“Confession isn’t about JUDGING a sin. It’s about HEALING a sinner.”
Ever wondered where Confession came from and why it’s so important? What actually happens when I confess and also, what happens if I don’t?
That’s our topic in Part 4 of After the Resurrection. We’re looking at the sacrament of Confession and how it is the mystery by which we “receive the healing touch of Christ today.”
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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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Reality checks – where would we be without them? We all get a little ahead of ourselves sometimes and need someone or something to bring us back down to earth. One such reality check happened to me during the summer after I finished 8th grade and was preparing for high school.
Up through that year, I had been playing football in my local town youth league. I loved playing football and not too toot my own horn, but I think I was pretty good (toot toot). There were three teams in each weight class – an “A” team and two “C” teams. The “A” team was comprised of the top 30-40 players in each weight class and the rest of the kids were divided equally amongst the two “C” teams.
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In my line of work, I get all kinds of questions from all kinds of people. People want guidance: “can youhelp me make this decision?” People want answers: “why would God do that?” People want comfort: “what can I do to get through this?”
But there’s another line of questioning that’s become quite common recently and it might surprise you. People want ASSURANCE – they want to know that what they’re doing is the right thing and that they’ve done it correctly. This applies to us more today than ever before – especially to all of my fellow perfectionists and "results-oriented" friends out there.
If that's you, beware: the spiritual life poses a significant challenge to you.
Read More"Without effort, everything becomes lukewarm."
Part 2 of Family Matters and this week we're talking about PASSION. Christianity isn't just about going through the motions; it's about passionately pursuing the one who passionately pursues us. We're either passionately pursuing God, or we're slipping away into lukewarmness; those are the only two options.
In this week's message, we discuss what a passionate pursuit of God looks like and what are the most common "passion killers" that hold us back.
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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).
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Recently, I was looking through the list of some of my most-viewed posts of all-time and much to my surprise, the post below appeared near the top of the list. Originally written back in 2012, it speaks to an issue we all need to be aware of: THE POWER OF LITTLE SINS.
They might be small, but they are deadly!
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This is a guest post from Linamize, a first-year graduate student originally from Eritrea, who is now studying to be a physician’s assistant in California and who has guest posted before. In today's post, she shares an eye-opening "moment of truth" she experienced while reading a passage in Scripture recently. If you too are interested in guest posting, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
"And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?" (Isaiah 5:3-4)
When I opened my Bible this morning and read that, I felt as if the Lord was speaking directly to me (or about me).
Read More"For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore TURN and LIVE!” (Ezekiel 18:32)
We're halfway through the Spiritual Sweat journey (and Lent) and now it's time for the rubber to meet the road. It's time to put our humility and honesty into action through the practice of REPENTANCE.
What is repentance? It's more than a feeling... more than just confessing my sins. Repentance = CHANGE and if you want to know what that change looks like, check out Part 4 in Spiritual Sweat II above.
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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"Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD till He comes and rains righteousness on you." Hosea 10:12
After a week off, I am BACK in action for the start of the highly anticipated Lent series - SPIRITUAL SWEAT II.
For those who don't remember, Spiritual Sweat I was a series we did in 2013 about getting "in shape" spiritually. The sequel is all about getting BACK in shape and reviving our hearts to the place where they once were. We're digging deep to shake up the "fallow ground" and the complacency that plagues so many of us.
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A young lady once asked if she could take a selfie with me. After agreeing and getting ready for the picture, I noticed she was uncomfortable. I asked if she is ok and she replied “Can we swap sides because this is not my good side?” At first I thought she was joking, but quickly realized she wasn’t!
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Have you ever felt like you ran ahead of God and then made a “big” mistake?
Like a small child when learning to run in the momentary joys of running with the wind, inevitably trips and stumbles over his own feet and falls grazing his hands and knees. This pain inflicted causes him to cry out with many tears for his daddy to help him.
This is the very picture of us.
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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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“We must be certain that just as God is merciful – and there is no limit to His mercy – He is also just, and there is no limit to His justice. Just as He is compassionate and forgives, He is also holy and hates sin.”
I’m continuing my discussion of A LIFE OF REPENTANCE AND PURITY by the late Pope Shenouda III and today I’m talking about Part 2, Chapter 4: If You Knew the Punishment for Sin, You Will Be Afraid
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“True repentance is a human longing for the origin from which we were taken.” ~ Pope Shenouda III
As I mentioned last week, the STSA church family is reading a great book together for Lent: The Life of Repentance and Purity, by the late Pope Shenouda III. This book was originally written back in the 1980's but was republished by SVS Press just last week and the new edition is FABULOUS!
The content of Pope Shenouda’s books have always been great, but the translation has been the problem. But this edition is written beautifully and is super easy to read. I sat down for 30 minutes one night and read almost 1/5 of the book. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT
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The other day I was discussing love and faith with a friend and this question came up: “would I forgive my wife if she cheated on me?”
(For all the women reading, please reverse all genders, ie. “would I forgive my husband if he cheated on me?”)
My answer was an immediate “OF COURSE I WOULD! If I couldn't forgive her, how on earth could I ever hope that God would forgive me?”
But it’s important to realize that forgiveness and repentance are two COMPLETELY different things.
Read MoreWeek 4 of the Extreme Makeover: PRAYER Edition series and this week we moved into one of the most essential rooms in the house of prayer...THE WASHROOM! What's the washroom of prayer? It's REPENTANT PRAYER and we all need it. Why? It isn't so much about the sins we do as it is about the state we're in. Or in other words, we are not sinners because we do sinful things; we do sinful things because we are sinners.
Take a listen and see for yourself. And if anything stands out to you and you think it's worth sharing, be sure to use the hashtag #PrayerMakeover when you share it.
This week's message in the Spiritual Sweat series focused on what I believe is the toughest of the disciplines - but also the most rewarding. CONFESSION. Think you know what confession is all about? Take a listen and see.
Below is Part 2 in the new series Hungering for God. This message focuses on the connection between fasting and repentance and why we should want to fast, even if we don't have to fast. Enjoy!
