Pastor’s Page | April 30th, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Ezekeil 1)
Let’s suppose you went to H.E.B. and you saw me sitting out front playing with a set of those little green army men, shouting “bang, bang…pew, pew”, and you said “Barry, what in the world are you doing?” I then lift my head up from my toys and I say to you, “I’m telling these stiff-necked people exactly what God has told me to say!” “Bang, bang…pew, pew” More than likely, you would shake your head and say, “Preacher has lost his mind!” Now next time you go to Kroger, you see me walking through the aisles and I am cutting my hair and throwing it in the air. “Barry, what are you doing?” “I’m telling these stiff-necked people exactly what God has told me to say.” No doubt, you would think… “Preacher has lost his marbles!” Then, you show up at Walmart, and you see me lying in front of all the cashiers, and I am just lying on my side, and I am there for 390 days! Then, after 390 days, I flip over and do it again on the other side. No doubt, word would get out that the preacher from Acton Methodist is going crazy. Once again, you would ask, “Barry, what are you doing?” and I would respond with, “I’m telling these stiff-necked people exactly what God has told me to say.” And then you say, “Barry, you’ve got my attention…what does God want to say to me?” and then in response I describe your relationship with God as being so bad and that judgement is coming, you are getting what you deserve, but God is still good and still cares for you…even though you are getting a whooping right now. I then say that God has called me to be a walking sermon illustration so that there is no excuse for you not getting what I am saying. You would probably then say, “Okay…the preacher is crazy and the preacher is now fired!”
This is exactly what the prophet Ezekiel did. Ezekiel is definitely a unique preacher, but he was faithful to the message that God gave Him to proclaim in a terrible time in the history of the people of God. For our summer sermon series, we are going to be in the book of Ezekiel, and we will be looking at some crazy things. Ezekiel is not an easy book. Just the first chapter alone will make your head spin. But this book is so relevant to our culture and our needs today. Included in this week’s update is a devotional reading plan to go along with the book of Ezekiel. I encourage you to follow along with it. I also encourage you to join us on Wednesday mornings at 10 am for our Sip and Share where we will be sharing our thoughts on the devotional readings as well as the book of Ezekiel. This is going to be a fun summer as we study this wonderful prophetic book together.
March Sermon Series
“Crazy Times and a Steady God”
05/03 - Preaching the Glory of God - Ezekiel 1
05/10 - Preaching to the Scorpions - Ezekiel 2
05/17 - Preaching to a Decaying Culture - Ezekiel 3
05/24 - Preaching Vividly - Ezekiel 4-5
05/31 - Preaching through Calamity - Ezekiel 6-7
Devotional Daily Reading Plan
Updates, Thoughts and More
Summer is around the corner, and we are already starting to get ready for our 2026 Vacation Bible School. We will be having much more information in the next few weeks so please keep your ears open for more information. We are excited for what God will be doing in the lives of these kids.
This Sunday we will have our Acton Music Academy Recital. As Rawlianne said this past Sunday, this is a great chance for our church to be a witness to these students and their families of the love of Christ. I ask that you come this Sunday at 4 pm and cheer on these students and make this church a welcoming and loving place for them.
Next Thursday is the National Day of Prayer. I want to encourage you to be very intentional about prayer on this day. At some point in the day, take the opportunity to pray for our nation, her leaders, the needs of our community, and the needs across the globe.
Have you been keeping up with the NBA playoffs. There have been some great games. My favorite player is a local Kentucky boy named Reed Sheppard who plays for the Houston Rockets. He is one of the nicest kids you will ever see. His dad is a legend in Kentucky (’96 and ’98 championship teams). He has made some great plays this year (too bad the Houston roster stinks). With that said….how long until football starts?
What’s Going On This Week
Saturday (05/02)
Upward Basketball Games — 9am-3pm
Bobbie Brownlee Funeral — 11am
Sunday (05/03)
Worship — 9am & 10:30am
Acton Music Academy Recital — 4pm
Monday (05/04)
Stitching Angels — 1:30pm
Upward Practice — 4:00-7:00pm
Tuesday (05/05)
Men’s Prayer Breakfast — 7:30am
Upward Practice — 4:00-8:00pm
Wednesday (05/06)
Prayer Warriors — 9:00am
Sip And Share — 10:00am
Table Talk — 5:00pm
Youth & Kids — 5:00pm
Choir — 7:00pm
Thursday (05/07) — NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Upward Practice — 5:00pm-7:00pm
Saturday (05/09)
Upward Basketball Games — 9am-3pm
Mother’s Day Luncheon — 11am
Joke of the Week
A fellow went to the doctor who told him that he had a bad illness and only a year to live. So he decided to talk to his pastor.
After the man explained his situation, he asked his Pastor if there was anything he could do.
“What you should do is go out and buy a late ‘70 or early ‘80 model Dodge Pickup,” said the Pastor.
“Then go get married to the meanest, ugliest woman you can find, and buy yourselves an old house trailer in the panhandle of Oklahoma.”
The fellow asked, “Will this help me live longer?”
“No,” said the pastor, “but it will make what time you do have seem like forever.”
Memory Verse of the Week
“Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
~Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“It is always important to see God. It is always important, but in a declining culture, when it is less and less popular to speak of knowing God, seeing God, and embracing this transcendent personal God, it is more and more important that you grasp Him. That you see Him. That you are humbled by Him. Otherwise, you cannot be strong. You cannot be.
~Carson D.A.
