Blog Archives

Anticipation

7/28/2014

Anticipation (an-ti’-sə-pā’-shən) is defined as a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen; the act of preparing for something. Life would be pretty boring without this five-syllable word. The belief that there is always something good just ahead keeps a person’s life filled with hopeful expectation.

It could be a major event like the much anticipated birth of a baby. It could be a small but fun event like a family vacation or day at the beach. It might even be that wonderful annual celebration known as the start of the college football season. Hallelujah!

But what do you do when it seems life has lost its joy? What do you do when anticipation has run dry? That’s where faith kicks in. I’m talking about the faith to believe that in the midst of life’s monotony and pain, God still has something good for you on the horizon.

It was Oral Roberts who coined the phrase that later became the opening theme song of his television program, “Something good is going to happen to you.” The voice of fear says, “Look out! Something bad is going to happen to you.” The voice of faith says, “Look up! Something good is going to happen to you.” Success in life depends on which voice you listen to.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, each day is filled with hopeful expectation. You just never know where God is going to lead you or how He is going to use you in any given day. And as the old song says, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” Life with Jesus at the center just gets better and better the farther along you go. And when life’s days are spent, we have the great assurance of eternity in the home of the Lord.

So look up in faith today. Be excited about life. No matter what your present circumstances might be, you have much to live for! Experience the strong surge of anticipation again. As a born again believer in Jesus, you have more to look forward to than you realize!

Pastor Todd Weston

Anniversary

7/21/2014

Today – Monday, July 21st – is a very special day for Sheri and I. Today marks our 30th wedding anniversary. Thirty-years ago today we stood at Calvary Assembly of God in Brush, Colorado, and exchanged the pledges and vows we would live by for the rest of our lives.

I can remember that day like it was yesterday – July 21, 1984. Brush is a small town located on the eastern plains of Colorado. Calvary Assembly of God was a small but significant church that produced some amazing ministers of the gospel. There is one other special feature about the little church: it had no central air conditioning! While Colorado has very low humidity, I am here to tell you that hot is hot no matter how low the humidity might be.

So there we stood on that sweltering July afternoon before the pastor and my grandfather who performed the ceremony. Sheri was beautiful in her white dress, and I was sweating profusely in my black tuxedo. In spite of the heat we made it through the ceremony and the reception following. We then drove off into the sunset for a glorious week in the Rocky Mountains.

It’s hard to believe that was thirty years ago. But three children later, four ministry assignments, and a lot of life experiences; I guess the years do add up.

It’s good to recognize anniversaries. It’s good to look back and reflect on the things you’ve gone through together, the lessons learned, the hard times endured, and the victories won. It’s also a good time to plan for the future. Sheri and I are praying for at least sixty years together, so we are only half way. And we have determined that as wonderful as the first thirty years have been, the second thirty are going to be more amazing still. The best is yet to come!

Wow! It just occurred to me that on our 60th anniversary I will be eighty-three and Sheri will be eighty-one. Standing arm-in-arm in our golden years will be the same couple that stood together as kids in their early twenties exchanging pledges and vows in a little Colorado church. What we started together we will finish together, “Til death do us part.”

Pastor Todd Weston

Tombstones

7/14/2014

Pastors spend quite a bit of time in cemeteries. While there they are able to read some of the tombstones and grave markers. Here are a few inscriptions that have been collected by pastors from cemeteries across the country:

This from a cemetery most likely located in the wild, wild, west:
“Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a 44. No less. No more.”

Seen on the grave marker of a dentist:
“Stranger, approach this spot with gravity.
John Brown is filling his last cavity.”

From an Elkhart, Indiana, professor:
“School is out. Teacher has gone home.”

Found in Ruido, New Mexico:
“Here lies John Yeast. Pardon me for not rising.”

From Lee County, Mississippi:
“Once I wasn’t. Then I was. Now I ain’t again.”

This inscription is from a grave marker in Ft. Wallace, Kansas:
“He tried to make 2 jacks beat a pair of aces.”

I suppose the greatest epitaph found in the Bible is that of the Apostle Paul. You can find it in 2 Timothy 4:7. It tells of a man who was faithful to his God and to his calling. It reads, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

It has been said that a good character is the best tombstone. People will remember the kind of person you were long after epitaphs are forgotten. So carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

Pastor Todd Weston

Israel

7/7/2014

Israel is in the news again. The recent escalation of violence is a reminder of Israel’s ongoing geopolitical predicament. Located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea (the “Great Sea” in biblical terminology), Israel is surrounded by a host of not-so-friendly neighbors.

There is Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan on the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, Egypt to the southwest, and the Palestinian territories comprising the West Bank and Gaza strip on the east and southwest respectively. These are the immediate neighbors. Beyond them are a host of nations committed to Israel’s demise.

The fact that Israel continues to exist in this setting is a modern-day David and Goliath miracle. Israel is not a large nation. It’s about the size of New Jersey (8,522 square miles – the United States is nearly four million square miles) with a population of just over eight million. And yet Israel holds its own without a friend in the world, save the United States.

But no matter, for the God of heaven fights for Israel (Zechariah 14:3). As for the capital city of Jerusalem, “The LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; He will shield it and deliver it, He will pass over it and will rescue it” (Isaiah 31:5). Let the enemies of Israel beware! The Lord Himself has declared, “I will defend this city [Jerusalem] and save it, for My sake and for the sake of David My servant” (Isaiah 37:35).

Though the anti-Israel crowd seems to be gaining momentum, the best thing the United States can do is to stand unapologetically with Israel. For the ancient promise made to Abraham still applies, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” (Genesis 12:3).

So let us, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper who love you” (Psalm 122:6).

Pastor Todd Weston

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Anticipation

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