We’re in week 4 of our Blind Faith series and this week, Fr. Timothy walks us through the 4th sign that Jesus performed, the feeding of the multitudes with just 5 loaves and 2 fish (see John 6).
After seeing this sign, the question that we all must ask ourselves is this: Is Jesus enough, even when I don’t get what I want?
The point isn’t the sign or the gift; the point is WHO that sign or gift points us to.
Read More“Being on the wrong side of love means being on wrong side of God.”
That’s our key takeaway from week 3 in our Blind Faith series. We looked at the famous story in John 5, of the healing of the paralyzed man (see John 5:1-18).
A great miracle takes place, but some missed it because they weren’t focused on loving people. Instead they focused on their rules, their agendas and their ideologies. And any time those things get in the way of people/love/compassion, we will find ourselves on the wrong side of God.
Read MoreWe’re in week 2 of our latest series, Blind Faith and this week we’re looking at the second sign in the gospel of St. John: HEALING THE NOBLEMAN’S SON (see John 4:46-54).
Here we see Jesus challenge the nobleman (and us) to trust, even when that means walking away from the very thing we are asking for. It isn’t easy, but true faith calls us live each day as if Jesus is who He says is, regardless of what we see in front of us.
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This is one of my all-time favorite lists and every so often I refer back to it to remind myself. So I thought I’d remind you today as well. Hope you enjoy it and benefit from it as much as I do.
Read MoreWhat is faith? And where does it come from? Is faith truly “blind”? Or is it based on evidence and the witness of reliable sources?
These are some of the questions that we hope to address in our latest series, BLIND FAITH. We’ll take a closer look at the 7 “signs” documented in the gospel according to St. John and we’ll see that faith is so much more than blind optimism or wishful thinking. Faith is based on who Jesus showed Himself to be.
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“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9
What’s the one subject that we - as followers of Christ - talk about a lot, but practice very little? CONFESSION.
And what’s the one habit that will directly impact your spiritual growth and maturity more than any other? Yep, same one… CONFESSION.
And most importantly, what's the one practice that will DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE to your ability to feel God's love and mercy and forgiveness... and at the same time DESTROY the feelings of guilt and shame and isolation? Ding ding ding... you guessed it... CONFESSION again!
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Forgive me for what I’m about to say. I know it sounds bad – especially coming from a priest – but it’s honest. We all know that there are books/sections in the Bible that are really difficult to understand – rule after rule, painful detail after painful detail…the very thought discourages us from even opening our Bible.
I know it’s not right, but it’s true.
So what one book in the Bible exemplifies this? The one book that we avoid the most?
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"That’s impossible… no way... no one can do that… there’s no way I can ever reach that high a bar."
That’s the most common reaction to whenever I preach a message about God’s standard for our purity - a standard that can be summed up in one verse:
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Ephesians 5:3)
NOT EVEN A HINT! Not even a hint of impurity in your habits. Not even a hint of impurity in your relationships. Not even a hint of impurity in your thoughts. Not even a hint of any kind of impurity!
IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? CAN WE EVER ATTAIN SUCH A STANDARD?
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luminary: 'a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere'
That's the best way to describe a man who departed this world 1600 years ago, but whose life continues to influence people to this day. Across the world, that man is known simply as Anthony the Great (gotta love that name!).
Before his death in the 4th century, St. Anthony left us with a wealth of spiritual wisdom in the form of several letters he wrote. Below are 7 of my favorites from that collection. I hope you’ll appreciate them as much as I do.
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Waiting, waiting, waiting. No one likes to wait. I certainly don’t and I’ll bet you don’t either. Waiting at the doctor’s office, waiting for the cable guy, waiting for a job, waiting in traffic…WAITING WAITING WAITING. Sometimes it seems like we spend more time waiting than actually doing what we were trying to do in the first place!
It’s because of my disdain for waiting (aka, my impatience) that I don’t really enjoy going out to eat. If there’s one thing that my wife would change about me if she could, it’s this. I’d always prefer to stay home and eat leftovers out of the fridge as opposed to going out to eat – especially at a sit down restaurant!
Why? BECAUSE I HATE WAITING.
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Inheritance comes from promise. Possession comes from obedience.
Have you ever heard a sermon about God’s promises and felt a little discouraged? Have you ever read a book or an article about God’s faithfulness and felt just a little bit cheated? Have you ever heard someone else tell the story of how God fulfilled a promise to them and had a little gnawing voice inside you say “why not me too?”
We all have. It’s not easy to appreciate the beauty and splendor of God’s faithfulness when you feel like God promised you something (healing, success, victory over a certain temptation, etc.) and He hasn’t yet provided it.
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It’s sad but it’s true. The trend is clear. The studies all say the same thing. Despite the clear Biblical mandate to share our faith with others… despite a sincere desire to advance the kingdom of God… despite the deep concern we might have for our friends and family who are far from Christ… despite all those things, the fact is this:
The longer someone attends church, the less likely that person is to have a meaningful spiritual discussion with someone who is far from Christ.
Why is that? How can that be? Shouldn’t it be that getting closer to Christ and attending church more frequently would lead to MORE evangelistic discussions? More times of sharing our faith? More times where we take a risk and invite a co-worker or neighbor to church? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?
My experience tells me that the graph above is right on the money. Here’s how it works:
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"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:9)
That’s the command St. Peter gives to a group of believers who were undergoing severe persecution and who believed that the end was near. To them he speaks about the importance of true, Christian hospitality.
Why? Is hospitality really that important? What does it mean to be hospitable? Does it mean merely inviting people over for dinner parties?
That’s the topic of our latest series at The Well called LIVING HOSPITALITY. We’ll explore the meaning and importance of hospitality and what it means to open up our homes and our hearts to others in need.
Read MoreWe wrapped up our series on the life of Abraham this week, First in Faith, and this week our hero faces his toughest challenge yet: the offering of his son Isaac. But as we’ve seen throughout the series, Abraham faces his challenge with faith and trust and because of that, he ends up reminding us of our key lesson in this series:
The reward of faith will always OUTWEIGH the cost, but it will never PRECEDE it.
Read More“You’ll never reach new heights, without letting go of familiar places.”
That’s our key thought from Part 5 of our series, First in Faith: The Life of Abraham. Abraham finally gets the gift he’s been waiting for (Isaac), but in order to get there, he’s got to let go of something dear to him (Ishmael). Why? Check out the video above and see for yourself.
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Usually when I sit down to write a blog post, I start with the question “what is God teaching me these days?” I’ve always felt that the purpose of my blog isn’t to TEACH you anything, but rather to SHARE what God is teaching me.
So usually I look for the most interesting lessons to share – practical things that people enjoy reading about like How I Organize My Time and The One Skill You Need to Make Relationships Last and The Word You’ll Never Hear Me Say in Church.
I generally look for topics that are both interesting and lacking in people’s lives.
Today however, I’m writing about a topic that I don’t think you need to hear about. You don’t need to read about it. You don’t need to hear a sermon about it. In fact, when it comes to this particular topic, I’ll bet you already know all the answers and could spit them out without any help from me.
Read MoreEver read the story of Abraham and think “Wouldn’t it be great if God spoke that clearly to me?” In this week’s message, Part 4 of First in Faith: The Life of Abraham, we look at why it was that God spoke to clearly to Abraham and what we need to do to hear God’s voice as well.
Hint: it’s not as complicated as you might think.
Read MorePart 3 of First in Faith: The Life of Abraham and this week God takes Abraham outside and gives him a strange homework assignment. But the result of that assignment was a shift in perspective that changed Abraham’s view of God - and of the world - forever.
Read MoreIt’s part 2 in the series First in Faith: The Life of Abraham and this week we see a different side of our hero - one that struggles and makes mistakes. But it’s through those mistakes that we learn an important lesson about God’s promises and the life of faith: God’s promises are based more on who HE IS vs what I DO.
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“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10)
As I wrote about last week, we are now officially in the midst of the season of Lent … oh no… wait a minute… I said that I don’t believe that Lent is meant to be just a “season.” A “season” comes and goes with no purpose; the only reason we are in a “season” is because the calendar tells us that it is time for that season.
ASIDE: Coincidentally enough, I just noticed that “spring” officially begins in one week, March 20 – but who cares? That proves my point. No one is expecting that next Wednesday is really any different than this one – it’s just what the calendar says. Seasons make no difference.
Lent is not a season, but rather a journey. A journey has a purpose. We are going somewhere. We have a destination. And on this journey of Lent, we have two specific destinations that we’re trying to reach: a CROSS and a TOMB.
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