-
Not our normal Lent
First of all, Lent isn’t “normal” in our tradition. It has become “normal” for us in the past few years in our congregation. We have commemorated Ash Wednesday these past few years and we have focused our ministry on preparation for Easter. But this Lent is not “normal” for us even in that way this year. This is a year…
-
Why Lent
From the Orthodox perspective: For Spiritual Exercise Frederica Mathewes-Green “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable …. I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:25, 27, ESV). Lent is a time of year to…
-
You are weary… come home
We want our church, Heights Church, to be that place where the weary find rest. We have our bad interactions with “the Church” in our lives. It could be that just about every American Christian has a story to tell. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The church can be a place of restoration. It is a place…
-
Prayer going into Lent
Going into Lent, we pray for harvest. We pray for our own souls to be prepared, but we also pray for OTHERS. We pray they may see the greatness of our God. We pray for harvest. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. (Isa. 45:22)
-
Why ISIS can’t win
The Kingdom of God is unshakable. Any false notions of “taking down Rome” doesn’t mean the Church of Jesus Christ is defeated. What looks like “defeat” in this world isn’t the true report of the Kingdom of God. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence…
-
How long, O Lord?
We need to go deeper in prayer for brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. Persecution seems to be increasing, and it is certainly getting more bold. 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.…
-
Overcome by the blood of the lamb and the power of their testimony
Yet again, ISIS strikes and martyrs more Christians. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole…
-
A prayer on Transfiguration Sunday
O God, We open our eyes and we see Jesus, the months of ministry transfigured to a beam of light, the light of the world, your light. May your light shine upon us. We open our eyes and we see Moses and Elijah, your word restoring us, showing us the way, telling a story, your story, his story, our story.…
-
Fear and trembling
This Sunday we have a Sacred Assembly in our church. We are preparing for Lent, but as never before. We are preparing for a period of fasting and prayer as we want to hear God regarding our church property. We are in a major time of transition and really need to hear him regarding a current offer, and then see…
