There are a vast number of people alive today who will readily tell you they are Christians. Some are and some, unfortunately, are not. Telling the difference is difficult at times because just being nice and having some Sunday School experience seems to give people the right to identify with Jesus if they like. But is that true Christianity? If following God was easy the prophets and apostles would not have been killed for it! I don't want to set anyone on the path to a judgmental attitude, but just like a child needs to know not to follow a man who claims to need help finding his puppy, a Christian needs to be wise about the Truth! Be careful who you follow. "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40, NIV) Friends, I heard a story once about a woman who served the “at risk” community around her because her own child was caught up in substance abuse but would not accept any help from her family. It broke this woman’s heart to think of her own child on the street, so she tried to love others well and make a difference in other people’s lives. She hoped that, somewhere, someone would love her daughter well, too. That story came back to me recently after a conversation at the thrift store. Someone tried to donate a couch with large rips and missing cushions, explaining to Aaron that a poor person would certainly want it. I understand the sentiment behind that. If you have very little, something is better than nothing, right? But it made me think about something we don't always consider when we talk about serving people in need: the people we serve are somebody's sons and daughters. They're somebody's family. We would never want our own child to be defined by their circumstances—to be told, directly or not, that because they're struggling, they should be grateful for what most people would turn down if given the option. I know that ruffles some feathers, and I hope you hear my heart in this, because Harvest is SO grateful for the generosity of so many people in this community. The store and ministry would not exist without the people who clean out their closets, donate their furniture, drop off household goods, volunteer their time, and give financially. The retelling of that conversation was such a great reminder for our team of who we are serving and why. We want to treat people with dignity and respect—not simply because they are in need, but because they are people. Someone’s son or daughter. Someone’s child. Someone’s family. And maybe that is what I keep coming back to from the story of that woman. She knew what it felt like to wonder where her own child was and whether someone would love her well. So she chose to love someone else’s child well. That is a beautiful picture of what we hope Harvest Helps can be: not simply meeting a need, but seeing the person behind the need. Because every person who walks through those doors is someone’s son or daughter, someone’s family—and ultimately, someone Jesus tells us to see and serve as though we were serving Him. Celebrations! Ms K received a bicycle to get to work! Mr. R received a bus pass and groceries to help while his family deals with illness. Ms H received a bus pass to get to work! 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