I thought Coyotes were only in movies and cartoons. In fact I needed spell- check to help me. But we have Coyotes in our sub-division.

We can now recognize their night-time cackle or scream or whine, or sarcastic insult. Then they set the dogs off. I assume the dog owners are deaf or immune to their own dog. I have not yet heard a sound like “Fido be quite”. That would help a little. We have both had disturbed sleep this week.

Next thought. I have been reading Acts 20 with care for some days. It is one of the “par excellence” passages on pastoral leadership. Paul is training the leaders to watch out for coyotes, or actually wolves who are actually humans, claim to be Christians, want to be leaders, but they are coyotes. These self- appointed leaders will “arise”. They have no legitimate claim. Their concern is not the vulnerable flock but themselves. They want power; they have no comprehension of leadership without themselves at the center. They are always a mess deep down but they act like they have all the answers. So they disturb the flock and feed their egos in their desire to be appreciated and recognized.

There will be some coyote followers, usually the naïve or the like-minded. Like attracts like. Some just enjoy the aura of the pseudo-leader who flatters to deceive. The coyote will not hesitate to harm the Ephesian elders. For they are the one thing that will stop the coyote. Hence the leaders are the target. But that is not the end of the story.

The coyote must be chased away; so Paul prepares this young leadership team with a plan:

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” v28

“Be shepherds of the church of God” v28

“So be on your guard!” v31

He teaches them to shoo-away the wolf-men, or wolverine.

There is no one way to deal with the problem. No rule book but His Word and His Spirit. Sometimes the coyote will flee at the first sign of opposition; bullies are insecure. Others are more stubborn. Some utterly persistent to the point of self destruction. Their identity is wrapped up with the latest fix. The appetite is ravenous. But they are never satisfied.

Sometimes you ignore it and leave, or wait, and then like Paul in Acts 16 decide that enough is enough and in one word end the folly.

I told a few friends about the coyotes. Some have offered to bring a shotgun suggesting that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission!

We are praying for the nights to be quiet again. As a pastor I know that wild animals were a threat in bible times, as to David and our Lord. But we are warned of the enemy and of “wolves” As a shepherd I am ready to watch the sheep, on a well-taught state of alert, and must be ready to lay down one’s life for the sheep, unlike the hired hand or the wolf that devours.

Pray for leaders today and the Lord’s true flock and don’t feel sorry for the coyote.

On September 13^th we have testimony day. We are baptizing in the creek that day and I trust that many will pray for a remarkable day of mass baptisms.

We also have “cardboard testimonies” in our services, with 50 testimonies broken down into 2-5 words. Not a word spoken.  Many Churches have done this to powerful effect. We trust that we’ll see stories of God’s grace: some recent, some young, some well tested.

Pray for God’s power at New Hope.

Pray that other churches will have a go as well.

We need a flow of testimonies. Your story and mine. My life verse is “I will not venture to speak of anything expect what Christ has accomplished in me” Romans 16:18

What would happen if we couldn’t find any such stories? Or if our own story has to go back 40 years with nothing since?
What if we had to trawl and search hard for any recent testimony of salvation?

Can you see how this will challenge us?

1. Believe in the power of a testimony.
2. Be ready with the gospel in your life to share with another.
3. Be concise even in 2 words or 30 seconds (we often have to brief at first).
4. Have an up-to-date-this-year-revision on your testimony.
5. Expect God to save others and live accordingly.
6. Rejoice on September13^th not as mission accomplished but as mission begun.

Remember that it glorifies God and keeps the main thing before us.

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We have so much to be thankful for.

Give thanks for the rain especially now with the pollen increasing! We have more than full reservoirs in Fayette County. Rain somehow symbolizes God’s blessing and the call to pray and receive from heaven. It can also come down so hard as to make us tremble at His power.

Give thanks for our health! Every family is always one phone call away from our lives being turned upside down; so we thank God for the breath he gives. This week I went to the funeral of Don, the father of a key New Hope family. We traveled to the North of Georgia to a classic country Church. I’m told that I got the full treatment. There were plenty of tears. But what a difference when a man has such a faith that he serves as a deacon for years with passion, love and diligence. As long as we have breath, why not serve the Lord?

Give thanks for the family of God who I have spent a lot of time with this week! I am speaking on “family ties “on Sunday in our series Jesus Moments, New hope is our family.  I am amazed at the love, service and gifts in our fellowship. We have 2 Campuses worth of family. (I think that the plural should be “Campii” by the way!). There are times in busy seasons like this when we are rarely all together at once as a family but it is a huge comfort when my girls are with the family of God.

Give thanks for the core of our faith. Jesus is the same yesterday; today and forever (Hebrews 13 v8). Yep give thanks now. This is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it. Make a joyful noise even now!

IN HIM