it possible to find true inner solitude and peace in the midst of all the noise and chaos of the world today?

Check out the video and see for yourself.

Is Christmas Ruined?

January 25, 2013

Hurricane Sandy, turmoil in Egypt, Newtown, CT, a murdered church member. All these tragedies and disasters are playing out and wreaking havoc on our countries, communities and hearts. The question “Why?” is ever present in our heavy hearts and troubled minds.

Why does God allow for these events to occur? Why so close to Christmas? Christmas is a time we are supposed to be joyous and celebrate his birth and coming. How does He expect us to be able to bask in the joy of His birth when we are surrounded by all of these horrendous events?

When I began to wonder why God would allow these traumatic events to happen around Christmas and dampen everyone’s spirits, I realized I had fallen into the trap of forgetting what Christmas is actually about. Distracted by the worldly aspects of Christmas, I saw these happenings detracting from the spirit of Christmas and the joy of the season. I soon realized though that I was mistaken and had just become too comfortable in going through the motions of Christmas. Not only had I become too comfortable going through the motions of Christmas, I realized that it had seeped into other parts of my life as well.

Man’s Greatest Mistake

January 24, 2013

We all make bad decisions. It happens every day. But there’s a difference between a bad decision and a life-defining and history-altering mistake. Bad decisions are “I think I’ll have another slice of cake please” or “I think my wife will love getting this aerobics video for her 40th birthday!” Those are bad decisions. But these are horrible mistakes:

Ignoring the warnings and scraping your ship against an iceberg while carrying more than 2200 passengers (see RMS Titanic)

Having a few drinks while driving an oil tanker and spilling 760,000 barrels of oil into the ocean (see Exxon-Valdez)

Doing whatever Tiger Woods did back in 2009 and altering the trajectory of his life and of the sport of golf forever

It’s tough to recover from those kinds of mistakes. Those are the ones that you’ll probably spend the rest of your life trying to recover from.

How about mankind as a whole? What’s our greatest mistake? Aside from Adam and Eve and their big no-no back in the Garden of Eden, what’s the biggest mistake we’ve ever made?

Get Ready for MOMENTUM 2013

January 22, 2013

What am I excited about in 2013? In a word…MOMENTUM. Why? Because momentum is unstoppable!

s we kick off 2013 and everyone hurries to set goals and make resolutions, I want to share what God has been speaking to me about for the coming year. My vision and my goals for 2013 can best be summarized by 5 words which were tweeted during the first minutes of 2013 by one of my newfound heroes in life – Robert Griffin III (aka RG3): “Happy New Year!!! You ain't seen nothing yet!!!”

I love that! That’s perfect. That is exactly what God has been revealing to me for the past several days (minus the improper grammar of course) about what this coming year has in store:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” Ephesians 3:20

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!!!” (@RGIII 1/1/13)