Finding Your Sweet Spot - HANDCRAFTED, Part 1

August 13, 2018

I'm baaa-aack! That's right! After a 4-week preaching hiatus, I'M BACK and, as you can see from this week's message, I am PUMPED UP about our newest series, HANDCRAFTED.

It's been said that in order to know God, you must first know yourself. Each of us is designed as a masterpiece by God - a unique creation designed to fulfill a unique purpose. In this series, we'll learn more about ourselves using the renowned Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and discover how we can use that knowledge to uncover our "sweet spot" in life.

Why? Because as St. Augustine said, "How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self?”

GUILT GOD - Meeting (again) for the First Time

July 31, 2017

Our journey has come to the end. For the past 4 weeks we've been looking at REdiscovering the God we thought we know - aka, Meeting (again) for the First Time. This week we looked at the false god that many of us grew up with, GUILT GOD - the god who loves you but doesn't like you.

Special thanks to my good friend Emmanuel Gergis, the academic dean for Holy Transfiguration College, for sharing his personal experience on the subject. If you struggle with guilt and forgiving yourself, YOU NEED to listen to the message above.

APPROVAL ADDICTION - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 5

February 13, 2017

"Being obsessed with what PEOPLE think is the fastest way to forget what GOD thinks."

And that's why this week's message - the finale in I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME - is such an important topic. Too many of us are living based on the expectations of others and that is a recipe for disaster.

The solution? Don't make people smaller; make God bigger. Check out the message above on APPROVAL ADDICTION and see for yourself.

Escaping the Comparison Trap - I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME, Part 2

January 23, 2017

"There's no win, in comparison."

We all wish we didn't do it, but we do. We look around, see what other people have and what are other people are doing and we automatically compare ourselves with them. We look around at others and determine if "we're ok/good enough" based on where everybody else is.

That is the comparison trap. That is what we need to escape. And that is what we discussed in yesterday's message, Part 2 of I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME.

Jesus Dwells in Me – That’s My Selfie

September 23, 2016

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!

draw [ing]

December 4, 2015

I am not an artist - at least not in the typical sense of the word. No one will ever confuse me with Michelangelo.

Does it count that I've always wanted to draw? I've wanted to grab a pencil, or some paint, and change a blank canvas into a masterpiece. Even with the help of those group painting sessions on Groupon, I'll likely never know the feeling.

But this makes me want to be an artist:

The Great Masterpiece - IDENTITY CRISIS, Part 5

November 23, 2015

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14

All good things must come to an end. Yesterday was the 5th and final message in one of the most eye-opening and life-transforming series' we've ever done at The Well - IDENTITY CRISIS: The Search for Me.

The subject? THE GREAT MASTERPIECE (ie, YOU!). YOU were formed and fashioned by the hand of God - the same hand that is holding the universe together as we speak. You were not just created by God as part of some assembly line output; you were "knit together" in your mother's womb - ALL of you, warts and all.

Why? Because YOU are not an ordinary creation. YOU are a masterpiece...and you always will be!

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!

Seriously Disturbed, Joyfully Content

October 24, 2014

A typical Saturday morning in our house includes my two young boys (incapable of sleeping past 7 am) fighting over who gets to do something first, who plays with what toy, who gets the blue plate at breakfast, or something like that… I admittedly started tuning them out. Meanwhile, in my room, I’m washing my face and making frown-y faces in the mirror remembering what I looked like in the “good ole days” (in actuality, I was unhappy with the way I looked back then too). My husband is similarly groaning at the fact that it’s so early … on a Saturday.

I volunteer in the children’s program at my church where we have been discussing contentment this month, so the topic has been at the forefront of my mind. Specifically, what’s robbing us of our contentment?

THE DANIEL PLAN, Part 6 - Winning with Hand You're Dealt

August 12, 2014

The sixth and final message in THE DANIEL PLAN series and this may have been the most eye-opening, life-changing of them all. The message was titled "Winning with the Hand You're Dealt."

Life is kinda like a game of poker. We're given a certain set of "cards" that we didn't choose. We didn't choose when or where we were born... we didn't choose our parents or how they treated us... we didn't choose our physical weaknesses or limitations. There's a lot of things that go into us that are beyond our control.

The easy thing to do is to complain about it and wish I had a different set of cards; the right thing to do is to make the most of the hand I've been dealt.

That's the subject of this week's message. If you struggle with a poor self-identity or thoughts/feelings of anxiety, fear or guilt, then you MUST listen to this week's message to see how God wants to transforms those "cards" into a winning hand.

Enjoy!

GOD IS LOVE - Part 2, Can You See HIM Now?

June 16, 2014

What's the most talked about, but least understood characteristic of who God is? That's easy...LOVE!

Everyone has an idea in their mind about what love is and how love behaves. We come up with our definition of love and then just apply that same definition to God.

But could it be that God's definition of love isn't the same as ours? That God's love looks and behaves completely different than our love? Is it possible that we don't really know what love is the way we think we do???

That was yesterday's topic - the 2nd part in our latest series, CAN YOU SEE HIM NOW? Find out for yourself by checking out the video above. The answer might be life-changing...

Lessons from a Junkyard

September 6, 2013

I just bought a new car. Exciting, huh? Maybe not for you, but if you’d seen the car I’ve been driving around for the past year, trust me, you’d be excited too.

My last car didn’t have a sideview mirror – I mean it used to have one, but not anymore. It also didn’t have air conditioning. And even if it did, I couldn’t have used it because the temperature knob has broken for months. So I couldn’t even try to pretend that the 900 degree temperature in my car during summer was by choice.

I got to the point where I couldn’t have cared less about that car.

I didn’t care if I parked next to rampant shopping carts in the lot or too close for comfort by a pole. I prayed someone would ram into it so I could at least collect insurance on it. At one point, I got an estimate — it cost as much as it was worth to fix it. I never washed it or vacuumed it. What did it matter anyway? It was a piece of junk. Mind you, I’m normally pretty care free, but that car took me to a whole new level.

But everything’s different with the new car. Not even close. I will guard this car with my life. Everything is now the enemy of my new car.

Crazymakers Part 5 - THE SNARE OF APPROVAL ADDICTION

April 8, 2013

Are you a people pleaser? Do you care too much about the approval of others? Is there any area of life where you are making decisions based on what other people will think about you?

“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” John 12:42-43

Check out Part 5 in the Crazymakers series: "The Snare of Approval Addiction."

Crumpled Hundred dollar bill - 42-17858947

How Much is a Crumpled Up $100 Bill Worth?

December 18, 2012

Use your imagination with me for a moment. I'm holding a $100 bill. If I offered you this $100, would you take it? Of course! You wouldn’t think twice. Now imagine that I crumple up that nice $100 bill and crush it into a little wad. Would you still want it? OK, now I'm throwing the wadded up bill against the wall and stomping on it with my foot. Would you still take it? It's been beaten up, crushed, stomped on…would you still take it?

Of course you would! You’d be insane not to! Why? Because no matter how abused and beat up it is, it's still worth just as much…and SO ARE YOU!

Reality vs Truth

March 26, 2012

"Lost for words with all to say,
Lord you take my breath away,
Still my soul, my soul cries out,
For You are Holy.

And as I look upon Your Name,
Circumstances fade away,
Now your glory steals my heart,
For You are Holy"

WHAT A WEEKEND! Wow! That is just about all I can say after the conclusion of a very powerful and uplifting weekend. I can’t tell you the number of people that came to me during the retreat and said something along the lines of “I can’t believe you chose this topic – this was exactly what I needed to hear!”