Thursday Morning Coffee Break

This morning, how about a Grande Triple-Shot Sugar-Free Vanilla Carmel Machiatto.  Freshly steamed milk with vanilla-flavored syrup, marked with espresso and finished with caramel sauce.  This is my personal favorite drink from The 'Bucks.  Enjoy! 

Our final week of TwentyEight.  Hopefully, you were able to keep up and finish the Acts Challenge with us: read through one chapter of the Book of Acts each day and pray the date.  For example, today, February 28, we will read Acts 28 and pray for 28 minutes.

This Week: The Conversion

The story of Saul's conversion in Acts 9 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture.  Saul was present when Stephen was killed in Acts 7.  He actively imprisoned and killed men and women who worshipped Jesus Christ.  His hatred for Christians was such that he ventured out from Jerusalem and sought to kill Christians several days journey away.  And yet, this man would become one of the greatest Christians and preachers the world has ever seen.  He would go on to write over a third of the New Testament.  He'd have more books written about him than any other character in the Bible, except Jesus.  He founded churches.  He could go to a place for three to four weeks, start a church and appoint leaders.  He was thrown in prison and beaten half to death.  He risked it all for the sake of the Gospel.

Take a moment to read about Saul's conversion in Acts 9:1-19.  What's so special about this story?  What can we learn from it?

1. It teaches us that Christianity is about change, and that God can change anybody.
2. It teaches us that there's a difference between having a relationship and being religious.
3. It teaches us that there is something significant about the patience, mercy and grace of God.

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. Tell about the moment you came to know Jesus Christ.  Tell about your conversion. 
2. Did God save you from a life of sin, or did He keep you from a life of sin?
3. Read Acts 9:16, Acts 20:22-23, and 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.  How have you "suffered" because of your decision to follow Christ?

PS - Given today's cup of coffee, this seems appropriate!