Paul advised his young follower, Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:1). Isn’t this the scriptural model of our motto, “Making Disciples Who Make Disciples”? What we learn we are to pass on to people who are trustworthy to pass it on to others, etc., etc…from one generation to another.

This is the multiplication pattern. If I take ten people under my wing to coach and mentor them, I have added to my team ten people. But, if each of those ten do the same for ten more, and then they each mentor ten more, I now have multiplied myself in 1,000 people. That’s the pattern and it can work.

That was the model I was trained under. Pastor Paul E. Paino invested in several young men, one of whom was Pastor John Lloyd. He then mentored more young men in Christian Training Center and the Adam’s Apple, where my life was touched. I’ve tried to continue the model through our church in touching the lives of many more. And the world keeps changing from one generation to the next. Who will keep the ball rolling?

Tags: discipleship, Leadership, training

We have an elderly widow in a nursing home that has expressed a desire to become an official member of New Hope. We have membership guidelines that includes completing the New Members Class, active attendance, and submitting a photo. This shut-in lady can do none of that. So, officially, she is ineligible.

However, we are cutting her some slack due to her circumstances. She did attend here periodically in the past, has been baptized, accepted the Lord as her Savior, and now desires to become a member. Why should we deprive her of her desire in her last days?

So, we are bending our rules for her. This weekend our elders will consider her application, and, I expect, approve her as a member. Do you agree or disagree that we should bend our rules for this lady? Why or why not?

Tags: church, grace, standard, widow

The Proverb writer penned: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverb 15:1).

Meditate on this thought today. If you reply with a gentle answer, anger is turned away, whereas if you reply harshly, you are the one stirring up anger. What does that say about how you should respond to your spouse? What does that say about how you should treat your children?

I remember a elderly man at Betz’s Nursing Home that was always pursuing the ladies and would get irate whenever the aides tried to redirect him. One time when I was there he exploded in anger and yelled at another resident. As his rage increased I walked up to him, sat down next to him and calmly asked him questions. He railed away to me and his voice got softer and softer as we talked. I dispelled his anger by just giving him attention. Afterward an aide thanked me for helping with him.

Is it possible you can do the same thing at home? Just remain calm and ask questions. Don’t escalate the conflict. A harsh word will always escalate the situation. Let’s apply biblical practices to our personal lives.

Tags: anger, conflicts, peace

I just got back from visiting Pastor Sean at Parkview Hospital. He is having a minor surgery to correct a physical problem that is increasing with age. But, it will keep him bedfast for the next 7-10 days. Can you imagine laying in bed for over a week? He doesn’t like the idea, either. But, we have to do what we have to do.

Set-backs are a part of life. Chuck Swindoll wrote a book on that entitled Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back. All the people Jesus touched had a need. There was a set-back in their lives, and Jesus stepped in to change things in their lives.

Set-backs are sometimes created by God to slow us down to His timing. If God must work in someone else’s life to meet the need in our lives, its possible we can get ahead of God and miss His timing. These special God-moments are called kairos moments. We’ve got to keep our eyes open for kairos moments daily. So, don’t get ahead of God.

Tags: time, trouble

Sarah Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died of influenza in 1918, she moved to San Jose, California.

Becuase of her grief and long-time interest in spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her dead husband. The medium told her, “As long as you keep building your home, you will never face death.”

Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an unfinished 17-room mansion and started to expand it. The project continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day. The mansion had 150 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 windows. And Mrs. Winchester left enough materials so that they could have continued building for another 80 years.

Today that house stands as an oddity tourist attraction, with stairways leading to no place and doors that open into a literal brick wall. It is a silent witness to the dread of death that holds millions of people in bondage (Hebrews 2:15).

You don’t have to be afraid of dying. If Christ has paid for your sins, only blessings lay ahead. That’s life because of the Resurrection. Do you know someone who is paranoid about dying?

Tags: build, death, fear, spiritism, Winchester

Easter is known as ‘Resurrection Day’ around the world. Resurrection gives us hope for the future regardless of our today. When famous scientist Marie Curie, who along with her husband, Pierre, discovered radium, learned that her husband had just died in an accident, she exclaimed, “It is the end of everything, everything, everything!”

When German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was sentenced to be hanged in 1945 by the Nazis the next morning, he declared, “For me, this is the beginning.”

Do you see death as the end of your existence or the real beginning? That’s where faith comes in.

Tags: death, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Easter, Marie Curie, resurrection