Author: Matthew Ball

Let Your Light Shine in School

Let Your Light Shine in School

by: Roy Dobbs – Principal of Pike Preparatory Academy & Member of Faith Apostolic Church

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mt 5:16)

Some of the greatest times of a child’s life can take place at school. The activities, friendships, and events provide fond memories, but these memories are even better when they include academic success. A child’s educational experience is a journey for which they must be prepared. As parental figures we must all focus on the big picture and the impact that educational success will have on the lives of our children.

Below are a series of tips and strategies to consider for both parents and students as we teach our children to let their lights shine in school.

1. Realize there are positive & negative influences in all school settings

Parents: Whether your child is entering kindergarten or going off to college, there will be influences in their path. On average, your child spends 6-7 hours of their alert time at school with one or multiple teachers. During this time they are surrounded by an array of people that can impact their lives forever. Teach your children about positive and negative peer influence. Pray that God will send people into our child’s life that serve as positive influences. Remind your children that their associations will either help or hinder their lives.

Students: When selecting friends it is important to seek relationships with people who are in agreement with your spiritual and moral values. In addition, your friends should share similar goals and aspirations as you. If you do not align yourselves with people who want success for your life, you risk falling prey to negative peer influence. Together you will succeed and support each other through the difficulties faced throughout high school. High school should be among the most enjoyable years of your life. If you form healthy friendships, you will enjoy fond memories for a lifetime.

2. Communication is the key

Parents: Convey to your children the importance of communicating about school in the home. You cannot afford to be disconnected from the events and activities that take place during the 6-7 hours that your child is at school. Communicate regularly by calling and emailing your child’s teacher. Make it a point to visit school and the classroom throughout the school year. Attend school functions and definitely plan to attend student-teacher conferences. If you only talk to the teacher or visit the school when there is a problem, then your school involvement and communication is off base. If you ever have a concern with what is going on at school, express it immediately with the appropriate school official in a tactful way. Do not let your displeasure build up because you will most likely overreact in a way that you may later regret.

Students: Communicate with your teachers in order to learn more about your classes and their expectations for your success. Asking questions allows teachers to help you so never be ashamed or too proud to ask for help if you are uncertain about something. If you do not feel comfortable asking questions during class, ask after class. After all, this is your education and your life, and you should not play around with it. Communication shows teachers that you care about your education; not surprisingly, they are more willing to help students who want to help themselves.

3. Develop Great Habits

Parents: Teach your children that the habits they form today will have either a positive or negative effect on their futures.

Students: If you want to become a great student, you must be willing to do what others won’t. You cannot expect to get great results if you don’t develop great habits. You should practice developing certain skills until they become habitual. You need to develop good spiritual habits such as praying and reading your Bible. In school you will need to develop good habits such as studying for tests, remaining organized, managing your time, getting ample sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising. What you do during your school breaks and on weekends will also help you get ahead. A great way to strengthen your knowledge is by reading, writing, studying, and developing the other essential skills on the weekends or on your school breaks. If you want to be the best, you will have to work harder than everyone else.

4. Make a Commitment to Excellence

Parents: Teach your children to do their personal best, and when they do, be prepared to accept it. Your kids may not be great at everything, but they will great at something.

Students: Take advantage of all educational opportunities available to you at school and glorify God with your performance. Your peers, teachers, school administrators, and the community will remember you for your legacy of academic achievement. Strive to make the Honor or High Honor Roll, push yourself by taking advanced classes.

In addition to academic excellence, commit to getting involved in extracurricular activities. You owe it to your school to get involved and contribute in other areas. Whether you are playing a sport, playing an instrument at school concerts, participating in a club, it will build character and make your school experience more memorable. Achieving in the classroom and serving as a leader in your school makes you a role model for all to see.

Commit yourself to being a good citizen at school. You cannot learn if you are constantly being put out of class, sent to the office, suspended, or expelled from school. In most cases, the students who misbehave in school are also the ones who fail in school. If you want to be Christ-like, you should focus on being a model citizen in your school. Keep a clean discipline record and strive to be the example that would make God proud.

Our prayer: Heavenly father, I thank you for giving our children the opportunity to receive an education. I pray that you give every parent wisdom, guidance, and patience in every situation involving their child’s education. Our faith, hope, and trust will remain in you, Jesus, and we know that we can do all things through you. Help our kids to connect with the right crowds, protect them from danger, and bless our educators as they strive to make a positive impact on our children. God I pray that you inspire and strengthen our children as they let their lights shine in their schools, in Jesus name, Amen.

By: Roy K. Dobbs

*Roy Dobbs is also the founder of Young Men of Purpose – an organization that mentors troubled teens. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook:

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No Special Gifts Required

5 Impacting Things We Can All Do Regardless of Our Natural Abilities

I’m fascinated by people who are exceptionally gifted in some area of life or ministry. I know some people who are incredibly good with people. Their charisma is magnetic. They don’t know a stranger and can win over the toughest adversaries. Others are exceptionally talented musicians or singers. They can play or sing with a level of skill that surely causes angels to envy. I’ve listened in utter amazement to gifted public speakers who can capture the attention of the hardest audience and hold them spellbound. The world has many people with amazing gifts and abilities who are able to do what may seem impossible to you and me.

Sometimes the great talent we see in other people makes our own abilities seem inferior. At times, we’ve all felt intimidated and looked at our own lives and wondered if we had any special talents or abilities at all! But the reality is we are all gifted in unique areas. God has given all of us differing talents and abilities. He bestowed a diversity of gifts to different people so that we would all need one another.

I’ve accepted the fact that there are some areas where I’ll never make a great impact because I’m not gifted in those areas. That’s ok. I will try to focus on my areas of giftedness because, obviously, that is where I’ll make the greatest impact. But regardless of the gifts any of us possess or don’t possess there are some things that we can all do – things that really make a difference. There are some areas where we can make an impact and there are no special gifts required! Let me quickly identify a few:

Kindness. We can all be kind. We can all demonstrate kindness. We can all be gracious toward people. There’s no special gift required. It may never be said of me, “He brought the house down with that song!” But I can be kind. It can be said of me, “He is so caring and thoughtful.”
Encouragement. We can all be an encourager. The world is a discouraging place. Our adversary is discouraging. Life can be discouraging. People are desperate for encouragement. We can all be an encourager. There is no special gift or talent required to simply offer words or gestures of encouragement to the people in our lives.
Integrity. We can all people of integrity. Regardless of what special gifts I have or don’t have, I can be a man of integrity. I can do what I say I’m going to do and practice what I preach. We can all be people of character and integrity.
Prayer. We can all pray. We don’t have to possess some special talent or ability to pray. Prayer changes things. Prayer changes people. Prayer changes situations. Prayer changes us. And anyone can pray. I may not be a gifted singer, musician, speaker, writer or creative genius, but I can pray – and prayer makes an impact.
Faithfulness. We can all be faithful – faithful to God, faithful to our calling or ministry, faithful to our spouses and family, faithful to our church, faithful to our vision and mission. Diligent, consistent commitment to what’s important in life makes an incredible impact – and you don’t need any special gift to be faithful!

I’ll never play or sing at Carnegie Hall. I’ll probably never receive a Pulitzer Prize for a literary masterpiece. There are some things in life that I’ll never achieve because, frankly, I’m not gifted in those areas. But in spite of what talents we may or may not possess, there are some things that we can all do – things that will positively impact our lives and the lives of those around us. There are some areas of greatness where no special gifts are necessary!

– Pastor Ball

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Opening the Vial

I’m often amazed by what I see happen at Faith Apostolic Church. After just about every weekend service I leave in awe of the great things I see God doing in and through His people.

Last Sunday was one of those days.

A family in our church came to service carrying an unspeakable burden. Their daughter had just been raped earlier in the week. I can’t even imagine the pain and confusion this young, innocent, fourteen year-old girl was feeling. I’m sure her father wanted to find the low-life perpetrator and give him what he deserved. I didn’t know what to say or how to minister to a family in the jaws of such a deep sorrow and grief.

As we all began to worship, the Spirit of the Lord swept through the building like a cool, refreshing breeze. I sensed that gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit and, in retrospect, I’m so glad I followed His lead. I didn’t tell the church the details of what happened, I just mentioned that this family was dealing with a terrible situation and that we needed to pray for them.

The members of our church poured out of their seats and filled the aisles and packed in the rows around the family. They literally locked arms in concentric circles around them as if to make a human shield that would ward off all the fiery darts of the enemy. Without even knowing the details of the incident, our church began praying and interceding. They wept and sorrowed with that grieving family. Compassion and concern gave way to deep empathy and true burden-bearing. It was like the whole church shouldered the weight of that tragedy.

God did a miracle that morning. He didn’t change what had happened to the young lady. He didn’t take all the pain and hurt away. He didn’t erase all feelings that she and her family will have to sort through. But, He did use a church family to minister healing and comfort. It was like God opened a vial – a vial full of the prayers and tears of the saints – and poured it upon the wounds of that family. Like a healing salve, it brought them comfort. It eased the pain. It brought hope and peace.

The book of Revelation records a scene in heaven. Twenty-four elders are before the Throne of God and they have vials in their hands which contain the prayers of the saints. An angel takes the prayers in those vials and offers them up to God. The aroma and fragrance of those prayers fills the room. It is a sweet smell that blesses and ministers to God.

The gospel of Luke records a woman coming to Jesus with an alabaster box of precious ointment. She breaks open the box and pours the ointment upon Jesus’ feet along with her own tears. Jesus tells the onlookers that by her act of pouring oil and tears upon His feet she was “anointing His body.”

We know that pouring our tears and prayers out to the Lord is like offering to Him a sweet incense that ministers to Him and blessed Him. Could it also be that when we pour out our tears and prayers for one another we are ministering to “His body?” We are the hands and feet of God. We are the body of Christ. When the woman poured the oil on His feet, Jesus said, “She has anointed my body.”

Our Prayers and tears are like incense that ascends to the Throne and blesses God. But, so are the tears and prayers we pray for one another like a healing salve that blesses the Body of Christ.

When our church family began to pray on Sunday for one of our families who was suffering, it was like a vial of salve was opened and poured upon the wounds of that family. Our tears for them and prayers for them were like a precious ointment that ministered healing and hope.

Ministry like this is so needful in our world that is so full of hurting people. I pray the church will always know how and be ready to “open the vial” and pour out our prayers, tears and intercession for one another.

Pastor Ball

Please feel free to leave a comment

August Calendar

[button url=”http://faithapostolic.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/August-2013.pdf” size=”Large” arrow=”right”]August 2013 Calendar[/button]

VBS Video Recap

What an incredible week we had at Vacation Bible School! From July 16th – 19th, kids gathered to sing, eat snacks, do crafts, play games and most importantly, learn about the Word of God. We had a wonderful time and hope you enjoy our video recap.

If you are interested in getting your child involved, our kids have their very own service every Sunday morning at our Carmel campus with our Children’s Pastors, Kurt & Sherri Palmer. Please contact us for more information.

Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman and a Multicultural Church

Sunday morning I witnessed a miracle. The morning after the George Zimmerman verdict, I watched the members of our multi-racial church worshipping God together in an unearthly unity. They were singing, crying and praying together. They worshipped side-by-side while demonstrating a deep, genuine love for one another.

That level of unity would be rare even in a church made up of people who are all alike. But what is more noteworthy is that Faith Apostolic Church is made up of over 15 nationalities from every conceivable background. Blacks and whites, Republicans and Democrats, Hispanics and Africans, the homeless and the homeowners, Europeans and Asians, those with a GED and those with a PhD, fifth generation Apostolics and those new to the faith all call FAC home.

If the Zimmerman verdict would have happened 15 years ago it would not have even been mentioned in our church. We were a white, Republican, suburban church with a glaring sameness about us. But God spoke prophetically to us that we would become an “Antioch” church. And God said that we would not “look elsewhere for the model, but that we would be the model.” God began to miraculously add a broad diversity of people to our church. That diversity has brought many challenges. No longer do we all think alike. No longer do we all align ourselves on the same side of political issues. No longer do we all feel the same way about things that are happening in our world. Even in the context of our Apostolic faith, our cultural differences are stark.

The challenges we’ve faced in becoming a multicultural church over the last 15 years have seemed to intensify lately. It’s felt like the division in our country has been trying to creep into the church. The spirits of division and racism that are rampant around us have been knocking on our door, wanting to come in and magnify our differences and provoke the ugliness of our fleshly natures.

All of our differences have created a situation ripe for division in our church. How can so many people who are so different ever love one another and live out their faith together? Look at our divided society. The division in our country has escalated to frightening levels. Racial tension is at a boiling point. The political division in Washington is so bad that many have lost faith in government. Hopes that the election of a black president would ease racial tensions are waning. Trayvon Martin’s death has further exacerbated the problem. Society says unity is impossible. Society shouts at a multicultural church and says, “You’ll never have unity!”

But we do. And it’s amazing.

What we’re experiencing at FAC is truly miraculous. But I can’t take credit for the unity we enjoy in our church. It wasn’t any profound leadership skill on my part that created it. It wasn’t that I wisely handled the culturally divisive issues in the church. The challenges we’ve faced have often left me perplexed and struggling to find solutions. When God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel basically responded, “I really don’t know!” I’ve felt the same way. I’ve often wondered if it’s possible for us to really be joined together. The realization that I am powerless to make it happen has been humbling.

Just like in Ezekiel’s story – it is the Spirit of God that has brought our church unity. It was the moving of the Spirit in Ezekiel 37 that joined together the fragmented bones and made them a body. Paul said to the Corinthian church, “For by one Spirit are you baptized into one body.” On Sunday I shared with the congregation that we must have a move of the Holy Ghost because it is only the Spirit that can make a multicultural church one body. This is especially true on the heels of a controversial verdict.

The solution to division is the Spirit of God. The enemy seeks to divide and fragment, but the Spirit of God brings broken pieces together. The Spirit joins us as one. Hatred, discord, jealousy, envy and rage are works of the flesh. But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, longsuffering and gentleness. The reason there is so much division in our society is because society has largely forsaken the very thing that produces unity – God’s Spirit.

The church should be a “city on a hill.” The church should be a model to the world of how we can be diverse yet joined in love and unity. The miracle that God has done at Faith Apostolic is not that He’s made us all alike – it’s that, in spite of our differences, He’s made us one. At FAC, recognizing and celebrating our differences does not undermine our unity but rather epitomizes what the Spirit of God has done among us. A racially divided country should be able to look at a multicultural, Apostolic church and see that there is hope.

The answer to our country’s division is the Spirit of God.

Pastor Matthew Ball

Check out Sunday’s Message on this subject entitled, “The Moving of the Spirit Creates Unity” in our sermon archives

It’s the Spirit that Creates Unity

Pastor Ball talks about how important it is that we experience a moving of the Holy Ghost in our church because the Spirit is the only thing that will bring unity in a multi-cultural church.

Vacation Bible School Begins July 16th, 2013

Vacation Bible School begins July 16^th

It’s summertime and that means Vacation Bible School at Faith Apostolic Church! Our annual VBS is one of the highlights of the year at our church! Not only is it an exciting week for our kids, but all teenage and adult volunteers have a blast helping with music, teaching, crafts, games and food.

This year’s theme is the Big Apple Adventure – where Faith and Life connect. Kids ages 2-12 are going to love this theme that teaches Biblical concepts in a fun and engaging way.

Our VBS will be July 16^th – 19^th at 6pm nightly at Faith Apostolic Church. It’s not too late to register your kids. Please call the church office or email us to register.

Lifting Others Up

Pastor Ball shares a message about the ministry of lifting one another up