Wednesday, 6 May 2026

It All Begins with Scribbling! Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt 
Tim Logo   A Note from Pastor Tim
Greetings and thank you for reading. I pray that Fresh Manna is a blessing to you and helps you launch your day in the Lord. If you are blessed by what you read, please share it with a friend. There is a link in this box and  at the bottom of each devotional that says:  "Forward this email to a friend." Click on it, and put in their email and it will go to them. Thanks in advance for sharing! God bless you and thanks again for reading! Forward this email to a friend

It All Begins with Scribbling!

May 6, 2026
by Timothy Burt

After church one recent Sunday, I watched a young child run up to his parent, excitedly holding out his “beautiful” Sunday school picture—which, in reality, was just a page covered in colorful crayon scribbles. The parent smiled, received it warmly, and celebrated it as if it were a masterpiece. That moment stayed with me.

It brought back a memory from when I was 16 years old. My oldest sister, who had four young children, asked me to babysit one evening. When I arrived, the kids were finishing dinner—talking a mile a minute and making me laugh. After we cleaned up, we headed into the living room—and that’s when I saw it. One wall my sister had just finished wallpapering was completely covered in crayon drawings.

I stopped and asked, “Whoa, what happened here?” One of the girls answered casually, “Oh, we did that.” I asked what their parents said. She replied matter-of-factly, “Mom cried for a while, got mad, and told us never to do it again.” Their innocence was undeniable. They knew they had done something wrong, but they didn’t fully understand the weight of it yet. They were very young and still learning.

That memory has often reminded me of young Christians.

Many have sincerely asked Jesus into their hearts. They’ve repented and begun their walk with God—but they are brand new. They don’t yet know much about His Word or fully understand what it means to grow in Christ. They are learning, little by little, week by week. And sometimes, like children with crayons on wallpaper, they make mistakes—not out of rebellion, but out of immaturity.

The apostle Peter speaks to this stage of growth:
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT).
Growth is expected. Maturity takes time.

In a recent conversation, I heard someone say about a new believer, “How can he call himself a Christian when he thinks and acts like that?” That kind of response misses the heart of God. Scripture reminds us,
“You who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (Galatians 6:1 NIV).
God’s heart is always restoration, not rejection.

Christians aren’t looking for condemnation. They’re looking for someone to love them, guide them, and walk with them as they grow. That’s one reason I started writing Fresh Manna—to help believers grow and mature in Christ. The goal isn’t perfection overnight; it’s steady growth and transformation through the Word and the Spirit.

Truth matters—but how we deliver it matters just as much. Truth can come as loving guidance or harsh judgment. Many young believers are already battling the accusing voice of the enemy. When fellow Christians pile on condemnation, some feel like failures and walk away from God. That’s why God’s Word says,
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT).

We must not be the ones who push people away from the very grace that saved us.

Every believer is at a different place in their journey. Some are in churches that don’t teach much Scripture. Some haven’t found a church yet. Others feel intimidated by the Bible or unsure how God could forgive their past. But God sees them differently. He sees the beginning of something beautiful.
“God…will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Just like that parent who treasured a crayon drawing, God delights in the early steps of His children. He corrects—but always with love, patience, and purpose. And He calls us to do the same.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” (Ephesians 4:2 NLT)

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see others the way You see them—with patience, compassion, and hope. Teach us to be gentle with those who are growing, remembering how much grace You have shown us. Guard our hearts from judgment and fill us with Your love, so we can encourage and restore others with kindness. Help us walk alongside those who are new in their faith, pointing them to You with wisdom and humility. May our words build up, not tear down, and may our lives reflect Your goodness in all we do, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Monday, 4 May 2026

Origins Interviews #008 - Riccardo Priolo

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The Bridge God Uses is you! Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt 
Tim Logo   A Note from Pastor Tim
Greetings and thank you for reading. I pray that Fresh Manna is a blessing to you and helps you launch your day in the Lord. If you are blessed by what you read, please share it with a friend. There is a link in this box and  at the bottom of each devotional that says:  "Forward this email to a friend." Click on it, and put in their email and it will go to them. Thanks in advance for sharing! God bless you and thanks again for reading! Forward this email to a friend

The Bridge God Uses is you!

May 4, 2026
by Timothy Burt

Sometimes I think back to people I had the privilege of helping lead to Christ. At the time, it felt like a simple conversation—just sharing the gospel and praying together. But years later, I see how God is using their life, and I find myself thinking, Wow, look what God has done through them.

That thought is humbling. Every life God uses begins the same way—with someone coming to Christ. And very often God chooses to involve another believer in that moment. He allows ordinary people like us to help someone move from confusion to understanding, from searching to faith.

In Acts 8, Philip approached an Ethiopian official who was reading Isaiah but didn’t understand it. When Philip asked if he understood, the man replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31).

That question reveals the gap. The man had Scripture in his hands, but he needed someone to help him understand it. Philip climbed into the chariot and “beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). That conversation changed everything.

Ananias became a bridge for Saul. After encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul was blind and uncertain. God sent Ananias to him, and when he arrived he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus… has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). One obedient man helped launch the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Andrew played a similar role. Scripture says, “He first found his own brother Simon… and he brought him to Jesus” (John 1:41–42). Andrew didn’t preach to crowds. He simply made an introduction. That brother became Peter. What seemed like a small moment became the beginning of a life that God would use in extraordinary ways.

Bridges don’t create the destination. God does. Bridges don’t supply the power. God does. Bridges simply connect what would otherwise remain separated. Sometimes the gap is confusion. Sometimes it’s shame. Sometimes it’s pain or disappointment. Sometimes it’s sin that feels too heavy to overcome.

Scripture asks an important question: “How are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). God could write the gospel in the sky, but instead He chooses to involve people in His redemptive plan.

We rarely see the whole story. Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). That truth is freeing. Our role is obedience. The results belong to Him.

Jesus Himself is the ultimate bridge. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). He bridged the infinite gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. He didn’t shout directions from heaven—He came down and made a way.

There may be someone in your life right now standing at the edge of that gap. They may be searching, skeptical, restless, or hurting. You may feel unqualified. But Scripture says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Think about that—God makes His appeal through us.

Years from now you may look back and realize that what seemed like a small moment—a conversation, a prayer, a word of encouragement—became the beginning of a life that God used in ways you never imagined.

You don’t have to build the whole road to someone’s future. You only have to be faithful with the plank God places in your hands.

You never know who is on the other side of your obedience—and you never know how far someone will travel once they cross.

1 Corinthians 3:9 — For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for allowing us to participate in Your work. Open our eyes to the people around us who are searching for truth. Give us courage to speak when You prompt us and humility to trust You with the results. Use our lives to help others come to know You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!‍
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It All Begins with Scribbling! Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt

Fresh Manna with Pastor Tim Burt  ...