Pastor’s Page | August 13th, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Matthew 6:11)
I love watching old commercials. Modern day commercials don’t compare to the classics. There was a series of commercials back in the late 90’s that showed a spoiled lazy middle-aged man who still lives at home, and he is making some crazy unrealistic demands on his parents. He wants room service, he wants free airline miles, he wants waffles for breakfast, and a business center that has all the bells and whistles so that he can send out his emails and set up a conference call. The family, especially the grandmother, starts to laugh and hoot at him for making such unreasonable requests and they say, “What do you think this is…a Holiday Inn!”
You know, sometimes when we pray, we make requests from God as if we were living in a hotel ordering room service. We say, “Father in Heaven…Give me the winning lottery ticket, a bigger car, a fancier house, financial success, improved golf game, a pretty girl, a rich husband, a win for my team in the Final Four.” and I wonder if the Lord has to restrain laughter and wants to ask us… “What do you think this is…a Holiday Inn?”
James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” You see there is a big difference between staying at a hotel and living in the Father’s mansion. At a hotel, the owner is a stranger. He doesn’t know you from Tom, Dick, or Harry. But in the Mansion, the owner is your Heavenly Father and He knows every detail in your life and your every need. Your Heavenly Father knows. At a hotel, you get what you want even if it is not good for you (who says you can’t have chocolate sauce on your 10th waffle?) In the Father’s mansion, the Father only gives you that which will help you. In the hotel, you are there to be served…in the Father’s house you are called to serve.
This Sunday we are looking at the transition point in the Lord’s prayer. For the first part, we are focused on different aspects of God and His glory. In the second part of the Lord’s prayer, we begin the petitions. This week we will look at what it means to ask God to “Give us this day our daily bread”. As you consider this petition, the things I want you to focus on are first the order of the prayer. Why is it significant that this particular petition is placed here and not at the beginning? Second, we will be looking at two problems we face when we pray this prayer: the first is that we don’t think we need God to provide for us because we already have things covered (who needs God when you have HEB for bread?) and the second is that we think God doesn’t care about our daily needs (why is God concerned about my supper when there is a war going on in Iran?). Next, I want you to think about how this petition connects with our tendency to be anxious about things. If we ask and God provides, why are we still so worried? We will be focusing on these questions and more on Sunday. As you prepare, think about your own prayers and do they look more like the Lord’s Prayer or a Holiday Inn wish list?
June Sermon Series
Teach Me To Pray
08/16 - Give Us this Day our Daily Bread - Matthew 5:9-14
08/23 - Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors - Matthew 5:9-14
08/30 - Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil - Matthew 5:9-14
Updates, Thoughts and More
Discipleship Ministry. Jesus told us to go and make disciples. Not simply go and have fun with other likeminded people, not simply go and study the bible together with other likeminded people, not even to go and do good to others (more often than not to other likeminded people). We are called to make disciples. One of the things I am most excited about in our church is our discipleship groups. These are not simply another bible study or another small group, but rather this is where we come to do our faith together. It is where we come together in a group and we not only grow in our faith, but we grow closer to each other and truly become who God is calling us to be. This Sunday you will have a chance to sign up to join a group. We have numerous classes that meet throughout the week. I teach one that is on Mondays at 1:30. You can sign up in the Lobby this Sunday or you can sign up on our website.
Kenya Group. This Sunday we will be praying over a group from our church who are heading to Kenya for a mission trip. They will be sharing the love of Jesus with others there in both word and deed. They will be heading out on Thursday so we want to pray over them that God will use them in a powerful way as they serve Him in Kenya.
Table Talk. Table Talk is up and going again. Yay!!! We meet in E101 every Wednesday at 5 pm. We are doing a series on discovering, developing, and deploying your spiritual gifts. We just started and we would love to have you join us.
New Intern. Starting next Wednesday, you will be seeing a new face hanging around the church on Wednesday and Sundays. His name is Nolan and he is a student at Liberty university. He is preparing for ministry, and he will be interning with us this semester. He comes from a Cumberland Presbyterian background, and he is excited to be involved in learning more about what goes on here at Acton Methodist. Let’s make him feel welcome and do our part to help prepare him for his future ministry.
Combined Worship. On August 30th we will be having our combined worship service. Now, I am going to get on my soapbox. Some of you don’t like the contemporary music, and some of you don’t like the traditional music. I get it. But I hope you don’t come to church simply to listen to music. You come to worship. Also, we come together on these 5th Sundays so that we can know those who go to the other worship service. If you are staying home because you don’t like the music, you are missing the point of worship and the joy of getting to meet your church family.
Football!!!! Football is back! Yes, it is only Preseason but Football is back! Real American, Smack you in the mouth, knock you upside the head type of football. YAY!!!!
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (08/16)
Worship Services — 9:00am & 10:30am
Monday (08/17)
Alzheimer’s Support Group — 10:00am
Stitching Angels — 1:30pm
Church Council — 6:30pm
Tuesday (08/18)
Men’s Bible Study & Breakfast — 7:30am
Wednesday (08/19)
Prayer Warriors — 9:00am
Sip And Share — 10:00am
Table Talk (Spiritual Gifts) — 5:00pm
Choir Practice — 7:00pm
Thursday (08/20)
Kenya Team Leaves — 7:30am
Important Upcoming Dates
8/30 — 10am — Combined Worship Service and Promotion Sunday
8/30 — 12pm — Discipleship Ministries Kickoff
Joke of the Week
A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Bible class. As she ran she prayed, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late! Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late!’ While she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running again! As she ran she once again began to pray, ‘Dear Lord, please don’t let me be late…But please don’t shove me either!’
Memory Verse of the Week
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
~Matthew 7:11 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“Every day there come before us a variety of little trials, and if we seek to put them aside in our own strength and wisdom, we shall quickly find that we are confounded. But if, on the contrary, we take every-thing to God, we shall be helped, and our way shall be made plain. Thus our life will be a happy life!”
~ George Muller
