A Lesson from our Departed Pope

March 18, 2016

Yesterday marked the four year anniversary of the departure from this world of a true spiritual giant, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. I therefore thought it fitting to honor this saintly man with a post I wrote back in 2012, just days after his death, speaking about some of my experiences with the departed Pope and some lessons learned as well. May the Lord accept the prayers of this righteous man on behalf of us all and on behalf of His Beloved Church.

Over the past few days, a lot has been written about the life and legacy of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. As is often the case with a righteous man, it isn’t until after his departure from this world that we realize the true greatness of the man that was in our midst

I Can’t Believe It’s Been 3 Years!

April 29, 2015

Happy Easter everyone! Christ is risen and THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING! I hope you had a blessed Holy Week and Easter (regardless of when you celebrated it) and that you're now living in the light of His glorious resurrection and viewing all things in light of that truth. Last week was also special because it marked the FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY of STSA on April 28.

So in order not to let such a historic day pass, I am reposting some thoughts I put together last year as we celebrated the 3 year anniversary. Enjoy

Welcome to THE WELL

December 4, 2013

I’ll say a phrase and you say the first thing that comes to your mind. Ready? Here’s the phrase.....…THE WELL. What do you think of? What comes to your mind? Anything exciting or earth-shattering? My guess is that the answer is probably no, but there is one lady I know who is filled with emotion whenever she hears that phrase. To her, THE WELL is much more than a big hole in the ground filled with water. To her, THE WELL is the place that her life was changed forever.

Who is that lady? She is the lady written about in the New Testament, John 4, commonly known as the Samaritan Woman. To her, THE WELL is an ordinary place that took on extraordinary meaning and significance through her encounter there with a Man called Jesus.

She showed up at THE WELL one way, but she left a completely different way – completely transformed on the inside and the outside. Her life took on new meaning ever since that day at THE WELL and that’s why to her, THE WELL is the most important place on earth. It’s the place where she met Jesus and her life was changed forever.

Because of that, when we wanted to come up with a name for our post-Liturgy Sunday meeting at STSA - the weekly event that we use as a chance to invite our friends to come to church and hopefully meet Jesus there - we decided to name it THE WELL.

Why I Can't Wait for April 28

April 25, 2012

As I announced last week, this Saturday, April 28, will be the launch date for St. Timothy & St. Athanasius (STSA) Coptic Orthodox church. Somehow – even though we’ve been planning for this launch date for several months now – it wasn’t until yesterday that it all hit me and I became overwhelmed with several feelings.

I felt a sense of THANKFULNESS– because God has chosen me for this mission and is allowing me to be His “fellow worker” in a new field of mission – a mission that I know is very dear to His heart. I also felt a sense of RESPONSIBILITY– because I know God is planning on doing huge things through this church and I know that my ability to discern/obey His voice is more important now than it’s ever been in the past.

But most of all – more than any other feeling – I felt an overwhelming sense of EXCITEMENT!

A New Church is Born

February 15, 2012

“You’re starting a mission church? What’s that? Why are you starting a new church?”

If I had a nickel for every time I have heard that question over the past month, I’d be a rich man. For those of you who haven’t heard yet, we are starting a new church in the DC area called St. Timothy & St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox church.

The concept is similar to the “mission church” idea that has sprung up in some spots of Canada and America [see www.smsv.ca and www.stpaulchicago.org] – one where we can share Christ and our Coptic Orthodox faith without some of the cultural barriers that might hinder the spread of the gospel in America.

Not that I needed a reminder, but just in case I did, God gave me one this morning. He reminded me of why we are doing what we are doing. This morning I read Acts chapter 10 – the story of Cornelius. It is a wonderful story that I encourage everyone to read. But if you need a quick summary, here is what happens.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH | PERSONAL GROWTH | RELATIONSHIPS | ENCOURAGEMENT | STSA Church | GUEST POSTS

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