TIME TO WAKE UP - Spiritual Sweat II, Part 1

February 27, 2017

"Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD till He comes and rains righteousness on you." Hosea 10:12

After a week off, I am BACK in action for the start of the highly anticipated Lent series - SPIRITUAL SWEAT II.

For those who don't remember, Spiritual Sweat I was a series we did in 2013 about getting "in shape" spiritually. The sequel is all about getting BACK in shape and reviving our hearts to the place where they once were. We're digging deep to shake up the "fallow ground" and the complacency that plagues so many of us.

There’s Nothing Sexy about Sexual Addiction

February 24, 2017

This guest post comes from Danielle Adams - a freelance writer who works with Lifestar Therapy and has guest posted here before. Danielle is committed to helping people practice open communication and build healthy relationships. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

Mainstream media has long been pushing to normalize and romanticize pornography and sexual addiction and make it a part of everyday life. The media regularly promotes characters who indulge in sexual behaviors such as BDSM, pornography use, and visits to strip clubs as if there’s no harm in these practices.

The Power of MOMENTUM

February 15, 2017

Two days away from Momentum 2017: WE ARE and I am PUMPED UP! But in order to make sure that I'm not just excited for this year's conference but also that I'm PREPARED, I am offline this entire week. So no blog post and no Periscope today.

But to help get you (and me) in the mood for the conference, I am reposting what I wrote after the first Momentum back in 2013. And boy did that do the trick! God was glorified back then and I got a good feeling that He will be glorified again... AND I CAN'T WAIT!!!

And for those who aren't gonna be there, be sure to follow The HOPE Association on social media for highlights and updates throughout the weekend.

APPROVAL ADDICTION - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 5

February 13, 2017

"Being obsessed with what PEOPLE think is the fastest way to forget what GOD thinks."

And that's why this week's message - the finale in I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME - is such an important topic. Too many of us are living based on the expectations of others and that is a recipe for disaster.

The solution? Don't make people smaller; make God bigger. Check out the message above on APPROVAL ADDICTION and see for yourself.

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.

EASILY OFFENDED - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 4

February 7, 2017

“For me to be right, someone else has to be wrong.”
~ Somebody who is easily offended

Sorry for the delay; we were unable to get this sermon uploaded on Sunday (which seems to happen every year on Super Bowl Sunday), but we're good now. Part 4 of I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME is up and this week's topic is THE EASILY-OFFENDED.

Of all the insecurities, this is something that's a lot harder to see in the mirror than it is through a window. No one would label themselves as easily-offended or overly sensitive; it's always easier to say the problem is out there.

But maybe if we take a slightly deeper look, we'll see differently.

How to Be Happy with Your Age

February 3, 2017

This is a guest post by Uwe Bower, a dear friend of mine and integral member of the STSA church family. Uwe is also a recent fellow inductee into the 40-year-old club and today he shares his thoughts about "getting older." Couldn't have said it better myself! If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guideline for more info.

"You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake."

Recently, I turned 40. Many people asked me how it feels like. Some joke if I can still walk a straight line without help. Most seem to be thinking there is a problem about getting older. Why?

Usually, people get freaked out when they pass a milestone. Already 30! Oh no, life is over at 40! 50 - are you kidding me? Most of us want to be younger than we are. Look younger, be more active, independent, free. The result can be quite funny. 30-year-olds dress like college kids. 40-year-olds are as uncommitted as twenty-somethings. 50-year-olds undergo plastic surgery to make sure nobody discovers their real age.

ASK ME ANYTHING!

February 1, 2017

We're two weeks out from Momentum 2017: WE ARE and that means I'm in prime prayer/panic/prepare mode; so no blog post today.

But I'll still be online at 12:30 pm EST for my weekly scope and I'll be opening it up for another "ASK ME ANYTHING" scope. This is your chance to ask whatever question you want and hear my thoughts on the subject. Nothing is off limits!

You can submit questions LIVE during the broadcast, or by tweeting me (@FrAnthony), or by leaving a comment on this post. Questions submitted via twitter and the comments section will be given priority, and I'll get to the live ones as time allows.

So go ahead and submit your question now and then join me at 12:30 pm EST to hear my thoughts. Be sure to download the app and follow me at FrAnthony to join the fun.

MY NEED FOR CONTROL - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 3

January 30, 2017

"The area you are trying to control the most is the area you are trusting God the least."

You may not consider yourself a "control freak" but I'll bet you that if you look closely enough you'll find at least one or two areas where you struggle to truly let go... where you believe that you need to take matters into your own hands.

How do we let go of our need to control? Believe it or not, the answer lies in having LESS control, not MORE.

Wanna know more? Check out Part 3 in our I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME series and see for yourself.

Weakness is Strength

January 27, 2017

Today's guest post comes from Youssef Iskander - a high school student living just outside Toronto, who has guest posted before. Despite being young in age, Youssef displays quite a bit of maturity as he writes about our need to embrace not just our strengths in life, but also our weaknesses. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

I find that we constantly lament our weaknesses when we compare ourselves to others. "I wish I was that good at…." "I wish I was as smart as…."

In short, we despise our weaknesses.

Why You Need to Find a Mentor in 2017

January 25, 2017

What’s the fastest way to learn how to tie your shoes?

Let’s assume we’re back in the pre-YouTube Stone Ages of the 1990s. You just got a new pair of shoes and you need to figure out how to tie the laces. You’ve never done this before but you know others who have.

What’s the fastest and simplest way to learn how to tie your shoes?

Option 1: keep trying till you figure it out on your own
Option 2: find someone who knows and watch how they do it

Which would you choose?

Escaping the Comparison Trap - I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME, Part 2

January 23, 2017

"There's no win, in comparison."

We all wish we didn't do it, but we do. We look around, see what other people have and what are other people are doing and we automatically compare ourselves with them. We look around at others and determine if "we're ok/good enough" based on where everybody else is.

That is the comparison trap. That is what we need to escape. And that is what we discussed in yesterday's message, Part 2 of I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME.

NEVER ENOUGH - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 1

January 16, 2017

"Not good enough... not pretty enough... not smart enough... not spiritual enough... not patient enough... not loving enough... I AM NEVER ENOUGH!"

My guess is that everyone knows what it feels like to be "not enough." That's exactly why I'm so excited about the new series that we kicked off yesterday, "I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME."

We're talking about the silent killer that we all must deal with... the enemy of all that God wants to do in you and for you and through you this year and all the days of your life... INSECURITY.

We all go through it… we all try to hide it… and we all think we're alone. But in this series, we’ll see what God’s Word says about some of the common struggles we all face.

“How Much Longer Left in the Liturgy?”

January 13, 2017

Today's guest post comes from Michael Guirguis - a dear friend and founding member of STSA who has since moved back home to Atlanta, GA. As an ordained subdeacon, Michael has invested his life to making Coptic hymns more accessible by recording them in English (see CopticHymnsInEnglish.com). He also just launch a new podcast called MEET & RIGHT, which aims to help you apply the Liturgy to your daily life. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

How I Set My Goals for 2017

January 11, 2017

“Everyone ends up somewhere, but not everyone ends up somewhere on purpose.”

That’s a sentence that I heard several years ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. Of all the fears in life that I have (airplanes, pushy salespeople, being stuck on airplanes with pushy salespeople), my greatest fear is getting to the end of my life and realizing that I missed out on what God had in store for my life.

The regret is too much for me to swallow. The feeling of “I missed out” on what God had planned for me or for my family or for my church drives me to be very intentional about the way I live my life and plan for each year.

I don’t want to just end up somewhere; I want to end up somewhere on purpose.

Living in the Moment

January 9, 2017

"Everyone ends up somewhere, but not everywhere ends up somewhere on purpose."

That one thought has always driven me to be very intentional about the way I live my life and the way I approach each new year.

In this week's message, I share about three "turning points" that we all need to make internally if we hope to get the most out of the new year and end up some place on purpose.

MOMENTUM 2017: WE ARE

January 6, 2017

MOMENTUM IS COMING TO DC IN 2017!

That’s right. MOMENTUM – the annual conference for church leaders that we've been doing in NY, PA and LA – is coming to the nation's capital in 2017! It’ll be February 17-19 (Presidents Day weekend) and in case you can’t tell, I AM PUMPED!

The title of this year’s conference is: “WE ARE: radically different, eternally one.”

We don’t just tolerate what makes us different; we NEED those differences! Without them, we would not be the complete BODY of Christ.

That’s why this is called “WE ARE” and not “I am.” The Church has to be about who WE ARE, not who I am. And who are we? We are "radically different, eternally one."

Do You Still Remember Your New Year's Resolutions?

January 4, 2017

It’s January 4. We’re now four days into the new year. Be honest… have you kept your resolutions for 2017? Are you still doing what you said you’d be doing? Did you even start? Is your year going the direction you thought it would by now?

Studies show that by the end of January, 40% of all New Year’s resolutions will have been tossed aside. And that number jumps to 75% just one week into February!

It’s amazing how easy it is to come up with things about our lives that we want to change and yet how hard it is to actually change them!

Why is that? Why can’t we keep our resolutions? Why can’t we make those changes that we know we need to make?

Did you know that...

...95% of those who lose weight on a diet regain it, and a significant percentage gain back more than they originally?
...even after a heart attack, 6 out of every 7 patients DO NOT make any enduring changes around eating or exercise?
...the average person makes the same New Year’s resolution 10 separate times without success?

The One Thing You Need to Make 2017 Great

December 28, 2016

Merry Christmas everyone! I know Christmas was three days ago but it seems like the party’s just ending now. I think because it fell on a weekend, this year’s Christmas felt more like a week-long event as opposed to just one day.

And in case you’re wondering how I spent that week, below are a few of the many highlights from an action-packed week:

I took Michael to his first ever Redskins game on Monday night. After four hours in 26 degree weather, we were each wondering how many toes we had left because we simply couldn’t feel any of them.
I spent five hours in a shopping mall with my wife and kids as we divided up and did our Christmas shopping all at the same time. It’s probably been since the late 1980's since I last purchased an item from a mall. No joke.
I turned into the “hostess with the mostess” as Marianne and I invited close friends or family members over to our home 4 times in a 5 day period. For a family of introverts like us, that’s record-breaking!