Spiritual Journey and Denominational Reflections with Sam

Date: August 14, 2025
Participants: Gary Sheng, Mayssam Daaboul
Location: Remote call
Duration: ~60 minutes
Context: Profound spiritual dialogue during Gary's forced slowing down period, covering denominational explorations, personal relationship with Christ, spiritual mentorship, and future collaboration plans

Executive Summary

This conversation captures Gary Sheng in a period of divine intervention and forced reflection, having been prevented from rushing into another opportunity in Oklahoma. Mayssam provides deep spiritual mentorship, sharing insights on denominations as "scientific entities" rather than containers for Christ, emphasizing personal relationship with Jesus over institutional Christianity. The conversation reveals significant spiritual growth in both men, with Mayssam sharing powerful personal stories about divine timing, humility, and grace preservation, while Gary processes his recent Orthodox readings and Catholic Church reflections. The dialogue concludes with strong momentum toward Gary visiting Lebanon and deeper collaboration between Eastern and Western Christians.

Key Themes and Discussions

Gary's Forced Slowing Down and Divine Intervention

Oklahoma Opportunity Blocked:

"I think that God just put me in a place where I have been forced to slow down. I think I was rushing into another opportunity in Oklahoma with a lot of yield. Because I think I wanted to work with who I thought was very intelligent. He had his own spiritual issues... I was willing to overlook those real serious issues."

Divine Timing Recognition:

"God forced me to slow down. I literally had my bags packed... I called the guy in Tulsa. When can I come? He says I'm not ready yet. I have no eta."

Current Spiritual Season:

"I've been in Austin trusting God. Trusting that things will be okay. Diving more into Orthodox books. Thinking about the Catholic Church. I kind of feel like it's just like the Roman Empire Christianity."

Forced Reflection Framework:

• Divine Intervention: God blocking premature moves and decisions
• Spiritual Issue Recognition: Learning to see character problems in potential partners
• Orthodox Exploration: Deeper dive into Eastern Christian traditions
• Catholic Assessment: Questioning institutional Christianity patterns
• Trust Development: Learning to wait on divine timing

Personal Relationship with Christ Over Denominational Structures

Mayssam's Powerful Teaching on Christ-Centered Prayer:

"You know how we're talking together now as brothers, and we trust each other and we love each other. And I know that anytime I can call my brother, and share the pain or victory. And I know whether it's pain of victory, my brother will feel it. This is exactly the type of conversation I always try to build with Christ."

Wife's Anger as Authentic Prayer:

"When we lost the first, our first child... she looked at me and she says, 'I expected the child to be healing from Christ. But now I'm very angry from Christ and I'm shouting at him.' And I stopped... I was like, are you blaming him? She says, yes. And I was like, perfect. This is between you and your father."

Authentic Relationship Principles:

"The worst scenario for any father is for their child never to talk to them. But a parent will always love the child that comes and blames them. And especially the all loving father. So cry, blame, do whatever he wants from him. As long as you're talking, it's this person."

Christ-Centered Relationship Framework:

• Brother-to-Brother Model: Prayer as intimate conversation, not formal ritual
• Authentic Emotion: Anger and blame as legitimate forms of communication with God
• Divine Parenthood: Understanding God's unconditional love for honest expression
• Conversational Flow: Moving beyond religious formalism to genuine relationship
• Pain Sharing: Christ as the ultimate confidant for both suffering and joy

Denominational Perspective: Scientific Entities vs. Christ

Mayssam's Revolutionary Denominational Framework:

"I read them as scientific entities. I read them as you know, I'm curious about how different Christians thought they could organize Christ. And I laugh at my heart at that idea. That we humans assume that we have understood what Christ is."

Christ Beyond Human Organization:

"If Christ could be contained in any school of thought, would he be Christ? If Christ could be contained in a nation or a border or a state or whatever earthly fucking language we have, would he be Christ? He is Christ. He's the alpha and omega because he's beyond the fucking stars and fucking space."

Denominational Complementarity Vision:

"Different denominations should sit with each other and say, you know what? I got this right, and I fucked up this. That would be nice. For example, I believe Orthodox really preserved a depth of faith that the others didn't. A very beautiful way. But they fell into a sin of righteousness."

Universal Righteousness Problem:

"That's all of them. All of them have the righteousness... And then the Protestant. When they fix the mistakes of the Catholic, they went even crazy. Because there seems to be... some Protestants, they say Catholics are the Antichrist."

Denominational Analysis Framework:

• Scientific Study Approach: Viewing denominations as human organizational experiments
• Christ Transcendence: Understanding Jesus as beyond any human categorization
• Complementarity Principle: Each tradition contributing unique strengths and insights
• Universal Sin Recognition: All denominations falling into pride and righteousness
• Collaborative Learning: Potential for mutual acknowledgment of strengths and failures

The Sin of Pride and Grace Preservation

Orthodox Saint Sulwan's Teaching:

"So the monk one day was in his church. And a lost full woman who's known in Greece to be lustful comes into the church. And in his subconscious, he judges her. What the fuck is this woman doing in church? She's going to defile everything. That night, that monk starts writing in his journals that he gets attacks from the spirit of lust."

Humility as Grace Preservation:

"The saint gives us an answer that what preserves God's grace is when we are always humble. When we are always measuring our own sins before the others."

Denominational Pride Connection:

"And this is an additional reason not to think about denominations. Because what denominations are doing are all the day pointing fingers at each other."

Personal Application to Gary:

"For example, brother, you are going through a heavy time now... Are you kneeling every day when you wake up and before you sleep? This is something that I never saw, and it's healing me. Every day I wake up before I go to sleep. I kneel: Lord, sorry for everything I did."

Humility and Grace Framework:

• Judgment as Grace Blocker: Pride preventing divine connection and protection
• Self-Examination Priority: Focusing on personal sin before criticizing others
• Daily Humility Practice: Regular kneeling and repentance as spiritual discipline
• Denominational Pride Critique: Institutional finger-pointing as spiritual danger
• Grace Preservation Method: Humility as the key to maintaining divine favor

Gary's Recent Spiritual Transition: Joining the Melkites

Denominational Decision:

Gary: "You know that I joined a denomination?" Mayssam: "Which one?" Gary: "The Melkites." Mayssam: "Very great denomination. Truly a good choice."

Melkite Affirmation:

• Eastern Catholic Branch: Bridging Eastern Orthodox tradition with Catholic communion
• Mayssam's Approval: Recognition of the Melkite tradition's value
• Gary's Exploration: Continued journey through various Christian traditions
• Bridge-Building Potential: Melkite identity supporting East-West Christian dialogue

Divine Timing and Trust: Personal Testimony

Mayssam's Academic Career Story:

"One day last year, they called me from my university and they wanted to give me a job position, the chairperson... As soon as I get out of the meeting, a friend calls me from Dubai for a new opportunity. So I took it as an answer from God."

Divine Negotiation Process:

"Three weeks passed, Gary. The dean calls again with a new offer, a better offer... The opportunity in Dubai disappears. God, through the opportunity in Dubai, simply to allow me to negotiate a better career in academia."

Learning Divine Patience:

"At that moment, in my fickleness, in my human fickleness, it is very normal for me to think and assume and expect that the Dubai thing is the shit. Right? But no. He wants me to listen step by step. Not assume, not expect. Take it day by day."

Application to Gary's Situation:

"If he wants you to go to Oklahoma, you're gonna have a sign. You're gonna know. If he wants you to stay in Austin, talk to him. He's gonna deprive you from food, man. He's gonna make you suffer food."

Divine Timing Framework:

• Step-by-Step Guidance: Following immediate direction rather than long-term assumptions
• Divine Negotiation: God using competing opportunities for optimal outcomes
• Expectation Management: Avoiding premature conclusions about divine will
• Suffering as Communication: Discomfort as divine guidance mechanism
• Daily Dependence: Living in immediate trust rather than strategic planning

Spiritual Warrior Development and Suffering

Gary's Spiritual Maturation Recognition:

"I believe that big guy wants to talk to you, man. He has a great warrior he needs to build, and you've been active all your life on so many fronts."

Christlike Transformation Process:

"This is what I feel is driving your writings lately. This is exactly what's happening to you, and I'm loving it... You are becoming deep and ruthless like Paul. Because the truth has to be ruthless."

Warrior Development Through Pain:

"The path of the great Christians is filled with suffering unlike the path of glory of earthly glory... Glory on Earth is something and the path of glory of Christ is something else."

Divine Warrior Formation:

"I believe that big guy wants to talk to you, man. He has a great warrior he needs to build, and you've been active all your life on so many fronts."

Spiritual Warrior Framework:

• Divine Selection: God choosing specific individuals for spiritual warfare
• Pauline Transformation: Deep, truth-focused spiritual development
• Suffering as Training: Pain as necessary preparation for spiritual leadership
• Ruthless Truth: Uncompromising commitment to spiritual honesty
• Cross Glory vs. World Glory: Distinguishing divine success from earthly achievement

Personal Life Updates and Family Joy

Mayssam's Pregnancy Announcement:

"After the first miscarriage, the lord has given us another chance, and we're almost six months... December." Gary: "Christmas baby."

Wife's Interest in Gary and Ian:

"She told me, baby, do you ever wanna visit America? I was like, babe, depends... I think they're the belly of the devil... But if we visit, I wanna meet Gary and Ian. I was like, babe, you are gonna meet Gary for sure."

Divine Connection Recognition:

"The Lord has intertwined Gary and I, and I believe that in my heart, bro. You have no idea."

Family and Connection Framework:

• Divine Blessing: Pregnancy after loss as sign of God's faithfulness
• Family Integration: Wife's desire to meet Gary showing relationship depth
• Prophetic Timing: Christmas baby as symbolic of new beginnings
• Spiritual Brotherhood: Recognition of divine orchestration in friendship
• International Bridge-Building: Family supporting East-West Christian connection

Lebanon Visit Planning and Spiritual Anticipation

Immediate Invitation:

Gary: "Should I visit you next week?" Mayssam: "Oh my gosh. You can you will blow my mind. You can visit anytime... I'm carrying your ass and hugging you like a baby in the airport."

Spiritual Benefits of Lebanon Visit:

"When you come here, it's going to be more of peace. Maybe peace. Despite the madness here and the conflicts. There's a deep sense of peace that hopefully you will find. Isaiah did."

Monastery Experience Sharing:

"Isaiah enjoyed the visit to the monks. I was also shocked in many ways. I didn't know that monks had so many socially driven machinery aspects... They are adamant in separating their mission from the organizational church, the institution."

Divine Timing for Visit:

"If the Lord wants it, it will happen. If he doesn't want it, it will happen in time. The fact that you have it in your heart to visit is beautiful for me."

Lebanon Visit Framework:

• Immediate Welcome: Open invitation showing depth of spiritual brotherhood
• Peace Promise: Lebanon offering spiritual rest despite regional conflict
• Monastic Connection: Access to contemplative Christian communities
• Institutional Separation: Monks maintaining distance from denominational politics
• Divine Timing Trust: Allowing God to orchestrate visit timing

East-West Christian Unity Vision

Strategic Spiritual Warfare Recognition:

"The devil has one enemy. Not Christianity. Christ himself. Our potential to change the world through Christ is beyond anything the devil can sustain. Us simply talking to each other in Christ is terrifying for the devil."

Bridge-Building Momentum:

"Tucker got that because there was a conversation somewhere that Western and Eastern Christians must start talking to each other."

Divine Seed Planting:

Gary: "It is so interesting. Right? We are God is planting seeds in a number of people's hearts."

Spiritual Unity Framework:

• Strategic Opposition: Satan's specific targeting of Christ-centered unity
• Cross-Cultural Dialogue: Eastern and Western Christians reconnecting
• Divine Orchestration: God planting similar desires in multiple hearts
• Prophetic Timing: Current moment as kairos for Christian reunification
• Supernatural Threat: Unity representing existential danger to spiritual opposition

Practical Spiritual Disciplines and Recommendations

Fasting Recommendation:

"You should try fasting for a week. You would be surprised, man. You would be surprised."

Daily Kneeling Practice:

"Are you kneeling every day when you wake up and before you sleep? This is something that I never saw, and it's healing me."

Daily Surrender Prayer:

"Every day I wake up before I go to sleep. I kneel: Lord, sorry for everything I did. The things I know and I don't know, I trust my greater self. I know that no matter what I do and what plan, the greatest my son in my head cannot be 1% of the greatest my sum that you planned for me."

Saints Study Suggestion:

"Read the lives of the great saints."

Spiritual Discipline Framework:

• Fasting Practice: Extended fasting for spiritual breakthrough
• Bookend Prayer: Daily morning and evening surrender
• Comprehensive Repentance: Acknowledging known and unknown sins
• Divine Trust: Surrendering personal planning to divine wisdom
• Historical Learning: Studying patterns of spiritual greatness

Key Quotes and Memorable Exchanges

On Personal Relationship with Christ:

"I love the Orthodox Church. I love the Catholics. I love the Protestants. I think each one of them has benefits and has amazing additions, but also has fallen short in some ways. The personal relationship with Christ."

On Denominational Perspective:

"If Christ could be contained in any school of thought, would he be Christ?... He is Christ. He's the alpha and omega because he's beyond the fucking stars and fucking space."

On Authentic Prayer:

"The worst scenario for any father is for their child never to talk to them. But a parent will always love the child that comes and blames them."

On Humility and Grace:

"What preserves God's grace is when we are always humble. When we are always measuring our own sins before the others."

On Divine Timing:

"He wants me to listen step by step. Not assume, not expect. Take it day by day."

On Spiritual Development:

"You are becoming deep and ruthless like Paul. Because the truth has to be ruthless."

On East-West Unity:

"Our potential to change the world through Christ is beyond anything the devil can sustain. Us simply talking to each other in Christ is terrifying for the devil."

On Divine Calling:

"I believe that big guy wants to talk to you, man. He has a great warrior he needs to build."

On Lebanon Visit:

"When you come here, it's going to be more of peace. Maybe peace. Despite the madness here and the conflicts."

On Spiritual Brotherhood:

"The Lord has intertwined Gary and I, and I believe that in my heart, bro."

Conclusion

This conversation captures a pivotal moment in Gary Sheng's spiritual journey, with divine intervention forcing a necessary slowing down and deeper reflection. Mayssam serves as both spiritual mentor and prophetic voice, offering profound insights on the nature of denominational Christianity, the primacy of personal relationship with Christ, and the importance of humility in preserving divine grace.

The dialogue reveals significant spiritual maturation in both men, with Gary's recent decision to join the Melkite Church representing his continued exploration of Eastern Christian traditions, and Mayssam's pregnancy announcement symbolizing new life and divine blessing following previous loss.

Most significantly, the conversation demonstrates the power of authentic spiritual brotherhood transcending cultural and geographical boundaries. Their relationship embodies the East-West Christian unity vision they both champion, providing a practical model for how such bridge-building might occur on a larger scale.

The discussion concludes with strong momentum toward Gary's visit to Lebanon, which both men recognize as potentially significant for deepening their collaboration and advancing the broader vision of Eastern and Western Christian reunification. Their friendship exemplifies how genuine spiritual connection, grounded in shared commitment to Christ above denominational structures, can create powerful opportunities for healing historical divisions within Christianity.

The exchange ultimately reinforces themes of divine timing, humble surrender, authentic relationship with Christ, and the strategic importance of Christian unity in contemporary spiritual warfare. Both participants demonstrate mature understanding that their individual spiritual journeys serve larger purposes in God's plan for global Christian renewal and reunification.