Searching for Hope

June 12, 2020

HOPE. What is it? Where do I find it? How do I get it? And if I do get it, how do I keep it? Why does that guy seem to have so much of it and I have so little of it? Is there really such a thing as hope in my situation?

Of course we all know the “right” answers to these questions. It’s easy to rattle off some Bible verses and spew out a few stories and then declare “so just hope in God.” But do we really believe that? Do you really believe that?

The honest answer for me? Yes and no. At times, yes. And at other times, no. There are those times when life seems to be going well – not perfect, but at least moving in the right direction. Economy is up, career is progressing, and relationships are stable. Life is good. At times like that, it’s easy to talk about hope and tell others about hope as well. Hope is ours.

But those “good” times seem to occur much less frequently than the “bad” times don’t they? The economy seems to be down more than it’s up. My career has more bumps than I expected. And my relationships (or lack thereof) seem to be a constant source of stress and anxiety in my life. Where’s hope then?

The Power of An Empty Tomb

May 6, 2020

“But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (John 20:11-13)

That was the scene just moments before Mary became the first witness to the greatest miracle to ever take place – the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from dead. Try to imagine the scene – she is standing outside the tomb and sees the stone has been rolled away (a feat that no human could have done alone). She’s weeping. She’s sobbing. Her emotions are going from bad to worse – not only is He dead, but they’ve gotten rid of His Body too (something very disgraceful in the ancient Hebrew culture).

A bad day just became worse and you can imagine her feeling standing inside that tomb – that empty tomb. Crushed. Depressed. Defeated. Hopeless. The tomb was the worst place ever.

But then it all changed. It all changed when she saw Jesus. He appeared to her and called her by name, “Mary.” She recognized Him immediately and that was it. That changed everything.

The Devil's Strongest Weapon

February 6, 2020

"The only way to DEFEAT your enemy is to first KNOW your enemy."

We may not always realize it, but every day we wake up to a war – one that’s been going since the day we were born and will continue until the day we die. It’s not a war fought with guns and other physical weapons; this war is much more deadly and there’s much more at stake…your soul!

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary THE DEVIL walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Adversary… devil… roaring lion… DEVOUR! YIKES!!!

Christmas Letter from Bishop Peter

January 7, 2020

Merry Christmas and a blessed feast of the Nativity to all! Today marks the day that the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the best thing about being Orthodox is getting two Christmases!!!). Below is an inspirational pastoral letter written by His Grace Bishop Peter that we read last night in church. Here it is in writing for your edification as well. Merry Christmas everyone!

Trying to Earn God's Grace

December 18, 2019

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3

Every now and then, I come across a passage in the Bible and it’s as if I’m reading it for the very first time. Those are the moments I live for… when the Word of God comes alive in a very real and personal way.

This morning was one of those moments. I read St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians and even though I’ve probably read those words hundreds of times, today was something special. It finally clicked!

In Need of a “Come to Jesus” Moment?

October 2, 2019

Is it just me or is life getting faster? It can’t be just me can it? I don’t know what it is but the more I desire to get my life in order and under control, the faster and more chaotic life seems to get.

Always on the run…late to an appointment…stuck in traffic…got 2 hours worth of errands to run in 45 minute lunch break. Busy, busy, busy. Finish one busy season and the next one is even more busy. ENOUGH!!!!

Believe me, no one knows the stress of a busy life more than me – especially these days. Between the responsibility of shepherding a church or leading my family or just trying to be faithful in my walk with the Lord, it just seems like I can’t get caught up on everything. One task gets done and two more are waiting right around the corner to take its place.

I’m not alone am I???

The Price of Being God's Favorite

September 25, 2019

An oldie, but a goodie. I wrote this post over five years ago and it’s still one of my favorite (and most popular) posts of all time! Enjoy!

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Every now and then I read a passage in the Bible that just clicks. One sentence will speak volumes and resonate on so many levels. Today was one of those days. This morning I was reading John 12 – the story of when Jesus went to visit the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus just after raising Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11 (see John 11:38-45). The part that struck me was this:

“But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:10-11

Lazarus had a great miracle happen to him. He was raised from the dead by Jesus after being dead for 4 days in the tomb. That isn’t the kind of thing that happens every day – even Jesus was alive on the earth. And now that he was alive, he was a living testimony to the power of Jesus. The chief priests were trying to tell everyone that Jesus was a bad guy or at least a normal guy at best. Their message was “don’t follow Him. He is nothing special. Keep living your life as usual and don’t pay too much attention to what He is saying.”

But when Lazarus walked into the room, their message became much less effective. Lazarus was a walking billboard – shouting out JESUS IS THE REAL DEAL! JESUS IS ALL-POWERFUL! JESUS IS GOD! You couldn’t escape it as long as Lazarus was alive.

Just in Case You Need a Little Perspective Today

July 3, 2019

A picture really is worth a thousand words. I saw this infographic below and I felt its message is quite powerful.

Death Has Been Defeated!

May 1, 2019

Christ is risen!!!! Yes, He is risen indeed!!!! And in case you didn’t realize it, that is the greatest news ever!

Why? Because it means that death has been defeated! Through His own death and resurrection, Jesus abolished the power of death and granted us victory over the one enemy that we thought could never be conquered...DEATH!

Therefore we will/must REJOICE! WOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Below is a slightly more eloquent way of saying what I just said – an excerpt from a sermon preached by the great St. Athanasius (patron saint of STSA):

It's Time to Get Out of the Pit

April 10, 2019

Ever been in a pit? Ever been stuck in the miry clay? Ever felt like you are sinking deeper and deeper as the days passed by?

I’m not talking about a dirt pit on the side of the road. As bad as it would be to get stuck in one of those, the pit I’m talking about is much scarier and much more dangerous. It’s the pit that King David speaks about in Psalm 40.

4 Tips to Combat "People-Pleasing"

February 27, 2019

“For all my life I have worried about what other people think about me. As a little child, I quickly learned that certain things would bring the smile and approval of my parents and other adults. Then when I started grade school, the approval of my friends became the most important thing in my life.

Now I’m in college. But I’ve never grown out of this fear of being rejected. I still live my life mainly based on the approval of others. I want so badly to be liked, to fit in, and to be accepted that I have done all kinds of dumb stuff that my friends pushed me to do. I really regret that. Most of the time I know the right thing to do. I’m just afraid to do it, worrying about what my friends will think.

Why am I so weak? Why can’t I handle their disapproval? I have opinions, but I’m always afraid to express them. I am tired of saying yes to people just because I’m afraid to say no. I’m tired of caring too much about what other people think of me. I’m tired of being manipulated and used. But in many ways it’s my fault. Sometimes I feel that I don’t even know who I am. I’m just a collection of the expectations of others.”

That’s an actual email I received about two years ago. My heart broke for that young lady. She had allowed her life to be controlled by the thoughts and opinions of other people – people that she didn’t even care about and who certainly didn’t care about her. She was stuck in a self-imposed prison and it seemed like there was no way out.

A Christmas Message from Bishop Peter

January 8, 2019

Yesterday, we in the Orthodox Church celebrated Christmas (best thing about being Orthodox is getting two Christmases - Dec 25 and Jan 7 - who wouldn’t want to celebrate twice???). And on that occasion, we received a beautiful pastoral letter written by His Grace Bishop Peter. We read the letter in church during the Liturgy and so many people were touched by it, so I decided to post it below for your edification as well. Enjoy!

When Life Doesn't Cooperate

December 19, 2018

Below is a blog post that I originally wrote almost five years ago. I wrote it at a time when it seemed like a lot of people were going through "a hard time" and I found myself struggling with what to say and how to guide them. Below is what I came up with.

I feel that we might be in another one of those seasons now - where many are going through difficult times and struggling with questions like "what do I do now?" and "where do I go from here?"

Because of that, I am reposting my three-step strategy of what to do when there's nothing you can do... and where to go when you've got nowhere to go.

Time for a Reality Check

November 14, 2018

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.

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?”

Simply Amazing

August 1, 2018

“Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were GREATLY AMAZED, and running to Him, greeted Him.” Mark 9:15

Ever notice how many times the gospel says that Jesus AMAZED the crowds? Or that everyone was ASTONISHED by His words? Ever count the number of times that Jesus performed a miracle and it says that all the crowds MARVELED when they saw it?

From start to finish, Jesus led a truly AMAZING life. There weren’t too many dull days with Him around. One day healing the sick; the next day feeding the multitudes. One day preaching in parables; the next day casting out demons. He was a Teacher and a Preacher; a Comforter and a Counselor. He was all things to all men. But apparently not everyone was impressed.

Having a Friend in High Places

March 7, 2018

Ever feel like you’re drowning? Like it’s just too much? Like the world around you is a raging sea and you just keep getting tossed from one wave to another? Always unsettled? Always on the run? Always late for something or behind on something? Always overwhelmed?

If so, JOIN THE CLUB! Believe me, I know how you feel and I often find myself in a similar state. Too many things going on at the same time and not enough time or energy to do a quality job with each of them.

I gotta start working out...And I need to find time to fix some stuff around the house...Oh and my kid needs help with his homework...And I forgot to read my Bible today...And there’s a meeting in church tomorrow...

TOO MUCH!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

December 13, 2017

It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistle-toeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It's the most wonderful time of the year
(lyrics by Andy Williams)

Yeah yeah yeah… we’ve heard it on the radio… we’ve see it in the movies… we even hear about it at church during this time of year. We know that it’s supposed to be a season of joy, a season of laughter and a season of good cheer… the “hap-hap-happiest time of year” right?

But there’s just one problem….IT ISN’T! The holiday season reminds us of everything that ISN'T right in our lives and highlights all the areas that AREN’T going according to plan.

It’s a season where the feelings of loneliness that exist all year long get magnified.
It’s a season that every year is less and less joy and cheer, and more and more anxiety, stress and fear.
It’s a season where we’re flooded with images of families having fun and people being happy and we’re left to just wonder…why not me?

Why doesn’t my life match? Why can’t I have that too? Things were supposed to be different by now; this circumstance wasn’t supposed to still be here. Why God, why?

The Price of a Miracle

October 11, 2017

"My prayer is, when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight." harles Studd

Every now and then I read a passage in the Bible that just clicks. One sentence will speak volumes and resonate on so many levels. Yesterday was one of those days. I read John 12 – the story of when Jesus went to visit the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus just after raising Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11 (see John 11:38-45). The part that struck me was this:

“But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.” John 12:10-11

What Happened in Las Vegas?

October 4, 2017

Sadly, this story has become all too common. Another mass shooting - this time in Las Vegas. Another senseless killing, taking the lives of several innocent victims and bringing anger and fear into the hearts of even more.

As I was reflecting upon these recent events, I remembered a post I wrote last year after a similar tragedy in Orlando. Prior to this week, the Orlando shooting was the largest in US history, but the Las Vegas tragedy has now surpassed it - with 58 dead and more than 500 wounded.

The post below was my way of processing what happened and answering the question, "Where do we go from here?" The details may be different, but the message is the same.