Christ is risen! Happy Easter to everyone. We are back and no virus is going to stop us from meeting (virtually of course) and sharing the Word of God. So if you missed yesterday’s message, check out the link above.
The series is called AFTER THE RESURRECTION. In it, we talk about the sacraments of the Church and how we find the full power of Christ and His resurrection in those sacraments.
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CHRIST IS RISEN!!!
Wishing everyone a glorious Feast of the Lord’s Resurrection (aka, Easter) and I wanted to share the letter we read during the service from His Grace Bishop Peter. Seeing as so many people were touched by it and asking me for a copy, I decided to post it here. Enjoy!
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"The Church is a hospital, and not a courtroom, for souls.” St. John Chrysostom
If such is truly the case, then we need to take an honest look at how we (the Church) are doing at welcoming and accepting people from all walks of life and with various “spiritual ailments”.
In this month’s episode of Bringing An Ancient Faith to a Modern World, we discuss how we can influence a culture of inclusion in our churches and help make them the safest places on the planet for people to approach.
Read MoreLast week, in part 1 of Living Hospitality, we saw the importance for personal hospitality and how our hospitality is connected to judgment and the end times. This week, we look at how that same principle applies to US - the church.
What role does/should hospitality play in our weekly gatherings? What are the consequences if we do/don’t practice it? And what are some simple ways that we can make our churches more hospitable?
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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.
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It’s Sunday morning, 8:30 am. The alarm goes off. Exhausted from staying up till 1 am the night before, you snooze 3 more times, buying you 27 more minutes of sleep. By the time you roll out of bed, shower and get dressed, it’s 9:21 am. You have 9 minutes to drive 11 miles, find a parking spot and get to your seat. In other words, YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR CHURCH!
And because you’re late (again), parking is scarce, there are no good seats left and you’ve already missed part of the service. You can’t focus because you missed the beginning and you’re trying to play catch up the whole time. You are tired. You are frazzled. You are frustrated. Is this what Sunday morning is supposed to look like?
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Have you ever heard of Christianese? It’s a language spoken by Christians and understood by Christians that makes little or no sense to just about everyone else. It’s like slang for Christians. For example…
“I feel God calling me to…”
Translation: “I want to do something that you don’t want me to do, so I am pulling rank by saying that Jesus sent me a text but did not include you on the message, which means if you disagree with me, you are actually disagreeing with Jesus. Sorry pal.”
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Two days away from MOMENTUM 2018: MORE THAN ORDINARY and I'm starting to get PUMPED UP! But in order to make sure that I'm not just excited for this year's conference but that I'm also PREPARED, I'm offline this entire week. So no blog post and no Periscope today.
But to help get you (and me) in the mood for the conference, I am reposting what I wrote 4 years ago, after Momentum 2014. And boy did that do the trick! God was glorified back then and I got a good feeling that He will be glorified again... AND I CAN'T WAIT!!!
And for those who aren't gonna be there, be sure to follow The HOPE Association on social media for highlights and updates throughout the weekend.
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"Your wife is so sweet... your wife is such an angel... your wife is the nicest person I've ever met."
That's Marianne – my lovely wife – and those are the comments that I usually hear from people describing her. And those who know her understand why. She really is the nicest person ever. She is sweet, she is kind, she is gracious and she is generous. She is the pillow to my sword and she really is the best!
BUT....(all the husbands out there need to pray for me because I am risking my life here with this next sentence).... at times my wife reminds me of a gorilla (may God help me!).
Read MoreOur latest series at The Well is called FAMILY MATTERS and as the name suggests, it's all about family - CHURCH FAMILY!
Church isn't about a building or a weekly gathering. We are a family and what unites us is stronger than blood. But what does it mean to be part of this particular family (STSA)? What makes our family so special and unique? And what's my role in fulfilling the mission of our family - that is "bringing an ancient faith to a modern world"?
That's our topic and we'll take a look at our 10 core values and see how those values define what it means to be a member of the family. Enjoy!!!
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Today's guest post comes from Dave Arnone, who serves as Operations Director for Brew City Church in Milwaukee, WI. In today's post, Dave talks about the importance of churches being active online. You can find out more about the work Dave is doing - and get help with your church's online ministry - by visiting Ministry Designs. And if you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
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Today's guest post comes from Michael Guirguis - a dear friend and founding member of STSA who has since moved back home to Atlanta, GA. As an ordained subdeacon, Michael has invested his life to making Coptic hymns more accessible by recording them in English (see CopticHymnsInEnglish.com). He also just launch a new podcast called MEET & RIGHT, which aims to help you apply the Liturgy to your daily life. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
Read More“Are you saved?” A simple question with a relatively simple answer that has unfortunately become a lot more complicated in today’s world. Is it because we (Orthodox Christians) don’t know if we’re saved? Or is it because maybe our definition of salvation isn’t the same as everyone else’s?
That’s the final topic in the Ancient Faith in a Modern World series where we talk about what salvation really means and what the Church’s view is towards it. You might be surprised to discover that the definition of “saved” has changed quite a bit over the years. It might not mean what you think it means.
The ‘t’ word. It’s a word that can instantly divide Christians into two groups: pro vs con. Some hate it and believe that it is the cause of all the problems in church history. Others love it and believe that we’d be lost without it.
What is the ‘t’ word? TRADITION.
In this week’s message, we take a look an objective look at tradition and see where it came and what our view towards it should be. Does the Bible ever speak negatively about tradition? Does it ever speak positively of it? Is all tradition a good thing? Is there a time where tradition can be bad?
What is tradition and what would our lives/churches look like without it?
BRINGING AN ANCIENT FAITH TO A MODERN WORLD
That’s our slogan at STSA and that’s also the name of our latest series. In it, we’re exploring Orthodox Christianity to see whether or not it is what it claims to be – “the original Christian church established by Jesus Christ Himself upon the foundation of the apostles.”
Is that true or just something we say because it sounds nice? Is there truly a link between the Orthodox church of today and the church which started in Jerusalem 2000 years ago? Is the church that Jesus started still alive and has it been alive for all these years? Or did it die somewhere along the way?
I hope you’ll join me for this 5 part series and discover these answers (and more) for yourself.
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
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This January, like thousands across the country, I made a resolution to lose weight and be healthy. So after doing some online research, I made my way to the neighborhood gym to meet with the sales team. Having read a lot about how gyms try to rip you off with random fees and entice you with perks, I went in skeptical but feeling prepared.
The staff was welcoming, they gave me the best deal they could, and I signed up. However, not fully convinced that I would be the 10% that keeps up with their resolutions every year, I decided on a month-to-month membership. This allowed me an easy “out” when things got tough, but still made me feel like I was committed to my health.
Let me just say that this is not the first gym I’ve joined, or my first attempt to get in shape. Like most women, I’ve tried about 5 gyms and 5 other “at home” work out programs in an attempt to get in shape. This time, I told myself, it would be different.
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One of my favorite authors tells a story of an English yachtsman who made a small mistake, a slight miscalculation. That author, G. K. Chesterton, would say about the yachtsman: “His mistake was really a most enviable mistake.”
The English yachtsman sailed to what he would have thought a new island in South Seas, he got off his boat planted the British flag and even talked to the locals in sign language, only to find out that he had slightly miscalculated his course and the new island he had just discovered was… England.
The Englishman had discovered England!
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In volunteering with the kids at my local church, I’ve been reading a lot of books on various approaches to Youth Ministry. In one book I read, a man shares his experience growing up in Sunday School and why he will never set foot into another Church. [SeeFour Views of Youth Ministry and the Church].
“Foster kids don’t come to family reunions,” he writes. In his excerpt, I found myself getting teary-eyed as I read an all-too-familiar truth.
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“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit AND truth.” (John 4:23-24)
What does it mean to worship in spirit AND truth? What's the difference between the two? And how do I properly address each?
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