Mama Maggie: How I Met a Modern Day Hero

March 13, 2015

“We don’t choose where or when to be born. We don’t choose where or when to die. But we can choose either to help others or turn away. We can choose to do nothing or be a hero. If you want to be a hero, do what God wants you to do. He will let you know what that is, as long as you are open to finding out.” ~ Mama Maggie

Last night I met a hero. A real life hero! Someone who does real hero stuff – like saving lives and giving her own life to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. Things that most people wouldn’t consider doing even once in their lives, she does them on a day to day basis.

That hero’s name is Mama Maggie – the modern day “Mother Teresa of Egypt” as she is often referred to. And I got to meet her last night!

LET'S GET TO WORK - The BodyShop Part 3

March 9, 2015

God gives power to the Church. The Church gives power to the members. The means by which this power is distributed is called LITURGY.

That was the main message in our 3rd message in The BodyShop series as we continue to look at the different markers that make a healthy member of the Body of Christ. This week's topic...LITURGY, our communal response to God.

We talked about WHAT liturgy means (much more than a just bunch of prayers said in a church building on Sunday mornings). We talked about WHY liturgy is something we should desire to be part of (it gets results, it brings joy, it prepares us for heaven). And at a very practical level, we discussed HOW we can get the most out of liturgy (hint: it requires more than just showing up).

So check out the message above and hopefully it'll open your eyes to a new level of worship and prayer as a member in Christ's Body.

Orthodoxy & Mission in America by HG Bishop Youssef

March 6, 2015

What is the future of Orthodoxy in America? Specifically the Coptic Orthodox tradition?

According to His Grace Bishop Youssef of the Diocese of the Southern United States, the future is bright! In this 8 minute audio clip, Bishop Youssef speaks about his vision for the Church in the coming years. He speaks about the importance of communicating our Orthodox faith in a manner that is adapted for the American culture in which we live. He speaks of the need to develop "an American Orthodox spirituality" - one that is distinctly Orthodox in its doctrine, yet American in its culture.

MANY MEMBERS, ONE BODY - The BodyShop Part 2

March 3, 2015

We began our exploration of what does it mean to be a "healthy" member of God's Body on earth by delving into the topic of COMMUNITY. Community is one of those things that every church talks about but very few church members actually find. It's one of those church "buzz words" that just sounds good and looks nice on our websites.

But is that all community is? Just a buzz word? Or is it something that we can actually find in our church? And if so, what do I need to do to find it?

Those are the questions that we discussed this week in the 2nd message of The BodyShop. We talked about what community means and where it comes from and why you can't be a healthy member in the Body of Christ without it. Check out the video above and hopefully it'll open the door for you to deepen your relationships with the fellow members in the Body of Christ.

Made in Heaven

February 27, 2015

How many of us enter into marriage truly believing that marriages are “made in heaven”, as the idiom goes? We approach courting thinking we are prepared.

Education? Check. Career? Check. House? Check.

We then proudly oversell ourselves thinking we can independently fulfill another, and conversely, we also seek fulfillment in another. Once we believe we have found that fulfillment, we pledge our forever-love. Then come the wedding, the confetti, and the bouquet toss. But sooner or later, if God isn’t at the center of the marriage, the honeymoon is over.

LENT: It's not about the food!

February 25, 2015

“Lent is here, we can’t eat meat. Lent is here, we have to put soy milk in our coffee. Lent is here, don’t tell anyone that that’s milk chocolate, not dark chocolate. Lent is here, we can’t eat Cool Ranch Doritos, we have to eat Sun Chips instead.”

For too many people, Lent is all about food. "Don’t eat this and don’t eat that. Stay away from this and don’t even think about that." Food food food. For a season that is supposed to simplify our lives and our eating habits, it sure seems like we spend a lot of time talking (and thinking) about food.

But is Lent supposed to about food? Is that what this is all about? Or do we maybe have this thing backwards?

Welcome to The BodyShop - Part 1

February 23, 2015

If rain, sleet and snow won't stop the US Postal service, then it certainly won't stop us either! We had a foot of snow in the DC on Saturday and that stopped us from being able to meet together in person; but it didn't stop us from Church!

Because as we saw in yesterday's message, the Church isn't a place we go... the Church is who we are! I am the Church and there is no greater honor than for me to say that and identify myself as a member of the "theanthropic" Body of Christ (big word explained in the message).

That's the point of our newest series, The BodyShop. We'll been given a great honor in being part of the Body and every week in this series, we'll look at a different aspect of what it means to be a HEALTHY member of that Body.

Welcome to The BodyShop!

A Lesson from the 21 Martyrs

February 20, 2015

Ever since the news broke out on Sunday of the beheading of twenty-one Coptic workers in Libya, there has been barrage of news links, Facebook statuses, and blog posts (sorry).

With the intent of informing myself, I've read through a lot of these and have landed in a state of complete bewilderment. It's a bit overwhelming.

How am I supposed to feel right now? Should I be mad that the video is being shared so carelessly? Should I be annoyed that the White House statement neglected to identify the victims as Christians? Should I rejoice that the Egyptian government responded by bombing Islamic State targets in Libya?

It's easy to respond to big questions like these almost automatically (e.g. yes. yes. I don't know) and to make them our focus, but I fear we are just missing the point.

From One Emotional Extreme to the Other

February 17, 2015

What a strange day! Talk about going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. That’s exactly how I felt just two days ago after returning from Momentum 2015 (most uplifting, inspirational, exhilarating weekend of my life!) and coming back to hear the news of the 21 Coptic Orthodox Christian men who were executed in Libya.

Highest of highs = Momentum 2015: 300 people on fire for God, embracing our role as ambassadors for God, ready to influence the world for Christ and now equipped with three tier strategy of how to accomplish it. BEST WEEKEND EVER!

I couldn’t have been more full of hope and joy and enthusiasm than I was on Sunday afternoon when we wrapped up Momentum. But by Sunday evening, things changed...

MY WILL OR THY WILL? The Great Hunt, The Quest for God's Will Part 3

February 9, 2015

DISCLAIMER: this might be the most important message I've ever preached in my life.

What does it mean to be a Christian, or a follower of Christ? Is it just doing good deeds? Saying a few prayers? Going through some Christian motions? Or is it more than that?

Jesus said “If anyone desires to come after Me (aka, be my follower), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

What does it mean to deny oneself and to lose my life for His sake? That's the topic of the final message in the THE GREAT HUNT: The Quest for God’sWill and it's something we all need to examine ourselves on

Sweet Victory

February 6, 2015

There’s nothing like a good song to lift my spirits. Music is a very powerful thing, and to me… it’s how my heart worships. It’s the strongest way my spirit connects with God.

Now, if I were to tell you that hip hop is my favorite genre of music, you might think I’m crazy; but there is some seriously good Christian hip hop out there, and it’s a beautiful thing!

There’s one song in particular that I’ve been listening to (on repeat) for the past several weeks. It comes from the album Riseby Trip Lee (whose concert I just attended last night, and it was AWESOME!!). The song is called Sweet Victory.

The Great Hunt: THE QUEST FOR GOD'S WILL, Part 2

February 2, 2015

Week 2 of the THE GREAT HUNT: The Quest for God’s Will, and in this week's message we looked at the four phases that God usually takes us through when revealing His will to us. The four phases are four road markers that help us know we're on the right path in discovering God's will.

What are the four markers? Check out the video above and find out for yourself.

The Great Hunt: THE QUEST FOR GOD'S WILL, Part 1

January 27, 2015

What’s God’s will for my life? Is it even possible for me to know? And how will I know when I’ve found it? This is so confusing!

If you’ve ever felt that way, then you’re in luck. We just kicked off a brand new three week series called THE GREAT HUNT: The Quest for God’s Will. Through this series, you'll hopefully discover that God never intended His will to be a mystery. In fact, He probably wants you to find it even more than you do. But the first step is figuring out what I should be looking for. Check out the video above for more details.

p.s. Sorry for not posting this yesterday. I was out of town and had very limited access to email. But if you want to make sure you get these messages as soon as they're posted (usually on Sunday evenings), subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or via RSS feed.

Shame: Your Freedom or Your Prison?

January 23, 2015

Shortly after starting my Masters program, I was seeking to do something a little more to give back to the community; so I entered coaching school. For those who aren’t familiar with life coaching, it’s goal is to address everyday issues to help someone move forward from good to great – as opposed to therapy which aims to help people move from dysfunction to functional.

Utilizing my former psychology degree to expand into coaching, I noticed a common thread between many of my clients-- it’s that dirty little feeling we like to avoid and run away from whenever possible; that gremlin that forces us to cower in pain as reminders of our past shortcomings, sins, and faults come to light…SHAME!

Letting Go & Letting God

January 16, 2015

Anxiety. It’s something we all face. Whether it’s coming from work, or from school, or from marriage, or from money (or lack thereof), it’s something that everyone deals with. The consequences of having anxiety are well documented – hyperventilation, nausea, feeling loss of control, and feeling on edge. No one likes being anxious.

Anxiety results from our interpretation of situations. An assessment of a situation as threatening, damaging, or challenging, coupled with doubts over our ability to cope and respond in a manner that produces a desirable outcome can lead to anxiety. But often our interpretation of those situations is distorted – leading to misguided concern rather than the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

“The servant of the Lord will be afraid only of his Master, while the man who does not yet fear Him is often scared by his own shadow.” St. John Climacus

Discovering Who You Already Are

January 14, 2015

Have you heard of Benjaman Kyle? It’s a true story and a very sad one at that. Benjaman Kyle is the name given to a man who was found beaten, naked and unconscious outside of a Burger King near Atlanta, Georgia back in 2004. The beating was so severe that to this day, he suffers from dissociative amnesia – a condition where he can’t remember anything about himself or his life prior to 2004.

Let me say that one again: HE CAN’T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT HIMSELF OR HIS LIFE PRIOR TO 2004!!!

He doesn’t know how old he is. He doesn’t know who his parents are. He doesn’t know if he has any brothers or sisters or uncles or cousins or even any friends! He doesn’t even remember his name! “Benjaman Kyle” isn’t his real name; it’s just what the hospital began calling him because they needed to refer to him as something!

Sad isn’t it?

ENTERING THE COMFORT ZONE - In The Waiting Room Part 5

January 12, 2015

We wrapped up the In The Waiting Roomseries yesterday and the final message focuses on a very practical task that we can focus on in the waiting rooms of life...COMFORT - what it is, where it comes from, and most importantly, how we benefit by being a channel for God's comfort in the lives of others.

If you're looking for a practical takeaway from this series - something tangible that you can start doing today, be sure to check out the message above and start practicing it in your waiting room today.

PATIENCE LEADING TO PERFECTION - In The Waiting Room Part 4

January 5, 2015

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because,having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Hope you had a great holiday week and are ready to get back into the normalcy/routine of life (I know I am!).

We got back into the swing of things at STSA by going back In The Waiting Room. This week our message focused around God's purpose for our trials. We all know we're waiting for something, but what? What is the intended outcome that God is trying to achieve from this? What exactly am I "waiting" for anyway?

The answer may surprise you. Make sure you check out this week's message to find out for yourself.

And as a special bonus, somewhere in the middle of the message I made my first "BOLD PREDICTION" for 2015. I guarantee you'll be interested in finding out what that's all about...

This Nativity Night...

December 24, 2014

I'll be offline till after New Year's but I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance. Here is a beautiful meditation about what Christmas is really all about, coming from a sermon given several hundred years ago.

I CAN'T, HE CAN - In The Waiting Room Part 3

December 22, 2014

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” Philippians 4:12

Is that really possible? Can I really be "content" in every situation? Can I really find peace inside when there's chaos and turmoil and upheaval all around me? Is that possible and if so, how do I get there?

That's the topic of week 3 In The Waiting Room as we discuss the "secret of contentment". You may not believe it but St. Paul gives us a formula to unlock this mystery in our own lives. What is that formula? You have to listen to the message to see. But I'll give you a hint...

I CAN'T, HE CAN.