When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Acts 16:19 (TM)
I’m a lover of history and often look back to realize all that I learned from my high school history teacher. One of the things that Mr. Parks impressed upon me is the fact that money is the underlying motivating force behind most historical events. "If you want to get to the truth," he would say, "follow the money."
Those words came floating up in my memory as I read Acts 16. No one had a problem with Paul and Silas sharing the message of Jesus in Philippi. They had been sharing their faith for several days without incident. Then Paul cast a spirit out of the fortune-telling girl and messed with a family’s cash flow. They weren’t beaten for their faith, they were beaten and jailed for muddling up someone’s lucrative scam.
Money is a powerful force in our lives, our culture, and our world. Jesus knew this well. He taught about financial matters as much as any other subject. However, we tend to ignore the subtle, influential role money plays in our lives and relationships. Today’s chapter reminds me to "follow the money" in my own life, and to make sure I’m faithful with my finances.
Wayfarer 
I have a heavy heart this morning. We learned at worship yesterday that our worship director of 8 months is leaving. In our tenure at Westview (10 years) we have experienced 4, soon to be 5 worship leaders. Since we are involved in that ministry, it takes a toll on the folks who volunteer to constantly be changing leadership. In addition, we always have families who leave the church because they don’t like the change. So, its wearing on me. There is always some kind of drama when staff changes take place at a church. Worship is a key component. It is the first impression most make of your community. While that is not the most important thing about church, if you have visitors every Sunday, as we do in a DM suburb, you want to have a worship experience that lends itself to people checking it out again. So, today’s passage just reminds me that God has a plan and rather than worry about it, I need to lift it up to him. Will you join me in that?
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