Every now and then, I read a passage in the Bible that touches my heart in a way that leaves me speechless. Literally speechless – nothing at all to say. And that isn’t an easy task considering I’m someone who makes a living out of talking - and talking specifically about the Bible!
But recently I found myself at that exact point as I was reading and meditating on the story of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32).
Read MoreLook who's back! After a four week hiatus, I am back to doing what I love to do...PREACHING ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF GOD!
We kicked off a new series yesterday titled THE INVISIBLE HAND OF GOD: A Look at Esther. In it, we're talking about a subject which I am sooooooo passionate about and I think if you watch the message, you will be too.
Read MoreOur journey has come to the end. For the past 4 weeks we've been looking at REdiscovering the God we thought we know - aka, Meeting (again) for the First Time. This week we looked at the false god that many of us grew up with, GUILT GOD - the god who loves you but doesn't like you.
Special thanks to my good friend Emmanuel Gergis, the academic dean for Holy Transfiguration College, for sharing his personal experience on the subject. If you struggle with guilt and forgiving yourself, YOU NEED to listen to the message above.
Read MoreThis week, we were honored to receive a special visit from a longtime friend and partner in the ministry - Fr. Abraham Fam. Fr. Abraham has been serving as a missionary priest in Lusaka, Zambia for 10 years, but this weekend he was gracious enough to join us for part 3 in our series, Meeting (again) for the First Time.
And his topic was a good one...BOYFRIEND GOD! Fr. Abraham addresses the question: how can I believe in God if I don’t feel His presence at all times?
Read MoreIt's Part 2 in our latest series, Meeting (again) for the First Time and this week, we hear from a very dear friend of mine, Maryan Farag. Maryan shares her personal journey into discovering the truth about God and answered prayer. Is God there to simply give us what we ask for? Or is there more to the story?
Check out the video above and listen for yourself and Maryan candidly reveals what God has taught her about this subject.
Read MoreIt's once again that time of year where I take my annual hiatus from preaching. Every year we plan a fun guest speaker series at The Well and judging from part 1 yesterday, this year's series is going to be a good one!
It's called MEETING (again) FOR THE FIRST TIME. It's a follow up to our last series where we discussed some of the common myths about who God is. Each week, we'll look at one "false god" and try to figure out what the truth really is.
Week One: BODYGUARD GOD - isn't God supposed to protect from evil and harm?
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“Where are you God? How come you’re not answering me God? Why are leaving me like this God? I just can’t take it any more!”
We’ve all been there and if we’re honest, the majority of our experience in prayer centers around God’s absence more than His Presence. Yes there are times when we’re overwhelmed by God’s Presence and feel that we’re standing before the Almighty Himself; but if you’ve ever tried to pray consistently and regularly, you know that those times are the exception, not the rule.
In fact, if you’re like most people (including myself), more often than not you’ll finish your time in prayer and not feel anything spectacular or earth-shattering at all. You’ll wonder if your prayer even went beyond the ceiling.
You know for sure you were talking, but was anyone up there even listening? It’s not just me, is it?
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“Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.” Luke 15:15-16
This Sunday – the third Sunday of Lent – we read one of the most well-known and beloved stories of the entire Bible: the parable of the Prodigal Son (see Luke 15:11-32 if you need a refresher).
Why do we love this story so much? What is it that makes this particular parable melt our hearts the way that it does?
It’s more than just the love of the father or the forgiveness he shows to his son; there’s more to it than that. There’s something in this story that stirs the heart of everyone who hears it or reads it.
What makes this story so touching? What jumps out to me is how LOW the boy had fallen and how HIGH he was lifted after that.
It’s the discrepancy or change from start to finish. At one point, he had sunk to the lowest of lows – the textbook definition of “rock bottom” – but by the end of the story, he had ascended to the highest of highs – the receipt of amazing grace and an incredible deliverance.
How deep had he sunk?
Read More"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.
Read More“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.
Read More"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.
Read More"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.
Read More"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.
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By now, most of the world is aware of the horrific act of terrorism that took place three days ago in a Coptic church in Egypt. Someone went into a crowded church on a Sunday morning during the time of worship and set off a bomb that killed at least 25 people and injured 50 more – the majority of whom were women and children.
Awful awful awful. Makes me sick to my stomach. Another senseless tragedy to add to the list that was already too long to begin with.
What I want to talk about today is how we can make sense out of tragedies and disasters like this. How do we process the event and move forward – not forgetting what happened but also not letting it consume us and fill us with fear and/or anger?
Whether it’s across the world or across the street… whether it’s terrorism or racism… whether it’s called an act of God or an act of the devil…
…how can we make sense of the inevitable tragedies in our lives?
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By the time you read this post on Wednesday morning, we will most likely know who our next President will be. The election will (hopefully) be over and it'll be time for us to pick up the pieces as a nation.
But as I'm writing this post, it's still Tuesday night. The election is still up in the air and all indications are that this one is gonna go down the wire.
Read MoreWe took a break from our Ancient Faith in a Modern World series this past Sunday to talk about a topic that is everyone’s mind these days…ELECTION INFECTION!
What’s that? That’s the infection that’s running rampant in America these days and no one is exempt from it. So as we celebrate the independence of our country on the 4th of July, I thought it would be fitting to talk about how we – as followers of Jesus Christ – should be approaching this coming election – the most volatile and emotionally charged election in U.S. history.
So if you’re looking for a conversation starter at the BBQ today, check out this message – titled FAITH BEFORE POLITICS – and you’ll have plenty of material!
Happy 4th of July everyone!
By now, everyone is fully aware of the horrific events that took place in Orlando, FL last weekend where a man opened fire at a nightclub, killing 49 people. The attack was “the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11” according to this CNN article.
When things like this happen, I find myself needing to process the event internally and find an answer “what happened here?”
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“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
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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!
Read More“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14
All good things must come to an end. Yesterday was the 5th and final message in one of the most eye-opening and life-transforming series' we've ever done at The Well - IDENTITY CRISIS: The Search for Me.
The subject? THE GREAT MASTERPIECE (ie, YOU!). YOU were formed and fashioned by the hand of God - the same hand that is holding the universe together as we speak. You were not just created by God as part of some assembly line output; you were "knit together" in your mother's womb - ALL of you, warts and all.
Why? Because YOU are not an ordinary creation. YOU are a masterpiece...and you always will be!
