The Great Hunt: THE QUEST FOR GOD'S WILL, Part 1

January 27, 2015

What’s God’s will for my life? Is it even possible for me to know? And how will I know when I’ve found it? This is so confusing!

If you’ve ever felt that way, then you’re in luck. We just kicked off a brand new three week series called THE GREAT HUNT: The Quest for God’s Will. Through this series, you'll hopefully discover that God never intended His will to be a mystery. In fact, He probably wants you to find it even more than you do. But the first step is figuring out what I should be looking for. Check out the video above for more details.

p.s. Sorry for not posting this yesterday. I was out of town and had very limited access to email. But if you want to make sure you get these messages as soon as they're posted (usually on Sunday evenings), subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or via RSS feed.

THE PATH TO PERFECTION - God's Ethics Part 5

November 24, 2014

“Therefore you shall be PERFECT, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48

Perfect? YEAH RIGHT! Are you kidding me? Is that even possible? That's the question that we discussed yesterday in the Week 5 series finale of God's Ethics: Realigning Your Moral Compass.

The key is in understanding what the word "perfect" really means. If you define it as "sinless" or "without any blemish", then you're going to feel frustrated and discouraged. But is that how Jesus meant it?

I say NO! And I invite you to check out the message above to see for yourself. You'll discover that perfection isn't at all what you think it is and that actually, it's a lot more within your reach than you realize.

WATCH YOUR MOUTH! - God's Ethics Part 4

November 17, 2014

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

Week 4 in the God's Ethics: Realigning Your Moral Compassseries and this week's message might be the toughest to swallow of them all.

That's because the message focuses on the SINS OF THE TONGUE - not something we usually think about or pay much attention to. What's the big deal about a little gossip here or there? Or a dirty joke? Or a curse/swear? Or an exaggeration of the truth? We don't usually put these "little sins" into the same class as the big ones.

But guess what? GOD DOES!

BREAKING FREE FROM ANGER - God's Ethics Part 3

November 10, 2014

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment.” Matthew 5:21-22

Week 3 in our latest series at The Well, God's Ethics: Realigning Your Moral Compass and this week's topic is a MUST LISTEN for every single person (and I don't say that often).

The topic is anger and where it comes from and how we should deal with it. But realize that when Jesus speaks about anger, He isn't speaking only about losing your temper and going crazy. He's speaking about anger of the heart... the kind of anger that we often justify and excuse... bitterness, resentment, grudges, hatred.

Trust me, there isn't a person out there who isn't struggling with this kind of anger in some way and until we learn to deal with it, we are doing nothing except enslaving ourselves to a life of misery.

ADULTERY OF THE HEART - God's Ethics Part 2

November 3, 2014

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28

What is God's standard for sexuality? How does He view sex? Is sex bad/wrong as many of us were brought up to believe? Or is it "no big deal" as society around us seems to suggest? Is it really possible to live in 2014 and beyond with the kind of a standard that Jesus speaks about above?

There is no area in life where God's standards and the world's standards seem to conflict MORE than when it comes to sex and our sexuality. It's time for us - the children of God - to return to a proper understanding of sex and a godly standard for our sexuality.

Find out how by watching this week's message, "Adultery of the Heart" - Part 2 in our latest series at The Well, God's Ethics: Realigning Your Moral Compass.

ETHICS VS OBEDIENCE - God's Ethics Part 1

October 27, 2014

“There are two ways, one of life and one of death;
but a great difference between the two ways.”
Didache 1:1

ETHICS VS OBEDIENCE. One is how we look at right vs wrong; the other is how God does. One is relative and ever changing; the other is fixed. One focuses solely on actions and behavior; the other focuses on a mindset. One talks about sin as a line you can't cross; the other looks at sin as a slope you shouldn't mess with.

Most importantly, one leads to life; the other leads to death.

Which one are you using as you walk through life???

Check out Part 1 in our newest series at The Well called GOD'S ETHICS: REALIGNING YOUR MORAL COMPASS to help you see the difference and answer this extremely important question for yourself.

What's harder: PRAYER or WORK?

September 24, 2014

“The great people of the earth today are people who pray. I do not mean people who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time and pray. They have not the time. It must be taken from something else. This something else is important. Very important, pressing, but still less important and less pressing than prayer.” -- S.D. Gordon

Which is harder – to pray or to work? Be honest. Which comes more natural when you have a problem that you can’t solve: to get up and try to fix it? Or to kneel down and spend some time praying about it?

For me, it’s a no-brainer. The harder task is prayer...by far! I know it seems counterintuitive, but it's true.

The Power of God’s Promise

September 4, 2014

Ladies and gentlemen…I am BACK! Fr. Anthony is now in the building and it’s time to get back to turning the world upside down for the glory of God!

In case you didn’t notice, I was off from blogging for the past two months (pleeeeeease tell me you noticed!). I took the summer off in order to concentrate on two other projects – two HUGE, ginormous, God-sized, set-the-world-on-fire projects which you’ll be hearing about very soon.

But before I tell you about those projects (sorry, but trust me, it’s coming, check back here on Monday morning), I wanted to share a verse that has become very special to me over the past few months. It’s actually my “promise for 2014” – a verse that I randomly selected at our New Year’s Eve party as we all chose a verse from the Bible as our promise for the new year.

GOD IS JUST - Part 4, Can You See HIM Now?

June 30, 2014

"Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” Jeremiah 12:1

If you've ever asked yourself that question - why does it seem like the good guys always finish last and the bad guys always seem to win in life - then you need to listen to the latest message in the CAN YOU SEE HIM NOW? series. This week's topic might be the most hotly debated because in it, we discuss the age old question, IS GOD FAIR/JUST?

Say what you want to say, we all know there are times when we look up the sky, shake our fist and question His fairness. That's a natural part of life. But in this message you'll see why God is just and how that justice works in our day to day lives.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN - Part 3, Can You See HIM Now?

June 23, 2014

Want to know the secret to a life of less stress and more peace? The secret to lowering your anxiety and increasing your faith? It's not as complicated as you might think. It all comes with knowing the truth about God's SOVEREIGNTY.

That was the subject of yesterday's message - the 3rd part in our latest series, CAN YOU SEE HIM NOW? Understanding what it means that "God is sovereign" will transform your life like nothing else.

Don't believe me? Check out the message above and see for yourself.

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...

Can You See Him Now? Part 1

June 9, 2014

Kicked off a fantastic new series in The Well yesterday - one that I am super excited for - called CAN YOU SEE HIM NOW? The premise of the series is very simple and is based on this one statement:

“The most telling characteristic about a man is what his view of God is. This will determine the outcome of life more than anything else.”

What's more important: the reality of who God is? Or your PERCEPTION of who God is? What will affect your life more: how God looks at you? Or how you THINK He is looking at you? You may never realize it, but believe me, the perception of God that each of us has in our minds will affect our lives in ways that we'll never realize.

That's why the goal of this series is to get rid of those pesky misperceptions that we've accumulated along the way and to see God as He really is.

The difference could be life-changing...and eternity-changing as well.

World-Changing OBEDIENCE

June 2, 2014

This week's message was the finale in the World-Changers series and it was my personal favorite. It's a message I believe in very deeply and is at the fundamental core of who I am and why I do what I do. And that message is this...

OBEDIENCE IS THE MEANS BY WHICH GOD BLESSES OUR LIVES.

I don't know about you, but I want to be blessed by God. And I believe God wants to bless me even more than I want to blessed. So finding His blessing and finding His peace and finding His joy isn't a game of hide and seek. And most of the time, I'd say He wants to give it to me even more than I want to receive it.

But the means by which that blessing will come is OBEDIENCE. God gives us forks in the road every day and what we do at those forks will determine whether or not we find blessing.

World-Changing SPEAKING

May 19, 2014

We SPEAK BOLDLY about what we BELIEVE DEEPLY.

That was the key thought in Part 3 of the World-Changers series at The Well. The title of this week's message was "World-Changing Speaking" and the main idea is that if something is dear to our hearts, it must find its way to our lips. If we truly believe that God has given us new life through His Son Jesus Christ and we value that gift as we should, then at some point in time, that belief must find its own out of my mouth for others to hear.

I know, I know, you'll say "I witness with my deeds" and "actions speak louder than words" - I've heard (and said) those same excuses. But I invite you to take a look at the video above and see if you still feel that way after listening to the message.

Why Can't I Change?

April 30, 2014

"Dear Fr. Anthony, I was really moved by your message and began to really believe that through the power of the Resurrection I can change and can overcome my old habits. But it seems like every time I believe that and start to move in the right direction, I inevitably fall and end up even worse than when I started. How can I make a change that will last? Is it even possible for me?”

That’s one of the most common questions I get asked: can I really change? Is it really possible for me to overcome my bad habit? Will I ever be able to stop worrying? Is there really any hope that my life can be different?

It’s not that we don’t believe that it’s possible. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We believe 100% that it’s possible because we know that “with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37) and “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27) and of course, everyone’s favorite, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

We know the verses. We’ve heard the sermons. We’ve seen Jesus change the lives of so many other people around us.

SO WHY CAN’T WE CHANGE? That’s the million dollar question

World-Changing FAITH

April 28, 2014

"When Jesus came back from the dead, He didn't come for a celebration. He came with marching orders."

One week removed from the Feast of the LORD's Resurrection and the question on everyone's mind is....NOW WHAT? What next? Back to life as normal? Or was that whole Good Friday/Easter Sunday thing supposed to make a real difference in my life somehow?

I believe the answer is YES! Absolutely, positively, 100% yes! If you look back at the guys who lived through the Resurrection the first time, you'll see that this one event ushered in a whole new era of life. The weak became strong, the timid became bold, and the doubts turned to faith! The Resurrection did make a difference...A LIFE-CHANGING AND WORLD-CHANGING DIFFERENCE!

I believe the same is meant to be true today as well - for me and you. Easter may be over and the food may be finished, but the marching orders are still in full effect. Take a look at the video below and see for yourself what happens when we actually believe that that is true.

Do Not Be Afraid (sermon video)

April 22, 2014

Christ is risen!!! WOO-HOO!!!! And by His death, He has defeated death itself and given life and hope and joy to all those who believe Him and walk in His ways.

Because of that, the one expression that should fill the hearts and the mouths of His followers during these blessed days is DO NOT BE AFRAID. But unfortunately, that isn't always the case. Despite the fact that Christ defeated our greatest enemy (death), many still walk in fear today.

That's why I'm posting this sermon video today. The title is simple: DO NOT BE AFRAID. It was a sermon I gave on the first Sunday after Easter several years ago and I think it could speak powerfully to many people today.

Hope you enjoy!

Offline for Holy Week

April 14, 2014

It has officially begun - the most beautiful/sacred time of the year. Pascha Week (aka Holy Week) is upon us. Because of that, I won't be blogging this week. But I didn't want to leave my faithful blog followers high and dry so below is a message I shared one year which talks about HOW TO PREPARE FOR HOLY WEEK.

Have a great week and hopefully I'll see you all back online next week.

How Valuable is This One Week to You?

April 9, 2014

Here we go. It’s that time of year. We’ve been going through Lent for almost 7 weeks and that means that HOLY WEEK is almost here. As soon as I mention the coming of Holy Week (more traditionally known as Pascha Week), there are two responses that might come forth

a) (church people) YES! It’s Holy Week. Services every day. More prayers, more hymns, more readings…MORE CHURCH! YES!!!

b) (non-church people) Oh no! It’s Holy Week. Services every day. More prayers, more hymns, more readings…MORE CHURCH! NO!!!

Same event, completely different responses. Why is that? Why do some people approach Holy Week like a kid on Christmas, while others approach it like a turkey on Thanksgiving? How can that be? How can they be talking about the same thing?

The Guardian of Biblical Truth - YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT Part 6

April 7, 2014

Series finale in the You Are What You Eat series and this week's message is about one of the hottest topics in modern Christians circles. TRADITION...and its role in the Church and in our spiritual lives.

"Tradition? You mean all that man-made stuff that Jesus hated? That stuff's for the Pharisees! I don't believe in Tradition; I believe in the Bible and YOU SHOULD TOO!"

If that's the perspective you're coming from, I invite you to check out the video below and see for yourself. You may be surprised to discover that you're already depending on Tradition a lot more than you realized...