In Mark 14, we find Jesus eating the last supper with His disciples.  As they were sitting around the table eating and having a great time (as we Christians so ably do), Jesus dropped a bomb of atomic proportions.  The paraphrase of what Jesus said goes something like this, “By the way, one of you eating dinner with me will betray me!”  KABOOM!  The sudden realization that there was a traitor in the midst changed the atmosphere around the table.  Instant silence.

I find it refreshingly interesting that there was no finger-pointing or name-calling going on.  Silence, but no suspicion.  John didn’t lean over and whisper in Jesus’ ear while nodding toward Thomas, “Lord, I’ve had my doubts about Thomas.  You better keep an eye on him.”  Peter didn’t turn on Matthew saying, “You dirty skunk!  I knew you weren’t for real!”  Nothing of the sort.  What did happen is that each man began to examine his own heart.  Peter, who was there at the table and later recounted the event to Mark, mentioned that one by one the disciples began to ask Jesus, “Is it I?”

I’m sure we have all sat through memorable church services where the convicting power of the Holy Spirit was great.  The message was especially strong, clear, and to the point.  Sin, apathy, and unbelief were called out for what they were, and the altars of repentance were opened and the invitation was given.  I wonder how many times we’ve sat through services like that thinking of all our sinner friends and family that really should have been in church that day.  We sit there planted in our seats shaking our heads with a, ”Tsk, Tsk, I only wish so-and-so could have been here today.”  Hey, I know.  I’ve done that before.

Obviously, we all have friends and family who desperately need to hear what God has to say.  But has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, God wasn’t talking about someone else?  Maybe He was talking about you.  Maybe the problem doesn’t lie in someone else’s backyard.  Maybe it’s in your own backyard and is sinking roots!

My purpose in this article isn’t one of condemnation.  My purpose is to encourage you to take a long, hard look at your own life.  Don’t stare at other people’s faults and shortcomings.  It isn’t polite.  When the Holy Spirit begins to move and speak out to hearts, don’t strain your eyes looking for everyone you think ought to respond.  When was the last time you responded?

You will never have to answer for the other guy, but you will have to answer for yourself.  Instead of asking, “Is it him?  Is it her?” just learn to ask, “Is it I?”

Pastor Todd Weston

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  That’s true for several reasons.  One of those reasons is that I have such fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving holidays.

I grew up in Springfield, Missouri and was surrounded by grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins.  Each year a different member of the family would host Thanksgiving dinner.  While the location changed, the menu never varied.  You could count on it.  Everyone brought the same dish year after year.  It was such a great meal, I wondered why we had it only once a year.

After dinner, the older adults would sit around and visit while the younger members of the family played games.  A football game would be on TV and there would always be a lot of laughter.

By evening, everyone would be hungry again so we would finish off the leftovers.  That would be followed by more visiting and games until it was time to part ways with hugs and plans for the next big family get-together.

Not everyone in our family were Christians.  But that didn’t stop us from taking time before dinner to read one of the Thanksgiving Psalms, pray, and thank the Lord for His many blessings.  Imagine celebrating Thanksgiving and never taking the time to give thanks to God.  That doesn’t make much sense, does it?

Every family has their own holiday traditions that are special.  If you don’t already do so, let me encourage you to insert into your family Thanksgiving tradition a time to focus on the Lord.  Read one or more of the many Thanksgiving Psalms such as: Psalm 103, 105-107, 116, 118, & 136.  Sing a song of praise.  Give testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness.  Take time to worship together and pray.

In other words, do what the psalmist talked about in Psalm 105:1, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD!  Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples!”  

Thanksgiving is more than a great meal, football, and family fun.  It’s a time for us to do what the name of the holiday suggests.  Setting aside time to sincerely give thanks to the Lord is a great teaching moment for upcoming generations.  It’s a way to develop and rekindle the attitude of gratitude in all of our hearts.   

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! And let’s be sure to give thanks, not just on Thanksgiving Day, but every day of the year.

Pastor Todd Weston

One day, the Lord told the prophet Jeremiah to go the potter’s house and watch him at his work.  There was a lesson God wanted Jeremiah to learn and a message he wanted him to hear.  He told Jeremiah, “And there I will cause you to hear my words” (Jeremiah 18:1).  ​

So Jeremiah did as he was told and found the potter working with a lump of clay on the wheels.  He watched as the master craftsman worked the clay with his gentle touch.  He noted how the clay responded to the potter’s hand and began to take on a new form.  

Then everything stopped!  Something had gone wrong.  The potter had detected an imperfection in the clay.  A small pebble.  A grain of sand.  Something that didn’t belong.  Jeremiah noted, “The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter” (Jeremiah 18:4a).

Though marred, it was still in the potter’s hand.  Jeremiah watched in wonder as the potter sat on his bench looking at the marred lump of clay in his hand.  What would he do?  Toss it aside as inferior and start with a new lump?  No.  As Jeremiah watched, the potter began to work out the imperfection.  He then, “made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:4b).

As Jeremiah stood pondering what he had just seen, the word of the Lord came to Him, “Cannot I do with you as this potter?” (Jeremiah 18:6).

The answer, of course, is yes!  The moment you put your life in God’s hands, He begins working out His wonderful plan.  As the Master Potter God begins to work out His dream for your life.  But then our imperfections rise to the surface.  That temper.  Those doubts that seem to plague us.  That bad habit we cannot seem to shake.  A temporary setback.  Every imperfection is detected by the hand of God.

That would be the end of the story if it wasn’t for the grace of God.  So what does the Master Potter do with marred vessels?  He lovingly and patiently works out the imperfections and goes back to work making them into vessels of honor (2 Timothy 2:21).

That is God’s plan for you!  And He is committed to accomplishing that work.  “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).  With God, marred vessels can be remade!

Pastor Todd Weston

It was the romance of the century.  A modern-day Cinderella/Prince Charming love story with all the trappings of royalty, fame, and fortune.  Her name was Diana.  His was Charles, Prince of Wales.  They were deeply in love.  They married, had a family, and lived happily-ever-after.  At least that’s the way those kinds of stories are supposed to end.  But this romance didn’t have a happy ending.  The happily-ever-after part was shattered by lost love, broken promises, divorce, and the untimely death of the princess.

Nothing is more tragic than lost love.  Just ask the believers in Ephesus.  It was the Ephesian  Church Jesus was talking to when He said, “You have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4).  They were still going through the motions, but the love was gone.  Passionless Christianity.

During a recent Sunday evening prayer meeting Nicholas pointed out that when our love for Jesus begins to cool we start looking for loopholes.  That’s so true.  When we fall out of love for Jesus we begin to make excuses for our lack of passion.  We actually become legalistic.  

Legalism is when you focus on the letter of the law, not the spirit of the law.  Normally, we think of legalism as focusing on the myriad of things you cannot do and still be a Christian.  When a person falls out of love with Jesus, they begin to focus on all the things (often questionable things) they can do and still be a Christian.  The whole thing is reversed.

Legalism also elevates works.  A passionless Christian will do the same.  They will focus on the doing part of Christianity rather than the being part which is lacking.  Like the Ephesians, they will busy themselves with Christian activities to avoid dealing with the greater issue - a loveless heart.

How about your heart?  We are either pressing towards Jesus or drifting away from Him.  As Jesus told the Ephesians, lost love must be recovered.  If your love for the Lord is beginning to fade, do everything you can to stir it up.  Fall in love with Jesus again.  Stay in love with Him.  It’s the only way your story can have a happy ending.

Pastor Todd Weston

Many years ago in a small midwestern town a woman lived and died.  She was an elderly spinster; the oldest person in town when she died.  Although she had lived in this particular town her entire life, she was not well known by the townspeople.  She had done nothing seriously wrong, nor had she done anything of great note.

When she passed away, the local newspaper editor wanted to report more than just the dates of her birth and death, but he couldn’t come up with anything.  He happened to stop by the local coffee shop where he learned that the owner of the gravestone company was having a similar problem.  Even after thinking it over together, the two men were still unable to arrive at a solution.  They just didn’t know what to say about this woman.

Totally frustrated, the newspaper editor returned to his office and delegated the assignment to the first person he saw - the sports editor.  Today, if you were to visit the cemetery in the small midwestern town where the woman is buried, you would read this epitaph written by the sports editor of the local paper -

                                                      “Here lie the bones of Nancy Jones.
                                                            For her, life held no terrors.
                                                         She lived alone, she died alone,
                                                            No hits, no runs, no errors.”

While you may not be the daring type, there are times when the life of faith requires that we step out and take some risks.  The Bible presents many examples -

• Moses walking into the court of Pharaoh boldly issuing the demand, “Let my people go!”
• Joshua and Caleb encouraging the people to launch the daring conquest of Canaan
• Young David with sling and stones in hand running out to face the giant Goliath
• Esther approaching the king’s throne unsummoned to plead for the lives of her people
• Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on water while the other disciples played it safe

​The Christian life is for the courageous, so let’s live for God courageously.  Laying fear aside, let’s live the life of faith to the full!  “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

Pastor Todd Weston