What's Your Waiting Style?

March 11, 2020

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26)

I HATE WAITING! I’m not alone am I? We all hate waiting don’t we? Raise your hand if you’ve done any of these in the past week…

Honked at the car in front of you the second that the light turns green if they don’t start moving immediately?
Put a plate of food in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stopped it after 27 ½ seconds – unable to wait any longer?
Pushed the elevator button 15 times while waiting for it come – somehow thinking that if you push it more, it’ll come faster (makes perfect sense in our heads doesn’t it?)

WE HATE WAITING! We hate waiting at the grocery store. We hate waiting in traffic. And we hate waiting on God.

It seems like such a waste of time, doesn’t it? Life would be soooooo much better if we didn’t have to wait. If we had WHAT we wanted WHEN we wanted it. Right here…right now… no waiting. Give it to me NOW NOW NOW!!!

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.

To Be Grateful

August 25, 2017

"To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us...Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace... Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” Thomas Merton

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

July 7, 2017

This is a guest post from Marina Abdel Malak – a FrAnthony.com guest post favorite. In her previous posts, Marina spoke about her battle with ANOREXIA NERVOSA and how God helped her overcome it. Now, thanks to God, Marina is preparing for a career in helping others overcome their illnesses in medical school. If you too are interested in guest posting on my blog, please visit my Guest Post guidelines for more info.

Thanking God for His ABSENCE

March 22, 2017

“Where are you God? How come you’re not answering me God? Why are leaving me like this God? I just can’t take it any more!”

We’ve all been there and if we’re honest, the majority of our experience in prayer centers around God’s absence more than His Presence. Yes there are times when we’re overwhelmed by God’s Presence and feel that we’re standing before the Almighty Himself; but if you’ve ever tried to pray consistently and regularly, you know that those times are the exception, not the rule.

In fact, if you’re like most people (including myself), more often than not you’ll finish your time in prayer and not feel anything spectacular or earth-shattering at all. You’ll wonder if your prayer even went beyond the ceiling.

You know for sure you were talking, but was anyone up there even listening? It’s not just me, is it?

NEVER ENOUGH - I Thought It Was Just Me, Part 1

January 16, 2017

"Not good enough... not pretty enough... not smart enough... not spiritual enough... not patient enough... not loving enough... I AM NEVER ENOUGH!"

My guess is that everyone knows what it feels like to be "not enough." That's exactly why I'm so excited about the new series that we kicked off yesterday, "I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME."

We're talking about the silent killer that we all must deal with... the enemy of all that God wants to do in you and for you and through you this year and all the days of your life... INSECURITY.

We all go through it… we all try to hide it… and we all think we're alone. But in this series, we’ll see what God’s Word says about some of the common struggles we all face.

More Than A Conqueror - IDENTITY CRISIS, Part 4

November 16, 2015

"We are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through Him who loved us."Romans 8:37

It's the one desire that is universal among us all - the desire to CHANGE. We all have some area of our lives that we feel powerless to change. It could be a bad habit, or an addiction, or a relationship that just won't seem to get back on track. Whatever it may be, we often look at that circumstance and feel defeated.

But in the face of that, the Bible says we are "MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM." How can that be? What does that mean? My eyes see failure all around; how can Jesus look at me and see a conqueror?

That's the topic of Part 4 in IDENTITY CRISIS: The Search for Meas we discover a) the authority that God has given to us as His children, and b) how to exercise that authority in our daily life.

DOWN WITH DESPAIR - Fighting Failure, Part 5

June 29, 2015

"The Christian life may not be MISTAKE-free, but it can be GUILT-free."

The finale in the Fighting Failure series brought us face to face with the greatest enemy of them all...DESPAIR! And specifically, we talked about the despair that comes from guilt and shame - feeling like I've gone too far and messed up too badly.

If you struggle with guilt and have a hard time forgiving yourself after you've repented, YOU MUST LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE and see for yourself what God has to say about your guilt and your sin.

Is God a Deceiver?

May 15, 2015

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

"Come to me" God says and you will have "rest for your souls". Ok, great. Sign me up! This is a direct promise from God and we God never lies, right? Go to Him and you will have rest. Simple and straightforward, right?

Not exactly. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself at times being tempted to call God a deceiver. I’ve found myself angry that the simple truth found in a promise didn’t seem apparent in my life – even as I watched others seemingly delight in the very same words.

Lessons Learned from a TV Miniseries

May 13, 2015

It’s now been one month since Easter. Can you believe it? One month since the most glorious and life-changing week ever... one month since we confidently believed that a new life was ahead of us and we’d never go back to our old ways or old habits or old lifestyles.

It was one month ago that we were filled with hope and everything looked bright.

But how about now? Are you still feeling that way? Do you still believe that “life will never be the same again?” Do you still feel the invincibility that you felt when you beheld the empty tomb and proclaimed boldly, “Christ is risen from the dead!”

In other words, are you still living in the power of the Resurrection? Or is back to “same old, same old” for you?

A Modern Example of Life After Death

May 6, 2015

In the midst of a devastating tragedy, the Nepalese people hold their breath and burst into cheers when a fifteen year-old boy was rescued from the rubble of a multistory residential building in Kathmandu on Thursday. This young man is alive despite being hidden in the debris caused by an earthquake which took the life of more than seven thousand people.

As I was listening to the news this morning, goosebumps gathered along my skin. What an amazing scene. In the midst of death life can be found! I started to think about that boy some more, and I wonder if he will ever live life the same way again? He saw his own death, and lived through the misery of five full days and nights of darkness and hopelessness in the pits of despair.

How much more of a modern-day reminder can God give us during these days where we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord for 50 glorious days?

In the Synagogue with Jesus

March 27, 2015

I woke up this morning with a really heavy heart, overwhelmed by a lot of things. I could feel my Spirit longing to nourish himself with the word of God and I knew I just needed to vent out so much emotion to Jesus. I felt like a balloon about to pop!

Fortunately my friend the Holy Spirit pushed me to pop in His presence and not on my own, otherwise I would have sunk in a deep cycle of negativity and self-pity. Nothing feels better or more intimate than pouring your heart out to your God, raw emotions and all. After a few seconds of silence I begged the Holy Spirit to speak loudly to me, to hush all the noise in my head, and I opened my Bible.

Sweet Victory

February 6, 2015

There’s nothing like a good song to lift my spirits. Music is a very powerful thing, and to me… it’s how my heart worships. It’s the strongest way my spirit connects with God.

Now, if I were to tell you that hip hop is my favorite genre of music, you might think I’m crazy; but there is some seriously good Christian hip hop out there, and it’s a beautiful thing!

There’s one song in particular that I’ve been listening to (on repeat) for the past several weeks. It comes from the album Riseby Trip Lee (whose concert I just attended last night, and it was AWESOME!!). The song is called Sweet Victory.

Shame: Your Freedom or Your Prison?

January 23, 2015

Shortly after starting my Masters program, I was seeking to do something a little more to give back to the community; so I entered coaching school. For those who aren’t familiar with life coaching, it’s goal is to address everyday issues to help someone move forward from good to great – as opposed to therapy which aims to help people move from dysfunction to functional.

Utilizing my former psychology degree to expand into coaching, I noticed a common thread between many of my clients-- it’s that dirty little feeling we like to avoid and run away from whenever possible; that gremlin that forces us to cower in pain as reminders of our past shortcomings, sins, and faults come to light…SHAME!

Hot and Humid on Christmas?

December 5, 2014

For most of you, the journey to Christmas will be a cold one. I’ve been reading that parts of the USA have been received immense amounts of snow, much earlier than usual. Also, throughout Europe, it’s been a cold and wet winter so far as well.

But that isn’t a problem for me. That’s because I live in Sydney, Australia. And especially with the "climate change" that everyone’s talking about, it’s even hotter this year than usual. So all we can do is dream of having a “white Christmas.”

But here’s the thing: even though it doesn’t look like Christmas or feel like Christmas, it’s still Christmas.

God Who Heals

November 21, 2014

Do you ever get tired of waking up tired? Sounds like a silly question right? Well, about two months ago I decided that I was tired of waking up feeling like life was somehow too hard. I know in my head that, as a follower of Jesus, my life SHOULD look different, feel different, and make a difference, right?

But instead, I felt tired, distracted, and very broken. Where was the joy? The strength? The healing? I felt like I was missing something important, and that even though I might have had it once… I lost it, whatever IT was.

I struggled to pray, to read my Bible, or to serve othes in any capacity. In the brief moments I actually tried to pray, I had nothing to say. All I could muster up was someting along the lines of: “Lord, I need healing – I don’t know why I feel so defeated, like life is too hard and I’m too broken to do anything about it…I need to be healed.”

That single prayer carried me for what seemed like forever.

Finding Joy in the Desert

October 31, 2014

When you’ve tasted the sweetness of the living water, there’s nothing more unbearable than the dryness of the desert.

I work harder, pleading for His presence, trying to push myself to find some sort of emotional connection to the words I have read over and over in my Bible. Somehow, I still leave feeling empty and unfulfilled. I feel like saying with Isaiah the prophet, “My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens” (Isaiah 38:14).

I guess it’s because somewhere along the way, I’ve slipped into thinking that when I can’t feel God, He has abandoned me. In other words, I equate God’s silence with God’s absence.

But is that really the case?

First Bitter, Then Sweet

May 2, 2014

“…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

One Saturday night, when I was 18, I went to visit some neighbors who recently moved to our area. I was actually going to apologize for a noisy party we were having at a friend's house next door. I thought they might be upset.

But to my surprise, they weren’t. In fact, when they opened the door, I saw a very thin, shy man and his equally thin, shy wife watching from afar. I was expecting them to be upset; but instead they invited me in for coffee!

Immediately I noticed something different about them. The wife brought out a tray from which the husband handed me what looked like a small bowl full of dark coffee. I didn't want to offend, so I hid my confusion and smiled and drank it all at once.

WHOA! I soon learned that the coffee, like my neighbors themselves, was Arabic in origin. Unlike my neighbors though, the coffee was extremely bitter! Very potent!

Soon after however, the wife brought out another tray – this time full of a sweet, rich pastry that our Lebanese neighbors call ‘baklava’. It wasn’t long before the level of honey in that dessert made me completely forget the bitter aftertaste from the coffee.

In the trials of life, in the confusing times, bitterness creeps up on us like a cup of my neighbor's coffee.

Are You Strong and Courageous?

March 28, 2014

Life is tough, isn’t it? Everyday we faced multiple challenges and obstacles and at times it seems like it's more than we can handle.

At these times, we don’t feel strong and we certainly don't feel courageous. We are tired and we want help!

We pray to God, asking for strength. “God! Strengthen me! Either make this problem go away or solve it! Please! I am tired and frustrated…”

The Bible is full of verses that can motivate or strengthen us at these times, such as Joshua 1:9. This verse is God speaking to Joshua when he was feeling a little down as well.

With God All Things Are Possible

June 14, 2013

I struggle with anorexia nervosa - an eating disorder characterized by immoderate food restriction and irrational fear of gaining weight, as well as a distorted body self-perception.

Last year, I became very ill because of this. I had reached a deadly weight and was starting to lose my ability to walk due to muscle weakness. I was immediately admitted to the hospital. Just days later, I caught pneumonia. Then my kidneys failed because of dehydration and my heart could not pump adequately to keep me alive. I couldn't breathe due to diaphragm weakness and the pneumonia. I went to the ICU where I was sedated, had a breathing tube inserted, and was started on 24/7 kidney dialysis.

It was bad.