“God doesn’t remove darkness; He enters into it with us.”
If you’ve ever struggled with the question, “why does a good God allow so much bad?”, then this week’s message is what you need to listen to. It’s the finale of our Blind Faith series and in it, we see how Jesus approached pain, suffering and death in the life of His dear friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
What you find might surprise you as Jesus doesn’t remove the pain from their lives; instead He enters into with them.
Read More“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
We’re in Part 2 of our series HAPPY and this week’s topic is a hard one to grasp. That’s because - according to Jesus (pretty reliable source) - we discovered that MOURNING can actually be a pathway to HAPPINESS. Who knew?
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“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10)
As I wrote about last week, we are now officially in the midst of the season of Lent … oh no… wait a minute… I said that I don’t believe that Lent is meant to be just a “season.” A “season” comes and goes with no purpose; the only reason we are in a “season” is because the calendar tells us that it is time for that season.
ASIDE: Coincidentally enough, I just noticed that “spring” officially begins in one week, March 20 – but who cares? That proves my point. No one is expecting that next Wednesday is really any different than this one – it’s just what the calendar says. Seasons make no difference.
Lent is not a season, but rather a journey. A journey has a purpose. We are going somewhere. We have a destination. And on this journey of Lent, we have two specific destinations that we’re trying to reach: a CROSS and a TOMB.
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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.
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Today's heart-warming guest post comes from Madona Lawindy - a close friend of mine and an original founding member of St. Timothy & St. Athanaisus church who has guest posted on my blog before.
There’s a phrase that I have been repeating absentmindedly since my first days of attending Sunday School. “He did it because He loved us.” This is of course referring to Jesus when He came to earth and was crucified on our behalf. I always got it but I never really got it. That is, until this past month, which led to one of the most horrible weeks of my life.
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Is it possible to grow if you’re never challenged?
Think before you answer. Is it possible to become stronger if your muscles are never challenged? Is it possible to become smarter if your mind is never challenged? Is it possible to run farther if your physical conditioning is never challenged?
Is it possible to grow if you’re never challenged? The undeniable answer is NO.
Whether it’s physical strength or intellectual prowess or long distance running, I will never grow unless I challenge myself and push myself beyond my current capability – aka, “what I can handle.”
All agree so far? (Here comes the part you probably won’t like.)
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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.
Read MoreIt's once again that time of year where I take my annual hiatus from preaching. Every year we plan a fun guest speaker series at The Well and judging from part 1 yesterday, this year's series is going to be a good one!
It's called MEETING (again) FOR THE FIRST TIME. It's a follow up to our last series where we discussed some of the common myths about who God is. Each week, we'll look at one "false god" and try to figure out what the truth really is.
Week One: BODYGUARD GOD - isn't God supposed to protect from evil and harm?
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I sat their on the church stairs, barely able to take a breath. The ringing in my ears, the dust in the air, the people running back and forth, in panic. I look around me and I see body after body, full of blood, carried and rushed out the church doors.
In the background I can hear the screaming and with each tear a mother cries and falls to the ground, the earth beneath me rattles. Each hug a father gives to their dying child, I feel their arms around me holding me close. Every sibling that holds their loved ones hands for the last time, trying to tell them it’s going to be okay; I feel their fingers in-between mine.
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By now, most of the world is aware of the horrific act of terrorism that took place three days ago in a Coptic church in Egypt. Someone went into a crowded church on a Sunday morning during the time of worship and set off a bomb that killed at least 25 people and injured 50 more – the majority of whom were women and children.
Awful awful awful. Makes me sick to my stomach. Another senseless tragedy to add to the list that was already too long to begin with.
What I want to talk about today is how we can make sense out of tragedies and disasters like this. How do we process the event and move forward – not forgetting what happened but also not letting it consume us and fill us with fear and/or anger?
Whether it’s across the world or across the street… whether it’s terrorism or racism… whether it’s called an act of God or an act of the devil…
…how can we make sense of the inevitable tragedies in our lives?
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There is a genuine and real joy in trials.
Genuine because it is an experience that involves the whole of your being - spirit, soul, and body. It is holistic, not partial. Full, not empty.
Joy - for the simple fact that there are myriad of gifts ready to be given, to those who endure to the end. There are revelations that He desires to reveal in the depth of your soul. About His Person, about who you are, and about your neighbor. To those who wait on the Lord and have there strength renewed.
It intensifies the intimacy between you and the bridegroom of your soul.
But many of us fail to discern this. If your eyes were opened to the working of our good God, you will begin to realize, as Father, He desires to continually give. Pour out. Think about it. If the Father of the Beloved has given us His Beloved, to be incarnate, die, rise, and ascend for you and me.
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By now, everyone is fully aware of the horrific events that took place in Orlando, FL last weekend where a man opened fire at a nightclub, killing 49 people. The attack was “the deadliest mass shooting in the United States and the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11” according to this CNN article.
When things like this happen, I find myself needing to process the event internally and find an answer “what happened here?”
Read MoreWe hear it all the time, but is it actually true? Did Jesus ever actually say it? Isn't it in the Bible somewhere? Or did we just make it up?
Week 2 of Things Jesus Never Said and this week we talked about a phrase that hear (and probably say) all the time: GOD WILL NEVER GIVE YOU MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE.
In this message, we talk about why God does allow us to endure trials and what the purpose of those trials might be. More importantly, we talk also talk about what our response to them should be. Enjoy!
The Lenten Season – which concluded last Sunday as we celebrated Christ’s resurrection from the dead – is usually seen as one of the most sacred times of the year for us Christians. This season is at the core of our dogma and our faith, and epitomizes the beautiful story of Christianity, establishing hope for the eternal joy and peace as opposed to the earthly pain and distress. Because of its literally life-changing nature, we are called to engage in more intense daily exercises during Lent, both physically and spiritually
Read MoreWe wrapped up the In The Waiting Roomseries yesterday and the final message focuses on a very practical task that we can focus on in the waiting rooms of life...COMFORT - what it is, where it comes from, and most importantly, how we benefit by being a channel for God's comfort in the lives of others.
If you're looking for a practical takeaway from this series - something tangible that you can start doing today, be sure to check out the message above and start practicing it in your waiting room today.
It's week 2 in our latest series, IN THE WAITING ROOM, and we're still trying to answer the question: what do you do when there's nothing you can do?
We all know someone who's done it - someone who's made it through the waiting room (those unchangeable/unalterable circumstances of life) and come out stronger than when they entered. How do they do it? What's their secret? What am I doing or not doing that stops me from reaching that point of peace/trust in my waiting room?
It all comes down to one decision - one choice that you can make in your waiting room - that will unleash God's power and grace/ in your waiting room in extraordinary ways.
Have you ever been so down and frustrated that you knew you were angry, but you weren’t quite sure who you were angry at? Just sort of angry at ‘life’ in general? I know I’ve felt that way before – especially during the time I was admitted to the ICU.
I felt hopeless and tired. I remember how weak I was; how pathetic I felt. I felt frustrated with life and wanted it to end. I didn't know if God was ever going to get me out alive, and at times, I actually didn't want to be alive. I was angry with myself. But more so, I was angry that life had been so harsh on me. I didn't understand why this was happening. All I knew was that this was the 'last straw'. I was breaking down, losing hope, and losing faith.
During that time, my parents would often comfort me and support me with three quotes from the late Pope Shenouda III (1923-2012). I’ll never forget those three statements that my family always said when they came to see me: “'this too will end soon”, “God is here”, and “all is for the good”.
Three short statements, but the power and hope they instilled within me was incredible.
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“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
Growing up just like any other child, I used to be over the moon at the thought of Christmas or Easter being around the corner. You could just feel the excitement walking around in the streets.
Those who were lucky enough to come from a blessed family would be thinking of what gifts they were expecting that year. Those who came from a poor background would also count their blessings because they would at least get to enjoy that special holiday meal with their loved ones. Even the homeless had something to celebrate because they would have generous groups of people coming to visit them, usually carrying food.
Excitement filled the air!
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That’s it. It’s officially over. It’s time to go back to normalcy. I hereby decree that as of this past weekend “the Christmas season” has now officially ended. What started back in late November and stuck around through the early days of January, is over and done with as of this past weekend.
(fyi, in case you’re wondering, to me the official end of the Christmas season is whatever day we decide to take down our Christmas tree and decorations. That happened this past weekend. Therefore I decree that the Christmas season ended this past weekend. You see how that works?)
The festivities and celebrations of Christmas and New Year are done. Life is back to normal. It’s the middle of January. No sign of the holidays remains except for the few stragglers out there who still haven’t taken down their Christmas lights (not that anyone has noticed or anything). Other than that, it’s pretty much over.
But wait a minute, wasn’t there more to Christmas than just the lights and the presents? Wasn’t there something else we were celebrating and getting all excited about? Or rather, wasn’t there some-ONE else we were celebrating and getting excited about?
Oh yeah! I remember…BABY JESUS!
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