For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. 2 Cor 10:18 Some people sell themselves short, and some people oversell themselves.  I wonder if you tend to one or the other or a little of both.  I ran into two young guys looking for jobs… The post How Much Are You Worth? first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

In his presidential campaign announcement speech, RFK Jr said ‘I have so many skeletons in my closet that if they could all vote, I could run for king of the world.” Nothing to be proud of there, but at least he told the truth, albeit easier to do when you have no real chance of… The post Skeletons in the Closet? first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

First, we must note that this Gospel reading is one of the few that occurs two times a year-acknowledging how often storms pop up in life and urging us to be prepared.  This reading is like a fire drill, a cell phone alert to always be vigilant-since money problems, work problems, health problems, often come… The post On Being Stretched first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

The prologue of St. John’s Gospel, in the majestic story of God that it reveals, is every bit as breathtaking as Mount Ararat and Tampa Bay.  And if we are paying attention, we will be stunned by the mysterious beauty of the presence of God in Christ that emerges from it, such that we will… The post The Great Surprise first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

In 2026, the Sagrada Familia, the Church of the Holy Family in Barcelona is set to be completed.  I’ve never seen Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece in person, but the pictures are stunningly beautiful, bold flying buttresses and twisted towers rising up over the plain urban landscape. Even more compelling than how this cathedral looks finished, is the story… The post Unfinished Sermon first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

Let’s go about it this way.  If you asked the average person Olympic couch surfer what kind of medal they would prefer winning and rank them in order, 99% would say we first want Gold, if not gold then silver, if not silver then bronze. Well as is often the case, our Christian faith reverses… The post Beware Shiny Things first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

“Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be… The post The Answers to the Test first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready…The teacher will Disappear.”  This bit of ancient wisdom from the Tao Te Ching adds needed Eastern perspective to our dominant Western worldview on how we learn and grow to become better students of our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher… The post When the Student is Ready… first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

Recall that Sabbath rest is the prime directive, baked into creation and the only way to live fully.  Time was the first thing that God made Holy, and in that space we rest in God with Jesus Christ.  To not do so is spiritual homicide, slavery to the passing and hollow pleasures of the world.… The post Redeeming Rest first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more

Well it just so happens that in today’s assigned reading, we see that over 2000 years ago, the Apostle Paul was also an Olympics watcher. We don’t know if Paul thought the Olympics a relatively good or bad thing.  Paul did not spend much time talking about the relative good or evil of things in… The post Olympic Spirituality first appeared on St. Hagop Armenian Church ..read more