Merry Christmas!

December 20, 2017

After an extremely hectic couple of weeks, I'll be taking some time off for the holidays. So no blog post or scope this week (or next). Instead, I'll be focusing on a) catching up on some R&R with the family, b) preparing my heart for Christ's glorious birth (starting with my own confession appointment today) and c) preparing for an AWESOME 2018!

I pray that you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, and if you're still trying to figure out what to do for some last minute gift ideas, there's still time to order more copies of "WHATEVER, GOD".

Merry Christmas everyone!

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?

How I’m Getting Ready for Christmas

November 30, 2016

Tis the season! It’s the last day of November and that pretty much makes it official: the Christmas season is here!

The music’s on the radio and lights are up everywhere you go. It’s just a matter of time before Christmas Day is upon us and we celebrate the single most important event in the history of all mankind – a day that divides history between BC and AD… the day that Jesus Christ was born.

If you’re in the Orthodox church, you know that we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth by a 40-day period of fasting called Advent. Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter – a time to prepare ourselves for the enormity and significance of what is about to happen.

When something is important (ie, wedding day, birth of a child, Super Bowl), it takes time to prepare. You can’t just show up on the day of the event without preparation; doing so would lead me to question the value you place on that day/event.

That’s why the church gives us this time of fasting – so we don’t just “show up” on Christmas without being prepared.

So what should our focus be during this time? How should we prepare ourselves? What should we be doing?

This Nativity Night...

December 24, 2014

I'll be offline till after New Year's but I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance. Here is a beautiful meditation about what Christmas is really all about, coming from a sermon given several hundred years ago.

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.

‘Tis The Season To Be “Leaning”

December 26, 2013

Life is lived in seasons. Seasons for weather, seasons for sports and seasons to one’s spiritual life too. Advent sets during the fall, while Easter rises during the spring (at least if you're north of the Equator). And much like the fall, the Advent season reminds us of our fallen man and how God’s Economy was thought out for our salvation.

During this season, we see our fallen leaves and fallen trees needing a Savior, and we are saved from eternal death. One would expect life to be all Spring after salvation, yet for all of us, the seasons still change in our spiritual lives, just as it does in the world outside. Like a tree fighting to stay upright, we still have to get through fall and winter with their storms and blizzards before spring comes again. Many of us can’t stand upright for that long because the storms of life get the best of us.

“A tree always falls where it leans; be careful which way you lean”said The Lorax to the Once-ler as he was about to let his desire for fame and money ruin the green earth and ultimately ruin himself. That’s some good advice for grownups, wrapped in a children’s movie.

Jesus the Humble - ALL YE FAITHFUL, Part 2

December 23, 2013

"He took what is ours so that He could give us what is His."

That's what Christmas is all about and that's what yesterday's message - Part 2 in the ALL YE FAITHFUL series - was all about as well.

Why did Jesus come to earth? What was His aim? What was He trying to accomplish? Check out the video below as we discuss that and much much more in this week's message - a perfect message to prepare us all to celebrate Christmas.

Do You Know What Life is Supposed to Look Like?

December 18, 2013

“Not exactly Michael. That’s good, but I want you to watch me again and then do what I’m doing. Here goes.” Drive by my house on a sunny afternoon these days and that’s what you’ll hear. Assuming that the temperature cooperates and gets to at least 40 degrees, you’ll see me and my son Michael out in the driveway – shooting some hoops.

Yeah it’s cold, and yeah there are still piles of snow on the grass, and yeah we know we’re going to get in trouble for not wearing our jackets (shhhh….don’t tell Marianne), but we still do it anyway. He loves playing and I absolutely love coaching him up and helping him get better – that’s what being a dad is all about!

In the process of teaching him, I’ve learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to teaching something new. Obviously, any kid can pick up a ball and throw it towards the rim. The concept isn’t difficult.

But I don’t want him to just shoot the ball; I want him shoot the ball THE RIGHT WAY. Shooting the right way isn’t easy or natural. It takes understanding and practice. But if he can learn the right way at a young age, it’ll increase his chances of success (and my chances of retiring early because my kid plays in the NBA) significantly.

So what's the best way to teach someone something new?

Joseph the Obedient - ALL YE FAITHFUL, Part 1

December 16, 2013

Kicked off a new message series yesterday called ALL YE FAITHFUL. It's a look at the Christmas story from the perspective of four different characters (Joseph, Mary, Jesus and Herod). We'll see how each one responded when God introduced a "change in plans" to what they were expecting in life.

The theme verse comes from Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

In other words, no matter how great your plan might be, get ready for it to get messed up!

In fact, usually the best outcomes in life come from when God decides to totally "mess up" our earthly plans in order to replace them with His eternal plan. But it all depends on how you respond.

So check out part 1 as we look at the first character in the story, Joseph the Righteous - a relatively unknown and underappreciated character who played a huge role in the Christmas story.

Why Did Jesus Really Come to Us?

December 12, 2013

That’s an easy question isn’t it? We all know the answer to that – or least we think we do. If I took a survey of Bible-believing and church-going Christians in America today, what response do you think I’d hear most? Or better, how would you yourself answer that question?

I think the vast majority would say “Jesus came to die for us and save us from our sins.” And we’d point to some of the most famous verses in the Bible that speak about God’s desire for our salvation to validate our answer – such as John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

That’s a good answer. Nothing wrong with it at all. Perfectly accurate and 100% in line with Scripture. God did send His Son into the world to save us from everlasting death out of His great love for us and no one can deny that.

But is that it? Is that all Jesus came to do? To give us salvation and take us to heaven with Him after we die? Or might there be more???

Is Christmas Ruined?

January 25, 2013

Hurricane Sandy, turmoil in Egypt, Newtown, CT, a murdered church member. All these tragedies and disasters are playing out and wreaking havoc on our countries, communities and hearts. The question “Why?” is ever present in our heavy hearts and troubled minds.

Why does God allow for these events to occur? Why so close to Christmas? Christmas is a time we are supposed to be joyous and celebrate his birth and coming. How does He expect us to be able to bask in the joy of His birth when we are surrounded by all of these horrendous events?

When I began to wonder why God would allow these traumatic events to happen around Christmas and dampen everyone’s spirits, I realized I had fallen into the trap of forgetting what Christmas is actually about. Distracted by the worldly aspects of Christmas, I saw these happenings detracting from the spirit of Christmas and the joy of the season. I soon realized though that I was mistaken and had just become too comfortable in going through the motions of Christmas. Not only had I become too comfortable going through the motions of Christmas, I realized that it had seeped into other parts of my life as well.

Isn’t Jesus Supposed to Be Making My Life Better?

January 17, 2013

In my last post, I spoke about the very first Christmas gift that Jesus brought into the world after His birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the gift that many had been hoping for. The birth of the Savior was supposed to bring “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” but as we read in Matthew 2:16-18, it instead brought a massacre of the most horrific kind.

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16-17)

For the people of Bethlehem, the coming of the Messiah – their Redeemer and Deliverer – didn’t turn out quite like they thought it would. It was supposed to be filled with joy and peace and goodwill. It was supposed to bring about victory and salvation and deliverance. It was supposed to make everything better.

But it didn’t. It seems to have done the exact opposite. It brought more hate into the world. It brought sadness and confusion. It brought death.

What would you say if you were living in Bethlehem at the time? How would you respond when someone said to you “isn’t it great that Jesus came to our city?” How would you respond?

“Great? Are you kidding me? It’s probably the worst thing that has ever happened to our little town. Everything was fine before He got here. But ever since Jesus showed up, everything seems to have gone wrong.”

The First Gift Jesus Brought into the World

January 15, 2013

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!

A Nativity Sermon by St. John Chrysostom

January 7, 2013

Today, January 7, we in the Orthodox church celebrate Christmas. Because of that, I am posting one of my all-time favorite Christmas sermons ever preached. It's by St. John Chrysostom (347-407), the former archbishop of Constantinople. What I love about it is his enthusiasm and excitement over the Birth of Christ and what this magnificent event means to him personally. Merry Christmas everyone!

Who are you travelling with this Christmas?

December 28, 2012

Christmas is full of journeys....

Each year Christmas is a journey for me. Each year, I travel with a different character. One year, it was with Zacharias, on a personal journey from doubt to faith. Another year, I made the long trek with the wise men, seeking and depending on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in their case through a star. Yet another year, I travelled with my dear St. Joseph, moving from fear and challenged to put faith into action. And I simply can’t tell you how many times, I have sat with St. Mary, shared in her awe when the angel appeared, persevered with her through that rough terrain as she prepared to give birth to the Saviour, and rejoiced in awe with her as she worshipped the Baby King.

This year, I travel with her in a brand new way.

Perfect Timing

December 27, 2012

In the midst of the Christmas festivities, a time where we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, I find myself surrounded by tragedy, grief, and loss. Lost jobs, terminally ill loved ones, war, and, as anyone with a television set knows, slaughtered children for no apparent reason. It’s supposed to be Christmas; my favorite time of year!

The irony and sacrilege seem almost unbearable. What perfect timing, isn’t it?

In the midst of this moment of sarcasm, I recalled a quiet time I had many months ago. It came from Esther 3:1-13 from a Bible Study excerpt I was following by Beth Moore. Esther was a young, Jewish woman who miraculously became the chosen Queen of Persia. Persia was home to many Jews, but they were technically the foreigners. Esther had been cautioned not to reveal her true heritage because there was an evil man with power in the kingdom who hated God’s people.