Think Orange: Reactivate the Family

As we continue our focus on Think Orange, we want to begin with a random trivia tidbit on the color “orange.”



Did you know what color carrots were originally? They were originally purple, yellow, or red. It wasn’t until about 500 years ago (16th century) that the Dutch crossbred yellow and red carrots to produce the color that we know today of Orange.

Now some of you might wonder what that has to do with our message today on “Reactivating the Family.” And the answer is absolutely nothing! And yet we wanted to review the importance of Thinking Orange and as we focus this month on combining the color of red (which represents the family) and yellow (which represents the church), we discover orange, which is the color that represents a combined influence in the world to make a difference in the helping children and teens live lives shaped and led by God!

This morning, we are going to look at a fantastic story in the Bible that will help us recognize a parallel path to “Reactivate the Family” and influence our children and teens to Love God and Love People! We are going to examine the incredible leadership of a guy named Nehemiah.

Nehemiah lived about 450 years before Christ walked on the earth. He was a Jewish man who was living in the powerful ancient country of Persia (modern day Iran). Nehemiah, we will learn was living in Persia because his family’s native city of Jerusalem was destroyed almost 140 years earlier originally by Babylon (which was located in Modern day Iraq), only to be later taken over by the nation of Persia (in modern day Iran).

While Nehemiah is in captivity serving the King of Persia, he learns that although some of his fellow Jews had returned to Jerusalem, the city remained in shambles after being destroyed more than 100 years earlier! We read in the first chapter of the Bible book, Nehemiah, that the title character receives bad news (or a bad report) about the condition of Jerusalem. Let’s read it together as Nehemiah …

Recognize the Problem
They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”
When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 1:3-4 NLT

I don’t know about you, but I am impressed with the heart of Nehemiah! Nehemiah had a heart for God and His People. He was deeply troubled by the condition of the capital of his homeland, Jerusalem, which was also the focus of their worship of God!

This past weekend I attended the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, which was a gathering of church and business leaders all over the world. One of the main speakers, an African- American Woman from Chicago, named Brenda Salter McNeil, moved my heart as she called the crowd to allow our hearts to be broken by the things that breaks God’s Heart!

So I have made it my commitment to pray every day, that I will love the things that God loves; hate the things that God hates, and have my heart broken by the things that breaks God’s heart!!! Will you join me in praying that prayer? (Let’s Pray that Prayer together right now.)

I am convinced that one thing that breaks God’s heart is the weakening fabric of families!

Approximately 1/3 of the people living within 20 minutes of where we now sit are 18 years of age or younger; and we have to ask ourselves are they spiritually prepared for the challenges ahead that life will bring! With the problems that our region faces with social pressures such as materialism, alcohol abuse, drug addiction, cutting, destructive cliques, bullying, teen pregnancy, depression and suicide, we have to admit that many are not prepared to even face the teen years.

For some of us we need to assess the strength of our own families and the present spiritual condition of our family, children and teens. Now don’t get me wrong, I am encouraged by many of the children and teens in this church, who are growing in their love for God. And yet we must recognize the problem that exists in many families and for many young people in this community and surrounding communities.

In face of the challenge that laid ahead for Nehemiah, he did the only wise thing … he turned to the LORD in prayer! And I would encourage you to read this amazing prayer of Nehemiah recorded in chapter 1 verses 5-11, so that you can read this prayer of praise, confession, thanks, and remembrance (which sounds like it could have been taken directly out of our song, “Your Grace is Enough.” “Remember your promises!”). [And by the way as I mention the importance of reading this prayer, it is a great reason to bring your Bible to our Worship Gatherings, so that you can always read the context of every verse that we read together.] But in light of our focus this morning, let’s zero in on the last portion of this powerful prayer, in which Nehemiah specifically prays for SUCCESS! Let’s read this bold prayer as Nehemiah:

Pray for Success
O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer. Nehemiah 1:11 NLT

Did you know it was OK to pray for success?! It is OK for us to pray for success in school, at work, in relationships, and in our families. … And of course the question that begs to be asked is … What is successful? I think we get some insight into that question from the context here because Nehemiah is one who had as his greatest delight to honor the LORD in everything! That is why I believe true success is defined as being & becoming what God designed you to become!

From time to time, I drop by our new worship and community center (show picture), walk inside, and pray that we would be successful in honoring God as we move into our new worship and community center. And I want to encourage you to stop by sometime (preferably the workers aren’t working) and pray for the LORD to be honored in this new facility!!

And as we prepare to start another school year (and students I hate to tell you that this is your last full week before school start … but just be thankful you don’t live in Indiana, because most of their schools have already started), it is OK to pray for success in your pursuits in school. And it is also a great time to kick off a new initiative here at Southwest Church and that is to have an organized approach to be praying for our jr high and high school students. And we would love for you to consider signing up today (on the communication card) to be a prayer sponsor for one of our teen students, and that you will commit to pray every day for this particular teen! Let’s pray boldly for success in our own lives and in our ministry to children and teens.

Not only did Nehemiah pray, but he was willing to …

Take Personal Responsibility
As the king’s cup-bearer, Nehemiah served in the trusted role of testing the King of Persia’s wine prior to him drinking it to make sure that he wasn’t poisoned by a political enemy. Pretty cool role unless there was an assassination attempt. After Nehemiah told the King of Persia the condition of Jerusalem ….

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”
With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” Nehemiah 2:4-5 NLT

I love Nehemiah’s response to the King. He didn’t say can you send a committee to evaluate the damage and develop a plan to rebuild the city. He didn’t say send someone else. Nehemiah said instead, “Send me so that I can rebuild the city!”

My fear is that many parents shift the moral and spiritual development of their children to someone else. It is easy to think that it is the school’s role to teach character and values, when the primary role lies with the parents. It is easy to think well it is the church’s role or the children’s minister or student minister to teach my kids faith and to instill in them a sense of right and wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe the church has a very important role to play in the life of children, and this is why we are heavily invested in providing a strong children’s and student ministry and yet the primary role continues to remain with the parents.

One of the observations that I have noticed through the years is that sometimes when a parent is facing a difficult time with one of their preteens or teens, who for some reason is not connecting with the youth/student ministry of that church, they will sometimes think if we just switched churches then my teen will miraculously get involved and fall in love with Jesus. Now again, I am not minimizing the importance of us having a strong student ministry (and frankly I think Tony is laying a strong foundation for an every growing student ministry) and yet what I have seen play out so many times is that the parents who themselves are connected into relationships within a church leave and go to a church with a bigger youth group and often times when I check back with the family a year or two later, their children are still not plugged into a student ministry and the parents themselves are drifting in their spiritual walk. Parents, we have to be careful that we don’t communicate to our children the wrong (unhealthy) impression that if you don’t like something in a church then simply leave and find another one, as opposed to teaching our children to take personal responsibility for their spiritual growth and to even take responsibility to address a problem within a church or a specific ministry within a church.

Nehemiah was a man of action!! And as we keep reading in the book of Nehemiah he called others to …

Answer the Call (to Action)

This morning, we don’t have time to read the entire book, but if you would go back and later read this fascinating book, you will learn in chapter 2 and 3, Nehemiah mobilizes God’s people, in the face of opposition, to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. This was an incredible feat when we realize that Jerusalem was a city that had a land mass of @ 12 acres (approximately the size of the Y and Church property combined) and they together completed the wall and fortified the entire city in 52 days! Hey maybe we could start praying for our church building to be completed in 52 days from the beginning of September … that would be late October!

By the time we get to Chapter 4, we learn that Nehemiah has received quite a bit of opposition and even some discouragement from within the Jewish People. Let’s read about their progress and Nehemiah’s leadership in light of some of the opposition and challenges to others who had answered the call to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem as it is described in chapter 4:

So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. Nehemiah 4:6 NIV

Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”
Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”
Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:10-14 NIV

This is a great example of Godly Leadership and a great example to those of us who long to provide spiritual leadership for our families. This morning in the rest of our time together, I want to ask each parent here this morning … What kind of parent are you to your children? This morning we are going to identify four types of parents … which one best describes you?

Aware Parents

These are parents who are aware of their need to provide spiritual leadership for their children, and although they are interested in becoming better parents, they don’t really know how to begin. Often times these parents have not placed spiritual growth as a high priority in their own life, so they find it difficult to provide leadership for their children or teens. And often times as the children get older the parents become more desperate for answers and help. And yet for some aware parents they can be searching for that “magic” youth group or peer group (that we talked about earlier) to solve their parental dilemma and all of their preteen or teen’s challenges.

Involved Parents

These are parents who have started taking steps to get involved in the life of the church so that they can influence their children in a positive way. Possibly for some it is simply sending or bringing their children to church services or activities. Although a good step, Reggie Joiner the author of the book, Think Orange, writes, “There may be a belief on the part of both the church and the family that these are better parents simply because they attend church. Unfortunately, most church strategies stop here. Most leaders assume that if parents are attending adult programming and kids are plugged into kid’s programming, they have accomplished their goal of being a place where families experience spiritual growth.”

Joiner goes on to write, “These activities are like ministry placebos that make us feel better about connecting parents when nothing really changes at home.” Our goal as a church as we plan for the future is to not simply call parents to be involved in the church, but to become personally engaged in the spiritual leadership of their children not just for the one hour a week that we worship together, but the 3,000 hours during the rest of the week, that you can influence your son or daughter to love the LORD and to love and serve others!

Invested Parents

These are the parents who are devoting time and energy to partner with the church to make a difference in this world. They understand the mission of the church to Love God, Love People, Serve the Community and to Share Jesus with others and they have bought into it, and as result they are growing personally spiritually! This is a fantastic place to be as an individual and as a parent and yet it is important that these parents not fall into the trap of thinking that if I devote my time, my money, and my energy in the life of the church, that my children will automatically catch on and become followers of Christ as well. You see that is not always the case!

And this is why we are calling every parent here no matter what category you might have identified yourself as being up to this point, to become an…

Engaged Parents

Become personally engaged in the life of your children’s spiritual development. Become intentional about doing something each and every week (apart from church activities) to help your children develop spiritually. Become prayerful and passionate about your role as a spiritual leader in the life of your son and/or daughter. Joiner writes, “Just remember that parents who engage in small ways can make a big difference in the lives of their kids or teenagers.”

Maybe for some of you it begins by asking your child or teen over Sunday lunch or dinner … “what did you learn in church today?” We send home every week a little handout to encourage parents to ask your children about the value for that particular morning.

For some of us it might mean initiate praying with our children. Reading a Bible story together, or build into our schedule a family devotional once a week. Possibly for some of us it is writing out in a card a Bible verse or Bible promise or possibly for some even texting a Bible verse to our teen. Realize that we aren’t talking about necessarily spending hours in intense Bible Study, but it is important that we begin to build into the rhythm of our week intentional small ways that will impress upon our children the importance of seeking the LORD in their lives and Loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength!!

In closing just as Nehemiah taught the Jewish people to fight for their family, their sons and daughters, we are each called by God to …

Fight for Your Family
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

Closing Illustration: Reggie Joiner tells the story of a time that he had a confrontation with his 7th grade daughter. In the midst of the conversation, she said something very personal and painful to Reggie. He was so deeply hurt that he left the room, left the house, and went for a drive. About 15 minutes into the drive, his mobile phone rang and it was his daughter calling and saying, “Dad, I’m sorry, you know that I didn’t really mean what I said.” And then she continued, “Why did you leave? Why did you walk out? I need to know that our relationship is worth fighting for!” … Are you willing to fight for your family? Let’s Pray!

Thin Orange: Refining the Message

Welcome to Southwest Church and our special Family Worship Experience. We thought it would be very appropriate to provide an opportunity for the entire family to worship together as we have come off a fantastic week of Vacation Bible School (or VBS).

And by the way the whole concept of a Family Worship Experience made a lot of sense during our present focus as a church to Think Orange!



During the month of August, we are going to be examining together as a church what it means to combine the efforts of the family (represented by the color red) and the church (represented by the color yellow) and to create a combined effort of Orange!

This morning, we want to talk about what it means to refine the collective message that we want as a church and parents to teach our children and students. Well during the week of Vacation Bible School, we tried to keep the message really simple as we focused on a story from Jesus life every night. Jesus told us that our simple focus should be the Bible verses on the bulletin cover:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”Matthew 22:37-39 NLT

In fact, to help remember or relive the highlights of VBS, I brought up on stage with me some souvenirs from our week at VBS. First of all I have my baseball cap that says NYC, because the theme of VBS this week was Big Apple Adventure. So I wore every night this actual souvenir from our family vacation to NYC a few years ago.



2ndly, I brought up on stage a sword (show picture of Roman Centurion) to remind me of the Roman Soldier (or Centurion) that we learned about the first night as we learned that …
“Jesus loved people and helped them.” Matthew 14:14

And on this occasion, he healed this Roman’s Soldier’s helper!



I also brought up on stage a vase that I actually brought back from my recent trip to Jerusalem as a souvenir, and this vase reminds me of a perfume container and the woman we learned about on Tuesday night who cleaned Jesus feet with her tears and hair, and then poured perfume on his feet as she said,
“I love you, Jesus.” John 21:17




We also have on stage this morning, a beard that I wore on Wednesday night as we learned that Jesus walked on water and so did Peter as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. On that night we learned that,
“Jesus is God’s Son.” John 20:31

Now some of you might say, well my Bible reads a little different on these verses. Realize that since I had the privilege of working with preschoolers all week, that I am quoting this morning from the PSV (Pre School Version).



I also brought up on stage this cup to remind me of the Samaritan Woman who was asked by Jesus for a drink of water, and she in turn found living water, and then went and told her whole town about Jesus. And we learned:
“Tell everyone about Jesus.” Matthew 28:19-20



And my final souvenir from VBS is this small stretcher (which actually carried Winnie the Poo), and it reminds me of the story we learned on Friday night of the man who was paralyzed (couldn’t walk) and his friends wanted so badly to get him to Jesus that they lowered him into the house that Jesus was staying and teaching at the time so they could be healed. We learned on that night the importance of each of us taking to heart:

“Help one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

Well as you can see we had a great time at VBS this week, and these objects or souvenirs help me remember all of these special moments that we shared in the preschool portion of VBS and the children, who were known as Broadway Stars!

This morning, I also have brought up on stage two other objects that Jesus told us to use as reminders of him. I have a loaf of bread and a cup of juice. Jesus told us that when we take these two objects they serve as souvenirs if you will of the time that that he spent on earth and showed us how much God loves us.

In the Bible, we find the following description of what is supposed to take place during a time of communion:

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NLT

So as we observe this time of special communion, we want to encourage all of the children and parents alike to be really quiet and allow these objects (or souvenirs from Jesus) to remind us of what Jesus means to each and every one of us and to remember that it is only by GRACE that any of us can have a relationship with God, forgiveness of our sins, and eternal life!
Let’s Pray!

Interesting Questions - with Surprising Answers

One of the most beautiful written collection of prayers and songs of all time are found in the Bible in the Book of Psalms. Many of these Psalms were written by David, the famous King of Israel. In these Psalms, we read of David’s heartfelt joys, sorrows, and questions.

Two of the questions that he recorded in one particular Psalm are immediately followed with a somewhat surprising answer. David begins Psalm 15 with these two questions: “Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1 NLT).

Most readers would probably expect the answer to include a list of “religious accomplishments” like … spent hours in prayer, faithful in attendance at worship gatherings, or memorized hundreds of Bible verses. But the Psalmist instead answers with a list of examples of healthy interaction in interpersonal relationships. David writes,

“Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the LORD, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.” (Psalm 15:2-5 NLT)

Once again we clearly see the way we treat others directly affects and reflects our relationship with a Holy God! David’s questions raise another question in my heart … Have my interactions with others this week represented someone who is regularly drawing near to a Holy God? How about you?

An Unsung Hero

When I seek to list the great heroes of faith in the Bible, who lived prior to Jesus walking the earth, the following individuals come to mind: Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and David. And yet one of the most inspiring, unsung heroes in the Bible is a guy named Jonathan.

Jonathan was the son of Saul, the first King of Israel. Jonathan’s courage in battle and loyalty to the King (his father) are recorded in the book of the Bible entitled 1 Samuel. This book of the Bible describes in detail the military conquests of Saul and Jonathan and the growing influence of a shepherd boy named David, who would later become the second king of Israel. But in the midst of the unfolding drama of Saul’s faltering leadership and David’s rise in popularity, is an inspiring story of a genuine friendship that developed between David and Jonathan.

Jonathan, the heir apparent to the throne of Israel, is not concerned about his rights or his claim to power. Instead, Jonathan recognizes that the LORD has called David to leadership in Israel, and humbly responds by seeking to be a loyal friend to the future king. A lesser man would have succumbed to jealousy or rivalry, but instead Jonathan made it his goal to support and defend David even against the jealous attacks of his father, Saul.

The following Bible verses describe the heroic, noteworthy character of Jonathan: “So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the LORD destroy all your enemies!” And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.” (1 Samuel 20:16-17).

The above Biblical description of Jonathan’s friendship with David both humbles me and challenges me. This example of friendship reminds me of faithful friends in my life who have selflessly given themselves to support me in spite of my shortcomings. It also challenges me to extend love, friendship and support to others not expecting to receive anything in return.

Thank God for dependable friends! Is there a faithful friend in your life that you have possibly taken for granted? Why not let them know this week you appreciate them?

Loyal Friendship

One of the great stories of love and friendship of all time is contained in the tiny book of the Bible, entitled, Ruth. The main character of the book is Ruth, a young woman who although not Jewish becomes (through an amazing twist) one of the most fascinating characters in Jewish History.

Ruth, a Moabite, married a Jewish man who died at a young age. Ruth’s mother-in-law was a widow herself and her name was Naomi. The book of Ruth describes Ruth and Naomi’s journey of faith from Moab to Bethlehem during a difficult time of famine and personal poverty. At a time of great hardship, Ruth remains loyal to her mother-in-law and declares her loyalty through the following statement: “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” (Ruth 1:16-17 NLT).

Although Ruth’s statement of commitment is often used in a wedding ceremony to describe marital faithfulness, the truth is that it was an expression of selfless love between friends. This expression of loyal friendship raises a number of challenging questions for the reader of the Bible:
How has a loyal friend in your past made a positive difference in your life?
Are you presently being a loyal friend to others?
Are you going through a difficult time in life that you need to reach out to a trusted friend for help and support?
Is there someone in your life that needs you to stick by his or her side for an extended time during a difficult challenge or challenges that he or she is facing?

I am convinced that the LORD blesses and works powerfully through people who are willing to extend selfless acts of friendship. In Ruth’s case, the LORD provided an opportunity for her to meet a relative of her deceased husband named Boaz, who provided financial support for Ruth and Naomi the remainder of their lives. By the way, Ruth and Boaz married and had a son named Obed, a grandson named Jesse, and a great-grandson named David. And yes that is the same David that became the greatest king of Israel’s history.

History was changed through a loyal friendship and I am convinced that the future can be changed by loyal friendship as well!

The Importance of Spiritual Leadership

A fascinating book in the Old Testament is the book entitled, Judges. It tells of a period of time in Israel’s history that they were lacking strong consistent leadership, which is extremely ironic sense the book highlights some very strong leaders like Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson (he was at least physically strong).

Throughout the book, we see the people of God being drawn into ungodly practices and false beliefs that are influenced deeply by the surrounding countries. It appears that in the book, the Israelites continually forget the importance of worshipping God and following his teachings. Over and over again, it is only when the Israelites find themselves suffering difficult times, do they turn to the LORD and cry out for His help.

God’s faithfulness and grace is demonstrated through Him continually answering Israel’s prayer for deliverance by providing a “judge” to provide leadership and direction during difficult times. And then typically as result of the spiritual leadership provided through this judge, the people of God experience a time of peace and victory. Once this leader dies, the people quickly return to evil practices.

The book demonstrates numerous faith lessons. One lesson is that human beings can be very fickle and continually forget the importance of seeking God and obeying His teachings. The second lesson is that strong spiritual leadership makes a huge difference in the life of believers.

The last verse of the book could serve as a theme or summary verse of the entire book. It reads simply, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” Judges 21:25 NLT

What is Maundy?

This is the week of the year that we hear terms thrown around like … Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course Easter Sunday. I hate to admit it, but prior to researching the word, “Maundy,” I did not know what that word meant. Do you?

As I have researched the word, I discovered that some theorize that the word originated in the English language from the "maundsor" baskets that were used by the King of England to distribute alms to the poor. It also appears that the English word for “maundy” is possibly connected with the Latin word “mendicare,” and the French word “mendier” which means “to beg.”

Traditionally, Maundy Thursday is observed by believers through remembering Jesus’ Last Supper and possibly even participating in a ceremonial washing of the soles of feet to remember Jesus act of love to his closest friends following their last meal together prior to the cross. The Bible records that when Jesus turned to Peter. Peter protested by saying, “No … you will never ever wash my feet.” Jesus response to Peter was “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me” (John 13:8 NLT).

Peter (like some of us) struggled with accepting the gift from another person. Possibly, Peter felt unworthy to accept this act of kindness or possibly it was difficult for Peter to see Jesus perform such a humbling act of service. And yet Jesus taught that being in a relationship with God includes humbly accepting His gifts in our lives.

Learning to receive Christ’s gifts of forgiveness, mercy, and grace requires the believer to accept the role of a beggar receiving gifts that are not deserved. Have you humbly accepted the gifts of grace that God wants to pour into your life? Or are you like Peter struggling to admit that you need Jesus to meet a need that you cannot meet for yourself?

If you have humbly received salvation in Christ, are you sharing this good news with others? It has been said that sharing good news with others (which is sometimes called evangelism) is simply “one beggar telling another beggar where there is help.” On this “Maundy Thursday” let’s share with others the good news that Jesus is still in the business of cleansing “the souls” of human beings!