Be the Example...

Today's Scripture:

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.


1 Timothy 4:12

"Kids these days!" You can be sure adults pay attention to the way young people conduct themselves, even if it's just to shake their heads and mutter that things ain't like they used to be. The Bible tells you not to let anyone despise your youth. And unfortunately, there are plenty of old grouches out there who do despise our youth. But you have the ability to silence them. The way you convince the world that your generation isn't a lost cause is by living a godly life and by setting an example through the words you say and the way you conduct yourself in love and purity.


My son Luke gave me a good taste of how much of an impact a young man can have at our monthly Christian Men's Fellowship meeting last night. The little guy really fit right in with the grown men and women from our Christian Women's Fellowship who also met. I was a proud Papa and just showed me even more how God can use our children to share His message and how much of an impact we can make on others where we are at...regardless of age.

You're never too young to be a spiritual leader. You can set the tone in your interactions. It doesn't matter what your age is. You have to be eighteen to vote, thirty to run for the Senate, thirty-five to be elected president of the United States. But you can be a spiritual leader now by showing God at work in your life.

If you are exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit, people will respect you. And if they don't respect you, that's their problem, not yours.

Adults don't have a monopoly on mature spirituality. As a matter of fact, if you are young, you have one advantage over adults in that department: you're still too young to be set in your ways. There is a freshness to your spirituality that can be a real encouragement and challenge to the grownups around you. Jesus taught his followers to come to him like little children. You're not a kid anymore, but you may find it easier than most adults to remember what childlike faith is like. So go ahead. Be an example. Ms. Settlemeyer one of my close friends and church members at Selah calls me "her young preacher"...I'm flattered by my youth, not embarrassed by it.

Selah people' and friends are you tired of hearing how your generation is going to the dogs? Prove your critics wrong by setting an example of godliness and barking out his message as true Disciples of Christ.

"Peace beyond all reason and age be with you as you allow God to use you regardless of the age He calls you to serve Him."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Selah Sermon Veteran's Day 2008 available online...

Father Does Know Best!

" God is in control of it all...our creator and Father."

Today's Scripture:

Jesus said, "Your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:8

Jesus gave his disciples the Lord's Prayer as an example of how to pray. Right before he spoke those famous words, Jesus shared a few reasons why one should pray. To do this, he provided two examples - negative ones. Jesus said the Pharisees prayed in public because they wanted to be seen as holy by other people. He also said idol worshipers prayed, repeating themselves over and over, because they believed that the more frequently they asked for something, the better chance they had of having their request granted. After those negative examples, Jesus spoke the reassurance that God already knows what you need.

At first, his words may seem to provide a reason why not to pray, instead of why to pray. If God knows what you need before you ask, why bother asking in the first place? Jesus's point is, the purpose of prayer isn't to be noticed by other people - or even by God. God already notices you. He knows everything about you and your life. Prayer is not a way to draw God's attention to your needs. It is a way to draw your attention to how much you need God.

Your greatest continual need is to better know and love God. Communicating with him about the details of your life keeps you aware of how involved he already is. It also helps you see how many of your needs he fills every day.

The more you recognize your dependence of God, the more thankful you become, and the deeper your love grows.

Selah people' and friends the Lord's Prayer teaches you to pray for your daily bread. Jesus's words from Matthew don't contradict that lesson. They're a reminder that God needs to be involved in your life, not merely informed about it.

"Peace be with you as you cling to the Father to lead, guide and direct you."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

Revenge...

Today's Scripture:
Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18

When somebody hurts you, the natural thing is to want to hurt that person back. You want payback. You want vigilante justice. You want to be like Neo from The Matrix, striking a blow for the cause of justice-or at least for the cause of your own hurt feelings.

There's just one problem with getting even: how do you know when you're even? If someone owes you money, it's easy enough to figure out how to settle accounts. But when a person has caused you harm or gotten in your face or cost you self-respect, how does that account get settled? Hurting another person doesn't heal your hurt or restore your self-respect. Plotting revenge and holding a grudge won't ease your pain; in fact, they keep the wound open so it cannot heal.

Healing and peace come only through forgiveness.

Has a friend turned their back on you for a more popular friend? Let it go. Has a teacher embarrassed you in front of the class? Let it slide. Has the love of your life failed you and let you down leaving you broken hearted? Tell them about and get if off your back and open the door to allow them back into your life! It's not easy, of course. It's not the "natural" thing to do. How do you even begin to do such a thing? By deciding to love others as much as you love yourself. The people who hurt you can be messed up and confused, just like you are sometimes. That doesn't mean it's okay for them to hurt you; it just means it's up to you to keep their junk from spilling into your life. And you do that by forgiving.

Selah people' and friends forgiveness isn't about rolling over and taking somebody else's abuse. It's about taking control of your own situation. Whom do you need to forgive in order to set yourself free? Can you make amends, mend those broken fences and rebuild those wonderful relationships back up even higher and better than ever? Don't hold back and do not be afraid God is with you...dare to reach for the prize of true happiness. Don't wait another day!

"Peace and happiness for you as let go and let God."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

Good Rule for You

"Hey kids I call shotgun!"

Today's Scripture:

Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

Matthew 7:12

You're almost to the passenger door of your friend's car when a voice rings out behind you: "Shotgun!" Talk about a moment of decision. Do you open the door and get in the front ~ after all, you've got the other guy boxed out ~ or do you follow the unwritten rule of car passengers everywhere? The one who calls shotgun rides shotgun. The one who's too slow sits in the back with your friends old discarded fast-food wrappers and the driver's gym bag, where you can't quite hear the conversation between the driver and the front-seat passenger.

The real problem, of course, is the whole tradition of calling shotgun. It's the exact opposite of the golden rule: "Do unto others what you want them to do to you." It allows a person to put himself or herself first with no more justification than the fact that he or she was thinking about sitting in the front seat when everybody else was thinking about something else.

The injustice you feel when somebody else calls shotgun and expects you to get in the surest way to be rewarded (the reward of the front seat, for instance) is going to lead to resentment and anger. But if you treat others the way you would want to be treated, you contribute to the greater peace and harmony. You discover that front seat and back-seat don't matter nearly as much as getting there together.


Selah people' and friends is there some area of your life where your unfair insistence on getting your way has spoiled things for another person ~ or maybe yourself? As the word tells us take the lesser seat in order to receive the true peace of mind that God wants for us. Try treating that person the way you would have liked to be treated.

"Peace be with you as you give God's blessing away in the way that you would like to receive it back."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

Get Rid of Your Bad Stuff...

Aim High! Set your sights above the things of this earth.

Today's Scripture:

Put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed.

Colossians 3:5

Paul never met the believers in Colossae, a city in Asia Minor, but he wrote to them out of concern. A contingent of believers had introduced ideas into the church that weren't from God. The intent of Paul's letter was to set the believers straight, to clarify the truth, and to help them rid themselves of anything that contaminated the truth.

His letter focused on how Christians should live. Paul packed Colossians 3:5 with advice on several areas of Christian living. He addressed sexual impurity, emotions, human longings, and greed. Paul's point was this: in order for believers to live differently from everyone else, they had to identify sin in their own lives and get rid of it.

Paul's point is timeless. Evil, greed, immoral thoughts, and other bad stuff will invade your day, too. The world you live in has become more accepting of things that are in direct opposition to what the Bible says is good, right, and true. You will have the opportunity to share your faith just by the choices you make about the clothing you wear, the words you use, the lyrics you listen to, the magazines, websites or blogs that you read, and more. Others will look to your decisions to try to figure out what is right and what is wrong. Make sure your decisions don't introduce what Paul called "false doctrine." Take any decision you are unsure of to God for clarification. Live your life in a way that indulges in the love of God rather than evil.

Selah people' and friends your life reflects what you believe in. Create a "scum box" and toss anything into it that might hinder your relationship with God. I have heard so much gossip, lies and hate shared over the past couple days. So much energy being wasted trying to hurt and attempting to lead people to agree with the ideas and opinions of one side or another. As Christians...believers in Christ we much unite together! To be connected with our Savior we must empty our scum box of all that gets in the way of God often.

"Peace follow you as you adjust your sights to God's target for you and empty the trash that is holding you back"

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

Satan Is a Bad Guy

Today's Scripture:
A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I came to give life - life in all its fullness.

John 10:10

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. A shepherd protects his sheep from predators somewhat like my good friend and brother in Christ Fairfax, VA police officer J.P. Weeks protects innocent people from the bad guys. A shepherd stays with his sheep, guarding them from harm through the night and making sure they don't stray during the day.

Satan is a bad guy. He, like a wolf, is after the sheep. He is described in John 10:10 as a thief and a murderer. Satan is real, and he has a mission. He wants to ruin you and I. He wants to take away all the good in your life. He is in charge of evil. There is nothing good about him. The Bible says he can even appear to be an angel of light or appear to be good, but it is just a trick. You've probably noticed how things that aren't that good for you can seem mighty enticing. Satan is a master at that trick. His whole goal is to hurt people any way he can. But there's no reason to be afraid of Satan.

The Bible is clear that Satan is real and has some power, but his power is nothing compared to God's power. God is the One in control.

Satan can't win; he can only irritate, trick, and entice you to do something wrong.

He specializes in making people feel guilt, unworthiness, and complacency. You need to be aware that he exists, but you also need to be aware that the Good Shepherd protects you from Satan. Jesus drives to fill your life with goodness and joy.

Selah people' and friends there are two main errors with regard to Satan: taking him too lightly(or not believing in him at all) or taking him too seriously. Understand that Satan is real, but his power is nothing compared to the power of God.

"Peace be with you and keep Christ in the center of your life and Satan will be kept at bay."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)