Family Devotional: Come and Stay
One faith talk this week is a win!

Anton Brown • Senior Pastor
October 18, 2026

4 Minute Read

This week the page grows out of “Come and Stay,” from Acts 16:11–15. The heart of it is this: when God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our homes to other people. Paul and his friends sailed across the sea and found a few women praying by a river, and while one of them, Lydia, listened to Paul talk about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart. Right away she was baptized and said to Paul and his friends, come to my house and stay. The line your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: opened hearts open homes. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page.

Come and Stay

Family Devotional · Acts 16:11–15 · October 18, 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

When God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our lives to other people.

Memory verse

“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Acts 16:14 (ESV)

1. READ

Read Acts 16:11–15 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week.

Monday: verses 11–12. Paul and his friends sail straight across the sea to a big city called Philippi.

Tuesday: verse 13. There is no crowd waiting, only a few women praying by a river.

Wednesday: verse 14. Lydia already prays to God, and she listens to Paul.

Thursday: verse 14 again. The Lord opens her heart to hear about Jesus.

Friday: verse 15. Lydia is baptized and says, come to my house and stay.

2. THINK

Lydia prayed to God every week, but she did not yet know Jesus. While she listened to Paul tell about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart so she could see Him and trust Him. Jesus opened His Father's house to us when He died for sinners and rose again, and when He opens our hearts, we want to open our homes too.

3. TALK

You do not need to ask them all.

For young children: Where were the women when Paul found them, and what were they doing?

For school-age children: Lydia went to prayer every week, but she still needed God to open her heart. Why can we not open our own hearts to Jesus?

For teens: Lydia was sincere and religious, and she still needed the Lord to open her heart. If someone asked you whether the Lord has opened your heart to Jesus, what would you honestly say?

For the whole table: Jesus opened His home to us. Who could we open our home to this month?

4. DO

Do this: Pick one person or family from church and invite them over for a meal sometime in the next month. Let the children help plan one part of it: the food, the table, or a game to play together. It does not need to be fancy. A table and a conversation is enough.

Another way to do this: Make a welcome card for one person from church. Write “Come and stay” on the front and draw your door on the inside, then hand it to that person at church next Sunday.

5. PRAY

Father, thank You that Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and that He opened Your house to people who did not deserve it. Please open the heart of every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make our home a glad, open place for others, because You opened Yours to us first. In Jesus' name, Amen.

6. SING

All I Have Is Christ. It sings that we would never have come to God if He had not loved us first, and that a life Jesus has saved now belongs to Him. That is Lydia's story: the Lord opened her heart, and she gave Him her home. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead.

One faith talk this week is a win.
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October 18, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Come and Stay
This week the page grows out of “Come and Stay,” from Acts 16:11–15. The heart of it is this: when God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our homes to other people. Paul and his friends sailed across the sea and found a few women praying by a river, and while one of them, Lydia, listened to Paul talk about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart. Right away she was baptized and said to Paul and his friends, come to my house and stay. The line your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: opened hearts open homes. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Come and Stay Family Devotional · Acts 16:11–15 · October 18, 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 When God opens our hearts to Jesus, we open our lives to other people. Memory verse “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Acts 16:14 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:11–15 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verses 11–12. Paul and his friends sail straight across the sea to a big city called Philippi. Tuesday: verse 13. There is no crowd waiting, only a few women praying by a river. Wednesday: verse 14. Lydia already prays to God, and she listens to Paul. Thursday: verse 14 again. The Lord opens her heart to hear about Jesus. Friday: verse 15. Lydia is baptized and says, come to my house and stay. 2. THINK Lydia prayed to God every week, but she did not yet know Jesus. While she listened to Paul tell about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart so she could see Him and trust Him. Jesus opened His Father's house to us when He died for sinners and rose again, and when He opens our hearts, we want to open our homes too. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Where were the women when Paul found them, and what were they doing? For school-age children: Lydia went to prayer every week, but she still needed God to open her heart. Why can we not open our own hearts to Jesus? For teens: Lydia was sincere and religious, and she still needed the Lord to open her heart. If someone asked you whether the Lord has opened your heart to Jesus, what would you honestly say? For the whole table: Jesus opened His home to us. Who could we open our home to this month? 4. DO Do this: Pick one person or family from church and invite them over for a meal sometime in the next month. Let the children help plan one part of it: the food, the table, or a game to play together. It does not need to be fancy. A table and a conversation is enough. Another way to do this: Make a welcome card for one person from church. Write “Come and stay” on the front and draw your door on the inside, then hand it to that person at church next Sunday. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and that He opened Your house to people who did not deserve it. Please open the heart of every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make our home a glad, open place for others, because You opened Yours to us first. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING All I Have Is Christ. It sings that we would never have come to God if He had not loved us first, and that a life Jesus has saved now belongs to Him. That is Lydia's story: the Lord opened her heart, and she gave Him her home. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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!

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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!

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

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.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor