Devo.-Acts 17:10-15

Being run out of Thessalonica, Paul goes to Berea with Silas and Co. They bring the Gospel to the local synagogue. The Bereans actually received the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if Paul's message was true. They actually had an open-mind for the truth. As a result, many of the Jews believed as did a large number of Greek men and women also. When neighboring Thessalonica heard Paul was preaching in Berea they went there stirring up trouble, causing Paul to have to leave town. Silas and Timothy stayed back while Paul hid out in Athens and waited until the time the Holy Spirit would allow him to "resurface." ---The folks in Berea that compared Paul's message with the Scriptures didn't need miracles to believe! The Word of God will stand on when people are open to the truth.---Pray that God would open the minds and hearts of the people around us to the Gospel. Come Holy Spirit do a great work!

Devo from Acts 14:8-20 "Dust Off"

Paul heals a crippled man in Lystra and ends up getting stoned by the people. Go figure. Was this an early humbling of Paul? We're left with no clear answer. The people of Lystra worshiped mythical gods, and they wanted to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas after witnessing the healing. Paul and Barnabas tried to deter the crowd from worshiping them, but it quickly turned into a riot as the evil men from Antioch and Iconium had followed them to Lystra and stirred the people against them. It took no time to whip the superstitious crowd into a frenzy. They stoned Paul outside the city and left him for dead. Afterwards the disciples gathered around him. Getting up, he dusted himself off, and went back into the city. They left for Derbe the next day. ---Life can be confusing at times. Paul was doing the Lord's work, and had an attempt on his life for healing a man. Life doesn't always make sense. So how do we handle it when we get crapped on while doing right? Sometimes you just have to dust yourself off, get back up and start a new day. (It's good to have friends gather around you in times like that also.)

What Pastor's Want to Say but Don't

If you haven't figured this out by now: principals, teachers, police officers and pastors are in a select group (along with some others) that have heard every excuse under the sun. Just because they nod and act like they accept your excuse doesn't mean they believe you, nor does it mean they don't believe you. Some of us like to hope that folks will come around, and therefore extend a little more grace than others. (It doesn't mean we're gullible!) One of those things that gripes pastors (not me of course...aight me too)is the ole "the church isn't there for me" statement people like to share (gossip) with friends. By the way, gossip is of the devil...so is anger. (In case, you were disturbed by any of this.) <--I suppose you could add all that to the things we don't say much about either except in select sermons. ---Back to the "the church wasn't there for me" thingy---that couldn't be further from the truth. The church still meets at the same place. When people stop going to church, we can't help them. We've never not been able to help someone that wanted to be helped. People like to rebel against Christ and His church and then blame it on the church. Shut up. Why this vent? Why now? I have no beef with anyone. Unfortunately, it is too common of a scenario in the midst of Kingdom work. However, lately I've been around folks that have busted their fanny doing whatever they could whether it cost them time, money or talents they did or didn't have serving Christ in His church. While others were explaining why they couldn't (and no doubt these are often legit) there have been people that pick up the mother-load and do whatever it takes. And yeah, they have demanding jobs, they have ailing family members, they have lives!---Repent and live for Christ while you still can. The church doors are open, and we need people that will do whatever it takes. ---Fortunately, we know what these folks look like too. Pray to God today, and be some earthly good for His Kingdom agenda. There are two kinds of people: those that repent and those that don't. ***Oh yeah, so don't be mad or anything, because I didn't really say any of this. This was just junk I said pastors would say, but they don't. Aight.

Why Kids Ministry Needs to Excel

For some churches children's ministry is just glorified baby-sitting time. Other churches are stuck in the stone ages (I'm not even going to describe this, because your church might be still doing some of these things.). While it is ridiculous to think you can compete with Disney, we have to admit they have taught us a few things on how to make kids want to come back. The Kids area is one of the most impressionable areas to those considering a church or even church in the first place. More and more young parents are deciding to at least give church a try, because they want their children in a good moral environment. Therefore, it would behoove the church to put some of it's best and friendliest people into this ministry and do so in such a manner as the child wants to come back. Our goal is to teach Jesus in such a fashion that the children learn and want to know more. The process can be and should be fun. Kids like fun. Fun makes people want to come back. We want to be so effective at this that the child would pitch a temper-tantrum if the parents said they were just going to stay home from church that day. While I've never heard of that goal being met yet, recently we had something so close to it that I was inspired to write this. ---A family had decided they were just going to stay home on Sunday (it was cloudy and potentially rainy day...you know how that goes). But that Sunday morning there was a knock on the door. One of their children's friends had gone to church with the family the week before, and he/she asked if he/she could go with them today. Ha-stinkin'-hah! Out of the mouth of babes! Evidently, the family looked at this as a sign from the Holy One, and came to church. ---Hey church, keep doing your best. Love on the children in such a way, teaching them in fun ways that they don't want to miss...and they drag the neighborhood with them. :-)