THE POWER OF CONFLICT - Confronting Conflict Part 1

January 18, 2016

Yesterday was Friends & Family Day at The Well and to celebrate, we kicked off a brand new series called CONFRONTING CONFLICT.

Why are we talking about conflict? Because a) life is all about relationships and b) you can't have relationships with conflict. It's inevitable!

How many marriages are broken because of a conflict mishandled? How many parents wish they could "go back" and respond differently? How many friendships end suddenly because of a conflict that arose suddenly and wasn't handled properly?

The goal of this series is to learn how to face conflict head on - in a godly, Christlike manner. Check out Part 1 above and get ready to change your outlook on conflict.

I’m Starting a Marriage Book Club TONIGHT!

November 17, 2015

I’m trying something new and I’m starting tonight. Yesterday I picked up this book, A Lifelong Love: How to Have Lasting Intimacy, Friendship, and Purpose in Your Marriage and I couldn’t put it down. Best book I’ve read about marriage in a long time. And I think the message is exactly what so many married couples need to hear today!

So I’ve decided to share what I’m learning by starting an online book club on Periscope – beginning TONIGHT! And the best news is that I won’t be alone on the scope…MARIANNE WILL BE ON WITH ME AS WELL!

LET'S TALK - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 6

August 24, 2015

It's time for the finale of REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating and we wrapping up by answering YOUR questions that we accumulated throughout the series. And as you'll see from the video, it isn't just me up on stage; we brought back all of our speakers plus THEIR WIVES!

Definitely a must watch video!

What My Kids Learned from our Family Mission Trip

August 19, 2015

I’M BACK! Finally! Thanks be to God! I’m back and so is my family and I am excited to be home! In case you didn’t realize it, I’ve been away for the past two weeks. Our entire family – Marianne, Michael, Lizzie and myself – went on a mission trip to Kenya, serving alongside one of my spiritual fathers and mentors, His Grace Bishop Paul. We spent two weeks serving with the Coptic Mission in Kenya in the capital city of Nairobi and a rural town called Maseno.

And in case you’re wondering how it went...BEST TWO WEEKS FOR OUR FAMILY EVER!

The Boy, the Girl, the Ring & the Bed - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 5

August 17, 2015

I AM BACK! After sitting on the sidelines for the past few weeks, I was back to wrap up the series on REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating.

And the final message was my somewhat disorganized way of throwing the kitchen sink at all you singles out there. It was a smorgasbord of advice centered around one central theme - a theme that applies to every area of life, ESPECIALLY MARRIAGE! And that theme is this:

"Promises are no substitute for preparation."

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend every single person to listen to this message. Trust me, it's worth your time.

THE TALK - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 4

August 9, 2015

Get ready ladies and gentlemen...it's time for "THE TALK." Yep, you know what this talk is all about. It's the talk that you never had with your mom or your dad. It's the talk you are avoiding having with your kids as well. It's the talk that you DEFINITELY never heard in church before...until today!

In this week's message, Deacon Michael Guirguis is back to share something you may not have known about sex and your sexuality. It's a message that goes against everything culture teaches today.

Culture teaches that sex is just physical, but God teaches that it's so much more than that.

LADIES NIGHT - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 3

August 3, 2015

It's Week 3 of REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating and this week, we're focusing on the ladies!

In this message, Dr. Kurt Langenbach speaks about the Biblical model for womanhood and how God views the role of a wife in marriage. He tackles the sensitive topic of "submission" and explains what it means in marriage and more importantly, what you need to do TODAY to be ready to fulfill this role TOMORROW.

Ladies, make sure you check out this message. And get ready for next week's message, titled "Real Talk: THE TALK." Stay tuned...

GENTLEMAN'S CLUB - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 2

July 27, 2015

Week 2 of REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating and this week, we're talking specifically to the gentlemen (don't worry ladies, it'll be your turn next week!).

In this message, Deacon Michael Guirguis speaks about the one piece of advice that every single (and married) guy needs to hear. And that is with regard to how we view women in society today. If we want to have a marriage according to God's plan, then we need to change how we see women.

What am I talking about? Check out the video and see for yourself.

(My brother Steve, his bride Nadia and her parents) May 2010

What Every Wedding Makes Me Realize

July 22, 2015

“Do all that is good for her. Have compassion on her and always hasten to do that which will gladden her heart.” Excerpt from Orthodox wedding ceremony

I was honored to be able to perform a wedding ceremony yesterday for two of my very close friends and it happened again. It always happens after weddings. Weddings just have a way of doing that to me.

I won’t go so far as to say I cry or anything like that, but every time I attend a wedding ceremony – especially when it’s a couple that I feel close to – I feel different afterwards. I don’t leave the same way I came. I leave with a renewed sense of appreciation at what God has given me in my wife Marianne and a rejuvenated desire to be the best husband I can be to her.

THE RIGHT PERSON MYTH - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 1

July 20, 2015

We kicked off the highly anticipated new series yesterday, called REAL TALK: Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating.

Part 1 of the series addressed one of the myths that so many of us have unfortunately been led to believe - "The Right Person" myth - which says "If I just marry the right person, everything will be alright." You wouldn't fall for that one would you???

Just in case you're not sure, you might want to check out the video message above and see for yourself. Enjoy!

The Mystery of Marriage (sermon video)

July 6, 2015

What is marriage? Where did it come from? What is its purpose?

The subject of marriage is getting a lot of attention and spurring a lot of discussion these days. A lot of people are confused as to what marriage is really all about. Is marriage only there to make me happy? Or is there more to it than that?

Check out the special message I shared yesterday about THE MYSTERY OF MARRIAGE and find out for yourself.

p.s. And make sure you stay tuned till the very end. You'll see a special video cameo appearance from a close friend of mine from back in the day...

LOVE IS LIFE - Love Is, Part 5

May 18, 2015

"Love isn't supposed to something we DO; love is supposed to be who are ARE."

Love Is series finale yesterday and we ended up with a bang!

Yes love is action and love is attitude and love is local, but it's way more than that as well. Love is a way of life. It's a life "consecrated" to God. Consecrating your life doesn't mean you need to quit your job or become a monk or nun or anything like that. It's something we all can/should do.

Why? Because that's the only way you'll be able to walk on water. Check out the video and you'll see what I mean.

And special thanks to my good friend Dalia Fam for her cameo role in the message. Make sure you watch till the end to hear her story.

LOVE IS LOCAL - Love Is, Part 4

May 11, 2015

[NOTE: Audio missing for the first 3 minutes. Technical difficulties. My apologies.]

"Love isn't just loving your neighbor; it's also loving your neighborhood."

Week 4 in the Love Is series and this week we looked at the fourth characteristic when it comes to Christ-like love: LOVE IS LOCAL.

In this message, you'll hear me talk about one of the foundational principles upon which STSA was built: Genuine Love for our Community. More importantly, you'll get to hear someone else share about how fulfilling this principle made a huge impact on their life and deepened their relationship with God and with His Church.

Check out the video about and see for yourself. And get ready to start seeing your neighborhood in a whole new light!

LOVE IS ATTITUDE - Love Is, Part 3

May 4, 2015

Yes love is action, but it is more than just action. Love is a mindset...it's a way of thinking... LOVE IS ATTITUDE!

If we are going to love like Jesus loved us (see John 13:34), then we need to shift the way we think. Check out this week's message as we go through the famous parable of The Good Samaritan to discover three attitude changes we need to make to walk in Jesus' footsteps when it comes to love.

LOVE IS ACTION - Love Is, Part 2

April 27, 2015

Part 2 of the Love Is series and this week's topic: LOVE IS ACTION!

We all know that true love is more than words, but did you ever stop to think why you struggle so much to give that love to others? If we all know we need to be more loving, what stops us?

The answer? In order to love God and love others in a healthy way, I must first LOVE MYSELF in a healthy way.

What does that look like? Check out the video above and see for yourself. You'll hear me give my opinion of what that looks like and you'll also hear from a very dear friend of mine who courageously agreed to share her experience on the subject as well.

Enjoy!

THE CALL TO LOVE - Love Is, Part 1

April 20, 2015

Kicked off a new series yesterday and it's the perfect post-Easter and post-Holy Week topic...LOVE!

During His final days before death, no other topic was on Jesus' heart more than love. He spoke about it. He demonstrated it. And He called us to follow in His footsteps. In this series, we delve deeper into what "LOVE IS." It's more than an emotion and it's more than a feeling. It's something much deeper and much more divine. Love is ACTION and love is ATTITUDE; love is LOCAL and love is LIFE.

Check out the first part in the series above.

And please note: there is a portion of the message that we did not upload due to copyright restrictions. Sorry for that. But that's just more reason to come in person next time!

Christ is risen...so now what???

April 15, 2015

The day we’ve been dreading has finally arrived. It’s here and we don’t know what to do with it. Do we run and hide? Or do we succumb to its pressure and surrender? What to do, what to do, what to do... What day is it?

It’s the day when LIFE GOES BACK TO NORMAL AFTER HOLY WEEK!

(insert dramatic pause)

The Art of Loving Confrontation

November 19, 2014

Recently I spoke about the issue of conflict resolution in marriage. I spoke about how the goal is not to AVOID conflict, but rather to RESOLVE conflict. But the question for today is how? Practically? What are some tips or strategies we can implement to help us really resolve conflict and remove any bad feelings/bitterness within us?

As I mentioned yesterday, the starting point is setting the right goal. The goal isn’t conflict-free living; the goal is what’s best for the oneness in the relationship (obviously I am referring to a marriage relationship here, but the same principles can be applied to any relationship).

So if the goal is oneness and depth and intimacy, then compromise won’t get it done. Neither will avoidance. Those strategies only yield short term results and in the long term will lead to resentment and relational distance. Instead we need LOVING CONFRONTATION.

Changing Your View of Your Spouse

July 16, 2014

Your spouse is NOT your enemy. Your spouse is God’s gift to you. You and your spouse were made to be dangerous for God.

Those three statements summarize the main lessons that I took away from this past weekend’s Weekend to Remember conference that Marianne and I just attended. As promised, this week I’ll be sharing different lessons that we came away with from the conference.

But first, let me tell you how the conference started for me. It started with a strange encounter with some very different people. Last week, I blogged about how we are all different and we must learn to appreciate our differences. Well, God put that to the test this past weekend.

UnFriending - #reFriending PART 4

February 17, 2014

Series finale in the #reFriending series and the subject was the toughest one of all...UnFriending.

What do you do when you realize that your "friends" are bringing you down? Do you distance yourself from them? Do you try to help turn them around? What is the right thing to do?

That's the topic in this week's message. Check out the video and see for yourself what I believe is the right approach that we need to take.