All Collections
October 11, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Help Us
Dear Mayflower family, This week the page grows out of “Help Us,” from Acts 16:6–10. The heart of it is this: people everywhere need help, and the best help God sends is the good news about Jesus. Paul and his friends wanted to tell people about Jesus, and God closed two roads in front of them. Then one night Paul saw a man from a faraway place called Macedonia, saying, come over and help us, and the friends knew what help to bring: the good news about Jesus. The line your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: they asked for help, and God sent the gospel. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton Help Us Family Devotional · Acts 16:6–10 · October 11, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea People everywhere need help, and the best help God sends is the good news about Jesus. Memory verse “concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:6–10 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 6. Paul wanted to tell people about Jesus in Asia, and God said no. Tuesday: verse 7. They tried another road, and Jesus closed that one too. Wednesday: verse 8. They came to Troas, a town by the sea, and ran out of road. Thursday: verse 9. In the night a man said to Paul, come over and help us. Friday: verse 10. Paul and his friends knew the help he needed was the good news about Jesus, and they went right away. 2. THINK Paul and his friends wanted to tell people about Jesus, and Jesus closed two roads because He knew where His good news needed to go next. A man from Macedonia asked for help, and he did not even know what kind of help he needed. God sent him the very best help there is: friends who came to tell him that Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and that Jesus is able to help everyone who calls on Him. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Paul wanted to go one way, and God said no. Then a man asked Paul for help. What help did God send him? For school-age children: The man said help, but he did not say what kind. When someone we know is sick, sad, or having a hard time, what are some ways we can help them? How could we tell them about Jesus too? For teens: The man from Macedonia was asking for more than he knew. Lots of people say they are spiritual, but they could not tell you that the help they need is Jesus. When things get hard, what do you reach for first? Have you ever asked Jesus to help you in your own words, the way a woman once knelt in front of Him and said, “Lord, help me” (Matthew 15:25)? For the whole table: Who is one person we know who needs help this week, and what is one way we could help them and tell them about Jesus? 4. DO Do this: Pick one person who is having a hard time: someone sick, someone lonely, someone sad. Bring them something small this week, a meal, a treat, or a card the children made, and in the card write one true sentence about Jesus, like “Jesus is able to help.” Another way to do this: Pick one person who does not know Jesus yet. Draw a little boat on a piece of paper, write that person's name on the sail, and put it on the fridge. Every night this week, ask God to send them the good news about Jesus, the way He sent Paul across the sea. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that when people cried for help, You sent the good news about Jesus, who died for sinners and rose again. Please save every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Help us to notice the people around us who need help, and give us courage to tell them about Your Son. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It sings that we have come this far only by God's help, and that Jesus came looking for us when we were wandering, which is exactly what He did for the people of Macedonia. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win.
October 4, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
Dear Mayflower family, This week the page grows out of "Timothy Joins Paul and Silas," from Acts 16:1–5, Sunday's passage, with Leon Jones as our guest preacher. The heart of it is this: Paul was willing to give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus, but he never changed the good news about Jesus. A young man named Timothy, taught the Bible at home by his mother and grandmother, joins Paul and Silas, gives up something hard so Jewish people will listen, and helps carry the good news to the churches just as it was. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton Timothy Joins Paul and Silas Family Devotional · Acts 16:1–5 · October 4, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea Paul was willing to give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus, but he never changed the good news about Jesus. Memory verse "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily." Acts 16:5 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:1–5 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 1. God gives Paul a new helper, a young man named Timothy. Tuesday: verse 2. The Christians in two towns said good things about Timothy. Wednesday: verse 3. Timothy gave up something hard so Jewish people would listen. Thursday: verse 4. Paul and his friends brought the churches the decisions from Jerusalem to keep. Friday: verse 5. The churches grew strong, and more people believed every day. 2. THINK Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him the Bible when he was little, and when Paul came to town, God gave Timothy to Paul as a helper. Paul had Timothy circumcised, a sign Jewish families gave their boys, not to make Timothy right with God but so Jewish people would be willing to listen, because Paul would give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus. But Paul never changed the good news itself: Jesus did everything needed to save us, and nobody has to add anything to what He did. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him about God when he was little. Who teaches you about God? What is one thing you have learned about Jesus? For school-age children: The Christians in two different towns said good things about Timothy. What do you think they noticed about him? What would you want people to notice about you, and who could help you grow that way? For teens: Paul would change almost anything about how he did things so people would listen, but he would never change the message. Is there something you could give up so a friend would be more willing to hear about Jesus? Have you ever been tempted to leave part of Jesus out so faith would be easier to talk about? And have you trusted Christ yourself, or have you only learned about Him? For the whole table: What is one thing our family could give up this week so that someone else could hear about Jesus or feel His love? 4. DO Do this: This week, each person picks one thing they usually get to choose, like the dinner, the game, or the seat in the car, and gives that choice to someone else in the family on purpose, without being asked. At the end of the week, talk about how Paul and Timothy gave things up so others could hear about Jesus. Another way to do this: Choose one favorite thing to share together this week, like a snack, a toy, or an afternoon, and give it to someone outside the family, a neighbor or a friend from church, with a note that says, "Jesus loves you, and we wanted to share." 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Jesus gave up everything to come and save people like us, and that nobody has to add anything to what He did. Please save every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make us a family that gladly gives things up so others can hear about You, and that never changes Your good news. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING All I Have Is Christ. Paul could give up so much because Christ was enough, and this hymn sings that nothing else is needed. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win!
September 27, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Not By Agreement
Dear Mayflower family, This week the page grows out of "Not By Agreement," from Acts 15:36–41. The heart of it is this: God's work keeps going because of God's grace, not because the people doing it are strong or because they always agree. Two men who loved Jesus, Paul and Barnabas, could not agree about whether to take a young man named Mark with them, so they went two separate ways, and God did not lose one thing in it. The picture your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: two ships left Antioch, and one gospel was on both of them. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton Not By Agreement Family Devotional · Acts 15:36–41 · September 27, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea God's work keeps going because of God's grace, not because the people doing it are strong and not because they always agree. Memory verse "having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." Acts 15:40 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 15:36–41 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 36. Paul says, let us go back and see how our friends are doing. Tuesday: verses 37–38. Two good men wanted two different things for one young man. Wednesday: verse 39. They could not agree, so they went two different ways. Thursday: verse 40. The church prayed and handed Paul over to the grace of the Lord. Friday: verse 41. Paul kept going, and the churches grew stronger. 2. THINK Paul and Barnabas both loved Jesus and both loved people, and they still could not agree about whether young Mark should come along, so they went two different ways. The Bible never tells us which man was right. It tells us that the church prayed and handed Paul over to the grace of the Lord Jesus, the same Jesus who was handed over on the cross for people who ran away from Him and who then came back and found them by name, and that grace kept the work going and made the churches stronger. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Paul and Barnabas could not agree, and they went two different ways. Did God stop taking care of them? Who kept the good news going? For school-age children: The church did not try to fix the argument. They prayed and handed Paul over to the grace of the Lord. What is something you cannot fix that you could hand over to God this week? For teens: Much later, Paul writes to Timothy and asks for Mark by name, and calls him very useful (2 Timothy 4:11). The young man who quit became the one Paul wanted with him at the end. Is there someone you have quietly decided is not worth another try, or someone you are afraid has decided that about you? What changes if a person is held by God's grace and not by their own record or anyone's good opinion of them? For the whole table: Who is one person in our church or our family that we have not seen in a long time, and what is one thing we could do this week to go and see how they are? 4. DO Do this: Pick one person our family has not seen in a while and go see them this week. Take something small with you, a card the children made or a plate of cookies, and ask one question out loud: how are you? Then stay long enough to hear the whole answer. Another way to do this: Sit down together and call that person on speakerphone so everyone can say hello, or write four sentences on a card, have every person at the table sign it, and walk it to their door or their mailbox. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Your Son was handed over for people who left Him, and that He came back and found them by name. Thank You that Your work keeps going on Your grace and not on how strong we are or how well we agree. Please save every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make us a family that goes to people instead of keeping track of them from far away. In Jesus' name, Amen. One faith talk this week is a win.
September 20, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: The Spirit Decided
This week the page grows out of "The Spirit Decided," from Acts 15:22–35. The heart of it is this: God's Spirit decided the big question, and the church wrote the answer down, signed it, and sent two men to read it out loud, and the answer was that Jesus already carried the heavy load, so there is no bigger load for anyone to carry. The picture your table will be sitting with is a whole church gathered to hear a letter read aloud, and the gladness in the room when they heard what it said. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton The Spirit Decided Family Devotional · Acts 15:22–35 · September 20, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea God's Spirit decided, and the church wrote it down and said it out loud. Jesus already carried the heavy load, so nobody has to carry a bigger one. Memory verse "And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement." Acts 15:31 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 15:27–32 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 27. They sent two men to say the same thing out loud. Tuesday: verse 28. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us: no greater burden. Wednesday: verses 29–30. The letter was carried down to Antioch and given to the whole church. Thursday: verse 31. They read it, and they were glad. Friday: verse 32. Judas and Silas stayed and made the brothers strong with many words. 2. THINK Some men told the church in Antioch that God wanted one more thing from them before He would have them, and the church did not know what to believe. The leaders in Jerusalem prayed, listened to God's Word, and wrote a letter that said the Holy Spirit had decided: no greater burden. Jesus carried the heaviest load on the cross, so the church had no more weight to give anybody, and when the letter was read out loud, the people were glad. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: The people heard the letter and were glad. What did the letter say about the heavy load? Who carried the heavy load for us? For school-age children: Why did the leaders send two men to read the letter instead of just sending the paper? What can two men do that a piece of paper cannot? For teens: Verse 24 talks about people who spoke as if they had an authority they were never given, and it left a whole church unsure about their salvation. Has anyone ever made you feel that God wants something more from you before He will accept you? How does verse 28, no greater burden, answer that, and what would it look like to actually trust Jesus with it instead of trusting your own effort? For the whole table: If Jesus already carried the heaviest load, what is one load our family could stop trying to carry this week? 4. DO Do this: Write a short letter together to someone in your family or church who needs to hear something true and kind. Put everyone's name at the bottom. Then hand-deliver it and read it out loud to them, the way Judas and Silas did. Another way to do this: Pick one true thing from this week's passage, like "no greater burden," and each person says it out loud to the person on their left. Then everyone signs their name on one card in the middle of the table, and the card goes on the fridge for the week. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Your Spirit settled the biggest question and that You put Your promise in writing. Thank You that Jesus carried the heaviest load on the cross so that we do not have to. Please save each person at this table who does not yet trust You, and grow the ones who do. Make us people who say what is true and put our names on it. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING Blessed Assurance. The church in Antioch got its assurance back when the letter was read out loud, and this hymn sings about a promise you can rest on. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win!
September 13, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Saved Like Them
Family Devotional: Saved Like Them This week the page grows out of "Saved Like Them," from Acts 15:1–21. The heart of it is this: God saves everyone the same way, by His kindness in Jesus, and nobody gets in through a different door. Some believers wanted to add one more requirement before God would accept people who were brand new, and Peter stood up and said that he himself would be saved in exactly the same way those new believers were. That is the picture your table will be sitting with this week. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's devotion. Saved Like Them Family Devotional · Acts 15:1–21 · September 13, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea God saves everyone the same way, by His kindness in Jesus. Nobody gets in a different way. Memory verse "we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." Acts 15:11 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 15:7–11 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 7. God chose to have the good news spoken to people far away. Tuesday: verse 8. God knows the heart, and He gave them His Spirit. Wednesday: verse 9. God made no difference between us and them, and He made their hearts clean by faith. Thursday: verse 10. Do not lay a load on people that nobody has ever been able to carry. Friday: verse 11. We will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just like them. 2. THINK Some people said you had to add one more thing before God would take you. Peter stood up and said no. God made their hearts clean by faith, not by anything they brought. Jesus did all of the work on the cross, so the only way anyone comes to God is with empty hands. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Peter said God made their hearts clean. Can you make your own heart clean? Who can do that? For school-age children: Why do you think people wanted to add one more rule before God would accept somebody new? What rule do we sometimes add? For teens: Peter had walked with Jesus and preached to thousands, and he still said he would be saved in exactly the same way as brand new believers with no history at all. Where do you quietly count on your record, your family, your church, or your behavior, to make you okay with God? What would it mean to trust Jesus instead of that record? For the whole table: What is one thing we could stop expecting a new person to be like, so that they can just come and meet Jesus? 4. DO Do this: Fill a backpack with heavy books. Let each person wear it for a moment and name one rule they think they have to keep to make God happy with them. Then take it off together and say out loud, "Jesus carried it." Another way to do this: Write or draw one of those rules on a slip of paper, crumple it up, and drop it in a bowl in the middle of the table. Read the memory verse over the bowl, then throw the papers away together. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that You know our hearts and that You make hearts clean by faith in Jesus. Please save each person at this table who does not yet belong to You, and grow the ones who do. Keep us from adding anything to what Jesus finished. Give us the same grace You gave them. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING All I Have Is Christ. The whole sermon is that nobody brings anything to God but empty hands, and this hymn says exactly that. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win.
September 6, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Family Devotional: God Did It!
Family Devotional: God Did It! Dear Mayflower families, Mayflower families, this page is our weekly Family Devotional. It is one page, built from Sunday's sermon, so the table sits with the same Word the pulpit preached. A parent can lead it cold. You don't need training, and you don't need to prep. Use it as one ten-minute sitting, or walk it Monday through Friday as five short steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. One faith talk this week is a win. This week the table sits with God Did It!, from Acts 14:24-28. Sunday's Big Idea in plain words: God is the one who did the work. Paul and Barnabas were the friends who went with Him. You will sit with a locked door, a long road home, and a God who opens the way in. Released Sundays at 2pm through Planning Center / Church Center. [BRACKETS: Anton, paste the Church Center link if you want one here.] Pastor Anton This week's Big Idea God is the one who did it. We get to go with Him. Memory verse "he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles." Acts 14:27 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 14:24-28 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verses 24-25. They walk the road and speak the word. Tuesday: verse 26. They had been handed to God's grace, and the work was finished. Wednesday: verse 27a. They gather the church and tell what God had done with them. Thursday: verse 27b. God opened a door of faith. Friday: verse 28. They stayed with the disciples for a long time. 2. THINK Paul and Barnabas did not come home to talk about themselves. They told the church what God had done. God finished the work. God opened the door. Jesus said, "I am the door." We cannot open the door of faith from the outside. God opens it, and we come in by trusting Jesus. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: If a door is locked, can you open it from the porch? Who has to open it? For school-age children: Why did Paul and Barnabas talk about God instead of talking about how brave they were? For teens: Where have you finished something hard and then made yourself the hero of the story? What would it mean to trust Christ as the One who opens the door, not just to try harder at being humble? For the whole table: What is one thing God did this week that we will report with God as the subject? 4. DO Do this: At the table tonight, each person names one real thing God did this week. Start the sentence with "God," not "I." Then thank Him out loud. Another way to do this: Draw a simple door and write "God opened it" on the door. Each person writes or draws one gift from this week on a slip of paper and slides it under the door. Read the slips together on Friday. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that You finished the work, and that Jesus is the Door. Save our children. Teach this family to report You, not ourselves. Open the door of faith for anyone at this table still standing on the porch. In Jesus' name, Amen. One faith talk this week is a win.
August 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Darkness Blinded Him
This page is our weekly Family Devotional. It is one page, built from Sunday's sermon, so the table sits with the same Word the pulpit preached. A parent can lead it cold. You do not need training and you do not need to prep. Use it as one ten-minute sitting, or walk it Monday through Friday as five short steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. One faith talk this week is a win. This week the table sits with Darkness Blinded Him, from 1 John 2:9-11. Sunday's Big Idea in plain words: a person can talk about the light and still be blind, because hatred has already done something to his eyes. You will sit with a dark hallway, a claim that did not help, and Jesus--the Light who opens eyes and sends us to our brothers and sisters. Pastor Anton This page can work two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea A person can say he walks in the light and still be in the dark, because hatred has already blinded his eyes. Memory verse "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness." 1 John 2:9 (ESV) 1. READ Read 1 John 2:9-11 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 9. The man who says he is in the light. Tuesday: verse 9 again. The word still. Wednesday: verse 10. The one who loves his brother remains in the light. Thursday: verse 11. He walks in the dark and does not know where he is going. Friday: verse 11 again. Because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 2. THINK John is not telling us to be nicer. He is showing us that hatred is a blinding that has already happened. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." He came so that whoever believes in Him would not stay in the dark. Love for our brothers and sisters shows that His light has done its work. It is not how we buy the light. 3. TALK Pick the questions that fit your table. You do not need to ask them all. For young children: What happens if you walk through the house at night and never turn on a light? For school-age children: Why is saying "I am in the light" not the same thing as loving your brother? For teens: Where have you learned Christian words while quietly deciding you have no use for someone Christ calls your brother or sister? What would it mean to come to Christ the Light instead of managing that contempt? For the whole table: Who is one person we will ask God to help us love this week, and what is one thing love would actually do? 4. DO Do this: Name one brother or sister in the church you have walked past. Pray for that person by name at the table. Then do one concrete kindness for them this week (a message, a meal, a visit, a word). Another way to do this: Draw a simple picture of a dark hallway and a bright lamp. Write one person's name near the lamp. Ask God together to help you love that person, then place the picture where the family will see it. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Jesus is the Light of the world, and that He came so we would not remain in darkness. Save our children. Give this family a real love for the brothers and sisters You have given us. Open any eyes hatred has shut, and keep us from managing contempt. In Jesus' name, Amen. One faith talk this week is a win.
August 22, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
The Kingdom Road: Family Devotional
Dear Mayflower family, Here is this week's Family Devotional, ready for your table. If this is your first time opening one, welcome. It is a single page that takes the sermon we just heard on Sunday and brings it home, so the Word preached in the pew and the Word talked over at dinner are the same Word. You do not need to be a teacher or know your Bible cold to lead it. You can do the whole page in about ten minutes in one sitting, or take one small step a night, Monday through Friday. There is no wrong way. One unhurried faith talk this week is a win. This week the page grows out of "The Kingdom Road," from Acts 14:19-23. The heart of it is this: the road into God's kingdom goes through hard things, not around them, and Jesus walked that road first and keeps His people on it all the way home. Paul was stoned and left for dead, and then he got up and walked right back into the city, because the God who saves us also holds on to us. That is the picture your table will be sitting with this week. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton This week's Big Idea: The road into God's kingdom goes through hard things, not around them. But Jesus walked that road first, and He holds on to His people the whole way home. Memory verse for the week: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22) Say it together at the start of each time you gather. By Friday, see who can say it without looking. 1. READ (start here every time) This week's passage: Acts 14:19-23 (ESV). Read it out loud together. With young children, read it once slowly. With older children and teens, read it and then ask what stood out. If you are taking one step a night, read a short slice each evening: Monday, Acts 14:19, a mob stones Paul and drags him out of the city; Tuesday, Acts 14:20, the believers gather around him and he gets up and walks back in; Wednesday, Acts 14:21-22, Paul goes back to tell the new Christians the way into God's kingdom goes through hard things; Thursday, Acts 14:22, we go through many troubles to enter God's kingdom, and Jesus went that way first; Friday, Acts 14:23, Paul hands the churches to God to keep them safe. 2. THINK (a thought a parent can read out loud, cold) Following God can be hard, and Acts 14 shows us it is true. Paul was hurt badly for telling people about Jesus. But he got up and kept going, and he told the new Christians something surprising: the way into God's kingdom goes through hard things, not around them. Here is the best part. Jesus walked that very same road first. He suffered, and then He rose and went to glory. So when life is hard for someone who loves Jesus, it does not mean God has left. It means they are on Jesus' own road, walking right behind Him, and Jesus never lets go of the people who are His. 3. TALK (pick the questions that fit your table; you do not need to ask them all) For young children: When you fall down and get hurt, who helps you get back up? The Bible says God's people helped Paul get up after he was hurt. How does it feel to know God gives us people to help us up? For school-age children: Paul said the way into God's kingdom goes through hard things, not around them. Why is it good news that Jesus walked that same hard road before us? For teens: A lot of people quietly believe that if God really loved them, life would get easier. Acts 14 says the opposite: the hard road can be the true road. Where have you felt that tension, and what would it change to believe Jesus is on the road ahead of you, not disappointed with you? For the whole table: Verse 23 says Paul handed the new Christians to God to keep them safe. What would change in our family if we really believed God is holding on to us, even when things are hard? 4. DO (one small thing to carry the truth into the week) Do this: This week, find one person who is going through something hard, a friend, a neighbor, someone at church, and do one small thing to help them carry it. Bring them a treat, write them a note, or just sit with them. Decide together tonight who it will be, then do it before Friday. Another way to do this: Make a card together as a family with the words of our memory verse on it, and give it to someone who is tired or sad, so they know God is holding them and our family is with them too. If you would rather, you can say the memory verse out loud to that person instead of giving a card. Pick the one you can do. 5. PRAY (a parent leads; pray it as written or in your own words) Father, thank You that the way into Your kingdom goes through hard things, and that Jesus walked it first, from suffering into glory. Thank You that You never let go of the people who are Yours. We ask You to give each of our children a heart that truly trusts Jesus, so they would follow Him all the way home. And help our family walk with people who are having a hard time. In Jesus' name, amen. 6. SING (close by singing one together) This week's song: "He Will Hold Me Fast" (it says exactly what this passage teaches, that we are kept safe not by how tightly we hold on to God but by how tightly He holds on to us). Sing one verse, or the whole thing. If your family does not know it, read the first verse out loud together instead. One faith talk this week is a win. If your family can do this most nights, even better. Keep it short, keep it warm, keep coming back to it.
August 9, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
He Bears Witness: Family Devotional
Dear Mayflower family, Here is this week’s Family Devotional, ready for your table. If this is your first time opening one, welcome. It is a single page that takes the sermon we just heard on Sunday and brings it home, so the Word preached in the pew and the Word talked over at dinner are the same Word. You do not need to be a teacher or know your Bible cold to lead it. You can do the whole page in about ten minutes in one sitting, or take one small step a night, Monday through Friday. There is no wrong way. One unhurried faith talk this week is a win. This week the page grows out of “He Bears Witness,” from Acts 14:1-7. The heart of it is this: when God sends us to tell people about Jesus, He does not send us alone; He stands behind every word and makes it do its work. Two men walked into a city that did not want their message and grew braver instead of quieter, because they knew who was standing behind them. That is the picture your table will be sitting with this week. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week’s page. Pastor Anton This week’s Big Idea: When God sends us to tell people about Jesus, He does not send us alone. He stands behind every word and helps it do its work. Memory verse for the week: “the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3) Say it together at the start of each time you gather. By Friday, see who can say it without looking. 1. READ (start here every time) This week’s passage: Acts 14:1-3 (ESV), inside the bigger story of Acts 14:1-7. Read it out loud together. With young children, read it once slowly. With older children and teens, read it and then ask what stood out. If you are taking one step a night, read a short slice each evening: Monday, Acts 14:1, a great number believe; Tuesday, Acts 14:2, some hearts turn hard; Wednesday, Acts 14:3, the Lord backs the word with his own witness; Thursday, Acts 14:4, the city splits in two; Friday, Acts 14:5-7, they are chased out, and keep preaching. 2. THINK (a thought a parent can read out loud, cold) Paul and Barnabas walked into a city that did not want to hear about Jesus, and instead of getting quiet, they got braver. How? God Himself stood behind their words and helped them. When we tell people about Jesus, God does not send us out alone. He is right there, doing the real work in people’s hearts, the same Jesus who died and rose to make us His own. Our job is just to open our mouths. God’s job is to make the words land. 3. TALK (pick the questions that fit your table; you do not need to ask them all) For young children: When you are scared to do something, it helps to have a grown-up right beside you. Who was standing beside Paul and Barnabas, helping them, even when the whole city was against them? For school-age children: Paul and Barnabas got braver when things got harder, not quieter. What made them so brave? For teens: Have you ever gone quiet about Jesus because you were afraid of what someone would think? Paul was told the whole thing did not rest on him, because God stood behind the message. Would it change anything for you to know you are not carrying that alone? For the whole table: God helps the words we say about Jesus do their work. Who is one person our family could tell about Jesus this week? 4. DO (one small thing to carry the truth into the week) Do this: Paul and Barnabas kept telling people about Jesus even when it was hard. As a family, pick one person who may not know Jesus, and this week tell them one true thing about Him. Decide together tonight who it will be, then do it before Friday. Another way to do this: Practice first, right here. Go around the table and let each person say one thing about Jesus they love, out loud, the way you would tell a friend. One sentence is plenty. If you would rather, draw a picture of it and show it to someone this week. Say it or draw it. Pick the one you can do. 5. PRAY (a parent leads; pray it as written or in your own words) Father, thank You that when we tell people about Jesus, You never send us out alone. You stand behind Your own word and make it do its work. Please give each of our children a new heart that truly trusts Christ, and make our whole family brave to speak about Him. In Jesus’ name, amen. 6. SING (close by singing one together) This week’s song: “He Will Hold Me Fast” (it says the Lord keeps hold of us and will never let us go, just as He stands behind His own word and will not let it fail). Sing one verse, or the whole thing. If your family does not know it, read the first verse out loud together instead. One faith talk this week is a win. If your family can do this most nights, even better. Keep it short, keep it warm, keep coming back to it.
August 2, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
What the Law Could Never Do: Family Devotional
Dear parents, Sunday morning, the whole church sat in Acts 13, where Paul stood up in a synagogue full of religious people and told them the hard, freeing truth: God's good rules can show us what is wrong with us, but they can never fix it. Only Jesus can take sin away, and He does it for everyone who believes, no matter who they are or how far away they live. This week, the home gets to sit on the same Word the pulpit preached. The devotional below is built so you can lead it cold, with no training and no prep. Do the whole page in one sitting of about ten minutes, or take one short step a night, Monday through Friday. There is no wrong way to use it. Here is why this matters around your table this week. Many of the people in that synagogue looked religious and respectable on the outside, and they still walked away from Jesus. Your children are learning, one ordinary night at a time, the difference between knowing about God and actually trusting Christ for themselves. You do not have to be the strong one. You get to hold out the good news plainly: Jesus did what no rule ever could, and everyone who believes in Him is set free. One faith talk this week is a win. In Christ, Pastor Anton This week's Big Idea: The law can read you your sentence. Only Christ can lift it. God's rules can show us what is wrong with us, but they can never fix it. Only Jesus can take our sin away. And He set people free no matter who they were or how far away they lived. Memory verse for the week: "Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed." (Acts 13:38-39) Say it together at the start of each time you gather. By Friday, see who can say it without looking. 1. READ (start here every time) This week's passage: Acts 13:38-39 (ESV), inside the bigger story of Acts 13:13-52. Read it out loud together. With young children, read it once slowly. With older children and teens, read it and then ask what stood out. If you are taking one step a night, read a short slice each evening: Monday, Acts 13:23, God sends the Savior He promised long ago, Jesus; Tuesday, Acts 13:29-30, they laid Him in a tomb, but God raised Him; Wednesday, Acts 13:38-39, everyone who believes is set free; Thursday, Acts 13:46-47, the good news runs out to all the nations; Friday, Acts 13:48-52, the people believe and are filled with joy. 2. THINK (a thought a parent can read out loud, cold) God gave His people good rules a long time ago. The rules were true, and they showed people what was wrong inside them, like a doctor's note that names a sickness. But a note cannot make you well, and the rules could never take away sin. So God sent His own Son, Jesus, just like He promised. Jesus died and rose again, and now anyone who trusts in Him is set free from every wrong thing they have ever done. The rules could point to the problem. Only Jesus could fix it. 3. TALK (pick the questions that fit your table; you do not need to ask them all) For young children: The Bible says everyone who believes in Jesus is "freed." What is one thing it feels like to be set free, like being let out the door to go play? For school-age children: Paul told these people that God's good rules could never set them free from their sin. So what, or who, can set us free? For teens: These people were religious and respectable, and many of them still walked away from Jesus. Is it possible to look like a good church person on the outside and never actually trust Christ for yourself? Where are you in that, honestly? For the whole table: Paul said the good news is for "everyone who believes." What would change in our family if we really believed Jesus sets us free, no matter what we have done? 4. DO (one small thing to carry the truth into the week) Do this: Paul carried the news about Jesus to people who had never heard it, and the light reached all the way to us. This week, as a family, pick one person who may not know that Jesus sets people free, and tell them one true thing about Him. A neighbor, a friend, a cousin. Decide together tonight who it will be, then do it before Friday. Another way to do this: Practice here first. Go around the table and let each person say one thing about Jesus they love, out loud, the way you would say it to a friend. You can keep it to one sentence. If you would rather, draw a picture of the one thing about Jesus you would want to tell someone. When you are ready, you can say it or show it to a friend this week. Pick the one you can do. 5. PRAY (a parent leads; pray it as written or in your own words) Father, thank You that You kept Your promise and sent Jesus to do what no rule ever could. Thank You that He died and rose, and that everyone who believes in Him is set free. We ask You to give each of our children a new heart that truly trusts Christ, so they would be freed too. And help us carry this good news out to people who have never heard it. In Jesus' name, amen. 6. SING (close by singing one together) This week's song: "All I Have Is Christ" (it says plainly that we could not save ourselves and that Jesus alone set us free and became all we have, which is the whole point of this passage). Sing one verse, or the whole thing. If your family does not know it, read the first verse out loud together instead. One faith talk this week is a win. If your family can do this most nights, even better. Keep it short, keep it warm, keep coming back to it.
July 19, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
The Spirit Sends: Family Devotional
Family Worship This Week: The Spirit Sends Dear parents, This morning, the whole church sat in Acts 13:1-3, where a small church in a big city was worshiping and praying, and the Holy Spirit told them to set apart their two best teachers and send them off to tell the nations about Jesus. This week, the home gets to sit on the same Word that the pulpit preached. The devotional below is built so you can lead it cold, with no training and no prep. Do the whole page in one sitting of about ten minutes, or take one short step a night, Monday through Friday. There is no wrong way to use it. Here is why this matters around your table this week. Sending and letting go are at the heart of how God grows His church, and your children are learning, one ordinary night at a time, whether following Jesus means holding tight to what is comfortable or opening their hands to whatever He asks. You do not have to have it all figured out. You get to show them a God who opened His own hands first and gave His Son for us, and a church that can let go because He never lets go of us. One faith talk this week is a win. In Christ, Pastor Anton This week's Big Idea: The risen Jesus sends His church out to tell the world about Him, and He does it by His Holy Spirit. A church in Antioch was worshiping and praying when the Spirit said, "Send Barnabas and Saul." So the church prayed, laid their hands on them, and let them go. The Spirit sends; the church lets go. Memory verse for the week: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." (Acts 13:2) Say it together at the start of each time you gather. By Friday, see who can say it without looking. 1. READ (start here every time) This week's passage: Acts 13:1-3 (ESV). Read it out loud together. With young children, read it once slowly. With older children and teens, read it and then ask what stood out. If you are taking one step a night, read a short slice each evening: Monday, Acts 13:1, five very different people in one church; Tuesday, Acts 13:2, the church is worshiping and the Spirit speaks; Wednesday, Acts 13:2 again, "the work to which I have called them," God called them first; Thursday, Acts 13:3, they pray, lay on hands, and let them go; Friday, Acts 13:1-3, the whole story, the Spirit sends and the church lets go. 2. THINK (a thought a parent can read out loud, cold) There was a church in a city called Antioch. The people in it were not at all alike: some were from Africa, one had grown up in a king's palace, one used to hurt Christians before Jesus changed his heart. But Jesus had made them one family. One day they were worshiping God and praying together, and the Holy Spirit spoke and said, "Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to." These two men were the church's very best teachers. The church could have held on tight and kept them. Instead they prayed, put their hands on them to bless them, and let them go to tell other people about Jesus. They could open their hands because God opened His hands first: He did not hold back His own Son but gave Jesus up on the cross to save us. When you know a God like that, you can let go of anything, because He will never let go of you. 3. TALK (pick the questions that fit your table; you do not need to ask them all) For young children: The church loved Barnabas and Saul very much. When the Holy Spirit said to send them, did the church hold on tight or open their hands and let them go? What did they do with their hands first? For school-age children: It is hard to give away something you love. Why do you think the church was able to let their two best teachers go? What did they do before they said goodbye? For teens: God's call came from outside Barnabas and Saul, in worship and through the church, not from looking inside themselves to find their passion. Where do you usually look to figure out what your life is for? And have you ever asked the God who sends to call you, and trusted Jesus with whatever the answer is? For the whole table: Is there something our family is holding in a tight fist right now, our plans, our comfort, our time, our money, that God might be asking us to open our hands and give? What would it look like to let it go because He let go of His Son for us? 4. DO (one small thing to carry the truth into the week) Do this: The church prayed for Barnabas and Saul, blessed them, and sent them out. As a family, pick one missionary or one person our church helps send out to tell others about Jesus. Write their name where we can see it. Then pray for them out loud, together, more than once this week, and if you can, write them a short note to tell them your family is praying for them. We help hold the rope for the people who go. Another way to do this: Open both your hands flat in front of you and hold them out, like you are giving something away. Pick one thing you really like and would not want to give up, a toy, an afternoon, a treat, and decide together to give it to someone else this week. As you give it, open your hands again and say, "The Spirit sends; the church lets go." Let your open hands be the reminder that God opened His hands first and gave us Jesus. 5. PRAY (a parent leads; pray it as written or in your own words) Father, thank You that You opened Your own hands and gave Your Son Jesus to save us. Thank You that You send Your church out by Your Holy Spirit to tell the whole world about Him. Help our family worship You, listen for You, and hold nothing back from You. Make us a church that prays and lets go, with open hands. And we ask You to give each of our children a new heart that truly trusts Jesus, so that one day they say yes to wherever You send them. In Jesus' name, amen. 6. SING (close by singing one together) This week's song: "All I Have Is Christ" (the church in Antioch could let go of its best because everything it had was already Christ, and this song teaches our children that a life poured out for Jesus is no loss but the whole point). Sing one verse, or the whole thing. If your family does not know it, read the first verse out loud together instead. One faith talk this week is a win. If your family can do this most nights, even better. Keep it short, keep it warm, keep coming back to it.
July 12, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
Family Devotional
July 12, 2026: Glory Withheld (Acts 12:20-25) Dear parents, This morning, the whole church finished Acts 12, where a proud king dressed in shining silver let a crowd call him a god, and God would not let the lie stand. This week, the home gets to sit on the same Word that the pulpit preached. The devotional below is built so you can lead it cold, with no training and no prep. Do the whole page in one sitting of about ten minutes, or take one short step a night, Monday through Friday. There is no wrong way to use it. Here is why this matters around your table this week. Your children are learning, one ordinary day at a time, who their applause belongs to, whether the goal of life is to be praised or to praise the One who made them. You do not have to teach them to chase a shout; that comes for free. You get to teach them something better: that the only One who can keep both us and His glory is Jesus, the King who refused every stolen cheer and was struck down in our place so He could lift us up. One faith talk this week is a win. In Christ, Pastor Anton This week's Big Idea: God will not give His glory to anyone else, and that is good news. He shares all kinds of things with us, His bread, His mercy, even His own Son, but the glory of being God belongs to Him alone. A proud king tried to keep some of that glory for himself, and it ended badly. Jesus, the true King, did the opposite: He gave God the glory and gave Himself for us. So we get to give God the glory too, and it is the safest, happiest thing we can ever do. Memory verse for the week: "An angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory." (Acts 12:23) Say it together at the start of each time you gather. By Friday, see who can say it without looking. 1. READ (start here every time) This week's passage: Acts 12:20-25 (ESV). Read it out loud together. With young children, read it once slowly. With older children and teens, read it and then ask what stood out. If you are taking one step a night, read a short slice each evening: Monday, Acts 12:20, hungry cities come asking the king for food; Tuesday, Acts 12:21-22, the king shines in his robe and the crowd shouts that he is a god; Wednesday, Acts 12:23, God strikes the king because he kept the glory that was God's; Thursday, Acts 12:24, "but" the word of God keeps growing; Friday, Acts 12:25, God is already getting helpers ready for the next chapter of His work. 2. THINK (a thought a parent can read out loud, cold) A king named Herod put on a robe that sparkled like silver in the morning sun, sat on his throne, and gave a speech. The crowd shouted, "That is the voice of a god, not a man!" Herod did not say, "Stop, I am only a man." He just sat there and soaked it in, and kept the praise that belonged to God. So God struck him down, and the proud king died. But the very same God who would not share His glory loves to share other things. He gives us bread when we are hungry, mercy when we sin, and best of all He gave us His own Son. Jesus is the true King, and instead of grabbing glory, He let Himself be struck down on the cross so that sinners like us could be forgiven and lifted up. God lifted Jesus higher than every name. So we do not have to fight to be praised. We get to give the glory to God, who is so much bigger and better than we are. 3. TALK (pick the questions that fit your table; you do not need to ask them all) For young children: The king let people call him a god instead of telling them about the real God. Who should we say is great, the king or God? What is one thing God made that shows He is great? For school-age children: Herod kept the praise that belonged to God, and it ended badly. What is the difference between Herod, who grabbed the glory, and Jesus, who gave the glory to God? For teens: We all live in front of some audience whose praise we want, the team, the group chat, the people whose opinion we replay at night. Be honest: whose shout do you chase most? And have you ever stopped chasing it long enough to give your whole life to the King who was struck down in your place? For the whole table: When something good happens to our family this week, how can we say out loud, on the spot, "Thank You, God, that came from You"? 4. DO (one small thing to carry the truth into the week) Do this: Start a "Glory to God" habit at dinner this week. Each night, go around the table and have everyone name one good thing from their day, then say together, "Thank You, God, the glory is Yours." Watch for the temptation to grab credit for ourselves, and practice handing it straight back to God out loud. Another way to do this: Make a "Glory Jar." Keep a jar and some slips of paper on the table. Whenever someone notices a good gift, a sunny day, a kind friend, food to eat, write it on a slip and drop it in the jar. At the end of the week, pour the jar out, read the slips together, and thank God that every one of them came from Him. Add one slip or fill the jar; do what you can this week. The jar is your reminder that the glory goes back to God. 5. PRAY (a parent leads; pray it as written or in your own words) Father, You are God, and Your glory belongs to You alone. Thank You that You still share so much with us, Your bread, Your mercy, and most of all Your Son. Forgive us for the times we chase praise and try to keep glory that is Yours. Thank You for Jesus, the true King, who refused the crowd's cheer and was struck down on the cross so we could be forgiven. Teach our family to give You the glory in everything. And we ask You to give each of our children a new heart that truly trusts Christ, so that one day they gladly give You the glory forever. In Jesus' name, amen. 6. SING (close by singing one together) This week's song: "How Great Thou Art" (the whole song hands the glory back to God, singing of His greatness in creation and in the cross, exactly the response Herod refused and Jesus gave). Sing one verse, or the whole thing. If your family does not know it, read the first verse out loud together instead. One faith talk this week is a win. If your family can do this most nights, even better. Keep it short, keep it warm, keep coming back to it.
September 12, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
Leadership Briefing | September 12, 2026
What We Heard at the Summit, and the Year Ahead By Pastor Anton Brown
September 12, 2026 Fellow servants, Thank you for Friday evening and Saturday, August 7th and 8th, at the Briggs. You came prepared, spoke plainly, and prayed. Your table sheets have been gathered into a report. Here is what they say, and where it goes from here. The most important thing: the room converged around the Elders three priorities for 2027: deepen prayer, strengthen participation in the covenant life of the church, and make Sunday worship more intentionally intergenerational. The room also named real constraints: schedules, volunteers, family needs, facilities, and uneven participation. That honesty is a gift. The three priorities, as the tables saw them An evening prayer service. Simple and traditional, aimed at January 2027. Two tables put this first. The open questions are practical: which evening, how we avoid colliding with our Bible Fellowship Groups, and how we protect family time. Children in the worship service. DiscipleTown rests for a season, children remain in the service with their parents, and the nursery continues, with sermon-coordinated handouts to help children take part. More than one table noted it is already happening. The open question is what support we offer children who cannot yet sit through a full service. Covenant duties and self-examination. Periodic reminders of our covenant, a short time of prayer and self-examination before congregational meetings, a leadership meeting beforehand, and clear EQUIP goals. The hardest question was the right one: what pathway moves people from the fringes into full participation? The split was two tables for prayer, one for children in worship, one for covenant duties, and every table affirmed all three. Let me be plain: the worksheets record preferences, proposed changes, and questions, not final votes, named owners, or deadlines. Those will be confirmed, not inferred. On resources, most sheets said attention only; a few asked for a modest budget line. What the Lord has done, and what we have lost The gratitude lists were long: new people and families, new leaders and deacons, baptisms, a strong women's Bible Fellowship Group, stabilized worship, better financial reporting, and a financial cushion. God is still with this church, and we said so. We also named losses honestly. They cluster around people, participation, leadership capacity, and consistency: members and families who drifted away, newcomers who did not return, some giving, DiscipleTown, and a Bible Fellowship Group that stopped meeting. We do not pretend these away. We bring them to the Lord. You can get more insight from the Summit through the Leadership Summit Capture Report. The Proposed 2027 Ministry Calendar The first document is the Proposed 2027 Ministry Calendar🔗. It consolidates the Summit calendar-wall sticky notes into a month-by-month draft, January through December 2027. Each line is marked Clear (readable on the photographs) or Confirm (partly legible, no firm date, or open to more than one reading). It ends with a confirmation worksheet: event, date and time, owner, room, budget, and publicity due. One rule, asked graciously: nothing on it is a commitment until the Servants Council reviews it on Tuesday, September 29; it is on that agenda. Please do not announce 2027 dates yet. A date repeated in good faith becomes a promise nobody voted on. The ask of every leader, the confirmation pass our process calls for: open the draft, check your items (event name, date, owner, room, budget, and communication deadline), resolve every line marked "Confirm," and send corrections to the church office by September 22nd. The Mayflower Church Q4 2026 Operations Calendar The second document is the Mayflower Church Q4 2026 Operations Calendar, the operations and events calendar for the quarter we are entering. It runs on the normal fall pattern, with Bible Fellowship Groups, EQUIP in Romans on Sundays at 8:45 AM, Men of the Word, and the Ladies' Community Bible Study meeting, and it is what Team Leaders, Group Leaders, and Board Members plan against. Dates at a glance: Tuesday, September 29: Servants Council on Zoom, 7:00 PM The Lord's Supper: Sundays, October 4, November 1, and December 6 Senior Luncheon: Thursdays, October 8, November 12, and December 10, 11:30 AM, Grille 58, Halifax Brothers, Bibles & Bacon: Saturdays, October 17, November 21, and December 19 Sunday, October 25: Quarterly Congregational Meeting and Potluck after worship, also Reformation Sunday; elections and the FY27 budget per the bylaws Sunday, November 1: Daylight Saving Time ends Saturday, November 14: Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Packing Party Tuesday, November 24: Thanksgiving Service, 6:00 PM Sunday, November 29: First Sunday of Advent; the Advent series is From Garden to Manger, November 29 to December 20 Sunday, December 13: Women's Cookie Exchange and Yankee Swap, 2:00 PM Saturday, December 19: Luminaries, 5:30 to 8:30 PM Sunday, December 20: Intro to Mayflower, 8:45 AM, Lower Level Room 5 Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve Service, 5:00 PM A closing word The Lord has not left this church, and the lists you wrote in August say so. Do the next faithful thing, confirm your dates, and pray for the prayer service before it exists. "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV). Grace and peace,
Pastor Anton
July 11, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
Leadership Briefing | July 11, 2026
PASTOR'S NOTE Dear fellow servants, Our Servants Council gathered this past Saturday, and we opened and closed our work in prayer. That is not a formality. We wanted to seek the Lord before we planned, and to give the morning back to Him when we were done. I want you to know that our summer is showing a healthier, more organized rhythm across the church. Our ministries and leaders are taking clearer shape, the operations plan is settling many things that used to pull at us, and the church office has more room to breathe than it has had in a long while. None of that is a reason to boast. It is a reason to give thanks, and to keep our hands to the work God has put in front of us. There is a good deal to share in this issue, most of it pointing toward our July 26 Quarterly Congregational Meeting. Please read it through, and please pray for that gathering. Warmly in Christ, Pastor Anton MINISTRY UPDATES Quarterly Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 26, with a luncheon. This is the largest thing on our near horizon, and I want our leaders to help set the tone for it. We are framing this quarter's meeting around worship and prayer, and we will conduct our business in an orderly, Christ-honoring way. The Call to the Meeting and the accompanying materials go out tomorrow, our two-week notice. Please look for them and read them before you come. Governing documents coming to a vote. As part of this meeting, the congregation will consider a set of revision proposals to our constitution and bylaws. At a high level, the aim is to tidy and clarify our governing documents so that the bylaws state our "ends," the goals we are committed to, while our policies carry the "means," the specific ways we pursue them. There are also some housekeeping and conforming corrections. The congregation will also be invited to consider adopting a fuller statement of faith, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. The full revision proposals will be printed and available with the July 12 materials, so please read them for yourself rather than relying on the summary. Two new deacons and a new member. With thanks to God, the congregation will vote on July 26 to bring on two new deacons, Brad Little and Chris Little. We also warmly welcome Neil Shea, who is coming on as a member. Please keep them and their service in your prayers. Ministry Team Charters are now live. The Servants Council approved our new Ministry Team Charters, and they now live in the Mayflower Wiki under the operations plan (operations plan → organization chart → team charters). Each charter says why a team exists, what its leader is responsible for, where its work begins and ends, and who provides oversight. If you lead a team, please point your people to the charter that covers them. Please ensure new members receive a paper copy along with the link when they join your team. We will walk through the charters together at the Leadership Summit. Family ministry resources are rolling out. We now have children's worship packs, age-appropriate sermon activity sheets, nursery stories tied to the Sunday text, and weekly family devotionals that began on Father's Day, along with a new family-ministry station taking shape in the foyer. These are meant to help our families worship together, and they are an especially warm welcome for visiting families and for families who keep their children with them in the service. One practical request: please help us remind families to return the worship packs after worship so they are ready for the next Sunday. Strengthened child-safety framework. The Council adopted an updated Child Safety Policy along with a new policy governing how we protect the children in our care. A required, hands-on training component for our childcare workers is coming, and clear communication for parents will follow. We take this seriously as an act of love and stewardship toward the families who trust us with their children. Sanctuary guidepost banners in the works. We are designing a set of "guidepost" banners for the sanctuary, drawing on Jeremiah 31:21, "Set up road marks for yourself, make yourself guideposts," to keep our shared values before us as we worship. One way visitors will understand what Mayflower is about is through these banners that display our core values, vision, and mission. DATES AT A GLANCE Sunday, July 26 — Quarterly Congregational Meeting and luncheon Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8 — Leadership Summit (registration is on this page) Sunday, August 30 — Back to Church / I Love My Church / Southern Rail Sunday, October 25 — next Quarterly Congregational Meeting (Reformation Sunday) For the current operations calendar, see the link below. ON THE SHELF In this issue, I want to put a small, practical book in your hands: What to Do on Thursday: A Layman's Guide to the Practical Use of the Scriptures by Jay E. Adams. The whole burden of the book is the gap between the Bible we hear on Sunday and the decisions we actually face the rest of the week, and Adams patiently teaches ordinary Christians how to move from knowing Scripture to genuinely using it to guide real, everyday choices. That is exactly the work our leaders and servants are doing all the time, making practical decisions on the church's behalf, and I have found this little book a steady help in learning to bring the Word to bear on Thursday and not only on Sunday. I commend it warmly to you as a fellow servant. BEFORE THE NEXT BRIEF A few things to carry into the next two weeks: Watch for the congregational meeting materials in the foyer. The Call to the Meeting and the revision proposals go out tomorrow. Please read them before July 26. Register for the Leadership Summit (August 7 and 8) using the registration block on this page, if you have not already. Point your team to its charter in the Mayflower Wiki, and let me know if you have questions about scope or oversight. Help families return the worship packs after Sunday worship so they are ready for the next week. Mark Your Calendar: The Leadership Summit, August 7 and 8 I have one invitation to close with, and I want you to put it on your calendar ASAP. On Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, 2026, we are gathering for a Leadership Summit. This is where we will walk through the operations plan together, sharpen our shared vision, set goals, look at team budgets, and equip one another for the year ahead. I want us to plan shoulder to shoulder and leave more unified than we came. Here is the schedule, so mark both blocks now. We will meet Friday evening, August 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and again Saturday, August 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided on Saturday, so come hungry and plan to stay. We will meet at the Briggs. For now, the most important thing you can do is hold both sessions and plan to be there.Register for Friday HereRegister for Saturday Here Thank you for the way you serve. It is a joy and an honor to labor alongside you, and I believe the Lord has good work for us in the year ahead. Let us do it decently and in order, for His glory and the good of His people.
June 27, 2026 • 8 Minute Read
Leadership Briefing | June 27, 2026
Welcome to Leadership Central and our first Leadership Briefing: Where We Serve Well Together Friends, if you lead anything at Mayflower, this place is for you. Pull up a chair. I want to show you what we have built, and why I believe it is going to make your service lighter, clearer, and more joyful in the year ahead. Welcome For years our leaders have carried a lot in their heads. How we run an event. Who you ask for access to a tool. What we say yes to and what we say no to. Most of that lived in the memory of whoever had done it last, and when that person stepped away, the knowledge often walked out the door with them. That is a hard way to serve. Leadership Central changes that. This is our hub for the people who lead at Mayflower: elders, deacons, ministry leads, and the key volunteers who keep the body moving. Here you will find the resources, the clarity, and the shared rhythms you need to serve well together. Not a manual you read once and forget, but a living place we keep returning to. My hope is simple. When the "how we work together" is written down and shared, you are freed to give your best attention to the people in front of you and to the Gospel we carry. That is the heartbeat of everything we do. We are building a discipleship community rooted in the knowledge of Christ, driven by faith, empowered to share the Gospel, and committed to welcoming and equipping others in love and truth. Leadership Central exists to serve that mission, not to replace it. What the Operations Plan Is The centerpiece of all this is our new operations plan, which the Servants Council adopted on May 30, 2026. We call it the Streamline Admin System. Think of it as Mayflower's operational playbook: sixteen numbered systems that spell out how we work together as a church. Twelve of them are drawn from Michael Lukaszewski's book "Streamline: How To Create Healthy Church Systems," and we have extended his framework with four further systems written for our own setting. It all lives on our church wiki, ready for you to use. Now, I know what a phrase like "admin system" can stir up. It can sound like bureaucracy, like more forms and more meetings. Let me be plain. This is not bureaucracy. This is a gift. When the way we work together is written down and shared, no leader has to reinvent the wheel, no volunteer is left guessing, and no ministry collapses the moment one person steps back. The plan carries the weight of "how" so that you can carry the weight of "who." It frees you to focus on people and on the Gospel, which is exactly where your heart wants to be. The Biblical Case for Shared Plans I want to take a moment here, because I do not want anyone to mistake this for worldly pragmatism. Some Christians get nervous when a church talks about systems and plans, as if order were the enemy of the Spirit. It is not. The Scriptures show us, again and again, that God's people work from agreed-upon, prearranged ways of serving together. Order is not the enemy of love. Order is how love makes sure no one gets overlooked. Look at the early church. In Acts 6, the congregation was growing fast, and a problem surfaced: "their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution" (Acts 6:1, ESV). The apostles did not improvise. They created a defined role, set a clear standard for it, and appointed seven trusted men to that task, so that they themselves could hold to their own calling. "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables," they said, and so they devoted themselves "to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:2, 4, ESV). A shared plan kept the widows fed and kept the word preached. When a hard question divided the churches in Acts 15, the leaders did not settle it by whoever spoke loudest. They gathered, they deliberated, and they reached a decision they could put in writing and circulate to the churches. "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28, ESV), they wrote. And when Paul instructed the Corinthians about their gatherings, he summed up the whole concern in one line: "But all things should be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40, ESV). And here is what settles it for me. Our Lord Jesus worked this way too. He was never frantic, never scrambling. He appointed twelve and "began to send them out two by two" with specific instructions (Mark 6:7, ESV). He sent seventy-two others on ahead of Him, "two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go" (Luke 10:1, ESV). He made advance arrangements for the upper room and for the colt at the triumphal entry, sending disciples ahead with exact directions. The Son of God moved through His ministry deliberately, entrusting defined responsibilities to His people. If our Savior worked from prearranged plans, we can stop apologizing for doing the same. Plans and shared systems are not a retreat from faith. They are how a body orders itself so the work goes forward in peace and no one is overlooked. How It Helps You This Week This is where it gets practical. Let me put you inside some real situations our leaders face, and show you exactly where the operations plan helps. If you are new to all of this, start at the overview page for the Streamline Admin System and get the lay of the land. A new ministry idea just landed on your plate. How do you decide whether to say yes? Not every good idea is the right idea for us to carry right now. We have ministries we guard with our best energy, and saying yes to everything is how a leader burns out and a church loses focus. Before you commit, look at our Priority Ministries, which names what we protect and what we lovingly say no to. If you want a step-by-step way to weigh the call, our Decision-Making Framework will walk you through it. You just finished an event and want to know whether it was worth doing again. Good instinct. We do not want to keep running things out of habit, and we do not want to quietly drop something that bore real fruit. Our Event Evaluation gives you a simple process and a template to capture what worked, what did not, and whether to do it again. Twenty minutes with that template will save the next leader hours. A new volunteer asks who they report to and how to get the tools they need. This question should never leave anyone stuck. Send them to our Organization Chart and Access page, which lays out who oversees what and how to get set up with the tools for the work. You are stepping into a role and you are not fully sure what is expected of you. That uncertainty is heavy, and it is unfair to leave anyone carrying it alone. We have written standard position descriptions so that every role comes with clear expectations. Spend a few minutes in Role Clarity and Standardization and you will know what you are responsible for, what you are not, and what a good fit in the role looks like. You will be away for a season, or you need to hand a ministry off well. Life happens, whether it is a new baby, a season of caregiving, or simply the right time to pass the baton. None of that should leave a ministry exposed. Our Leadership Transitions page gives you the plans for short-term absence, coverage, and clean handoffs, so the work continues in peace and the next person is set up to thrive. Mark Your Calendar: The Leadership Summit, August 7 and 8 I have one invitation to close with, and I want you to put it on your calendar now. On Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, 2026, we are gathering for a Leadership Summit. This is where we will walk through the operations plan together, sharpen our shared vision, and equip one another for the year ahead. I do not want you to meet the Streamline Admin System alone on a screen. I want us to learn it shoulder to shoulder and leave more unified than we came. Here is the schedule, so mark both blocks now. We will meet Friday evening, August 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and again Saturday, August 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided on Saturday, so come hungry and plan to stay. We will meet at the Briggs. For now, the most important thing you can do is hold both sessions and plan to be there. Oh, and REGISTER HERE FOR FRIDAY and HERE FOR SATURDAY! Thank you for the way you serve. It is a joy and an honor to labor alongside you, and I believe the Lord has good work for us in the year ahead. Let us do it decently and in order, for His glory and the good of His people. The Leadership Briefing will be sent every other week.
October 11, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
October 11th | Help Us
The help the world is begging for is the gospel. This morning Pastor Anton preached Acts 16:6–10. The sermon was Help Us. Paul and his team tried two roads to preach the word, and Jesus closed them both. At the edge of the sea, in the night, a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul and said, come over and help us. He did not say, come and preach to us. He said help, and he did not know what help he needed. By morning the team had concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel, and they went immediately. The help that man was begging for was the good news of Jesus Christ. They asked for help. God sent the gospel. Now that you have heard it, sit with it this week. Some of us walked in Sunday standing in front of a road God closed, and most of us know someone who is saying help without using the word. Live into what was preached in two plain ways: hand the map back to the Lord who sees the whole road, and when someone near you cries for help, bring the meal and bring Jesus with you, in words. The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the Lord who went where He was sent, the God our help comes from, a woman who knelt and said Lord, help me, the Savior who is able to help because He suffered, and the beautiful feet of those who are sent. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday Luke 4:42–44 When the crowds at Capernaum tried to keep Jesus from leaving, He told them He must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why He was sent. He went where the Father sent Him, not where the crowd wanted, and the same Lord closed two roads in Acts 16 because He knew where His gospel was going next. If He has closed a road on you, He has not stopped steering. Pray: Lord Jesus, You went where the Father sent You; teach me to trust You with the road You have closed in front of me. Tuesday Psalm 121:1–2 The psalmist lifts his eyes to the hills and asks the question everyone asks sooner or later: from where does my help come? His answer is not a plan or a thing but a Person, the Lord who made heaven and earth. The man of Macedonia knew he needed help without knowing what it was, and this psalm tells you where it comes from. Pray: Father, when I do not even know what help I need, turn my eyes from the hills to You, the Maker of heaven and earth. Wednesday Matthew 15:21–28 A Gentile woman with a suffering daughter came to Jesus, knelt in front of Him, and said three words: Lord, help me. She had no claim on Him and she knew it, and He helped her. Those three words are still a prayer He has never turned away. Pray: Lord, help me, not because I have earned it but because You are the One who helps. Thursday Hebrews 2:14–18 Jesus took on our flesh and blood and suffered when tempted, so that He is able to help those who are being tempted. He does not help from a distance; He went to the cross so that when we cry help, there is someone who can actually answer. Whatever you are carrying this week, you are bringing it to One who has been there. Pray: Lord Jesus, You suffered so that You could help me; make me quick to come to You first and not last. Friday Romans 10:13–17 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, Paul writes, but how will people call on One they have never heard of, and how will they hear without someone preaching? That is why God sent Paul across the sea to Macedonia, and it is why He sends you across the street. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and think about the one person near you who is saying help, and what it would look like this week to bring Jesus with you in words. Pray: Father, You sent someone to tell me about Your Son; give me courage to speak His name to the one You have put near me. They asked for help. God sent the gospel.
October 4, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
October 4th | Character Over Comfort
Everything but the Gospel As you sit with Sunday's passage this week, ask yourself two plain questions. What freedom am I holding so tightly that I will not spend it for someone else's good? And where have I been tempted to soften the gospel, or add something to it, to make it easier to carry? The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the home that raised Timothy, the man Paul came to trust most, the freedom Paul spent, the line Paul would not cross, and the Christ who finished what no one can add to. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday 2 Timothy 1:3–7 Paul remembers the sincere faith that dwelt first in Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, and now in Timothy. Luke tells us only that his mother was a believer and his father was a Greek, which means much of that faith was handed down in an ordinary home, by people who were not famous and may often have felt alone in it. The faith taught at your table is never wasted, even when it seems small. Pray: Father, thank You for the people who taught me Your Word, and make me faithful to hand it on to the ones You have placed in my home. Tuesday Philippians 2:19–24 Years after Lystra, Paul writes, "I have no one like him," and says that others seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. The young man two towns once spoke well of had spent years proving it, serving with Paul in the gospel as a son with a father. A good name among God's people is not built by guarding your image; it grows out of a life that keeps looking to the interests of Christ. Pray: Lord Jesus, turn my attention from my own interests to Yours, and make my life one that speaks well of You. Wednesday 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 Paul says he is free from all, and then he spends that freedom by making himself a servant to all, that he might win more of them. That is what Acts 16:3 looks like on the ground: a real cost, freely paid, so that others would listen. Ask where your freedom has turned into something you guard, and who might be helped to hear the gospel if you let it go. Pray: Father, show me one freedom I can spend this week for someone else's good, and give me joy in spending it. Thursday Galatians 2:1–5 The same Paul who circumcised Timothy refused to let Titus be circumcised, and he says he did not give in for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved. With Titus, people were demanding circumcision as a condition of being saved, and giving in would have said that Christ was not enough. Paul was flexible about everything that belonged to him and immovable about the one thing that belonged to Christ. Pray: Lord, give me a soft heart toward people and a firm grip on Your gospel, and never let me trade the one for the other. Friday Colossians 2:9–14 Paul tells believers that in Christ they were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, and that God canceled the record of debt that stood against us and nailed it to the cross. Timothy's circumcision opened a synagogue door; only Christ opens heaven's door, and He does it with nothing added. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and come with empty hands to the One who finished the work. Pray: Lord Jesus, I stop trying to add to what You have done, and I rest in Your finished work with nothing in my hands. Everything but the gospel.
September 27, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
September 27th | Not By Agreement
The work of the Lord goes forward on the grace of the Lord, not on the strength of the men who carry it. This morning Pastor Anton preached Acts 15:36–41. The sermon was Not By Agreement. For two Sundays we watched a church answer the hardest question it would ever have to face, and then Luke ends the chapter with two of the best men in the New Testament in a quarrel they could not settle. He does not hide it, he does not soften it, and he does not tell us which one was right. He tells us the work went on, and doubled. The church at Antioch did not fix the two men. It prayed, and handed Paul over to the grace of the Lord, and that grace carried what they dropped. Two ships left Antioch. One gospel was on both of them. Now that you have heard it, sit with it. Most of us walked in Sunday with a name we have not said out loud in a while, someone we used to work beside, and one day the working together stopped. This text will not sort you into a column and it will not hand you a verdict, and that is mercy rather than neglect. Live into what was preached in two plain ways this week: go and see how somebody is instead of only knowing how they are, and hand over the thing you cannot fix, which is not the same as giving up on it. The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the man who took a risk on Paul, the Son who was handed over for us all, the gospel that advances even where people are not getting along, the quitter who became very useful, and the Lord who came back for His friends by name. Grace to you as you carry the text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday Acts 9:26–28 When Saul came to Jerusalem, every disciple in the city was afraid of him, and one man took him by the arm and brought him to the apostles. That man was Barnabas, and years later he was fighting for young Mark exactly the way he had once fought for Paul. Before you decide somebody is finished, remember that you are standing where you are because someone took a risk on you. Pray: Father, thank You for the person who took a risk on me when I had no record to show; make me willing to be that person for someone else. Tuesday Romans 8:31–34 Paul writes that God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, and the words gave Him up are the same words Luke used when the church handed Paul over to the grace of the Lord. Before anyone was ever handed to that grace, the Lord of that grace had been handed over first, betrayed by one He chose and deserted by all of them, and He did not withdraw. Nothing you are carrying this week is held by weaker hands than those. Pray: Lord Jesus, You were handed over for me and did not withdraw; teach me to trust the hands I have been put into. Wednesday Philippians 1:12–18 Paul says that what has happened to him has really served to advance the gospel, and then he admits plainly that some are proclaiming Christ out of rivalry and not sincerely. He rejoices anyway, because Christ is proclaimed. God's work does not wait for the people doing it to get along, and He does not lose a thing in the mess we make of it. Pray: Father, when the people around me will not get along, keep my eyes on the Christ who is still being proclaimed. Thursday 2 Timothy 4:9–13 At the end of his life Paul is cold and mostly alone, asking for his cloak and his books, and he asks for one more thing: get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. This is the same Mark he would not have in the boat. The grace that would not let Paul go did not let Mark go either, and it is not finished with you. Pray: Lord, I have been the one who turned back; thank You that Your grace kept its hold on me and is not done with me yet. Friday John 21:15–19 Peter denied Him three times and then went back to fishing, and Jesus came to the beach, made breakfast, and asked him one question three times before sending him back to the work. That is the Lord to whose grace the church at Antioch handed Paul over, and He has not changed since. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and think about the person you have written off, and what it would look like to go find them the way He found Peter. Pray: Lord Jesus, You came back for the one who denied You; give me the courage to go and find the one I have been avoiding. Two ships left Antioch. One gospel was on both of them.
September 20, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
September 20th | The Spirit Decided
The Spirit settled it and the church says it. Now that you have heard it, sit with it. Some of you walked in Sunday braced for a further requirement, a list you had not been shown. The letter's answer is that the weight was already carried by the Lord Jesus, and there is none left to hand out. Live into what was preached this week by naming the burden a confident voice laid on you, and by being someone who can be trusted with a sentence: say what you mean, put your name on it, and stay in the room for the questions. The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the burden Christ carried, the brothers He is not ashamed of, the liberty He asks us to spend, the men who stay, and the Spirit who still bears witness. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday Galatians 3:10–14 Paul says everyone who relies on works of the law is under a curse, and then he tells you where the curse went: Christ became a curse for us. That is why the letter from Jerusalem could say no greater burden. The apostles had no weight left to hand out because Christ had already gone under all of it. Pray: Lord Jesus, You carried the whole weight in my place; keep me from picking any of it back up. Tuesday Hebrews 2:10–13 The letter opened with brothers writing to brothers, the pillars of Jerusalem addressing uncircumcised Gentiles as family. They could only write that salutation because the Son wrote it first; He is not ashamed to call them brothers. Your standing in the family rests on what He did and what He said, and neither one moves. Pray: Father, thank You that Your Son is not ashamed to call me brother; settle my heart on His word and not on my own certainty. Wednesday 1 Corinthians 8:9–13 The four things in the letter were not the price of getting in; three of them were freedoms Gentile believers gave up so a Jewish brother could sit at the same table, and the fourth, sexual immorality, was never a freedom for anyone. Paul presses the same principle in Corinth: take care that your liberty does not become a stumbling block to the weak. Liberty that will not spend itself for a neighbor has stopped being Christian liberty. Pray: Lord, show me one freedom I can lay down this week for somebody weaker than me, and give me the grace to lay it down gladly. Thursday Colossians 4:7–9 Paul did not send only a letter to Colossae; he sent Tychicus and Onesimus, who would tell them everything and encourage their hearts. Jerusalem did the same with Judas and Silas, men who said the same words with their own mouths and stayed to be asked. When you have to correct something this week, do not do it in writing and then go quiet; stay in the room. Pray: Father, make me someone who says a hard thing to a person's face and stays long enough to answer for it. Friday John 15:26–27 Jesus promised that the Spirit would bear witness about Him, and then He added, and you also will bear witness. That is Acts 15 in one sentence, read from the other side of the sermon: the Spirit settled it, and the church says it. Carry it into next Sunday's gathering, and think about the person in your life who was handed a gospel with a condition bolted on, and what you will say to their face. Pray: Holy Spirit, You have borne witness to Christ; open my mouth to say plainly what You have settled. The Spirit settled it. Grace put it in writing.
September 13, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
September 13th | Saved Like Them
One grace saves everyone, and it saves the apostle no differently than it saves the Gentile. Now that you have heard this week’s sermon, sit with it. The men in verse 1 were not oddballs. They were believers; they were in the room, and they had a Bible verse. They simply read it in the wrong order, and a sign meant to mark God's people became a door somebody stood in front of. Live into what was preached this week by finding the word you have been adding, and by naming the weight you have been carrying in the name of Jesus that Jesus never laid on you. The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's chapter. They walk you through the same order, the same Spirit, the same yoke, and the same wall taken down. Five-Day Devotional Monday Genesis 15:1–6 God brought Abraham outside, showed him the stars, and Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. That happened two chapters before the sign of the covenant was ever given. Sunday's whole crisis began with men who kept the sign and lost the order. Pray: Father, teach me to believe You first, and to stop treating the marks of Your covenant as the price of admission. Tuesday Acts 10:44–48 The Holy Spirit fell on a Roman officer's household while Peter was still speaking, before any ceremony and before a single credential. God gave His own testimony about who belonged, and He gave it without asking anyone to qualify first. That is the room Peter reached back for when the council in Jerusalem could not agree. Pray: Lord, You know the heart; give me eyes to see Your Spirit at work in people who do not look like me. Wednesday Galatians 2:11–16 Paul had to say to Peter's face in Antioch what Peter had said out loud in Jerusalem: a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Even an apostle can drift back toward the table he came from. The word Sunday exposed, the little word "and," does not stay buried, and it needs killing more than once. Pray: Lord Jesus, keep me from adding anything to Your finished work, even quietly, even in front of people I want to impress. Thursday Matthew 11:28–30 Peter called the added requirement a yoke that neither their fathers nor they had ever been able to bear. Jesus offers a yoke too, and He calls it easy, because He has already gone under the load that crushed everyone else. He is not handing you a lighter version of the same burden. Pray: Lord Jesus, I am taking it off; carry what I was never able to carry. Friday Ephesians 2:11–22 Paul writes to Gentiles who were once separated, strangers to the covenants, and tells them that Christ Himself is our peace and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility. That is Sunday's council stated as doctrine, and it is worth reading from this side of the sermon. Carry it into next Sunday's gathering, and look for the person still standing on the far side of a wall Christ has already taken down. Pray: Father, You have made us one in Christ; show me the wall I am still guarding, and give me grace to leave it down. Same grace. Same way. We are saved like them.
September 6, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
September 6th | God Did It!
Five-Day Devotional Monday 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Paul planted. Apollos watered. God gave the growth. Sunday's missionaries came home as companions, not authors. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. That is Acts 14:26 in another room. Pray: Father, take the subject line back; teach me to call You the One who gives the growth. Tuesday Philippians 2:12-13 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Companions work. The Agent is still God. Sunday handed you over to the grace that completes what it starts. Pray: Lord, work in me what I cannot finish in my own strength, and keep me from claiming the work as mine. Wednesday Ephesians 2:8-10 By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. The door of faith in Acts 14:27 is the same gift. You did not pick the lock. God opened it, and the good works were prepared beforehand that you should walk in them. Pray: Jesus, You are the gift and the Door; keep me from treating faith as a key I cut myself. Thursday Isaiah 26:12 O LORD, You will ordain peace for us, for You have indeed done for us all our works. Sunday's refrain in another century. The finished work you are tempted to author was already His. Report Him. Pray: O Lord, You have done for us all our works; humble my mouth, then open it to name You. Friday 2 Corinthians 4:5 What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. Return to Sunday's report from this side of the sermon. They declared God. Carry that grammar into the next gathering. Pray: Father, we proclaim not ourselves; make God the subject of every sentence we can. God Did It!
August 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
August 30th | Darkness Blinded Him
This morning Pastor Anton preached 1 John 2:9-11. The sermon was Darkness Blinded Him. John is not giving the church a lesson about being nicer. He is testing a claim against a walk, and the argument lands on a past tense. The one who hates his brother is already blinded by the darkness, whatever he says about the light. Hatred is not a mood. It is a blinding. Now that you have heard it, sit with it. The man who talks about the light and still hates his brother is not a man in the light with one bad relationship. He is a man in the dark who has learned the vocabulary of the light. The Light has come. Love is the light's evidence, not the light's replacement. Live into what was preached. The five-day readings below will not repeat Sunday's three verses. They walk you through the same Light, the same badge, and the same call to be reconciled. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday John 8:12 Jesus does not offer a better vocabulary about the light. He says He is the light of the world. The one who follows Him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Sunday's claimant had the words. He did not have the Light. Pray: Lord Jesus, You are the Light of the world; draw me to follow You, not merely to talk about You. Tuesday John 13:34-35 Christ made brother-love the badge. By this all people will know that you are His disciples, if you have love for one another. The badge is not the light-talk. The badge is the brother. Sunday opened that from 1 John 2:10. Sit with the same command from the Lord's own mouth. Pray: Father, give me a remaining love for the brothers and sisters Christ has given me, not a sentence I can say about them. Wednesday John 12:35-36 Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. That is the nearest twin of Sunday's 2:11. The not-knowing is not a mood. It is what darkness does to a walk. Pray: Spirit of God, keep me walking while I have the Light, and do not let me treat contempt as harmless. Thursday Matthew 5:23-24 Leave the gift. Go be reconciled. Sunday sent you to the brothers the Light creates, not to a private hallway with a polished claim. Love is evidence. It does the missing deed. Pray: Lord, show me the brother I have walked past, and give me the courage to go to him. Friday 1 John 1:5-7 God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie. Return to Sunday's passage from this side of the sermon. The claim and the walk still have to tell the same story as you head into the next gathering. Pray: Father, You are light; expose every claim in me that has not interrupted the dark. Hatred is not a mood. It is a blinding.
August 23, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
August 23, 2026 | The Kingdom Road
Dear Mayflower family, This morning we sat down together in Acts 14:19-23 and watched Paul get stoned at Lystra, dragged out of the city for dead, and then rise and walk back through the same gate. He went on to strengthen the young churches with one sentence the whole passage turns on. Through many tribulations. Not around them. Through them. He was pulling up by the roots the quiet lie that if following Jesus is costing us, something has gone wrong. Now that you have heard the sermon, this week is a chance to live inside that one truth from every side. The readings below do not re-walk Sunday's passage. They walk around it, one thread each day. Monday we stand at the foot of the King's own road, the suffering He passed through into glory. Tuesday and Wednesday we sit with what it means to suffer with Christ and to be kept by Him. Thursday we learn to run the race with endurance, eyes on Jesus. And Friday we come back from the far side of the sermon to the promise that the One who began a good work in you will finish it. Take five minutes a day, or sit with the whole week at once. There is no wrong way to use them. One more thing before you begin. Somewhere in this church, a believer is walking a hard road right now, tired and half-afraid they will not make it to the end. Carry them before God this week, and if the Lord brings a name to mind, go and help them carry it. No one was ever meant to walk the kingdom road alone. In Christ, Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday: The road the King walked Read: Luke 24:25-27 On the Emmaus road the risen Jesus asks two heartbroken disciples, "Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" The same small word "necessary" that Paul laid over your road in Acts 14, Jesus laid first over His own. Cross, then crown; He did not send you down a road He refused to walk Himself. Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You that You walked the road of suffering into glory ahead of me, and that I only ever follow where You have already gone. Tuesday: Suffering with Him Read: Romans 8:16-18 Paul calls believers heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, "provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Suffering is not the fine you pay to sneak into the kingdom; it is the fellowship of walking your King's own road, step for step, behind Him. And the glory ahead is not worth comparing to it. Pray: Father, when the cost of following You feels heavy, remind me it is fellowship with Christ, and that the glory coming is greater than all of it. Wednesday: Kept by the Lord Read: John 10:27-30 Jesus says of His sheep, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." Paul and Barnabas committed the young churches to that same Lord for safekeeping. Your standing at the end of the hard road will never rest on the strength of your grip on Him; it rests on the strength of His grip on you. Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You that I am held in Your hand, and that nothing, not even my own weakness, can snatch me out of it. Thursday: Run with endurance Read: Hebrews 12:1-3 The writer tells a tired church to run the race set before them with endurance, "looking to Jesus," who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. You continue not by staring at your own strength but by fixing your eyes on the One who already finished the course. Consider Him, so that you will not grow weary or fainthearted. Father, when I am tempted to quit, lift my eyes off myself and fix them on Jesus, who ran the whole road ahead of me and finished it. Friday: He will finish it Read: Philippians 1:3-6 Coming home from the far side of Sunday's sermon, hear Paul's confidence: "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Verse 22 charged you to continue, and this is why you will. The work was His to start, and it is His to finish. Carry that settled rest into next Sunday's gathering. Pray: Father, thank You that the good work You began in me is Yours to complete, and that You have never once dropped what was placed in Your hands. Through many tribulations. Not around them. Through them. The King went first, and He will keep you all the way home.
August 9, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
August 9, 2026 | He Bears Witness
Dear Mayflower family, Sunday morning we sat down together in Acts 14:1-7 and watched two men, Paul and Barnabas, walk into a city that did not want their message. Instead of going quiet as the room turned cold, they grew bolder and stayed a long time. Why? Verse 3 tells us. They were speaking for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace. The One who sent the message stood up in that hostile city and put his own name behind it. By the end of the chapter the city had split in two, a plot to stone them had formed, and they simply fled to the next town and preached the same word all over again. Now that you have heard the sermon, the week ahead is a chance to live inside that one comfort from every side: you do not speak about Jesus alone. The readings below do not re-walk Sunday’s passage. They walk around it, one thread each day, so that by Friday you are standing more firmly on the courage the sermon opened up. Monday we watch the Lord confirm his own word. Tuesday we see him open a closed heart. Wednesday we hear him promise to give us the words when we are afraid. Thursday we remember that the word of God cannot be chained. And Friday we go to the church at prayer, asking for the same boldness Paul and Barnabas were given. Take five minutes a day, or sit with the whole week at once. There is no wrong way to use them. Before you begin, would you do one thing for me? Somewhere God has already put a person in front of you, someone who admires Jesus from a distance and has never crossed over: a neighbor, a coworker, someone in your own family. Carry that person before God all week, and ask him for one open door and the courage to walk through it. Remember that you are not the guarantor of the gospel. He is. The Lord vouches for his own word of grace, and he will back the word he sends through you. In Christ, Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday: He bears witness Read: Hebrews 2:1-4 The signs and wonders in Acts 14 were never proof of how gifted Paul and Barnabas were. Hebrews tells us plainly what they were: God himself bearing witness to the great salvation first declared by the Lord. When you speak the gospel, that same God stands behind it, confirming his own word of grace long after the miracles have gone quiet. Father, thank You that You never leave Your gospel to stand on its own, but bear witness to it Yourself. Tuesday: The Lord opened her heart Read: Acts 16:11-15 A great number believed at Iconium, and Luke never credits the preacher’s skill. Here is why. When Lydia believed, it was because the Lord opened her heart to pay attention. Faith is God’s own work underneath the words we speak. That is why we can open our mouths with hope and leave the results to him. Lord, open hearts this week that I could never open, and let me be faithful to speak while You do the work only You can do. Wednesday: I will give you words Read: Luke 12:4-12 Most of us go quiet because we are secretly carrying the whole weight ourselves: what if I say it wrong, what if they ask what I cannot answer? Jesus lifts that weight. Do not be anxious how you will speak, he says, for the Spirit will teach you in that very hour. Your job is faithfulness. His job is the witness. Holy Spirit, take away my fear of saying it wrong, and give me the words when the moment comes. Thursday: The word is not bound Read: 2 Timothy 2:8-13 They ran Paul out of Iconium, and the word simply moved to the next town and kept preaching. Paul later sat in a prison cell and wrote the reason down: the word of God is not bound. You can chain the messenger. You cannot chain the message. It has run for two thousand years, and it ran all the way to you. Father, thank You that nothing can stop Your word, and that it reached even me. Friday: Boldness to speak Read: Acts 4:23-31 When the first Christians were threatened for preaching Christ, they did not ask God to make the threats stop. They asked him for boldness to keep speaking, and he shook the room and filled them with the Spirit. Come back from the other side of Sunday’s sermon and pray that same prayer, and carry the boldness into next Sunday’s gathering. Lord, do not let a little discomfort silence me, but grant me boldness to speak Your word of grace. The Lord vouches for his own word of grace. So speak the word he puts in front of you, and leave the witness to him.
August 2, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
August 2, 2026 | What the Law Could Never Do
Dear Mayflower family, Sunday morning, we sat down together in Acts 13:13-52, in a synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, where Paul stood up among people who had the holiest, truest document in the world, the law of Moses, and told them plainly what that good law could never do. It could read them their sentence. It could not lift it. By the end of his sermon the room had split down the middle: some begged to hear more, and some folded their arms and walked away. The whole thing turned on two verses, 38 and 39, where Paul says that everyone who believes is freed from everything the law of Moses could never free them from. Now that you have heard the sermon, the week ahead is a chance to live inside that one promise from every side. The readings below do not re-walk Sunday's passage. They walk around it, one thread each day, so that by Friday you are standing more firmly on the gospel you heard preached. Monday we go back to the promise God made to David. Tuesday and Wednesday we sit with what it means to be freed and justified by faith and not by our record. Thursday we follow the light out to the nations, which is the only reason it ever reached us. And Friday we come back from the other side of the sermon and look squarely at Christ, where assurance is actually found. Take five minutes a day, or sit with the whole week at once. There is no wrong way to use them. Before you begin, would you do one thing for me? Somewhere in this church there is a person exactly like those God-fearers in that synagogue: someone who loves this church, respects the Bible, believes there is a God, and has never actually crossed over and trusted Christ. It may be a friend, a coworker, a member of your own family. Carry that person before God all week, and pray that this would be the week they look at Jesus and believe. Grace ran wider than anyone in that room expected, and it can run that wide again. In Christ, Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday: As He promised Read: 2 Samuel 7:12-16 Centuries before Paul stood up in that synagogue, God made a promise to David that one of his sons would have a kingdom that lasts forever. On Sunday we heard Paul say of Jesus, "as he promised," and this is the promise he meant. The Savior was not God's afterthought or plan B; He was named and pledged long before He was born. Your salvation does not rest on how strongly you can believe today. It rests on a promise God made in history and a promise God kept. Father, thank You that my hope rests on a promise You made and kept, and not on the strength of my own faith. Tuesday: What the law could never do Read: Romans 3:19-24 The law is holy, true in every word, and it does one thing perfectly: it stops every mouth and shows the whole world to be accountable to God. What it cannot do is take the guilt away. Paul says it plainly here, the same thing he said in the synagogue: no one is justified by keeping the law, but we are justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The law is the truest diagnosis ever written, and Christ is the cure. Lord, keep me from ever trusting my own record, and teach me to rest entirely on the righteousness You give me as a gift. Wednesday: Everyone who believes Read: Romans 4:4-8 To be justified is to have God the Judge look at you and declare you to be in the right. Not improving, not trying hard, not on the right track, but acquitted, the case against you closed. Paul says the blessing comes to the one who does not work but believes, and he calls back to David, who spoke of the man whose sins the Lord will never count against him. That is the offer Paul made to everyone in the room: everyone who believes is freed, from everything, no matter their record. Father, thank You that You count me righteous not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done for me. Thursday: A light for the nations Read: Isaiah 49:5-6 When the synagogue pushed the gospel away, Paul and Barnabas turned to the Gentiles, and they grounded that turn in a promise God had made in Isaiah hundreds of years before. The going-out to the nations was never a backup plan cobbled together after rejection; it was written into Scripture from the start. "I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." The light was never meant to stay in one synagogue, and the proof it reached the end of the earth is that it reached you. Lord, thank You that Your light traveled all the way to me, and make me one who carries it to the next person who needs it. Friday: Look to Christ Read: John 6:37-40 Acts 13 says that as many as were appointed to eternal life believed, and a tender heart can tie itself in knots wondering, "Am I one of them?" Scripture never sends you to climb into heaven and read some hidden book. It sends you to Christ. Jesus says here that whoever comes to Him He will never cast out, and that it is the Father's will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes should have eternal life. Coming home from the other side of Sunday's sermon, do not stare inward hunting for proof. Look at Jesus, believe, and carry that settled rest into next Sunday's gathering. Father, when I am tempted to search my own heart for assurance, turn my face to Christ, where it is actually found. The law can read you your sentence. Only Christ can lift it. So look at Him, and believe, and be free.
July 19, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
July 19, 2026 | The Spirit Sends
Dear Mayflower family, This morning we sat down together in Acts 13:1-3, three quiet verses with no miracle anyone could see. A handful of church leaders in a big pagan city were worshiping the Lord, praying, and fasting, and into that ordinary gathering the Holy Spirit spoke: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." For the first time in Acts, a local church deliberately sends its own people to carry the gospel to the nations. And it does not happen at headquarters in Jerusalem or at a council of apostles. It happens in a congregation, a church much like this one, gathered and seeking God. Now that you have heard the sermon, the week ahead is a chance to live inside what those verses opened up. The risen Christ sends His church by His Spirit. Antioch did not invent Paul's call; it heard it in worship, recognized it, and confirmed it. And then it did the hardest thing, the thing the whole text turns on: it opened its hands and let its two best men go. The readings below do not re-walk Sunday's passage. They walk around it, one thread each day, so that by Friday your own hands are a little more open than they were on Monday. Take five minutes a day, or sit with the whole week at once. There is no wrong way to use them. Before you begin, would you do one thing for me? Pick one name from the work of sending: a missionary this church supports, a believer you know who has been called somewhere costly, or simply someone you would hate to lose. Carry that name through the week, and pray that God would send laborers and that you would have the faith to let them go. We are not an Antioch because we feel brave. We are an Antioch when we worship God and hold nothing back from Him. In Christ, Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday: The promise with faces Read: Genesis 12:1-3 Two thousand years before Antioch, God promised Abraham that in his offspring all the families of the earth would be blessed. Paul says that promise was the gospel preached ahead of time, and the offspring is Christ. On Sunday we read a list of five names in one congregation, a Levite from Cyprus, two Africans, a nobleman from Herod's court, and a Pharisee from Jerusalem, and that ancient promise was taking on faces. Before God asked this church for anything, He had already filled it with living proof of what the blood of His Son can do: make one family out of strangers. Father, thank You that the church beside me on Sunday is the proof of a promise older than the world; let me see grace in faces unlike my own. Tuesday: A person, not a force Read: John 16:7-15 The Spirit of God speaks in Acts 13. He commands, He says "for me," He claims two men as His own, because He is not an influence or an energy but God Himself, with the Father and the Son. Jesus had promised exactly this Spirit, the Helper who would come, guide, and glorify the Son. And that changes how you treat Him: a force can only be used, but a person can be obeyed, or grieved. Antioch obeyed. Holy Spirit, You are God; teach me to listen for You and obey You, and keep me from ever grieving the One who was sent to lead me home. Wednesday: The call comes from outside you Read: Acts 9:10-16 Long before the meeting in Antioch, the Lord had already named Saul His chosen instrument to carry His name before the Gentiles. The church did not create that call; it heard it, recognized it, and confirmed it. Our culture tells you to look inside yourself, find your passion, and build your life out of it, and then leaves you terrified of choosing wrong. Acts hands you a better grammar: the call comes from outside you, it is heard in worship, and it is given for service, not for self-fulfillment. Lord, free me from the exhausting search inside myself, and set me in the worshiping church where Your call is heard. Thursday: He did not spare His own Son Read: Romans 8:31-39 How does a church open its hands and let its best people go? There is only one answer deep enough. The Father did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, to a manger, to a cross, to a tomb, for the nations and for you. The Son rose, and now He sends. A church that has received Christ can release anything, because open hands are not a loss of security; for a people kept by God, open hands are worship. Father, You opened Your hands first and gave Your Son for me; loosen my closed fists and make my open hands an act of worship. Friday: Pray the Lord of the harvest Read: Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus saw the crowds, had compassion on them, and told His people to pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. That is the prayer Antioch was living when the Spirit spoke, and it is the prayer this church can pray now, with expectancy, for the people in these very pews. The first missionary journey began the way the modern missionary movement began, in a prayer meeting. Carry that prayer into next Sunday's gathering, and bring the name you have been praying all week. Lord of the harvest, speak to us the way You spoke to Antioch, and give us the faith to let our laborers go. The Spirit sends; the church lets go. Open your hands this week.
July 12, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
July 12, 2026 | Glory Withheld
On Sunday morning, we finished Acts 12 together, standing in the theater at Caesarea where a king put on a silver robe, took his throne, and let a crowd call him a god. Acts 12:20-25 turns on one verdict, struck down in a single sentence: the angel of the Lord felled Herod "because he did not give God the glory." He never claimed to be a god. He simply stood there in the borrowed shine and soaked it in. And reality answered. The chapter that opened with a king triumphing closes with the king dead, Peter free, and the word of God increasing and multiplying. Now that you have heard the sermon, the week ahead is a chance to sit with the question that burned over that throne and burns over every one of us: who gets the glory? Every one of us lives in front of some audience whose shout we crave, and every one of us knows the quiet trade of keeping a little of the credit that belongs to God. The readings below do not re-walk Sunday's passage. They walk around it, one thread each day, so that by Friday you have somewhere firm to stand. Take five minutes a day, or sit with the whole week at once. There is no wrong way to use them. Before you begin, would you do one thing for me? Name your own theater. Pick the audience whose praise has quietly become your daily bread, the room or the screen or the person whose approval you replay at night. Carry that one honest admission through the week, and each day hand the glory back where it belongs. We are not freed from chasing the shout because we try harder. We are freed when we take refuge in the King who was struck in our place. In Christ, Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday: The bread that costs you no shout Read: John 6:1-14 The kings of this world hold the bread to harvest worship, and Herod was no different: the cities flattered him because their food came through his hand. Then watch another King with bread in His hands, five loaves for five thousand hungry people. He did not make them grovel for it. He gave thanks, and He gave it away. The next day He refused their crown and offered them Himself instead: "I am the bread of life." Christ feeds you without needing a purchased shout, because He has no hunger your praise could fill. Lord Jesus, feed me Yourself this week, and free me from performing for the bread You give so freely. Tuesday: The glory He will not share Read: Isaiah 42:5-9 God says it plainly: "I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other." On Sunday we learned that glory is not a compliment God enjoys. Glory is the truth about who He is, the God who has all life and blessedness in and of Himself and draws none of it from us. So a creature who soaks up that glory is publishing a lie about reality itself, and on the appointed day reality answered Herod. Let the verdict search you: where have you been soaking in a shine that belongs to God alone? Father, expose the glory I have quietly kept for myself, and teach me to hand it back to You. Wednesday: The patience that means to lead you home Read: Romans 2:1-11 If God strikes glory-thieves, why is the world still full of proud men shining on their stages? Because Herod's sudden fall is the exception God wrote down so that no one would misread the ordinary delay. The everyday sight of the proud going unpunished is not God looking away; it is His kindness, and Paul tells us what that kindness is for: it "is meant to lead you to repentance." Judgment delayed is not judgment canceled. So do not envy the shining. Pity it, and pray for it. Father, turn my envy of the proud into prayer for them, and lead me by Your kindness deeper into repentance. Thursday: The King who emptied Himself Read: Philippians 2:5-11 Run the contrast to its end, because the gospel hangs on it. Herod was a man who let a crowd call him a god, and he was struck down. Jesus Christ is God who became a man, who "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself." He refused every stolen shout, even the devil's offer of all the kingdoms of the world. And then, at another Passover, the strike that glory-thieves deserve fell on Him, not for His own glory-theft, for He had none, but for yours and for mine. Lord Jesus, thank You that the strike I earned fell on You, and that God has exalted You above every name. Friday: The word that outlives every king Read: Isaiah 55:6-11 Luke set the quietest, mightiest "but" in Acts directly against a corpse: the king stopped, but the word of God increased and multiplied. Isaiah saw it long before, the word that goes out from God's mouth and "shall not return to me empty." Kill an apostle, the word grows; bury a tyrant, the word grows, because the King who speaks it is alive and still speaking. So measure your hope by the Word, not by the weather, and refuse to be the crowd in the theater. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and send the glory past every man to the throne. Father, let Your Word grow in me this week, no matter what the news says, and keep my hope fixed on the King who still speaks. God shares many things. Glory is not one of them. Give it to Him this week, and live.
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Is it greedy to want a better job?
Wanting honest work that can feed a household can be wisdom. Greed is something else. Greed wants more as a god. It measures people by pay. It envies the neighbor's offer letter. It treats God as a vending machine. The tenth commandment forbids that hunger. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, still uses the moral law to expose it and to send us to Christ. A better job can also be love. Skill unused. A wage that cannot cover rent in 2026. A workplace that asks you to sin. A desire to have something left to give. Those reasons need prayer, not a scolding. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, ESV) Paul does not tell the rich to fake poverty. He tells them where to put their hope. God richly provides. Enjoy his gifts. Then do good. Be rich in good works. Be ready to share. That is the test of a raise, and of the hunt for one. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III, says man is made in God's image, male and female, with full dignity. Work is part of how image bearers serve. Article XIII says time, talents, and possessions are a trust for God's glory and for helping others. Article XV says Christians should oppose every form of greed and selfishness, and should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, and the helpless. A job search can serve those ends. It can also feed the greed article XV names. Ask which one is in the driver's seat. Chapter 16 of the 1689 Confession helps here too. Good works are only what God has commanded. They are fruit of faith, not a ladder to pardon. They need the Spirit. They come mixed with weakness, and God still accepts them in Christ. Diligence at work can be gratitude. It cannot buy you a cleaner record with God. If the new job would require you to lie, steal, or crush people, that is not a door from the Lord. If the new job is honest and the motive is mixed, confess the mix and keep walking. Most of us live in that mix. One next step with Jesus Ask him to search your hope. Say the real reason you want the change. Then take one honest step this week: update the facts of your work, ask a trusted brother or sister to pray, or talk with a pastor about the motive and the door. Seek first the kingdom. Let the job serve that, not the other way around. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33, ESV) If you are still far from Jesus, a better title will not quiet that. Come to him first. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We are drowning in credit cards. Where do we start?
Start with the truth, in the light, with Jesus and with people who will not mock you. Many cards get used for groceries, a car repair, a medical bill, or a month when work dried up. Some get used to keep up a life we cannot fund. Both can leave you gasping. We will sort motives later. First we will help you breathe. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. (Proverbs 22:7, ESV) That proverb is a warning, not a slur. Debt has a voice. Interest has a leash. God is telling you why the nights feel tight. You are still an image bearer (Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III). Full dignity. Worthy of respect and Christian love. A balance does not cancel that. The church is told to oppose greed and to provide for the needy (article XV). Those two belong together. We can name sin without crushing a person who already feels underwater. The eighth commandment says do not steal. The tenth says do not covet. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, keeps that moral law as a rule of life. Believers are not under the law as a covenant of works. We are not earning pardon by a payoff plan. We still owe honest dealing. We still refuse to hide. Chapter 16 says good works are fruit of living faith, done by the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are weak. A slow, honest repayment can be that kind of fruit. God is the source of all blessings (Baptist Faith and Message, article XIII). The card is not. The card is a tool that turned into a master for a lot of us. Where do you start? Tell the Lord the real number. Out loud. Stop adding new debt if you can. Cut the open loop. Write every card, rate, and minimum on one page. Tell one wise person. A spouse. A pastor. A counselor. Hidden debt grows in the dark. Pay something on purpose. A minimum is a start. A plan is better. Ask what spending was need, and what was appetite. Be specific. Be kind. Be true. We will not invent a Mayflower budget program on this page. We will walk with you. A pastor can help you think, pray, and take the next honest step. If the math includes a crisis (eviction, utilities, no food), say that early. One next step with Jesus Today, bring the debt into the open before Christ. Confess what is sin. Grieve what is simply heavy. Then put the numbers on paper and ask a pastor or counselor to look at them with you this week. Do not wait until you feel worthy. If you do not know Jesus yet, you do not have to fix the cards first. Come to him. Then we work the numbers as people he already bought. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Should we still give when money is tight?
Yes, if you belong to Jesus. Give as a child, not as a person buying favor. Money can be tight and faith can still open a hand. Sometimes the gift is small. Sometimes this month the gift is time, a meal, or an honest conversation with a pastor because the numbers do not stretch. We will not shame the poor. God does not. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, ESV) Paul does not name a church tax. He names a decided heart. Cheerful. Not under compulsion. God is able to make grace abound so you can keep doing good work. That includes lean weeks. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article XIII, says God is the source of all blessings. All that we have and are we owe to him. Christians have a binding stewardship in their possessions. We serve him with time, talents, and material things, for his glory and for helping others. Then it says this: Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. Read those five words again. Cheerfully. Regularly. Systematically. Proportionately. Liberally. Proportionately matters when the paycheck is thin. A proportionate gift from a tight month may look tiny next to someone else's. The Lord sees the proportion. He sees the heart. Article XIII lists older texts about firstfruits and the tithe in its Scripture proofs. The article itself never locks a percentage. We will not invent one here. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 has no stewardship chapter that binds a tenth. Its chapter 19 says the ceremonial law is fulfilled and taken away in Christ. The moral law still teaches us not to steal and not to covet. Chapter 16 says good works are the fruit of living faith, done from the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are mixed with weakness. So we do not treat giving as the price of God's smile. We treat it as worship. We treat it as trust. We treat it as love for the household of faith and for neighbors in need (Baptist Faith and Message, article XV). If you have been using giving to bargain with God, stop. If you have been hiding from giving because shame got loud, come back with a small, honest plan. If you cannot give money this month without failing a bill you already owe, say so. Honesty is part of stewardship too. One next step with Jesus Decide in your heart, before the Lord, what a cheerful next gift looks like in this season. Write it down. Pray over it. Then do it on purpose, as worship of Jesus, not as a fee. If you need help sorting "proportionate" from "panic," talk with a pastor. We would rather sit with the real numbers than leave you alone with guilt. New to Jesus? He gave himself first. Start there. What is the Gospel? Biblical counseling Next Steps
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We cannot afford a house. Has God forgotten us?
You are not crazy. Housing in 2026 costs more than many honest paychecks can carry. Rent climbs. A down payment looks like a wall. That ache is real in Kingston and everywhere around us. God has not forgotten you. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Food. Cover. A place to sleep. Jesus said that out loud so anxious people would have something solid to hold. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33, ESV) He did not say the market would be kind. He said the Father knows. He said seek the kingdom first. He promised to add what you need, in his time and in his way. That may be a rented room for a long season. That may be a delayed yes. That may be help from the church. It is still care. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5, ESV) Contentment is not pretending the price is fair. Contentment is refusing the lie that a deed is the only proof God loves you. Love of money can hide in a house hunt. So can grief. Those are different. We will not shame you for wanting a stable place for your kids. The tenth commandment forbids coveting. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 19, keeps that moral law as a rule of life after the gospel. It shows us our hearts. It drives us to Christ. Wanting shelter is not the same as despising the neighbor who got a closing date. Ask the Lord to search that line in you. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article III, says every person bears God's image and is worthy of respect and Christian love. It also says Christians should work to provide for the needy, the helpless, and the aged (article XV). A hard housing year does not make you less human. And the church is not allowed to look away. God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual (Baptist Faith and Message, article XIII). A house, if he gives one, is a trust. So is a small apartment. Steward what you have. Do not wait for a closing to start obeying Jesus. One next step with Jesus Today, seek first his kingdom in one concrete way. Pray Matthew 6:33 by name. Thank him for one provision you can already see. Then take one honest household step: write the real numbers, talk with the person you share money with, or ask a pastor to sit with you over the rent and the fear. Do not carry this alone. If you do not yet know Jesus, start with the gospel. He is better than a house. He does not leave. If you already follow him and the worry is loud, ask for counsel. We will walk with you. What is the gospel? Biblical counseling Next steps You can also talk with a pastor. We will not invent a promise we cannot keep. We will sit under the same Word with you.
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
We lost them to an overdose. What now?
The phone call already happened. The house is too quiet. Or too loud. Shame is in the room with the grief. People will guess. Some will stay back. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If you are using and you cannot stop, get human help now. Then come sit with us. We will sit with you. [Anton: FILL] You do not have to make this neat. Eat something if you can. Tell one person the truth. Write down what the funeral home asked. Sleep when the body will let you. Those small acts are enough for this hour. God comforts the afflicted. He means to. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4) The church in Thessalonica needed this too. People they loved had died. Paul would not leave them guessing. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Grief is real. Hope is Christ crucified and risen. We do not invent a story about the last minutes. We do not invent a verdict on their soul. We do not treat an overdose as a small thing. Chapter 31 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says death returns the body to dust. The soul goes to God. The righteous are with Christ. The wicked are reserved for judgment. Two places. No third room we get to invent. Chapter 32 says Jesus will judge every thought, word, and deed. That day belongs to him. We will not play judge in this living room. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article IV, says salvation is the redemption of the whole man, offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in him. Chapter 14 of the 1689 Confession says faith rests on Christ alone. Weak faith is still faith if it is resting there. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message calls us to oppose vice and to provide for the needy, the abused, the helpless, and the sick. Addiction is a real destroyer. An overdose is a real death. We will help you bury them. We will help you tell the truth. We will not dress this up. We will hold out Jesus. One next step with him: tell him their name. Then tell him yours. "Lord Jesus, I have no strength for this day. You died. You rose. Hold me." If you can, read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 once out loud. Come talk with us. Read the gospel. Ask for biblical counseling. When you can take one, a next step is ready. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Someone I love died by suicide. Is there hope?
You can barely breathe. The questions will not stop. Why. What did I miss. Where are they. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If someone near you is talking about dying, stay with them and get human help now. Do not sit in a dark room with this alone. We will sit with you. The Lord comes near when a heart is crushed. He said so. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:18) Jesus stood at a grave and wept. He also named himself. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
(John 11:25-26) Hope is a Person. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. He rose from the dead. That is the hope we have. We do not invent a verdict on the one you love. We do not stand in God's place and close the door. We do not shrug as if this death were small. Our confession, the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, chapter 31, says the soul does not sleep. The bodies of the dead return to dust. The souls of the righteous are with Christ and wait for the redemption of the body. The souls of the wicked remain reserved for the judgment of the great day. Scripture names those two places. Chapter 32 says God has appointed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ. We are not that court. We will not pretend we know the hidden work of God in a last hour. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article IV, says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Salvation is offered freely because of his blood. Chapter 14 of the 1689 Confession says the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life. That faith can be weak. It can be attacked. Christ is still the one who saves. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message says we contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. A life ended this way is a real tearing of what God made. We will not call it fine. We will not tell you the cross cannot reach a sin this dark. The Judge is Jesus. The hope is Jesus crucified and risen. One next step with him: say his name out loud. Tell him the truth. "Lord Jesus, I am crushed. I cannot fix this. I need you." Then read John 11:25-26 again. Slowly. Come talk with us. Read the gospel. Ask for biblical counseling. If you need a next step after that, start at next steps. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.
September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Sports betting is on my phone. Is it just a game?
No. A game does not take the rent. A game does not own your Sunday. A game does not make you hide a second account. If the app knows your pulse better than your friends do, you already have your answer. There is help. Jesus Christ came for people who chase a rush and call it harmless. You can stop lying about "just entertainment" today. What the bet is after Sports can be a gift. Skill. Rest. A shared afternoon. Betting on the same screen is often something else. Greed dressed as fandom. A promise that the next slip will fix the last one. A small god of chance. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says we are servants of sin and partakers of death and all other miseries unless the Lord Jesus sets us free. That misery can look like debt. Shame. A marriage that no longer trusts your word. A heart that cannot watch a game without a stake. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we become transgressors as soon as we can act. Article XV says Christians should oppose every form of greed, selfishness, and vice. The 2000 text names greed. It does not need a new vice list from us. The app is enough. You may tell yourself you can afford it. The question is not only money. The question is worship. Who do you trust when you are bored, angry, or sure you are due? The gospel names greedy people. Then it washes them. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) Greedy. Swindlers. Idolaters. Some of you were that. Washed. For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV) Stand firm. Delete the app. That is not legalism. That is refusing a yoke. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sanctification is the Spirit enabling you to grow. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession says the desires that rise from the old body of sin are put to death more and more. The war can still go badly for a season. The Spirit still supplies strength. Chapter 15 of the Confession says repent of each specific, known sin specifically. The bets. The borrowed money. The lie to your spouse. The way you taught a younger person that this is normal. One next step with Jesus Open your hands. "Lord Jesus, I have trusted a wager more than I have trusted you. I have loved money and a rush. Forgive me. I believe you died and rose. Set me free. I will tell the truth about the accounts and the debt." Then tell a pastor. Bring the numbers. Ask for counsel. If you owe people, make a plan to repay. If you have never belonged to Christ, start with the gospel, not with a self-help streak. The church will not mock you for coming clean. We will not bless the app either. Come further the gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, if you have trusted Christ and have not yet obeyed him publicly Christ saves sinners. He can save a person who cannot watch a game without a stake.
September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
The pills started as pain. Now I cannot stop.
You can get help today. Medical help. And Jesus. If you are shaking, if you are out, if you are scared of what happens when you stop, call a doctor or emergency services now. Do not taper yourself from a guess you read online. Do not wait for Sunday. Your body can be in real danger. Go to a doctor, an emergency room, or the care already in your life. This page will not name a clinic. Then keep reading. Christ saves sinners. Including the ones who started with a real injury and ended up owned. Both things can be true Pain is real. A prescription can be a mercy. Dependence can grow in a body without a cartoon villain in the story. Sin is also real. Hiding. Lying to the person who loves you. Taking what is not yours. Numbing so you do not have to face God. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says this corruption remains even in the regenerate. The actions that rise from it are truly sin. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Only grace brings a person into holy fellowship. We will not treat you as a case number. We will not treat you as a lecture. You are an image bearer who needs a Savior and, often, a physician. God does not despise a trapped person If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV) Confess the theft. The deceit. The worship of relief. He is faithful. He is just. The blood of Jesus is why he can cleanse you. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36, ESV) Freedom is the Son taking a servant of sin and making that person his. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says salvation is the redemption of the whole man. Offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Sanctification begins in the new birth. The Spirit enables progress toward maturity. That progress can include a hospital bed, a hard conversation, and a long obedience after the crisis. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession says the war is real. Remaining corruption may prevail for a time. The Spirit still supplies strength. The saints grow. They do not grow by pretending the body is nothing. Chapter 15 of the Confession says there is no sin so great that it will bring damnation on those who repent. There is also no sin so small that it does not deserve damnation. So we preach repentance. We do not shrug. We do not crush you. What to do in the next hour If you are in withdrawal danger, get medical help first. Tell them the truth about what you took and how much. If you can think clearly, tell one person who will not help you hide. A pastor at Mayflower. A spouse. A parent. Pray as you go. "Lord Jesus, I started with pain. I have made this my master. I have lied. I cannot save myself. Have mercy. I trust your death and your resurrection. Give me the courage to get help and to tell the truth." Bring your body to him. Present yourself to God as one brought from death to life. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) One next step with Jesus Get the medical help you need. Then come to Christ in the open. If you have never trusted him, the gospel is for you this night. If you have trusted him and hid this, repentance is still a gift. Ask for counseling. Sit with the church. Do not do secret recovery as a second religion. Come further The Gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, when you have turned to Jesus and are ready to say so in the water Christ saves sinners. He can meet you in pain. He can meet you in dependence. He can make you free.
September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
My phone runs my life. How do I get free?
You can get free. Not by a new case and a new app. By a new Master. If the first thing you touch in the morning is that glass, and the last thing you touch at night is the same glass, you already know this is bigger than "screen time." Your attention has a lord. Your fear of missing something has a lord. Jesus is willing to be Lord instead. Come as you are. Bring the phone with you. He already sees what is on it. What has you A phone is a tool. In a fallen world it becomes a master fast. News. Images. Anger. Comparison. Betting. Porn. Empty talk. You reach for it when you are bored. You reach for it when you are ashamed. You reach for it when you should pray. Chapter 6 of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 says we became servants of sin. Completely defiled in soul and body. Unless the Lord Jesus sets us free, we stay there. That is not only a 1600s sentence. That is your thumb at 12:40 a.m. Article III of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says we inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. The environment in your pocket is built to keep you. The nature in you wants to be kept. That is why willpower fades by Thursday. We will not baptize this as a medical label only. Some of you need a doctor for anxiety or sleeplessness. Say so. Get help. Still call the worship what it is. You have been giving your heart to a device. Freedom has a name So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36, ESV) For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, ESV) Christ did not die so you could manage notifications better. He died to take you out of slavery. He rose so you would stand firm and refuse the old yoke. Article IV of the Baptist Faith and Message says salvation is the redemption of the whole man. Regeneration. Justification. Sanctification. Glorification. No salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Sanctification is progress toward moral and spiritual maturity by the Spirit who lives in you. That includes your eyes, your hours, and your hands. Chapter 13 of the 1689 Confession is honest about the fight. The dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed in those united to Christ. The evil desires are weakened and put to death. Yet the war is not finished in this life. Remaining corruption may prevail for a time. Then the Spirit supplies strength. The regenerate part overcomes. So you should expect a fight. You should not expect to lose forever. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) Your members include your thumbs. Repent of the real thing Chapter 15 of the Confession says repent of each specific, known sin specifically. Name it. The hour you vanish from your children. The messages you should not send. The images you hunt. The way you hide the brightness when someone walks in. The Lord's Day you spent scrolling instead of gathering. Ask for pardon. Ask for strength. Then take a plain step. Leave the phone in another room when you sleep. Tell a brother or sister what owns you. Sit under the Word with the church on Sunday when every nerve wants the feed. Filters help. Accountability software helps. They do not regenerate you. Jesus does. One next step with Jesus Put the phone down long enough to speak. "Lord Jesus, this device has been my refuge. I have served it. Set me free. I trust you. I will present my body to you today." If you do not know him yet, read the gospel and come to him. If you do know him, stop lying about a "busy season." Ask for counsel. Walk with the church. Come further The gospel Next steps Biblical Counseling Baptism, if you have turned to Christ and have not yet gone public The Son sets people free. He can set you free from a glowing rectangle.
September 30, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
I cannot stop looking at porn. Is there a way out?
Yes. There is a way out. His name is Jesus. If you are reading this after another night you swore would be the last, you can still tell the truth. God already knows. He is not shocked. He is holy. And he saves sinners. You do not have to clean yourself up first. Come now. You are not only tired. You are not only wired. Porn trains the body. It also trains the heart. You keep going back because the old nature loves darkness. That is sin. Sexual immorality. Lust that uses people as images. The Second London Confession says all actual sins rise from that first corruption. We are biased against what is good. We are inclined toward what is evil (1689 6). The Baptist Faith and Message says the same in plainer words. By free choice man sinned. We inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. As soon as we can act, we become transgressors (BFM III). Only the grace of God can bring a person back into holy fellowship. Mayflower will not call this a private hobby. BFM XV names pornography among the forms of sexual immorality Christians should oppose. We oppose it first in our own lives. Then we help a brother or sister tell the truth. Scripture that does not flatter you, and does not leave you. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) Hear both halves. The sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom. And some of you were that. Washed. Sanctified. Justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus. By the Spirit of our God. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV) Confession names the sin to the God who already paid for it in his Son. What repentance looks like here 1689 15 says saving repentance is a gospel grace. The Spirit makes you see the evils of your sin. You humble yourself. You hate it. You ask for pardon and for strength. Then you endeavor, by the Spirit, to live in a way that pleases God. You repent of each specific, known sin specifically. Not "I struggle." The site. The hour. The lie you told. The person you used in your mind. If you belong to Christ, remaining corruption can still prevail for a time. Sanctification is a war. The flesh against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh (1689 13). Some weeks you will lose a battle. That does not mean Christ lost you. It does mean you need the Word, the Spirit, and the church. You need to present your body to God, not to lust. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) Marriage is not a shortcut The Confession says marriage was ordained for mutual help, for legitimate offspring, and for the prevention of immorality (1689 25.2). That is true. A husband and wife, in covenant, are a mercy against this fire. Marriage will not baptize you. Marriage will not kill lust by itself. A single person can be clean in Christ. A married person can still hide a screen. If you are married, stop stealing from your spouse. Tell the truth. If you are not married, do not treat a wedding as the gospel. One next step with Jesus Tonight, before you sleep, speak to him out loud. "Lord Jesus, I have loved porn more than I have loved you. I have used people. I cannot stop myself. Wash me. I trust your death and your resurrection. I will not hide this anymore." Then tell one mature believer at Mayflower. A pastor. A counselor. Not a vague hint. The real thing. If you have never trusted Christ, start at the gospel. He died for the sexually immoral. He rose. He calls you to turn and live. Come further The gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, if you have trusted Christ and have not yet obeyed him in baptism You can walk in tomorrow. You can write tonight. Do not wait for a cleaner Monday. Christ saves sinners. He can save you from this.
September 23, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
I Cannot Get Out of Bed: Is this still grief?
Yes. Grief can pin a body to the mattress. Days blur. Food tastes like nothing. The phone feels heavy. Shame will call you lazy. Come as you are. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If the body is failing, tell a doctor too. We will walk with you. This can still be grief after a month. After a year. After a holiday you did not want. The heart and the body travel together. You may also be sick. Both can be true in one morning. The Lord stays near crushed people. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:18) He comforts so that comfort can move, even if today it only moves an inch. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Nothing in this bed can cut you off from the love of God in Christ. Paul said that while he still suffered. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:38-39) Chapter 14 of the Baptist Confession of 1689 says saving faith can be weak or strong. Even weak faith is different from a show of faith. It may be attacked. It still looks at Christ. The principal acts are accepting, receiving, and resting on him alone. You do not have to feel strong to rest. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Sanctification is a long work. Glorification is still ahead. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the righteous wait for the full redemption of their bodies. Your body matters to God. This mattress is not the last word. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. That is the hope under the sheet. One next step with him: sit on the edge of the bed if you can. If you cannot, stay where you are. Say this: "Lord Jesus, I have no strength. I rest on you." Then read Psalm 34:18 once. Text one person that you are still here. Come talk with us. Read about the gospel when you can keep a page open. Ask for help from biblical counseling. When you can take a next step, next steps are ready. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.
September 5, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
How do I help a friend who is grieving?
Show up. Bring food. Sit down. Use their loved one’s name. Do not explain the death. Do not make their grief a speech. If they are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then stay with them and talk with us. You are not their Savior. You can be a neighbor. We will help you carry this. As a church family, it is what we do. God comforts people so they can comfort others. That is ordinary church life. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) You may fear saying the wrong verse. Start with nearness. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) If they ask about the dead, point them to Jesus. He died. He rose. He will raise the dead. Paul told a grieving church to hold that, and still to grieve. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Do not invent a verdict on a soul. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the soul goes to God at death. The righteous are with Christ. The wicked are reserved for judgment. Chapter 32 says Jesus will judge the world on a day the Father has set. That is his work. Your work is love. Do not hide the gospel to keep the visit light. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Offer that freely. Chapter 14 of the 1689 says faith rests on Christ. Your friend may have weak faith this week. Rest is still rest. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message calls Christians to provide for the needy, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. Grief makes people needy. Take a trash bag to the kitchen. Watch the kids. Drive to the airport. Keep doing it after the casserole week ends. One next step with Jesus: pray for your friend by name today. Then ask them, "Can I sit with you this week?" If they say yes, go. If they want more help than you can give, walk with them to biblical counseling. Share the gospel if they are ready for the hope we have. Next Steps are there when they can take a step. Christ crucified and risen is the help you actually have to give.
October 8, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, October 10th Men of the Word - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; Men, you are invited to Men of the Word—a gathering for those who desire to grow in their knowledge of Scripture, deepen their theological understanding, and strengthen their faith through rigorous study and discussion.
If you are ready to invest in your spiritual growth and stand firm in the truth, we invite you to join us. Come, be strengthened by the Word of God, and grow in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Sunday, October 11th EQUIP: History of the Church, AD 500–1500 - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Pastor Appreciation Day! Join us after the service in Briggs Memorial Hall for coffee and cake as we celebrate and thank Pastor Anton & Amy Brown! Monday, October 12th Happy Columbus Day Tuesday, October 13th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - 10:30 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee, teaching, and discussion on Sunday’s sermon. Wednesday, October 14th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Upcoming Events 📆 Sunday, October 25th - Reformation Sunday - Sunday, October 25th, commemorates Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses in 1517, which helped spark the Protestant Reformation. Also, our Quarterly Congregational Meeting & Potluck will be held following the church service. New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Help Us"
Pastor Anton Brown | Acts 16:6-10 Closed roads give way to a cry for help from Macedonia—come Sunday and hear how God directs His servants to bring the gospel to those who need it. This Week's Worship We have every reason to sing! Become familiar with this week’s songs and come ready to lift your voice in praise to our faithful God. Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery The Lord Is My Salvation O Great GodWatch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Sheet here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
October 1, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, October 3rd Men of the Word - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; Men, you are invited to Men of the Word—a gathering for those who desire to grow in their knowledge of Scripture, deepen their theological understanding, and strengthen their faith through rigorous study and discussion.
If you are ready to invest in your spiritual growth and stand firm in the truth, we invite you to join us. Come, be strengthened by the Word of God, and grow in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Ladies’ Community Bible Study - 9:00 am in the Church [Lower Level] Sunday, October 4th EQUIP: History of the Church, AD 500–1500 - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Tuesday, October 6th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - Cancelled Church Office Closed Wednesday, October 7th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Church Office Closed Thursday, October 8th Senior Luncheon - 11:30 AM, Grille 58, Halifax Church Office Closed Upcoming Events 📆 Be the Light! - The Life Support Ministry is hosting a one-day forum on October 3rd (9am-3pm) to equip Churches across the South Shore to be a compassionate light for life. Pastor Anton is asking for 1 or 2 people to attend and bring back information. You will hear from local gospel-focused organizations supporting life, and attend workshops to equip and bring the love of Jesus to the vulnerable. Click here for more information. If you would like to attend, Register here. Pastor Appreciation Day is next Sunday, October 11th! We’ll honor Pastor Anton during coffee and fellowship after worship service. We hope you’ll join us! New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Character Over Comfort"
Chaplain Leon Jones | Acts 16:1-5 What would you give up so someone you love could hear good news, and what would you never give up? Come Sunday to hear our guest preacher, Leon Jones, preach Acts 16:1–5. Watch last week’s sermon, Not By Agreement. (Acts 15:36-41). 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Guide here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
September 24, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Friday, September 25th Day 1 of the Women’s Ministry Fall Retreat - Postponed to 11/20/26 due to predicted nor’easter. Saturday, September 26th Men of the Word - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; Men, you are invited to Men of the Word—a gathering for those who desire to grow in their knowledge of Scripture, deepen their theological understanding, and strengthen their faith through rigorous study and discussion.
If you are ready to invest in your spiritual growth and stand firm in the truth, we invite you to join us. Come, be strengthened by the Word of God, and grow in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Day 2 of the Women’s Ministry Fall Retreat - Postponed to 11/21/26 due to predicted nor’easter. Sunday, September 27th EQUIP Explore the Bible Romans Study - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Missions Team Meeting - during Coffee Hour following Worship Service Tuesday, September 29th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - 10:30 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee, teaching, and discussion on Sunday’s sermon. Wednesday, September 30th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Upcoming Events 📆 This Sunday during Worship Service - Hear from Kelsey Sullivan, Athletes in Action, A CRU Ministry. Join the Missions Team as we welcome her to our church this Sunday! Be the Light! - The Life Support Ministry is hosting a one-day forum on October 3rd (9am-3pm) to equip Churches across the South Shore to be a compassionate light for life. Pastor Anton is asking for 1 or 2 people to attend and bring back information. You will hear from local gospel-focused organizations supporting life, and attend workshops to equip and bring the love of Jesus to the vulnerable. Click here for more information. If you would like to attend, Register here. New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Not By Agreement"
Pastor Anton Brown | Acts 15:36-41 Two men share a desire to strengthen the church, but a sharp disagreement sends them separate ways - come Sunday and hear how the Lord’s grace carries His work forward even when His servants cannot agree. This Week's Worship Let these songs create space in your week to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness. Listen, pray, and come prepared to worship Him with us. Our Great God The Power Of The Cross My Jesus I Love Thee Watch last week’s sermon, The Spirit Decided. (Acts 15:22-35). 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week's Prayer Sheet here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
September 17, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, September 19th Brothers, Bibles, & Bacon - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; a time of rich fellowship, deep study in God’s Word, and, of course, a feast of bacon! Bring your Bible and your appetite, and be ready to dig into Scripture while enjoying a great meal with brothers in Christ. A suggested $10 donation helps cover breakfast. Saturday, September 19th Ladies’ Community Bible Study - 9:00 am in Church basement; This year we’re studying Deuteronomy. We gather on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. Those who ordered study books will receive their copies on Saturday. Sunday, September 20th EQUIP Explore the Bible Romans Study - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Tuesday, September 22nd Fall begins! Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - 10:30 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee, teaching, and discussion on Sunday’s sermon. Wednesday, September 23rd Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Upcoming Events 📆 Women’s Fall Retreat - Friday, September 25th at 6:30 pm and Saturday, September 26th at 8:30 am. Cost is $35. Register here. 🌸 New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "The Spirit Decided"
Pastor Anton Brown | Acts 15:22-35 A letter arrives, a church rejoices, and the messengers return in peace—come Sunday and hear how the church declares what the Spirit has settled. This Week's Worship With grateful hearts, let us prepare to worship the Lord for His goodness and grace. Listen to this week’s songs and come ready to praise Him. Almost Home O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer Behold Our God Watch last week’s sermon, Saved Like Them. (Acts 15:1-21). 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Sheethere Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
September 9, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Between Sundays starts here.
Between Sundays is the weekly letter from Mayflower Church. It arrives every Thursday, and it is short on purpose. Three things are in it every week. This Sunday. The sermon title and the passage we will open, with one sentence on where it is headed. This week. Two or three things that would change your household calendar. Not the whole calendar. One next step. A single thing worth doing before Sunday. That is the whole letter. It is not a bulletin, and it is not a second sermon. We gather on the Lord's Day. This update is for the days in between, so that nobody has to guess what is coming or wonder whether they missed something. Whether you have been at Mayflower for years or have never once walked through the doors, it is written for you. Why the letter moved. It used to go out through Mailchimp. It comes from our own site now. Three plain reasons: Mailchimp is expensive, it is not simple to use, and it kept sign-ups in a system separate from our website, so anyone who wanted to hear from the church had to go somewhere else to ask. What you get out of that is simpler than the explanation. One place. The letter is here, past letters stay here, and signing up happens here. If you already receive email from us, you are already on the list. Nothing to do, and no need to sign up again. If you are not on the list yet, sign up here:BETWEEN SUNDAYS Grateful for you, Pastor Anton
September 10, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, September 12th Men of the Word’s study of Isaiah - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee & more! Sunday, September 13th EQUIP Explore the Bible Romans Study - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online The Passion of the Christ - Evangelism Team Event, 7:00 pm at Regal Cinemas Tuesday, September 15th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - 10:30 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee, teaching, and discussion on Sunday’s sermon. Declaration of Dependence Event - Pilgrim Memorial State Park at 12:00 pm Wednesday, September 16th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Upcoming Events 📆 Women’s Fall Retreat - Friday, September 25th at 6:30 pm and Saturday, September 26th at 8:30 am. Cost is $35. Register here. 🌸 New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Saved Like Them"
Pastor Anton Brown | Acts 15:1-21 Two men share a hospital room: one with forty years of good numbers, one who never gave his heart a thought. Come Sunday and hear why the same medicine is carried to both beds. This Week's Worship Our worship is made sweeter when we lift our voices as one church family. Take time to listen to these songs and prepare to sing together. Now Why This Fear His Mercy Is More Christ our Hope in Life and Death Watch last week’s sermon, God Did It! (Acts 14:24-28). 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Ladies’ Community Bible Study This year, the LCBS is studying Deuteronomy on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, beginning September 19th. Study books with the video are $22. Study books without the video are $16. Reach out to Marge Jean with your preference. Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Sheet here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
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