The Most Important Meeting of All

March 30, 2016

“Believe me, the most important work of the fathers (priests & bishops), of every advisor and preacher, is the invitation to the sinful person to assess himself in the presence of God, in the light of His commandments, as did…the prodigal son, of whom it is rightly said: ‘he returned to himself.’” Pope Shenouda III

We’re on our third and final installment in the discussion of The Life of Repentance and Purity (got something fun planned next week) and this week we’re on Part 3: The Means of Repentance (How to Repent). I’m only going to mention one point from this section and I’ll let you explore the rest on your own

Habit 3: EAT WITH TWO PEOPLE - Seasoning Life Part 4

March 28, 2016

This week's habit is gonna be a fun one! We're on our third habit in the Seasoning Life seriesand this week our goal is to EAT WITH TWO PEOPLE, one of whom is not a member of my church.

Why are we talking about eating? Because whether or not you realize it, eating and drinking was a big part of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, sharing a meal was such a point of emphasis in His life that people even accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard!

“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” Luke 7:34

What is the significance of sharing a meal? Is there more to it than just eating some food? Why must we as Christians embrace and practice the habit of eating with others on a regular basis?

If You Knew the Punishment of Sin…

March 23, 2016

“We must be certain that just as God is merciful – and there is no limit to His mercy – He is also just, and there is no limit to His justice. Just as He is compassionate and forgives, He is also holy and hates sin.”

I’m continuing my discussion of A LIFE OF REPENTANCE AND PURITY by the late Pope Shenouda III and today I’m talking about Part 2, Chapter 4: If You Knew the Punishment for Sin, You Will Be Afraid

Habit 2: LEARN CHRIST - Seasoning Life Part 3

March 21, 2016

Week 3 of our Seasoning Life series and this week we're on our second habit which is: I WILL LEARN CHRIST FOR ONE PERIOD OF TIME this week.

What does it mean to "learn Christ"? It means to deepen our relationship with Him - to invest in Him as we would any relationship with any person. Learning a person (Christ) is not the same as learning information. Information is stagnant but a person is dynamic. Information can be mastered, but a person is always growing and therefore the relationship can always go deeper.

We need to spend more time learning Christ and our goal this week is to do just that. Check out the video message above and join us on our Lenten challenge of five habits that make for a questionable life.

A Lesson from our Departed Pope

March 18, 2016

Yesterday marked the four year anniversary of the departure from this world of a true spiritual giant, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. I therefore thought it fitting to honor this saintly man with a post I wrote back in 2012, just days after his death, speaking about some of my experiences with the departed Pope and some lessons learned as well. May the Lord accept the prayers of this righteous man on behalf of us all and on behalf of His Beloved Church.

Over the past few days, a lot has been written about the life and legacy of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. As is often the case with a righteous man, it isn’t until after his departure from this world that we realize the true greatness of the man that was in our midst

What is Repentance?

March 16, 2016

“True repentance is a human longing for the origin from which we were taken.” ~ Pope Shenouda III

As I mentioned last week, the STSA church family is reading a great book together for Lent: The Life of Repentance and Purity, by the late Pope Shenouda III. This book was originally written back in the 1980's but was republished by SVS Press just last week and the new edition is FABULOUS!

The content of Pope Shenouda’s books have always been great, but the translation has been the problem. But this edition is written beautifully and is super easy to read. I sat down for 30 minutes one night and read almost 1/5 of the book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT

Habit 1: Bless 3 People - SEASONING LIFE Part 2

March 14, 2016

We're underway in our attempt to live "questionable" lives and the first habit we're going to practice is: I WILL BLESS THREE PEOPLE THIS WEEK.

What does it mean to "bless"? I gave some examples in this week's message but the main idea is to go out of your way to do something kind solely for the benefit of another person. It could be a nice note. It could be a surprise gift. It could be simply a hug. Whatever you decide to do, the goal is to find (at least) three people to bless week - one of whom must be outside of the church family.

Sounds like fun huh?

Faithful in the Little

March 11, 2016

“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.” (Luke 16:10)

Back in 2013, Fr. Anthony wrote an awesome blogpost about Faithful Stewardship. Today I want to share some thoughts about being faithful in the little.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a conference about “The God of the Old Testament“ and got to know a very special person – a man in his forties, who traveled all the way down to this little Vienna (Austria) to share his knowledge with us. He was one of the most lovable and humble people I ever met

Lent is Here: WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

March 9, 2016

“Lent is here! Lent is here! What do I do now? Gotta get rid of all the meat in the house… gotta buy LOTS of veggie burgers instead… and tofu… and anything that tastes like plastic. What do I do next? How much should I fast? How much should I pray? How much should I read? And WHAT should I read? SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!!!”

Never fear my brothers and sisters, Fr. Anthony’s Wednesday blog post and Periscope are here.

Today I’ll share what I am “doing" for Lent (even though I don’t like that expression and you’ll see why in a minute) and I’ll be answering your questions about anything Lent-related in today’s scope at 12:30 pm EST

LEADING A QUESTIONABLE LIFE - Seasoning Life, Part 1

March 7, 2016

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, SEASONED WITH SALT, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:5-6

I AM SO PUMPED UP ABOUT THIS SERIES! It's called Seasoning Life and we're talking about 5 habits that we need as Christians to make sure that our lives are "properly seasoned." (you have to listen to the message to understand what I mean)

In today's intro message, we talked about role in the kingdom of God - not as civilians, but as soldiers...troops on the front lines in the mission for God's kingdom. If we're going to live as soldiers, then our objective must be one thing: TO LEAD A QUESTIONABLE LIFE.

What does that mean? Check out the video above and see for yourself. And did I mention that I am PUMPED UP for this series?!

MOMENTUM 2016 Begins Today!

February 26, 2016

Here we go again! Another exciting weekend kicks off today with the start of MOMENTUM 2016 and I'm asking for everyone's prayers. We have a sold out conference of more than 300 people - most of whom signed up months ago and are super duper excited at what we KNOW God is going to do this weekend.

The theme of the weekend is THE POWER OF A SEED and our theme verse comes from Matthew 13:31-32

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?

The Story of Shrek the Sheep

February 17, 2016

I'm still on lockdown preparing for Momentum 2016, but wanted to share this story that I first posted three years ago - about a sheep in New Zealand named Shrek. The story's about the sheep but the message is about me and you and the unnecessary burdens that so many of us carry. May this story be a reminder that we don't need to carry them any more. Enjoy!

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

The Missing Ingredient for Prayer

February 12, 2016

Recently, Fr. Anthony wrote a great post on why we don’t or can’t pray very well. Every word written there is true for me. It’s uncanny! Perhaps the same is true for you. I tried recording all the excuses we come up with to not pray… there’s too many… lack of concentration, laziness, I’m tired, no time…and the list goes on and on.

“God knows what I need. He knows my heart and my good intentions.”

“I talk to God all throughout the day. He’s with me everywhere.”

“I’ve had a long day. I deserve some rest. I don’t want to push too hard or else I’ll break.”

“Of course I pray! When I feel God’s Presence and my emotions well up more than ever, that is my prayer. And those are the most heartfelt and fervent prayers of all!”

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.

Give a Little Grace (at the Gym)

February 5, 2016

This January, like thousands across the country, I made a resolution to lose weight and be healthy. So after doing some online research, I made my way to the neighborhood gym to meet with the sales team. Having read a lot about how gyms try to rip you off with random fees and entice you with perks, I went in skeptical but feeling prepared.

The staff was welcoming, they gave me the best deal they could, and I signed up. However, not fully convinced that I would be the 10% that keeps up with their resolutions every year, I decided on a month-to-month membership. This allowed me an easy “out” when things got tough, but still made me feel like I was committed to my health.

Let me just say that this is not the first gym I’ve joined, or my first attempt to get in shape. Like most women, I’ve tried about 5 gyms and 5 other “at home” work out programs in an attempt to get in shape. This time, I told myself, it would be different.

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.

This I Dream

January 29, 2016

One of my favorite authors tells a story of an English yachtsman who made a small mistake, a slight miscalculation. That author, G. K. Chesterton, would say about the yachtsman: “His mistake was really a most enviable mistake.”

The English yachtsman sailed to what he would have thought a new island in South Seas, he got off his boat planted the British flag and even talked to the locals in sign language, only to find out that he had slightly miscalculated his course and the new island he had just discovered was… England.

The Englishman had discovered England!