Passionate Spirituality

Just a quick note of welcome. If you see posts from Alex or Becky, those are friends of mine from MN who read Scripture daily and may want to join the fun. Alex actually read the Bible in 12 months between mission trips. I've also asked Kelly to have her 7th-9th grade Sunday School class pick our next book, when we finish Acts in two and a half weeks. So we may have some teens posting or at least reading along and giving Kelly their insights on Sunday mornings. Please invite your friends from wherever to join us too.

Two things about today's reading: First of all, if you read this text with the Natural Church Development lens of passionate spirituality, you'll see how Peter and Barnabas are poster children for our minimum factor. Peter tells his buddies from Jerusalem, "I saw a vision. The Spirit told me to do thus and such." Do we ever talk like that? Do we listen for God's every command? Heidi and I live in MA and serve Faith, because the Spirit told her we should put my paperwork out here. Barnabas is described as "a good man, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit's ways." Then we hear that "the community grew large and strong in the Master". Why? Because they were passionately spiritual. Quality always proceeds quantity. Peter and Barnabas belonged to a people of faith you wanted to be around, serving alongside of.

Secondly, the last paragraph in chapter 11 grabbed me, one of the Jerusalem prophets named Agabus "prompted by the Spirit, warned that a severe famine was about to devastate the country. So the disciples decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow Christians in Judea to help out." We showed a 30 Hour Famine DVD to the church today and many youth and adults will be fasting from 8 am on Mar 19th until 2 pm on Mar 20th. I pray that we can rally the troops and set up several Feeding Children International meal packaging stations for the Famine. Send whatever you can to Barbara. 25,000 kids Adi and Malachi's ages needlessly starve to death daily. When I started in youth ministry 15 years ago, that number was 40,000. After 15 years, 15,000 less kids die every day...do you think we could be 25 years from no world hunger? I'd be willing to spend the rest of my ministry trying to find out.