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Celebrating the Sanctity of Life!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

13 YOU made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank YOU for making me so wonderfully complex! YOUR WORKMANSHIP is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 YOU watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was WOVEN TOGETHER in the dark of the womb. 16 YOU saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in YOUR BOOK. Every moment was LAID OUT before a single day had passed. ~ Psalm 139:13-16

“CELEBRATING THE SANCTITY OF LIFE!”  People are quick to share their opinion to try to convince us that they’ve done their research proving that they’re right and others are wrong. Here are some critical issues facing Americans today according to The Pew Research Center: health care, the national deficit, illegal immigration, gun violence, COVID, racism, unemployment, and climate change. Start a conversation on any of these topics and a healthy debate might ensue. However, mention PRO-LIFE and get ready for war! The SANCTITY OF LIFE pits darkness against LIGHT!

Unfortunately, the church as the place where the standard of TRUTH is THE BIBLE is becoming less prevalent today. Have we forgotten…?

4 THE LORD gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as MY prophet to the nations.”        ~ Jeremiah 1:4-5

As we examine Psalm 139 today, we must either come to the conclusion that GOD declares HIS SANCTITY FOR LIFE or determine that THE BIBLE is not THE TRUTH we hold on to in any season or culture. Are we prepared to leave our opinions and experiences at the door? Can we approach the timeless WORD OF GOD as THE ULTIMATE TRUTH in each of our lives? I belief that’s our biggest CHOICE as we “CELEBRATE THE SANCTITY OF LIFE!” 😊

Living in the Shadow of the Cross

Blessings in CHRIST ~ Pastor Wes~ I Peter 3:15

LIFE IS A GIFT!

Preparation!

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

“everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him” ~ I John 2:29b

PREPARATION… I did a new thing this summer. Something I have never done before. I prepared a slab of ribs and barbequed them on the grill. It was lot easier than I had expected. First, I had to parboil them in our biggest pot. Second, I let them cool enough to cover them with spices we like. Third, I slathered sweet and spicy sauce all over them. Fourth, I began the grilling process of cooking and applying more sauce as I turned them over every ten minutes. My family rated the final result as finger licking good! So, all that work and preparation was worth it!

This may not seem like a big deal to you experienced grill masters out there, but it was a big deal to me. You see, my fear was that I might ruin this wonderful meat and let my family down in the process. I was afraid that my grilling gifts might not be honed enough for the task at hand. However, all my other grill experiences came into play to prepare this new thing. My grilling successes & failures made me who I am.

That’s when I realized the spiritual significance of this big chunk of pork. It reminded me of the process of walking with Christ. We tend to think that if we do this special thing, then we will be spiritual enough to make a difference. However, the truth is that God is working daily in each of lives to take us to the place He wants us to go and do the things He wants us to do. We who have trusted Christ and are walking with Him daily are right where He wants us to be. He has a plan for us today. In fact, He knows what’s about to happen in our lives. He is actively preparing us for what’s about to happen: good or bad.

Imagine for a moment, you’ve disciplined yourself to read your Bible every day. You have invested time with the Lord consistently for weeks, months, and years. You are walking with Him side by side and suddenly tragedy strikes. Your world is turned upside down. However, you know God intimately and deeply. You have built a relationship of trust over time. God’s more than a stranger you cry out to: He’s your friend! Now, imagine your life’s plan is just to survive day to day. You go to church regularly, but you don’t have a real friendship with God. There are no time-worn channels of communication. You lack confidence! Why not begin a deeper relationship today? What is God preparing you for? Remember, God loves you and He is the God of PREPARATION…

Living in the Shadow of the Cross…

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Where Do You Live?

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

“…but he who does the will of God abides forever.” ~ I John 2:17b

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? ~ I love the English language! This sentence has more than one meaning. For instance, someone could ask you about your thoughts and focus at any given moment. However, these days this literal question causes you to try to explain where you hang your clothes, microwave food, and watch TV. Next, you have to explain to the person how to get to your home and what your house looks like. For a simple question, it’s a lot of work!

Last week, I had the privilege of visiting a man’s house which was a little less opulent than many I have stopped at in the past. In fact, his house was an older model trailer. Now, before you correct me and explain that it’s politically correct to either say manufactured home or at least mobile home take a moment to picture his residence. It had a spacious living room with a pool table right in the middle. This abode had great ventilation for those cool summer breezes. The best part was his low monthly mortgage payment. Are you jealous yet?

Paul Harvey would say, “And now, you’re going to hear the rest of the story.” The gentleman I’m referring to is one of the many homeless in America today. His trailer is broken apart with missing walls, no running water, and no electricity. In fact, it’s not his trailer. It’s just an abandoned wreck in the middle of the woods. Not jealous anymore are you? I wasn’t either. There’s no way for me to paint an accurate picture which would reflect the sights, sounds, and smells we encountered.

Cheryl, Ashleigh, and I, spent the week ministering to people who had fallen on tough times and found themselves without a home. Most of them were just like you and me. They weren’t angry. They were merely trying to figure out how to make it day to day.

While talking with one of the leaders at a ministry called THE SANCTUARY, we discussed the fact that once we trust JESUS, then heaven is our real home. Everything and anything we have here on earth is merely temporary. It’s all passing away. The only thing we can look forward to with certainty is our relationship with CHRIST. So, with that in mind… where’s your focus and plan for the future leading you these days? I guess I could simply ask… WHERE DO YOU ABIDE?

Living in the Shadow of the Cross…

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Where Do You Live?

Forgiven & Faithful

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FRANKLY SPEAKING,

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments…” I John 2:3

FORGIVENESS & FAITHFULNESS! Years ago, I met a man who tried to convince me that aliens were coming to take him away. He was sure that they were coming soon, and he assured me he was ready because he was one of them. I am confident that he believed he was an alien. The way he spoke to me made no sense whatsoever. In fact, he was not rational at all. It seemed to me that his imagination had somehow gotten the better of him. Oh by the way, I was wearing a badge at the time. So, when I began to explain to him that he was in danger of being arrested for criminal trespass and being mentally unstable he quickly changed his tune and left. Truth and consequences have a way of restoring reality very quickly.

Every day I deal with children who get caught doing something wrong, and yet they deny doing the wrong thing while still in the act. I recall a very young child was reaching into other children’s backpacks taking money. I confronted her several times. However, it was not until I walked in on her while she was stealing that her imagined deniability became reality. She cried and begged me not to turn her in. However, I explained that I had no choice. The mother of the child whose backpack was being pilfered had already met with me. It was too late for her because she neglected to do the right thing when confronted.

I find this is true in the church as well. Many of us just keep right on doing whatever we want with no fear or respect of the consequences. We really believe that because we were baptized, we prayed, and we attend church that we can get away with sin. That’s a lie! Sin always has consequences. Here’s one of the sayings I have heard all my life… “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you can ever afford to pay.”

True religion or more accurately true Christianity always leads to a dramatic life change. We cannot walk with Christ and stay the same. We are changed over time just by walking with Him daily reading the Bible. Daily prayer changes us as well. We can’t stay mad at the people for whom we are passionately praying. It just won’t work! When we receive real forgiveness it always leads to faithfulness! If anyone says anything else ~ they are liars! (I John 2:4) Remember, JESUS offers FORGIVENESS for all our sins & His expectation is FAITHFULNESS!

Living in the Shadow of the Cross…

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Wes

I Peter 3:15

Forgiven & Faithful!