Dear Foothills Family,

I've shared with you that my nickname "Duff", "Duffy" or "Duffer" was given to me by my Dad who said that when I was a young boy I was a bit of a "ruffian" who could be rough on stuff and broke things, etc... The nickname became a term of endearment as virtually all of our friends and the other mission families called me by my nickname rather than me given name, Lyndon.

I've joked in my adult years that all my friends call me Duff, and the school principal and the IRS (or people who don't really know me) call me Lyndon. Abe Lincoln was known as "honest Abe" and Frank Sinatra was known as "Chairman of the Board". In Chicago Cubs history, "Amazing Grace" referred to Mark Grace. If someone were to give you a name indicative of your personality, what would it be? What nickname or adjective would sum up who you really are?

Pastor Don is bringing a wonderful Biblical message this coming Sabbath in our continuing series on Spiritual Gifts. Don is going to refer to a biblical man who was named for his spiritual gift. His given name was Joseph and he was from the Island of Cyprus. He was Levite, an early convert to the Christian faith and he was a great friend of the Apostle Paul. Can you think who he is?

Dr. Luke introduces him in Acts 4:36-37 where he says that Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Barnabas was named for his spiritual gift because it perfectly reflected his character.

Two key qualities shine out from his life like beacons piercing the midnight darkness:

1. Barnabas insisted in believing the best about people.

2. He never held a person's past against them.

Have you heard of the Pygmalion Principle? It suggests a powerful truth that: People tend to become what we think them to be. We humans tend to live up to or down to the expectations that are placed on us. Treat a person as trustworthy and they will strive to be worthy of your trust. When we tell a child, "You can do it!" pretty soon they start to believe it. When we see someone as beautiful—and tell them such—they start to be transformed right before our eyes. On the other hand, if a person is treated like a criminal, they often find ways to prove that this identity is correct.

The encouragers among us are a powerful gift as they encourage us to become who Jesus says we are! We are the beloved of God who are filled with God's love and freely share that love with the people around us. Encouragers show us that by helping others, we also help ourselves. By strengthening others, we are strengthened. By lifting someone else's load, our own load becomes lighter.

I love the spirit of encouragement in our Foothills family!

Your Pastor,

Duff