A young woman walked up to me one day in the middle of a parking lot, called me by name and asked me if I was still a pastor. When I told her I was, she began crying out for help right there. Her eyes frankly told the story better than her words did. She's tried everything to get out of the trouble she'd gotten herself into and it's gotten her nowhere. She's involved with a bad crowd, drugs, sex and more. She's near suicidal and finally decided to seek out someone who knows God. It was humbling beyond belief, but I was troubled deeply when I realized a carload of teens was driving up to get her. They all know me well and no doubt could tell I was sharing with her the one and only answer I've ever found to be right in every situation -- "Seek Jesus”! In a moment she was in the car with her friends and they were squealing tires to get out of there. As I was left to say a quiet prayer, this verse about a blind man calling out to Jesus came to my mind! "When he [Bartimaeus] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" MANY REBUKED HIM and told him to be quiet" Mark 10:47-48a (Emphasis mine) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Many Christians dabble in and even preach things they believe to be completely harmless and fully accepted as "science" that are in fact cultish. One popular example is the art of Feng Shui (A religious "science" for the balancing of Yin and Yang in the environment - from watchmen.org). Feng Shui was originated by farmers some 3,000 years ago and developed within Taoism which asserts that there is no personal God. Although it is ancient, it is still an active part of what is called the New Age Movement. Feng Shui teaches that there is an energy called Qi (or Chi) flowing throughout the universe, and in this world through lines, sometimes called channels or meridians, to which one must be properly aligned for optimal health, fortune, and quality of life. The position and alignment of structures and objects in one's environment affects the flow of this energy and one's own ability to harmonize with nature. Practitioners therefore arrange household and office furniture, design rooms and even whole buildings, their grounds and gardens, etc., to properly align with the flow lines of earth's energy. They thus hope to improve the balance of nature around them, not only for their own benefit, but for the benefit everyone in the area. Similarly, in Yoga many practitioners seek this same harmonization with nature. As a portion of Taoism, the concept of Yin and Yang asserts that there are opposing forces (equal forces) i.e., good and evil, male and female, etc. Also, that there is a little bit of good in evil, and a little bit of evil in good. This is not square with the Bible. First of all, there IS a God! Secondly, there is NO evil within God. And thirdly, there is nothing good within evil. The forces of evil and good are opposing, but they are certainly not equal. God is almighty... He's only tolerating Satan's antics until the number of Saints to be numbered with Christ are secured by His blood. If you are numbered with the Saints, then stop dabbling in the occult! "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Some people just can't leave well enough alone! They bother others with their religious talk, if given a chance they'll go on and on about their "God" and how they love Him. They'll "share their faith" with you without even taking a breath. They pray over absolutely everything and serve others until everyone else is left uncomfortable. When things are happening that are not of God but maybe are being done in His name, they can't keep their mouths closed then either. Some people! They just make everyone who wants to live life for themselves totally uncomfortable! When he [Ahab] saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" 1 Kings 18:16 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

C.S. Lewis, the author of the "The Chronicles of Narnia," wrote many other awesome books. Some of the most inspiring Christian books I've ever read were penned by him after he gave his life to Christ late in his life. Today, I was looking through some notes and found this quote: "The man who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone." As I pondered this thought I realized that Mr. Lewis was (during at least some parts of his life) quite wealthy. Like the Apostle Paul, C. S. Lewis grew in Christ and then began to count as loss everything he once counted as gain. The bottom line is that money and possessions aren't worth pursuing. Their pursuit will always leave a person empty at the end of the day. A personal, living and growing relationship with God is worth more than anything this world has to offer. It's no doubt been preached more than a million times. I only wish more of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ believed it were true! Fifty percent of Jesus' parables are directed toward the dangers of chasing money and possessions and still our actions prove who our real "god" is. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 6:24)  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

A sizeable number of Christians have a real hard time supporting their churches financially. I once had a young man tell me he was a Christian, but he didn't believe in giving money to the church because "It just let's them keep on with what they're doing!" Obviously he didn't see eye to eye with the way his place of worship was spending their money. Typically though, people don't give because they have other things they'd rather be doing with the money they have. Unfortunately, when Christians take that attitude it actually shows they have a foundational misunderstanding of how God works, and where their money actually comes from. The truth is God doesn't need our money, our time or our love. He just wants our hearts, and once He truly gets them, then we begin to understand that all of our time, our money and our love are the least we could give Him. Generally though, a person's willingness to give to the Lord's work financially is a far better barometer of their love for Him than all the "spiritual sounding talk" in the world. "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." King David (1 Chronicles 29:14) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Have you ever seen a really rich idiot? If you haven't seen one in person, you soon will. And if you can't wait, then just watch a movie or two. You'll see plenty of them there. People like to think money somehow makes a person better than others, but it just makes them a person with more money. Money doesn't make anyone better, and it certainly doesn't make anyone smarter. There are a lot of wealthy people who love the Lord, and there are a lot of poor people who love the Lord. Likewise, there are a lot of rich people who are flat out ignorant, and many people who have little or nothing who are wise beyond their years. In the end, I'd rather have wisdom and some sense of what was going on in the world around me than all the money in the world. And that wisdom, true wisdom, comes only from God. Anyone who thinks differently is an idiot. Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 8:10-11 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

The Scriptures repeatedly echo the sentiments "fear not," "be not afraid" and many others along those lines. I know these Scriptures well, and still I find myself struggling in this area. It's not that I'm sitting around shaking in fear or anything, but I sometimes worry how things will work out in financial situations, with my children, my church, and my friends. I used to think my inability to be fearless was something God would not be happy about, but that He would undoubtedly forgive me for. While that may be true, the Scriptures tell us that being afraid can also lead to other sins (like lying, stealing and more). So "fear" is not just a sin that stands alone, but one, like all other sins, that can and does lead to other sins. It's a vicious cycle that could easily stop by just trusting the Lord in the first place. Not only that, but someone who says he trusts in Jesus for everything and who is still afraid of anything undoubtedly looks like a total idiot to everyone around him. "That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, 'Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances...' David took these words to heart and WAS VERY MUCH AFRAID of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard." 1 Samuel 21:10-13  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate