Thursday Morning Coffee Break

How about a Nutella Latte from Café Con Leche Espresso Bar in Toronto's Junction neighborhood.  Brewed coffee, almond milk, and a teaspoon of Nutella, this drink is rich and sweet, but not too sweet, with a dark hazelnutty finish.  Enjoy!

Week three of our series: TwentyEight. Don't forget our Acts Challenge: Read through one chapter of the Book of Acts each day and pray the date. For example, today, February 20, we will read Acts 20 and pray for 20 minutes. 

After leaving the basketball, playing baseball, then returning to basketball, a reporter asked Michael Jordan if he thought he could still play at the level he left, making 32 points per game.  His response was, "That's only eight points per quarter!  I can do that!"  If praying 20 minutes a day seems like an impossible task, how about five minutes, four times a day?

Last Night: The Message

Right after the Holy Spirit is poured out on everyone on the day of Pentecost, a crowd gathered and Peter stood up, spoke loudly and addressed the people.  This was the first sermon on the day the church was born.  So, what was the message?  It wasn't the Law of Moses.  It wasn't, "if you obey the commandments, if you do this or that, if you don't do this, if you obey enough, you'll go to Heaven."  It wasn't the ceremony.  It wasn't, "you have to go to church three times a week and twice on Sunday, you have to become a member of this church or that church."  No, the message was simply Jesus.  Jesus lived.  Jesus was endorsed by God in the miracles He performed.  Jesus died.  God raised Him from the dead.  Jesus now sits at the right hand of God.  Jesus is coming again.  Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus.

Parent-Teen Connect
Take turns answering and discussing the following questions with your teens this week. Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed. Use one or two of these to begin a conversation. Look for teachable moment - at home, in the car, wherever. Pray and ask God to provide you opportunities to have spiritual conversations with your teens.

1. Why is the name "Jesus" so offensive to people today?  I can talk about God all day and not offend someone, but the moment I mention the name of Jesus, someone's going to get upset.
2. Do "Christian" songs on the radio, do worship songs, does preaching reflect the name of Jesus today?
3. What's our role in sharing the message of Jesus with others?