"Me," not "It"...

One of our families favorite new songs is "Where I Belong" by Building 429. It is a great song and we can be heard singing it a lot here lately.

While singing it recently, my son, singing louder than my wife and I together, shouted out, "Take this world and give it Jesus." I smiled and gently told him, "It is give me Jesus, not it." "Oh" he responded, "I thought it was 'it' cause we are suppose to tell the world about Jesus. So its like, Take this world and give it Jesus." Wow.

Even though my son was not singing the words written in the song, he gets it. It is one thing to have the understanding that Jesus is more important to us than the world, but it is something else all together to understand that this world needs Jesus.

For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. - John 3:17

We will keep singing our favorite new song, but don't be surprised if you hear us singing it "wrong."


In Christ,
jon walton

Watch and Learn...

I just installed a new dishwasher this morning. Our old one had finally gave up the ghost and unless we wanted to stand over a sink a lot in the future it had to be replaced. I called around and found a good deal on one and then asked how much it would cost to have it installed. $125! What! That is a fourth of what I am paying for the dishwasher! Then I remembered That I had watched the guy install our last one. I thought, "I can do this and save some money."

Now, I know you are expecting me to tell you how I completely messed this up (I know that is the norm for me...), but I get to disappoint you if you are thinking that way! I all went rather smoothly. I even wired on a plug. I just kept thinking back to when the guy who knew what he was doing installed the previous one. When I would get stuck, I would pull out the instructions and follow them. It wasn't too bad at all. I watched and learned.

I always find it odd when people say that Christianity is hard. It really isn't. Sure, you may have some difficult times and even get stuck now and then, but really all you have to do is watch and learn. Jesus is the guy who knows what He is doing. He came and showed us how to live and through His sacrifice, we gain salvation! Not only that, but if we get completely stuck, we have the instructions, the Bible. It shows us Christ's life and that of others, gives advice, and encouragement. It is worth picking up each day. All we have to do is watch and learn.

In Christ,
jon walton

Paid In Full...

About 6 years ago I purchased an Isuzu i-350 pickup truck. I have tried to take care of it. Change the oil, keep good brake pads on it, check the fluids, standard maintenance stuff. In 1 month something very different will happen to that truck. It will change ownership from belonging to the bank to me. It will be paid for in full!

This got me thinking about the payment Jesus Christ made for me. He wasn't on a six year plan, he paid for me in one installment. His death on the cross. However, I didn't belong to Him when He paid for me.

I have had possession of my truck for the past 6 years while I have been paying it off. Jesus took possession of me when I was 6 years old. While I worked to pay off my truck for 6 years, Jesus waited for me to get ready to accept Him for 6 years.

Even though I have taken care of my truck, it has still needed some adjustments from time to time. It's alignment has been off, needed tires replaced, and all the old oil and grim removed on a regular basis. Likewise, since I have belonged to Jesus, there have been times my alignment has been off Christ an I have pulled to the left or right. I have allowed myself to be filled with "old oil" and grim of this world and needed the cleanliness of Christ put back in me. I have worn myself thin trying to be a Christian instead of just following Jesus. Yet He has "replaced my tires" when needed and gave me renewed strength.

I will keep my truck as long as I can. It's been a good truck and I'll keep taking care of it. I've needed some work over the years, but Jesus will keep me. I really like my truck, but it is nothing compared to how much Jesus loves me.

In Christ,
jon walton

Caring For The Pastor Of Care...

Let me begin by saying thank you so much for all the phone calls, kind words, and most of all prayers over the past few days. For those who don't know, my grandmother passed away Friday morning at 2:06 am. I went to Middle TN and was blessed to preach at her funeral.

This happened at a particularly busy weekend for me. I had a youth trip planned, I am active in Sunday morning services at our church, and I was trying to set up a place for a fundraiser for our Ecuador mission trip later this year. Crisis normally happens at times like this. For a moment I thought, "I'm the pastor of care (at our church), who do I call when I need care? But this thought would quickly vanish.

I called the people in the church I had built relationships with. Some through life groups, some are fellow leaders in the church, some are close friends. I had people say last minute, "I'll go on the trip, you be with your family." I had people tell me, "We will cover what you do at church, go be with your family." I even had someone meet me early at the bank to take care of a deposit that I needed to get done before I left town. This is what being part of a body of believers is all about.

Not very long ago, I took a lady to see her husband who had just had a heart attack. She didn't have a way to get to Knoxville, so I said I would take her. While on the way, we were talking and she told me about how she was out of church and didn't have anyone in her life that would take her. My heart broke for her.

Crisis will happen in our lives. It is not a matter of "if" its a matter of "when." This is why we so strongly encourage everyone gets involved with a Life Group at Crossroads. We need each other.

A special thank you to everyone who stepped up for me in my time of need. May my God bless you for your love and faithfulness.

In Christ,
jon walton

You're So Vain...

I was just listening to the radio and heard an add about a bikini contest being held in Knoxville. Not only was it a bikini contest, but the sponsors are a plastic surgeon, a fitness center, and a diet supplements store! Suddenly the song "You're So Vain" came to mind.
We are so consumed with physical appearance in America. It's actually kind of sickening. I am so glad that my God, my Savior, does not base what He thinks about me on how I look. He loves me, no matter what I look like.

Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b HCSB)

So how do you look at people?

Taking Away The Comforts...

I changed the sheets on my bed this morning. It wasn't because they were dirty, or wore out, they just weren't comfortable. I have this thing with certain textures. A fuzzy blanket makes my skin crawl. Since my wife put these new sheets on the bed, I haven't sleep well. I finally couldn't take it anymore, and put our old (washed) sheets back on our bed. I expect to sleep well tonight!

I have a lot of "comforts" in my life. I have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. I like cold drinks, a tv for entertainment, and carpet in my house so I don't have to walk on cold floors. I don't really need any of this to survive, but it makes life easier. I count these all as blessings from God. But what would happen if all my "comforts" were taken away? Would I still like my home like I do now? Would I be content in the summer? Winter? When I wanted to relax? When I was thirsty?

What about at church? If we didn't have a building to meet in, would we still come? If we didn't have air conditioning? Heat? Coffee? Coke? Snacks? A screen? What if it were like this?


"Oh God, forgive me for being so selfish. Forgive me for being too consumed with my comforts. Lead me to Your truth, even if it means taking away my comforts. Amen."

Why Does God Love Me?

Something I did at the beginning of this year was ask the youth to write some of their questions about God, the Bible, or life on an index card without putting their name on it. This gives them the freedom to ask about anything without having to say it out loud and feeling embarrassed because they didn't know it. It also gives me great insights into what is happening in their lives and how I can best serve them in my teaching. On one of these cards I got a very interesting question: Why does God love me?

I found this question so interesting for a couple of reasons: One, I have asked this question so many times. Particularly when I have recently sinned or done something stupid.(Which seems to happen more than I would like) Second, the question is deep. The person understood that God does love them, but revealing why would almost certainly grant a more intimate relationship with Jesus.

The answer is more simple than you would think. Sometimes we really over complicate things, don't we? Especially when it is something we don't understand. We look for long, in-depth analysis for every possible circumstance, when really all we need to do is look at the source. The best source for understanding anything about God is His word, the Bible.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” So God created man in His own image;  He created him in the image of God; 
He created them male and female. - Genesis 1:26-27

Why does God love us? Because we are His creation! We are made in His image! And when we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, we become even more. We become His children!

Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. - 1 John 3:1

Just as any respectable person would love their own child, so God loves us!

In Christ,
jon walton
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