Growing up on the island of Guam, I noticed palm trees with white paint around the base of the tree trunk. I remember asking my dad why those trees were painted white at their base thinking he would give me some profound answer. He simply replied, “The white is there to measure the growth of the tree.”

The Judeo-Christian roots of our nation are showing up these days in places many of us have never even noticed, but simply assumed as normal.

In Proverbs 3:5, 6 we read, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Just a few verses later, we read, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9, 10).

When I arrived at Bible Baptist Church a little over two years ago, we had a five acre piece of property, a spacious auditorium, lots of classrooms, and zero debt; but the roof was falling in, much of the property was in disrepair, and every classroom was filled with superfluous material, which made it impossible to use them for ministry.

At the beginning of the new year, you eagerly set goals to reach forward for Christ in multiple areas. Both through your goals and the early action steps you have taken, you stretched forward.

The book of Acts provides us with a clear blueprint for reaching and discipling adults. If we will lead our classes to grow in health and attendance, we must:

Have you ever heard the saying, “I’m going to squeeze everything out of that turnip?” In essence, the statement refers to making the most out of any given situation. As we think about soulwinning, we should possess the same mentality—I am going to make the most of this visit.

Perhaps you have heard the statement, “Jesus loves you just as you are, but He loves you too much to allow you to stay that way.” It’s true. God loves us unconditionally, and He doesn’t love us more or less based on if we are currently growing or backsliding. But He does call us to grow in Him.

Revival is more than simply having a special guest preacher and a few extra nights of meetings. True revival is a work of the Holy Spirit. That is why Habakkuk prayed, “…O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years…” (Habakkuk 3:2).

People are dangerous! Our sinfulness often brings with it the capacity to hurt others. We hurt one another with the words we say and with the things we do or forget to do. Sometimes we injure our relationships with others through carelessness or negligence.