Fortunate Lessons

Eutychus (pronounced yoo’-too-khos and means fortunate)

Raised From the Dead at Troas (Acts 20:7-12)

⁷On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹²The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Acts 20:7-12 is Pastor David’s favorite passage of scripture.

Fortunate Lessons

Three Lessons we learn from Acts 20:7-12

1. From Paul: No boring sermons

2. From Eutychus: Do not fall asleep on our faith

3. From the congregation at Troas: Do not always believe what we see. See through faith.

What lessons have you learned from our faith or scripture?

Read: Acts 20, Psalm 6.

Time Chasers

Stop chasing time.

Take Control of your Day.

Ever wonder where the day went? Do you lay down at night and fell as though you got nothing accomplished? Do you feel like you are chasing time, only to realize time has caught up with y.

Some days are just chaotic; we never seem to get done what we intend. Continue reading below to learn how to take control of your day and stop chasing time.

Take control of your day

1. Prioritize. Each day (or the night before) decide on one task you want to accomplish at home and at work. Focus your energy until that one thing is accomplished. After it is complete, move on to the next most important task.

2. Manage distractions. We can never limit all our distractions. Co-workers want to talk. Children want to play if we work from home. Facebook is waiting to be checked. Our favorite show is coming on soon. All of these distractions keep us from completing what is important. Manage distractions by taking control. Limit the times we check Facebook. Turn off the TV and get to work. Talk with your co-worker for 10 minutes then excuse yourself to return to work. As for children wanting to play. Sometimes we just need to engage them. In other words, we need to wear them out for a nap, during which time we can focus on our work.

3. Control your Time. We often feel like we have accomplished nothing because we have no idea how we use our time. Track your time for a week. How often do you watch TV, check Facebook, search the web. These things use up our time and keep us from other responsibilities. They are not bad things to do, but without limiting their use we quickly spend several hours engaging in meaningless activities.

Accomplish those things you want to accomplish by Prioritizing, Managing Distractions and Controlling your Time.

Stop chasing time and take control of the day

What time management tips can you offer?

Just Say “No”

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

(Matthew 5: 33 – 37) NIV

Whenever we say “yes”,

we say “no” to someone else.

Do you have trouble saying “No”, read on to learn to say the most important word in the English language.

Continue reading “Just Say “No””

What is Maundy Thursday?

What is Maundy Thursday? (Click to find out).

John 13

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

²The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸“I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

¹⁹“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. ²⁰Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

²¹After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

²²His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. ²⁴Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

²⁵Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” ²⁸But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. ³⁰As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

³¹When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. ³²If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

³³“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

³⁶Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

³⁷Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

³⁸Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!