If God has created you to be a rose, why would you think He wants to turn you into a lilac? The flower analogy is meant to expose a common flaw in our thinking when we try to discern the will of God for our lives. If you were born in a certain place with a specific set of natural traits and a definite kind of personality, maybe those - and not some special revelation - are indicators of how you can "blossom." That's how one Regular Joe was used of God, and he was used very mightily indeed. Today Pastor Jim takes us back to the book of Acts for a closer look at Barnabas.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

If Barnabas hadn't vouched for Saul to the disciples in Jerusalem, and hadn't mentored John Mark, would we be missing most of our New Testament? The point is that this seemingly minor character, Barnabas, with his gifts of love, encouragement and generosity, had a major impact in the first century! And those gifts of the Spirit deserve much more attention today.

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Sure, Peter could do extraordinary things after being filled with the Spirit - he was...you know...Peter. But what about an ordinary Joe, like you and me? Today we'll look at the spiritual gift that had the most impact on the early church, and the person who best exemplified that gift. He wasn't an elite Apostle from Jesus' inner circle; he was just a regular guy, and his name really was Joe. At least at first. We meet him in Acts 4, verse 36

Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

"What Would Jesus Do?" Why not ask Him? Many Christians are confused about whether God speaks to them. Romans tells us, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." That leading can start with a sort of inner dialogue, impression, or instruction. And it's our joy to respond to that "still, small voice." If we make it a practice to hear and heed those instructions, we'll become mature, Spirit-led people.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

After the dramatic outpouring at Pentecost, the Spirit performed a spectacular healing through Peter and John...but the best was yet to come. The Jewish leaders desperately wanted to "spin" the healing of the lame man at the temple gate, to provide some alternative explanation, but they could not. As we pick up Pastor Jim's lesson on The Signature of God, he points out that this miracle is very similar to one that Jesus had performed earlier.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Jesus didn't come to give us "fire insurance." So what is His gift? Too often we oversimplify God's gift to us through Christ. We think of it as "salvation," or even "eternal life," by which we mean an escape from hell. And that's important! ...but the life He offers is His own, divine life, lived through us. It's a life powered and led by the Holy Spirit.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

For proof that God uses failures, we don't have to look any further than Peter. We can picture ourselves being used by God...after He makes us strong, makes us good public speakers, makes us beautiful and successful and popular. But the reality is that God uses people who don't "have it all together" - like the flaky fisherman named Simon Peter.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Are you living beyond your abilities? We hope so! If you're over a certain age, you remember a book called The Peter Principle, by Laurence J. Peter. The shorthand for the basic idea is that, in the corporate world, a person is promoted past his or her skill level - we "rise to our level of incompetence." Pastor Jim has a twist on that title, starting with the Apostle Peter, and showing that the early Christians met needs that were beyond their human capacity to fill.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

It wasn't the tongues of Pentecost that impressed unbelievers most; it was the togetherness. Even today we marvel at the description of those early believers: having all things in common, devoted to the Apostles' teaching, fellowship and prayer; they were clearly changed from the inside out. And it was all because of the gift of the Spirit that Pastor Jim has been describing from Acts 2. When the Promise of the Father came, He came not just for the Jews, but for everyone.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

It's good to remember that the gift given at Pentecost wasn't "tongues," but the Holy Spirit. The controversies surrounding "tongues" should drive us all to search the Scriptures more carefully. And when we look closely at Acts chapter 2, we may notice that Pentecost was a unique event, given for a specific purpose. Pastor Jim picks up at verse 3, just after the sound of a rushing wind had filled the house.Listen to Right Start Radio every Monday through Friday on WCVX 1160AM (Cincinnati, OH) at 9:30am, WHKC 91.5FM (Columbus, OH) at 5:00pm, WRFD 880AM (Columbus, OH) at 9:00am. Right Start can also be heard on One Christian Radio 107.7FM & 87.6FM in New Plymouth, New Zealand.