I will be the first to admit there are a lot of things I’m not very good at.  I love working around the house and in the yard.  But when it comes to home repairs I’m a disaster.  My wife and kids love to laugh at my handyman horror stories. Just ask them about them time it took me an entire day to hang blinds in our house!
 
And then there is the wonderful world of auto mechanics, of which I know nearly nothing.  I’m the last person you should call if your car ever breaks down.  If it wasn’t broken before, it will be by the time I’m done with it.  
 
I really enjoy playing the game of golf, but I never know what to expect from one day to the next.  Sometimes I play respectable.  Other times you would think I had never touched a club in my life. I’m telling you, it’s enough to give a
person a complex.
 
I’m a lousy cook.  I barely survived freshman algebra.  I have never beaten Sheri in a game of ping pong.  I went hunting once and wasn’t invited to go again.  I’ve never been asked to sing a solo in my life. Need I say more?
 
But the truth of the matter is it doesn’t really bother me that I’m not very good at those things.  None of those things listed above appear on the priority list of my life – well, maybe golf!  
  
But there are some things in this life that I do want to get right.  Two things really matter to me.  First, I want to be the best Christian I can possibly be.  I really want to get my relationship with God right.  The other thing that matters to me is my family.  To be the kind of husband and father God wants me to be is a high priority in my life. 
 
So what if I cannot fix the dishwasher, or rebuild an engine like my brother-in-law?  So what if I cannot cook?  So what if my wife beats me mercilessly at ping pong?  If I can be a faithful man of God and a loving husband and father, I will consider my life a success.  Those are the things that matter most to me.       
 
Pastor Todd Weston
 
PS– I really would like to break 80 before I die!  : )

If life is a race with each year representing a lap around the track, then we have just come around the final turn and are on the home stretch for 2012.  
  
A few months ago our son Paul David, along with Noah Erickson and Michael Patton, competed in a triathlon event that involved swimming, cycling, and running.  It was a long and physically demanding race.  However, I noticed that as the finish line came into view, each runner picked up the pace and finished strong.  Some actually sprinted across the finish line! 
  
It’s one thing to start.  It’s another thing to endure.  But what about the virtues of finishing well?  
  
As we near the end of 2012, consider how you can finish the year strong.  Think of your family relationships.  How can you pick up the pace there?  What about your professional life?  Maybe just that extra push of effort is all that is needed to put you over the top! What about your health?  Why wait until the New Year to make the resolution to exercise, lose weight, eat right, and drop the bad habits?  Start now.  Finish strong.  And what kind of year has 2012 been for you spiritually?  No matter what the answer may be, I encourage you to kick it into gear now and finish the year well.  
  
A few Sunday’s ago our treasurer, Ed Erickson, gave a Generosity 212 (G212) update.  G212 is an initiative we launched in June of 2011 to address a serious budget shortfall.  The idea behind G212 is that at 211 degrees water is hot, but at 212 degrees water boils. Boiling water creates steam, and steam can power a locomotive.  What a difference one degree makes!
 
In the G212 initiative we were all encouraged to consider stepping up our giving by one degree.  The result was amazing! That little extra push solved the budget shortfall and enabled the church to fulfill all of its financial obligations.  Thank you RLA church family for your generosity!
 
Now, let’s finish the year strong!  If you have any questions concerning where you stand on your giving, please contact our bookkeeper, Vicky Tyson.  She will be happy to assist you.  You may contact her by calling the
church at 239-495-0400, or by email at, [email protected].    
  
We have run a good race. We’ve rounded the final turn.  The finish line is now in view.  Let’s make 2012 a year to be
remembered as together we finish strong. 
 
Pastor Todd Weston

Sheri and I are reading again Jim Collin’s book, Good to Great.  The book opens with this statement, “Good is the enemy of great.”  According to Collins, there are many companies and organizations that have not achieved greatness because they are satisfied with being good.  The book begs the question – Why settle for good when you can strive for greatness?

Let me put it another way – Why settle for being an average Christian when God has given you the potential to be an outstanding Christian? 

In 1 Cor. 14:12 the apostle Paul did not challenge the Christians in Corinth to seek to be average.  He didn’t call them to set mediocrity as their goal.  He challenged them to seek to excel!  He challenged them to spiritual greatness.

And why not?  There’s nothing average about our faith and the ministry we are called to.  The God we serve is not average.  The blood that washed away our sins is not average.  The power the enables us is not average.  The book we read is not average.  The message we preach is not average.  And the eternal home to which we are going is anything but average!

Everything about Christianity has the mark of greatness stamped on it.  It’s not the average commandment; it’s the Great Commandment!  It’s not the average commission; it’s the Great Commission!  Jesus is not an average savior; He’s a Great Savior!

As you seek to excel in other areas of life, do not overlook the most important.  Be passionate in all areas of life, but especially in your walk with God and service to the Lord.  Seek to excel as a man or woman of God.  Seek to excel in your knowledge of the Bible.  Seek to excel in prayer.  Seek to excel in godliness.  Seek to excel in your passion for the Lord and His work. 

Don’t settle for being just a good Christian.  Strive to be a great Christian!

Pastor Todd Weston