I know it’s been a while since I’ve published a guest post on my blog, but this was too good to pass up. Today's post comes from Sherry Fam, the wife of Fr. Timothy Fam, who is my fellow priest at STSA Church. In her post, Sherry calls our attention to a virtue that is sorely lacking in the world today. It’s a lesson that is desperately needed with all that’s going on in the world these days. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Read More
God's Sign Language
How often do you ask God for "a sign"? Are you as guilty of it as I am? I say things like: “If God wills it”, or “God, I’m putting this in Your hands”, or just simply “Lord, give me a sign.”
I like to include God in every little decision that I make, hence the constant fishing for reassurance by asking for a sign. But it’s listening to His answer that always drives me nuts. I can never tell if/when He’s responding. My struggle is always — how do I discern if this is a spiritual sign or just a plain old sign that I’m trying to see spiritually?
Read More
Another Excerpt from "WHATEVER, GOD"
Chapter 15
WHAT’S A PARACLETE?
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7)
That’s an incredible verse when you think about it. Do you understand what Jesus is saying? Think about it from the perspective of the disciples when they first heard it.
By this time, they had been following Jesus for three whole years. They’d left their jobs, their homes, their friends and family . . . they left everything to follow Jesus. Their only job on a day-to-day basis was to follow Him and do whatever He told them to do. He alone gave meaning and purpose to their lives.
Death for Jesus meant orphanhood for the disciples. They had nothing without Him. They were disciples and He was their Master, and you can’t be much of a disciple without a master.
So how could Jesus say that they’d be better off after He left? How could that be true? Sure, it would be great to have the Holy Spirit, but come on . . . this is JESUS we’re talking about! The five-loaves-and-two-fish Jesus. The walk-on-water Jesus. The healing-the-sick, casting-out-demons, raising-the dead Jesus. Could it really be “to your advantage” for Him to go away? How could Jesus say that?
Read More
What Should I Be Doing to Get Ready for Pentecost?
For those of you who are keeping track at home, it’s now been 46 days since Easter Sunday. While that may not mean much to you, it certainly means a lot to me. Why? Because that means that we are in one of my favorite seasons of the entire Church year – the period after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven (40th day after Resurrection), but before the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (50th day after Resurrection).
One of the best things about the Orthodox church is the balance that it gives to our spiritual lives through the various seasons of the year. There’s a season for fasting and a season for feasting! A season for focusing on repentance and a season for focusing on rejoicing! A season for solitude and a season for mission!
Read MoreREPENTANCE - Spiritual Sweat II, Part 4
"For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore TURN and LIVE!” (Ezekiel 18:32)
We're halfway through the Spiritual Sweat journey (and Lent) and now it's time for the rubber to meet the road. It's time to put our humility and honesty into action through the practice of REPENTANCE.
What is repentance? It's more than a feeling... more than just confessing my sins. Repentance = CHANGE and if you want to know what that change looks like, check out Part 4 in Spiritual Sweat II above.
Read MoreHabit 4: LISTENING FOR GOD'S VOICE - Seasoning Life Part 5
We're down to our final two habits in Seasoning Life series- and series which talks about how to live "questionable" lives for Christ. Last week we talked about eating and drinking, and this week we're going to the other end of spectrum: LISTENING FOR GOD'S VOICE.
What does it mean to hear God's voice? Is that even possible? Or is it just something that people made up to convince others of they want? Is it possible for a "normal" person like me to actually hear God's voice?
I believe the answer is yes and this week our challenge is to dedicate 10-15 minutes, two times per week, to find out for yourself. Trust me, if it works, it'll be well worth the investment.
draw [ing]
I am not an artist - at least not in the typical sense of the word. No one will ever confuse me with Michelangelo.
Does it count that I've always wanted to draw? I've wanted to grab a pencil, or some paint, and change a blank canvas into a masterpiece. Even with the help of those group painting sessions on Groupon, I'll likely never know the feeling.
But this makes me want to be an artist:
Read More
Lessons from a Junkyard
I just bought a new car. Exciting, huh? Maybe not for you, but if you’d seen the car I’ve been driving around for the past year, trust me, you’d be excited too.
My last car didn’t have a sideview mirror – I mean it used to have one, but not anymore. It also didn’t have air conditioning. And even if it did, I couldn’t have used it because the temperature knob has broken for months. So I couldn’t even try to pretend that the 900 degree temperature in my car during summer was by choice.
I got to the point where I couldn’t have cared less about that car.
I didn’t care if I parked next to rampant shopping carts in the lot or too close for comfort by a pole. I prayed someone would ram into it so I could at least collect insurance on it. At one point, I got an estimate — it cost as much as it was worth to fix it. I never washed it or vacuumed it. What did it matter anyway? It was a piece of junk. Mind you, I’m normally pretty care free, but that car took me to a whole new level.
But everything’s different with the new car. Not even close. I will guard this car with my life. Everything is now the enemy of my new car.
Read MoreBOLD Part 2 - Just Sowing Seeds
Part 2 in the latest series, BOLD: All Things to All Men. Yesterday's message was focused on the key to "success" as an evangelist. It isn't training or knowledge or any special skills. It's your willingness to just do one thing....
What is it? Check out the message to find out.
What Makes Me a True Child of God
As a parent, if there’s one lesson that I’ve learned repeatedly over the years, it’s this: as much as I know that God has many things that He wants me to teach my children, He has an equal number of things that He wants me to learn from them.
Last night was one of those nights. All week I’ve been thinking/blogging about the idea of hearing God’s voice and discerning His will – how to make decisions and how to know what’s right, etc. And then last night, during our family Bible time before bed, we read this passage:
“Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50)
After reading that passage, we discussed it together as a family and my kids came to the following conclusion: we need to obey God to be in His family.
Read More
The Answer to Your Decision Making Dilemma
Yesterday I posed one of the most important questions in life: how can I know the “right” thing to do in whatever situation I’m in? Ultimately your life is nothing more than the sum of all your decisions. Make good decisions and you’ll probably find yourself in a good place. Make bad decisions and you’ll find the exact opposite. The question for us is: HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS?
I mentioned yesterday that sometimes it seems (emphasis on the word “seems”) that Jesus was inconsistent in His decisions. Sometimes He would heal people and sometimes He wouldn’t. Sometimes He’d raise the dead person, other times He wouldn’t. Sometimes He’d speak softly and compassionately; other times He spoke sternly and harshly.
How did He know when to heal and when not to heal? How did He know when to say yes and when to say no? How did He know the “right” thing to do?
Read More