World-Changing PRAYER

May 12, 2014

Week 2 of the World-Changers series and this week's topic is World-Changing Prayer. The key thought for this week's message is this: what you PRAY FOR reveals what you BELIEVE ABOUT God.

Pray for small things? Then you probably believe in a small God.

Pray for selfish things? Then you probably believe that God is here to serve you and make you happy.

Pray for nothing? Then you probably believe that God doesn't really care.

Jesus didn't come back from the dead just for a celebration; He came back on a mission and with marching orders for us to continue that mission. If we're serious about being World-Changers (like Jesus was and like His original followers were) and getting that mission done, it's going to need to start with our prayers.

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.

Today God Was a Kyrgyz Woman Named Aigul

January 24, 2014

I stood at what felt like one of the largest intersections I had ever attempted to cross in my life. There were cars coming from every direction by way of a streetlight that hadn’t factored in pedestrians at all. My heart sinks every time I cross any street here in the Kyrgyz Republic because THEY DO NOT YIELD!

This time I stood there, and went into a state of shock. I was imagining myself being plowed by a trolley bus, or getting trapped between lanes. I know, you think I’m being dramatic. But you would be too if a hundred minibuses and cars were coming at you from several directions at over 60 mph.

I looked over at a woman next to me who took one step forward, and had a determined expression on her face to make it across the street. I don’t usually make eye contact because I like to avoid the mental exhaustion of introductions and chitchat – in not one, but two, foreign languages which I have not yet mastered.

It was not like me at all actually. I was so caught up, drowning in these horrible thoughts, that I mentally and physically couldn’t have given myself a second to look away from the dust clouds and racing tires.

But she looked at me. And I looked back. It was too late! Our eyes locked, she spoke in very fast Russian, grabbed me arm in arm, and led me across the street. I asked her name, and then she left. Her name was Aigul (eye-goul), and today, this was God coming to meet me.

HOPE Association @ The Well

September 9, 2013

"For You are He who loosens the bound and uplifts the fallen; the hope of those who are hopeless and the help of those who are helpless; the comfort of the fainthearted and the harbor of those in the storm." Excerpt from Liturgy of St. Basil

If you missed The Well yesterday, you missed out! HOPE Association gave a special presentation and showed us all the different projects and initiatives that they're kicking off this Fall. Not only that, they also reminded us of the great impact that we - the Body of Christ - can have on this world through simple acts of love and kindness and sacrifice. It really touched my heart and there was a barely a dry eye in the room by the end.

Check out the video and see for yourself.

Saving the World One Soul at a Time

August 9, 2013

A man was walking along the beach and suddenly he saw under his feet a small fish thrown out onto the shore by a large wave.

The man had two choices: either to abandon the small fish and leave it to die, or help the small fish get back into the water and live.

He decided to help the small fish get back into the water by pushing it slightly toward the ocean. Suddenly, a big wave came to the shore with a lot of small fish and the small fish went back happily to live in the ocean with other fish.

This incident made the man think about what goes on in his ministry to human souls.

Now That's My Idea of a Great Weekend!

June 26, 2013

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Last week I wrote about how excited I was for this past weekend. It was the weekend of our public launch at STSA – the weekend where we felt God wanted to take the good things we have going inside the church and make them known to the community outside. And just as the first century church “went public” on the Day of Pentecost, we felt like God wanted us to do the same this past weekend as we celebrated Pentecost as well.

So how’d it go?

FANTASTIC! Magnificent! Best weekend to date! YAHOO!!!!!!

Let the Tidal Wave Begin – STSA Going Public!

June 19, 2013

This is one of those weeks for me. One of those weeks where I don’t know what to blog about or what to say. It’s one of those weeks that I absolutely live for and dread at the same time. It’s a week where I really feel – with all my heart, soul, mind and strength – like God is going to do something big… something huge… something massive… something historically grand… something that is exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even imagine! And He’s going to do that right here – right in front of my eyes!

What in the world am I talking about? Let me explain.

As you probably know, I have been blessed to be serving at St. Timothy & St. Athanasius church (STSA) - aka THE GREATEST CHURCH EVER!. I love my church so much and from day one, I have felt that God has a special calling and a special mission for this church (go back and see the very first blog post I ever posted and you’ll see what I am talking about).

BOLD Part 5 - Grander Vision Living

June 17, 2013

We wrapped up the BOLD series yesterday with the final message on GRANDER VISION LIVING.

What is that? It's all about a challenge... no, rather an invitation... to invest your life in the only thing that really matters when all is said and done. Just as the Lord Jesus invited His disciples to live for "the big fish", He does the same with us today. What does that mean? You'll have to watch the video to find out!

BOLD Part 4 - The Power of Story

June 10, 2013

"Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" (John 4:35)

Sometimes evangelism is just sowing seeds; but sometimes it involves reaping the harvest. Are you prepared for that? How would you answer if someone asked you "why is going to church so important to you? Why do you pray? Why do you believe?" Would you be able to answer those questions clearly and concisely?

If not, you need to get caught up on yesterday's message in the BOLD: All Things to All Men series. In it, we talked about the POWER OF STORY - the most powerful tool when it comes to being a witness and sharing our faith.

BOLD Part 3 - 3D Living

June 3, 2013

BOLD is back! Yesterday's message was a very powerful one, but also practical one.

We talked about 3 simple steps that every single one of us can take to start living a life of evangelism: Develop friendships, Discover stories, Discern next steps. This is a must listen for anyone who's ever said "I know God wants me to do evangelism, but I don't know what to do" or "I want to be a witness but I don't know what to do or say."

If you've ever said that, then check out the video above and hopefully it'll help answer your questions.

BOLD Part 2 - Just Sowing Seeds

May 20, 2013

Part 2 in the latest series, BOLD: All Things to All Men. Yesterday's message was focused on the key to "success" as an evangelist. It isn't training or knowledge or any special skills. It's your willingness to just do one thing....

What is it? Check out the message to find out.

BOLD Part 1 - The Call to Evangelism

May 13, 2013

I'M BACK! I know I've been offline for a couple of weeks now, but I am back now and more on fire than ever. God has really really been speaking loudly and clearly to me and I can't wait to get back on schedule (now that house is sold, Pascha week is over and week in Florida is done) and share all the good things God is doing.

So if you thought you got rid of me....YOU WERE WRONG!

And the first thing I want to share with you today is the first message in a brand new series that I started yesterday. It's called BOLD: All Things to All Men. Can you guess the topic? It's all about "evangelism" - the word that means different things to different people - and what our role is with regards to evangelism. Trust me, it's not what you think.

Being an evangelist isn't what you might think it is. It is something much simpler and in this message I answer the "who, what, where, when, why and how" questions with regards to evangelism. You can check it out below. And tomorrow, I'll resume my regularly scheduled blog posts as before.

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

Evange-what?

January 4, 2013

How do I share my faith?

Luckily, I don't have to convince you that sharing your faith is important. Fr. Anthony has already done that in previous posts. The aim here is specific examples and principles on how you can do it. Hundreds of young Orthodox Christians around you and around the world have been the guinea pigs for this already, so rest assured :)

From LA and Vancouver, New York and Toronto all the way to the UK, Holland and Switzerland...God is doing a mighty work to show Himself strong on behalf of those who are willing to give it a try. (see 2 Chronicles 16:9). Wanna give it a go?

Your One Thing

September 14, 2012

A few generations back, before the world of Twitter, Facebook, or cool blogs on the Internet (subscribe to us here!), there was Popeye the Sailor man: the short, balding, mischievous cartoon character on television.

For those not familiar with the character, he was a sailor by trade but more than that to millions of kids who tuned in faithfully every weekend. He also had a special lady friend named Olive Oil, a dashing young lady with a pickle-shaped nose and spaghetti-thin arms (every young boy’s fantasy!). And most of the time, Popeye and Olive Oil went about life enjoying their days and taking things in stride as they happened.

But when things took a more serious turn, and if it looked like Olive Oil might be in some danger, Popeye would race to her side and utter those famous words of an entire generation: “That’s all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more!” (Popeye was never known for his impeccable grammar however)

Greatness is Not Just an Individual Thing

July 20, 2012

I tricked you yesterday didn’t I? Admit it. I tricked you because I asked you what it means to be great and I intentionally led you down the wrong path for answers. I’ll bet that most people thought in terms of prayer, Bible reading or other such spiritual disciplines. Most of us equate our spiritual success with the amount of spiritual practices that we do.

BUT GOD DOESN’T LOOK AT IT THAT WAY. If God looked at it that way, then the Pharisees would have top dogs in His eyes. They did all the spiritual practices and disciplines; and they did it religiously (pun intended). But while those things are all very good, it takes more than that to be GREAT.

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become GREAT among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

Start Here. Start Now.

July 13, 2012

“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

We are called to do the work of an evangelist. Actually, let me say that more bluntly: YOU ARE CALLED TO DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST.

All week I’ve been talking about evangelism and what it is and what it isn’t. I’ve already made it clear that evangelism doesn’t mean standing on a corner and yelling at people to repent before they go to hell (see video above for many ways to NOT do the work of evangelist).

But the issue still remains that I have to do something. I cannot sit back and do nothing and claim that evangelism isn’t for me. I am called to be evangelist and to do the work of an evangelist. Whatever talents and gifts God has given me, I have to somehow figure out how to use those in a way for the purpose of witnessing for God. And as I said yesterday, that can take many different shapes and forms, but the inescapable point is this: I AM CALLED TO DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST.

But the major question is this: How should I start?

Evangelism: What Are You Aiming For?

July 12, 2012

"Aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time." Zig Ziglar

"If you don't know where you are going, you probably end up someplace else." Yogi Berra

This week I’ve spoken about the importance of evangelism and the definition of evangelism – why we need to do it and what it is. But usually our problem with evangelism isn’t the theoretical side; it’s the practical side. It’s the “how-to” that we struggle with.

So today I want to make it easy for you. I don’t like to do anything unless I know the goal upfront. If the goal isn’t clear, how will I know if I am doing it right? How will I know if I am accomplishing anything? No one wants to work hard on something and later realize that they were doing it all wrong. So we need to establish a goal for evangelism before we dive in.

So what’s the goal? What would you say? Is the goal to bring people to church? Is the goal to baptize people? Is the goal to make them pray a certain prayer or to do certain good works?

What is the goal of evangelism and how will I know when I’ve accomplished it?

Evangelism Is...

July 10, 2012

What is evangelism? What does it mean? What does it look like? What does it sound like? What does it mean to be an evangelist?

I believe that if you ask those questions to a random group of people, you’d get as many answers as there are people in the room. Everyone has their own idea of what evangelism is and what it looks like.

But what does God think? What does He say it is supposed to look like? Does it have to be preachy? Is it supposed to be intrusive? Is that really what God wants from us?

How Can You Say You Love Me If...

July 9, 2012

Imagine that you are walking down the street one day and you see a small child wander out into the street. The child clearly is too young to be in the street and someone needs to get this child back to the sidewalk and safety. As you walk towards the child, you realize that it isn’t just any child; it’s actually the child of one of your close friends – someone whom you have known for years.

As soon as you make that realization, you realize something else too…THERE’S A CAR COMING! The car is coming down the road fast and it doesn’t see the child. You are standing on the side of the road – there’s still time to do something if you choose to, but you need to hurry. You could run out and grab the child. You could yell at the child to get back to safety. You could try to get the driver’s attention and tell him to stop. YOU MUST DO SOMETHING!!!!

But instead, you sit idly by. You choose not to take any action. You turn your head so you don’t have to see what’s coming but you know what happens next. The driver tries to slam on the brakes at the last second, but by then it’s too late. The child suffers fatal injuries and doesn’t make it through the night.

You were there. You could have done something. You could have at least tried. But you chose not to. You stood by idly and took no action when you had the chance to save your best friend’s child.

STSA Launch Speech (Part 2)

May 1, 2012

Yesterday I posted a summary of the first half of my speech from this past weekend’s Inaugural service at St. Timothy & St. Athanasius church. I spoke about two out of the three fundamental building blocks of STSA: Extreme Love and Ancient Faith. The third and final building block is REAL COMMUNITY.

The most glaring discrepancy between the many churches that exist today and The Church written about in Scripture is this…COMMUNITY. They had real community. They did more than just drink coffee together after church or attend weekly meetings with one another. They had real fellowship with one another and they lived life together.

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” Acts 2:44-47

Compare that to how we live today. Back in the early days of the Church, the believers “were together”, “had all things in common”, “sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all.” They didn’t just meet together; they lived together! They continued “daily with one accord” in both the temple and from house to house.