ACT Ministries Blog

Absorbing God’s Word

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Applying God’s Word

God is repeatedly asking me to keep my eyes on Him. He wants people to experience Him through me. That doesn’t happen unless my mind is governed by the Holy Spirit.

Who do I really see when I look in the mirror each day? Hopefully, I see a person who is welcoming to others; someone who wears a warm smile of encouragement accompanied by kind words to those in need. Admittedly, I have days when I am somewhat distracted, but those are the days when God reminds me that He is not done with me yet.

A mind governed by worldly things is an obstacle to God’s work. Therefore, the shaping and molding that takes place in my daily appointment with God is critical. People don’t want to just hear me talk about God. People would rather see evidence that my mind is governed by God’s Holy Spirit via His life and peace in me.

Accounting of God’s Word

Is my mind governed by the things around me or the things within me? Do I make time each day to meet with God?

Absorbing God’s Word

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” Proverbs 31:10 

Applying God’s Word

Friday, May 23, 2025 marked 55 years that Joanne and I would have been married. In 2014, she fell out of my arms and into the arms of Jesus. Back then, to help recover emotionally I distributed some of Joanne’s jewelry to our daughter and three granddaughters.

One of Joanne’s rings had three equal sized diamonds, which I had the jeweler turn into three separate rings. Each granddaughter had to wait until their sixteenth birthday to receive their ring. A few days ago, my youngest granddaughter received the final ring. Accompanying each ring was a poem I wrote over Joanne’s signature.

My First Diamond Ring

“The ring grandpa gave me, I wore on my hand, a reminder to us that our promise would stand.

Three Gorges diamonds all the same size, lined in a row and a sight for sore eyes.

I’ve taken one stone from my special band, in hopes that you’d wear it on your pretty hand.

Remember that promise I told you about? It was hard to keep but we lived it out.

You’re old enough for my diamond now, but with this ring comes a secret vow.

To only settle for the very best mate. Don’t waste time on just any old date.

Wait for the man who makes your heart sing, like the man who gave me my very first ring.”

Grandma Joanne Gorges McCall

Accounting of God’s Word

This Memorial Day, let’s pray for all the men and women who gave their lives for our country and loved-ones who are no longer with us.

Absorbing God’s Word

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” John 3:8

Applying God’s Word

John 3 compares the Holy Spirit with the wind. We can’t control the Holy Spirit anymore than we can control the wind.

Last week, I withdrew some cash out of the bank, which was made up mostly of 1o’s and 20’s. To be safe, I placed the envelope of money in my coat pocket and carried it into a restaurant. On exiting the restaurant, I was met with a blast of wind, which flipped the envelope full of money into the air. The money flew everywhere. What an incredible sight.

Two of the restaurant servers saw what was happening and rushed to help me. All of us were laughing hysterically. while attempting to retrieve the money. Between my generous tip to each of them and the unfound money, I lost about $200, which was a mere fraction of the envelope’s contents.

If we are open to it, the Holy Spirit will use each of us like the wind. Be ready!

Accounting of God’s Word

“Challenge” Am I ready for the Holy Spirit to use me like the wind?

Absorbing God’s Word

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4

Applying God’s Word

There’s a new Pope sitting in St. Peter’s chair now, Pope Leo The XIV. Louise and I have prayed at length for the man God would place at the helm of His church. Unfortunately, the election process came down to a majority vote from Cardinals who, for the most part, were appointed by Pope Francis.   

The Cardinals voting for the Pope, are sinners like you and I. Many are as truthful as the day is long, a few are like wolves in sheep’s clothing and there are others motivated by status and popularity. Therefore, each voting Cardinal had to look in the mirror and ask the same question each of us is faced with every day, “Do my choices satisfy my own opinions and desires or do my choices satisfy God’s will?

  Accounting of God’s Word

Come Holy Spirit. Enlighten Pope Leo The XIV to align his thoughts, decisions and his actions with Your will

Absorbing God’s Word

“He said to them, “Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone.” Mark 16:15

Applying God’s Word

It’s exiting to see God’s “Word” reaching the world through social media, TV and movies like “The Passion” and “The Chosen”. As wonderful as these resources are at spreading the good news, we have been empowered to do our part in reaching everyone, as well.

I’m not an eloquent speaker, but if God opens that door, I walk through it. Just last week, a friend of mine and I were invited to speak to a group of new Christians. Instead of reading a scripted presentation, we trusted the Holy Spirit to deliver the parts of our personal testimonies that would reach the hearts of these listeners. Did we succeed? We let God decide that. The glory is His.

Accounting of God’s Word

Am I doing my part to preach the good news to everyone?

Absorbing God’s Word

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Applying God’s Word

Most folks are done with Easter. Their decorative bunnies, eggs and baskets are all put away. As for us Christians, our Easter season continues until the day of Pentecost, which is June 8^th. This year, I’ve begun that 50 day process with Acts 1:8 by replacing the word “You” with my name, “Jack”. Acts 1:8 is screaming, “Can I get a witness?”

If I claim to be a follower of Jesus, I believe His Holy Spirit is in me, on me and with me. I also claim that I am one of His witnesses to the rest of the world and that I’m available for whatever He asks me to do. He may encourage me to assist others physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and/or financially. He empowers me to share, among other things, His compassion, joy, hope, mercy and love.

Accounting of God’s Word

Have I let the Holy Spirit empower me to be a witness?  

Absorbing God’s Word

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

Applying God’s Word

It’s said that the word “Easter” comes from an Old English word “Ēostre-monath,” meaning the month of April. Dating way back, bunnies, for Christians were associated with virginity and the Virgin Mary. In the twelve hundreds, Christians were forbidden to eat eggs during Lent. Therefore, they boiled and decorated the leftover eggs as symbols of Jesus’ resurrection and new life.

For me, Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing in history even comes close to a documented miracle of this magnitude. It makes me think of the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly. The caterpillar lives a hard existence, dies to its old self and is born again into an amazingly beautiful creation. Easter is a time that calls you and I to die to our old self so we can be transformed into our new self.

Accounting of God’s Word

This Easter, am I willing to die to my old self in order to become an amazingly beautiful new self for Jesus?

Absorbing God’s Word

“My son, the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:31

Applying God’s Word

I love you dad! Today would be your 104^th Birthday. I honored you in a talk this morning, realizing that I should have honored you more when you were alive.

You asked three things of me before you died. 1) Get right with Jesus. 2) Take care of your mother. 3) Make the world a better place. You knew that if I got right with Jesus, He would teach me how to take care of mom and make the world a better place. I did get right with Jesus and I took care of mom, but God is still showing me how to make the world a better place.

I want to thank you for showing me the importance of doing things right the first time, for doing the best you could in raising me, for the times you didn’t yell at me, but instead listened. Thank you for hugging me as a boy and for continuing to hug me when I became a man, for making one sacrifice after another so that I could have a better life. Thank you for your example of daily prayer, your application of the scriptures to everyday life and for expressing your deep love for Jesus to me, our family and to so many others. “You Are Always With Me”.

Accounting of God’s Word

“Challenge” Do I take time to thank my parents and/or mentors for molding and shaping me into a follower of Jesus.

Absorbing God’s Word

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Applying God’s Word

I often tell folks that I don’t read the Bible. The Bible reads me. The Bible never made much sense to me until I invited the Holy Spirit into my life. After that, what once seemed like an entirely different language, became clear, relatable and applicable to every area of my life. The Bible has taught me so much over the last 38 years and yet I sense that I may still be at a primary grade level of understanding.

God’s word is banned in many countries. Even though it’s not banned in our country, not all of us appreciate the incredible gift that it is. It constantly teaches, rebukes, encourages, corrects and shapes us into disciples of Jesus. Picture being face to face with Jesus someday and having Him ask, “What did you think of my best seller?”

Accounting of God’s Word

Have I read God’s best seller? Have I allowed it to read me?

Absorbing God’s Word

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:35

Applying God’s Word

Nagasaki is one of two communities in Japan that were hit by an atomic bomb in August of 1945. It’s also a region synonymous with Christianity/Catholicism. From 1549 to 1579, in the Nagasaki Valley, the Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier, converted some 200,000 Japanese to Christianity.

In 1614 the Japanese government banned Christianity outright, forcing believers to practice their faith secretly. The Christian faith was passed on underground from one generation to the next for over 250 years. Those who were caught practicing their faith were killed, but the Christian faith persevered.

Below is a link to a 30 minute sermon by Fr. Mike about Nagasaki. Disturbing yet moving!

Accounting of God’s Word

“Challenge” What kinds of risks have I taken or am I taking to live out my faith?