Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV) Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2, ESV) Friends, If you have been around a while, you may know there are a few things that irritate me. Some of them are things I catch myself doing! One big one is the phrase, “let’s pray really quick” before meals, meetings, or ministry. Why do we say this? Why is it so easy to treat talking to the God of the Universe as a box that should be checked off before we move on to the “real work” of doing whatever we’re doing? I am realizing prayer isn’t something we do before ministry. Prayer IS ministry. Recently, a woman reached out because she is struggling with housing after a work injury. We got details about her immediate need so we could know what steps to take, then followed up with another message, not about the housing situation, but about her. I asked how she was doing and how we could be praying for her. It was an intentional move because sometimes, people need to know they are cared for physically before they are ready to be cared for spiritually. Her response was striking. She said it was the only time she had been asked how she was during this time. The need was housing. The need was also to be seen and cared for. It can be so easy to get focused on “doing the work” that we forget to see the person in front of us. While her physical needs must be met, her soul also needs tending. Let’s never move prayer to a “really quick” before we start moving our feet. Let us pray as we begin, as we move, and as we finish, making prayer an essential part of ministry and life. Without God involved, what are we doing anyway? Please pray for Ms. A with me. She has a long recovery ahead of her, an unstable financial situation, and a deep desire to get back on her feet. Celebrations! Ms A received help with rent this month while she is working on recovering from an injury. Ms K received a voucher for clothing for job interviews, and we are working on a bicycle! Blessings, Elizabeth Kilby

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV) Dear Friends, Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to give Him their firstfruits—the first and the best. The issue has never been the amount, but the heart. By giving God the first portion, we acknowledge that He is our highest priority and trust Him to provide for our every need. Jesus also taught that our giving should never be motivated by recognition or applause. In Matthew 6, He instructed His followers to give quietly, seeking the approval of our Heavenly Father rather than the praise of people. He also taught us not to give, to get something earthly in return. The greatest reward is not found in earthly recognition, but in knowing that our gifts have honored God and advanced His Kingdom. As I think about Harvest Youth Ministries, I am humbled by the faithfulness of so many of you. Some have supported this ministry for nearly thirty years. Because of your generosity, many men, women, and young people have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Hungry families have been fed, safe housing has been provided, jobs and life skills have been developed, and countless lives have been touched by the love of Christ. None of this would have been possible apart from God’s blessing and your faithful partnership. While we are deeply grateful for every gift, we know your generosity is ultimately an offering to the Lord—not to Harvest Youth Ministries. Most of what you have accomplished will never be fully known on this side of eternity, but God sees every act of faith and every sacrifice made for His glory. Thank you for honoring God with your first fruits. Thank you for giving Him your best. Most of all, thank you for your faithful partnership in changing lives for eternity. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby

The Scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom (Psalm 111:10). "Fear" in this sense can be more accurately translated as "reverence" or maybe better put in today's terms as "profound awe" (from which we get the word awesome). That being said, we can conclude that seeing God rightly, in total reverence and awe, is the first thing we must do if we are to ever be wise on His terms. I have a lot of people who come to me with questions about God. They quite often get irritated and sometimes even angry when they don't understand what I'm trying to communicate. Often, the lack of understanding is not in my explanation, or even in their ability to think rationally. It's in the fact that they don't hold God in high esteem. Look at it this way. If you think God is a colossal kill-joy, looking to keep you from any fun you're looking to have, then you'll never understand why He would send His only Son to die on a cross. Not starting with "the fear of the Lord" keeps you from understanding anything about Him. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." Psalm 111:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

The power of suggestion is an amazing thing. I'm not a psychologist or even an elementary practitioner of the science. I do, however, remember being led astray by all types of crazy suggestions by the young people I grew up with. Young people today face even more of an indoctrination of devilish ideas, and not just from other young people. Teachers, professors, people of other religions, and even some sections of the Christian church are busy giving young people a fire-hose dose of whatever they think about God. They make suggestions that make itching ears feel good. "A God that won't judge you!" for example. Be very careful about who you take suggestions from, and weigh everything with the Scriptures before you consider it factual. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:8-9 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Those of the Jewish faith, some of other religions, and even some Christian denominations still consider some foods "clean" and "unclean" based on Old Testament Scriptures. I've read up on this a little, but being a Christian living in the Church Age (after the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus), we now have a better understanding of many of the principles God was trying to teach us in the Old Testament. There were many burdens the Lord laid on people to teach them that they, as sinners, could never completely obey and obtain a righteousness of their own. They were "unclean" inside even when they practiced every religious doctrine. We can give thanks to God for the understanding we gain from the Old Testament Scriptures, and give more thanks we are now free from the burdens of the Law. We can also give Him praise we are made clean not because of what we do or do not eat, but because of His incredible Grace! He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 7:20-23) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

We live in an age where people demand respect. If some don't get the amount of it they think they deserve, they'll strike out at those who aren't giving it. No doubt people have been killed and even wars have started because of the perception of a lack of respect among people, races, countries, etc. Suffice it to say that although there are clearly some biblical positions some Christians are called to hold that do demand some level of respect from brothers and sisters (pastor, elder, etc.), those who fill these positions are rarely those who demand respect. They focus on serving instead of being served, and the Lord tells us to respect them. We've all heard it said "vengeance is the Lord's," but there's even more to it than that. When someone strikes us, we're supposed to praise God and turn the other cheek. When someone calls us a name because of Jesus, we are to pray for them and bless them. And even if we are disrespected to the point of death, those truly operating by the power of the Holy Spirit will be beseeching the Lord on behalf of those who are doing them evil. If you demand respect from anyone, you just might be proving you don't deserve it. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:59-60 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Jesus loves His bride. He cannot wait for the day when He comes to bring her (the Church) home. Unfortunately, the bride is often a runaway. Endlessly slowing His coming instead of speeding it. She says she loves Jesus, too, but often she's doing anything but focusing on Him or the work He left for her to do. I don't think it's ironic that Jesus cries out to the churches in the Book of Revelation seven times -- "Repent!" Which literally means, agree with your God and turn from your wicked ways! "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from it's place." Revelation 2:4-5 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Many people do not believe in a literal place called "hell." Some will tell you it is a myth. Others will tell you God would not make such a place, and He certainly would not cause people to go there for eternity. There are even denominations of the Christian church who hold these untruths as doctrine. There's just one little problem with their theories. The Bible completely disagrees. God speaks of hell twice as much as He speaks of heaven. Today I saw a young woman with two bumper stickers on her car. The first read, "Born Again Pagan”. The second, "It's Your Hell--You Burn In It!" As I prayed for her, I thought to myself, "Actually, if you don't believe God's Word, it's YOUR HELL, and you will burn in it." While this Scripture is not speaking of hell, it certainly does have a gripping word picture of fire, and it's aimed squarely at those who don't believe God's word. "Therefore as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 5:24 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate