Acts 20:25-36

"Dear Precious Disciple, Paul was finally on his way back to Jerusalem. His trip had been delayed because of the plots against his life. So he had..."

"[To the Ephesian elders, Paul continued,] "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an..."

"[Paul continued his talk to the Ephesian elders, saying,] "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock — his church,..."

"[Paul, to the Ephesian elders at Miletus:] "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the..."

"When [the elders of the Ephesian church] arrived [Paul] declared, "You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have..."

"Dear Beloved, On Paul's last visit with the Ephesian elders, he warned them:Here are my instructions: diligently guard yourselves, and diligently..."

"When [Paul] had finished speaking [with the Ephesian elders], he knelt and prayed with them. They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye...."

Have you seen an angel running around oncology lately? This is a story about a needed ministry to those battling cancer called ChemoAngels.

I've developed in my heart a strong passion for children, especially those children who live in poverty. Paul Styrvoky details his experiences of sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

Aren't you tired of living within a shallow, narrow, selfish box? Rubel Shelly tells about a Canadian couple who won the lottery and donated all but 2% of what they won to charity.

How can this bring me more joy? Patrick Odum tells about a boy who shared his winnings with his father rather than spending it only on himself and the joy that this attitude brought the father and Patrick compares this to the joy we give our Father, God, when we share.

Is it giving care or escaping from loneliness? We cannot hide our loneliness behind being busy, but God also uses our busy times to bless others and heal us.

Wow! What a precious addition to our Christmas with these boys. We hope to do something like this every year. Phil Ware shares a quick thank you for all who have donated and then focuses on establishing a new tradition of teaching his grandchildren to share what they have with others.

Why we should we be thankful, cheerful, and generous in a world full of negativity! Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to live generous lives of grace where we are joyful recipients of God's grace and cheerfully generous in our acts of mercy.

How do you get out of your We have to act ourselves into a better way of feeling rather than think ourselves into a better way of acting!

The word In the end, the church is the group of people that belong to God. Other meanings may cloud our understanding, but we need to see that that's what the church is.

What's in it for God? Bill Sherrill reminds us that the spirit of the Christmas season is giving, not receiving and that we need to be a people with a spirit of thanksgiving.

Have you really experienced the joy of this truth? Phil Ware describes an experience one of the middle school teachers at his church had while listening to a student talk about receiving presents from a cool church.

Can you turn loose what you have to find the joy you don't have? Ron Rose reminds us that the best gifts are those we keep in circulation by sharing them with others.

Can you handle the truth? Happiness isn't just going to come along, you are going to make your own happiness by what you invest your life in.

Compassion employees are actually compassionate people, too. I never imagined to be so deeply moved by another group of people: the employees of Compassion.

Can we make more of Christmas than tinsel and gifts? Christmas is about giving and not receiving, especially when we can give gifts that bless others and continue giving after we are gone.

What's the difference between making a living and making a life? Life is more than making a living, it's making a life.

Have you got your heart, head, and follow through in gear? While we know Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, we often don't live like it!

Anything in your Christmas envelope? An older lady's mistake with Christmas envelopes reminds us that God never forgets to pay for our gifts!

The best way I know to start trying this love language shift is to use it with Jesus. Phil Ware reminds us how important it is to use love language with those who are precious to us and we can begin by doing this with Jesus.

How do we hear from God about our mission? Greg Anderson continues the series from Interim Ministry Partners about helping a church discover its mission by focusing on the people in the process.

Is he in there for you? You can't take Christ out of Christmas even if you try.

So what's the grace and privilege we are supposed to find here? Phil Ware continues his SHIFT series and focuses upon giving generously as a privilege and grace.

What do your ears want to hear? Some folks only want to hear the cheery stuff from God, not the hard stuff, too.