Paul came to Thessalonica and began preaching Jesus to people who had literally never heard His name before. Some of these people were Jewish, and many others were steeped in idolatry and the worship of the Roman gods. But the power of the Gospel, that is, the announcement of the wonders that God had done for the entire human race in the person of His Son, combined with signs and wonders and the power of the Holy Spirit at work, led people to turn from worshiping idols to worshiping the one, true God.

Too often, I think, we imagine the saints to be statues or stained glass windows, and forget that they were men and women with pasts, some of which make some of us blush, and others of us feel downright, well, hopeful!

Men and women came from more than 270 cities and 36 States — with 1000 people on a waiting list! I’ve tried to find the right words to convey what the Lord did over the course of less than three full days…but I can’t. Yet.

This isn’t to say that He gives us what we want every time we pray. God is a good Father, not a genie. He’s not there to do our will; we’re here to do His. His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. Those ways and thoughts of His are often confusing and puzzling. At least they are to me.