I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas holidays. I know I did. So many good things have happened. Our Christmas Eve service was the best ever, and we owe a great thank you to Becky Dunn for coordinating that for us. We also need to thank Becky and my wife, MaryAnne, and Sara Foster for putting up our Christmas decorations as well.
Today, I combine two of our texts from Acts into one sermon. I did this because I really wanted to do a New Year's sermon this coming Sunday. It will be an important message on the future of Crossroads Christian Church. We will talk about the challenges and the opportunities that face us as a congregation in 2009.
My wife and I want to thank all of you for the gifts, the bonus, the cards, and for your presence at our Christmas open house. We love all of you very much and feel honored and blessed to serve this congregation. Even with the recent "rough patch", we are more convinced than ever both that God has us where HE wants us and we are doing his Will serving at Crossroads.
I want to extend a invitation to all of you who do not have plans for New Year's eve to come to the party at the church. It is tremendous fun and we enjoy good Christian fellowship. We share in a variety of activities and well as in snacks. You would not believe how much fun a group of believers can have. Not only that, it is a great time to invite your friends and family. They will be amazed that Christians can have such a good time.
Mike
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas Time!
I love the holidays for many reasons. The opportunity to get together with friends and family is always welcome. As Christian, I especially appreciate the body of Christ at this time of year. The open house we have is just one small way of showing that appreciation. I want to thank everyone who came to our home to celebrate with us. My wife and I want you to know how much you are loved.
Being over fifty (50) years old, I have seen a lot of Christmas seasons come and go. Growing up in home with five other kids, Christmas time was a great deal different than it is today. As a child, we did not get lots of presents because my father was not a wealthy man. He was, for most of his life, a laborer. He would work as much overtime as was available, and even work second jobs to pay the regular monthly bills. But at Christmas time, we got to pick one toy we wanted Santa to bring us for Christmas.
Yes, I must confess, I was one of the children who were so deceived by my parents. I believed that there really was a Santa Claus. I also believed that he sent my mother and father a catalog of the toys his elves were making this year. This is probably why I love that movie, "A Christmas Story" so much. It reminds me in many ways of what Christmas was like growing up. I also wanted a "BB gun" for Christmas (which I did, in fact, get).
This Christmas season is different in many ways. With the economy in serious trouble, some families are facing difficult times. Everyone is concerned that things may get worse before they get better. In many ways, it is comparable to the very first Christmas, when Christ was born. The Jewish community, under the Romans, was facing difficult times as well. They were ready for the Messiah to come and deliver them from their oppressors.
Ironically, the Gift that God gave them; Jesus, was not really the gift they were seeking after. Then, as now, people were wrapped up in the materialism of this life. While we all need money to provide for ourselves and our families, money does not really meet our deepest needs. Without a personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of money, no job or career, and no single possession, regardless how costly can obtain salvation for us. Our security, as Christians, rests solely on the sovereignty of God, not the next paycheck or government bailout.
I think that going through a Christmas season with a limited ability to give material gifts might help each us to really focus on the kind of Christmas gifts people really need, the kind money cannot buy. Things like grace, peace, and love cannot be bought. They are given when we willing try to be "like Jesus" our Lord, and forgive others. They are given when we are humble enough to accept others as Christ accepted us, unconditionally. They are given when we are open to being connected to God and to others in the body of Christ in genuine relationships.
My prayer for you and your family is that God blesses you in ways that are lasting this Christmas. That after the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the batteries are all installed, you will discover that God has given you a greater faith in His control over your life and your family. I hope the greatest gift you receive is far more than the one you want, but is really the one that meets your needs.
Merry Christmas!
Mike
Being over fifty (50) years old, I have seen a lot of Christmas seasons come and go. Growing up in home with five other kids, Christmas time was a great deal different than it is today. As a child, we did not get lots of presents because my father was not a wealthy man. He was, for most of his life, a laborer. He would work as much overtime as was available, and even work second jobs to pay the regular monthly bills. But at Christmas time, we got to pick one toy we wanted Santa to bring us for Christmas.
Yes, I must confess, I was one of the children who were so deceived by my parents. I believed that there really was a Santa Claus. I also believed that he sent my mother and father a catalog of the toys his elves were making this year. This is probably why I love that movie, "A Christmas Story" so much. It reminds me in many ways of what Christmas was like growing up. I also wanted a "BB gun" for Christmas (which I did, in fact, get).
This Christmas season is different in many ways. With the economy in serious trouble, some families are facing difficult times. Everyone is concerned that things may get worse before they get better. In many ways, it is comparable to the very first Christmas, when Christ was born. The Jewish community, under the Romans, was facing difficult times as well. They were ready for the Messiah to come and deliver them from their oppressors.
Ironically, the Gift that God gave them; Jesus, was not really the gift they were seeking after. Then, as now, people were wrapped up in the materialism of this life. While we all need money to provide for ourselves and our families, money does not really meet our deepest needs. Without a personal daily relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, no amount of money, no job or career, and no single possession, regardless how costly can obtain salvation for us. Our security, as Christians, rests solely on the sovereignty of God, not the next paycheck or government bailout.
I think that going through a Christmas season with a limited ability to give material gifts might help each us to really focus on the kind of Christmas gifts people really need, the kind money cannot buy. Things like grace, peace, and love cannot be bought. They are given when we willing try to be "like Jesus" our Lord, and forgive others. They are given when we are humble enough to accept others as Christ accepted us, unconditionally. They are given when we are open to being connected to God and to others in the body of Christ in genuine relationships.
My prayer for you and your family is that God blesses you in ways that are lasting this Christmas. That after the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the batteries are all installed, you will discover that God has given you a greater faith in His control over your life and your family. I hope the greatest gift you receive is far more than the one you want, but is really the one that meets your needs.
Merry Christmas!
Mike
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Fulfilling Our Vision
The vision of Crossroads Christian Church is to become a place where people experience transforming grace in genuine community. That is a tremendous, God-honoring, and Christ exalting vision. It is a vision that I hope we ALL are committed to fulfilling.
Since we cast that new vision at our ReUnited service, some people have come forward to express concerns about our current situation as a congregation. A few have decided to seek fellowship and worship else where, even one from our own leadership team. While this saddens me, what grieves me the most is that sometimes there is a sense of gladness with some people about some of those that have chosen to leave.
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this matter. We should NEVER take pleasure in the loss of a single individual from our church for less than positive reasons. When people leave our congregation for such reasons, we need to see it as our failure to fulfill our vision. You and I failed to motivate them to be "transformed" by God's grace and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must work even harder to become that place of transforming grace.
I will grant you that they also bear responsibility for their failure to be transformed. Some people are unwilling to accept the accountability and authenticity that comes from living in genuine community with other believers. This does not make their leaving a good thing however, because we lose the opportunity to minister to them and for them to be used of God here. We need to pray earnestly that God directs them to another congregation that will help them to grow in Christ.
The challenge that remains for us is that we need to be focused on the mission and vision that God has given us as a congregation. God is blessing our church! Each and every week we are seeing new faces in the congregation. While I know that our single worship service is not meeting everyone's needs perfectly, I can clearly see a commitment to work together to make it better and better every week. If you are not experiencing God in the worship service, you are simply not looking for HIM.
In closing, I need to mention our financial situation. Since the beginning of the fiscal year (September), our offerings have been running at only 75% of the budget. With over 80% of our budget being made up by fixed expenses (mortgage, salaries, insurance, etc), that does not leave any funds for actual ministry programing. This trend cannot continue without serious consequences. The leadership team is already considering options to deal with this situation, but the fact remains we need everyone's consistent financial support.
I know some of you have lost your jobs and others are still looking for jobs. Others are being squeezed financially, and most of us are concerned about the economy. We cannot forget however that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL. He has promised to bless us in proportion to how much we are willing to give. We need to understand that our tithe is anchor of financial strength. When we are faithful to God, HE is faithful to us.
God Bless!
Mike
Since we cast that new vision at our ReUnited service, some people have come forward to express concerns about our current situation as a congregation. A few have decided to seek fellowship and worship else where, even one from our own leadership team. While this saddens me, what grieves me the most is that sometimes there is a sense of gladness with some people about some of those that have chosen to leave.
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this matter. We should NEVER take pleasure in the loss of a single individual from our church for less than positive reasons. When people leave our congregation for such reasons, we need to see it as our failure to fulfill our vision. You and I failed to motivate them to be "transformed" by God's grace and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We must work even harder to become that place of transforming grace.
I will grant you that they also bear responsibility for their failure to be transformed. Some people are unwilling to accept the accountability and authenticity that comes from living in genuine community with other believers. This does not make their leaving a good thing however, because we lose the opportunity to minister to them and for them to be used of God here. We need to pray earnestly that God directs them to another congregation that will help them to grow in Christ.
The challenge that remains for us is that we need to be focused on the mission and vision that God has given us as a congregation. God is blessing our church! Each and every week we are seeing new faces in the congregation. While I know that our single worship service is not meeting everyone's needs perfectly, I can clearly see a commitment to work together to make it better and better every week. If you are not experiencing God in the worship service, you are simply not looking for HIM.
In closing, I need to mention our financial situation. Since the beginning of the fiscal year (September), our offerings have been running at only 75% of the budget. With over 80% of our budget being made up by fixed expenses (mortgage, salaries, insurance, etc), that does not leave any funds for actual ministry programing. This trend cannot continue without serious consequences. The leadership team is already considering options to deal with this situation, but the fact remains we need everyone's consistent financial support.
I know some of you have lost your jobs and others are still looking for jobs. Others are being squeezed financially, and most of us are concerned about the economy. We cannot forget however that GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL. He has promised to bless us in proportion to how much we are willing to give. We need to understand that our tithe is anchor of financial strength. When we are faithful to God, HE is faithful to us.
God Bless!
Mike
Monday, November 3, 2008
ReUnited Service
I wanted to rewrite this post last night but I was just too exhausted. I cannot imagine God doing more than what HE did yesterday in our first service of the new single service format. God used everyone involved in a very special way. I want thank Guy and Archie for being willing to share their thoughts with the congregation. Their words came straight from the heart and were a tremendous blessing to all. It is good to be reminded of the lives our congregation has touched.
This was an especially important service for us because the devil has been working overtime trying to bring a negative and divisive spirit into our fellowship. This is why I decide to have a prayer breakfast for the men of the church on Saturday. What a fabulous time we had together. Men encouraging other men. Honest and transparent sharing of our struggles and joys. It was such a blessing, we are going to another one on Saturday, December 6th at 8am.
For those of you who missed the service, I can only say, I warned you. Our theme of reunited was woven throughout the service. We asked our people, not only to be reunited in one worship service, but also in our mission and new vision statement. We closed the service with an initiation to demonstrate their support by signing one of two large posters of mission and vision statements. We will have these available for everyone to sign for next couple of weeks before we laminate them for mounting in the church.
What I love most about our vision statement is that it expands on our tagline "experience community". Our vision is to be a place with people experience transforming grace in genuine community. As I said Sunday, community is not a place, but a relationship that exists between people. It is the feeling you get when you know you are where you belong and are genuinely accepted. As was evident from the service, Crossroads has helped transform lives through God's grace.
I realize that not everyone is totally on board with our decision to return to having only one worship on a Sunday. Let me assure you that it is the desire of the leadership to return a two service format when attendance justifies doing so. We have already established benchmarks for when the transition will begin. When we fill the current auditorium for two services, we will begin the process of constructing our actual auditorium. Nothing would please me more than to see us again on a consistent growth track for the future.
Finally, I want to encourage you to speak to me, email me, or call me if you have any questions, concerns, or problems. Often times, people are upset about something that is not even TRUE. They have been misled by someone else, either intentionally or unintentionally, who has a personal agenda and is not seeking the good of the church. Our congregation is strong and now is united behind a God-honoring and Christ exalting mission and vision. God has great things planned for this church.
This was an especially important service for us because the devil has been working overtime trying to bring a negative and divisive spirit into our fellowship. This is why I decide to have a prayer breakfast for the men of the church on Saturday. What a fabulous time we had together. Men encouraging other men. Honest and transparent sharing of our struggles and joys. It was such a blessing, we are going to another one on Saturday, December 6th at 8am.
For those of you who missed the service, I can only say, I warned you. Our theme of reunited was woven throughout the service. We asked our people, not only to be reunited in one worship service, but also in our mission and new vision statement. We closed the service with an initiation to demonstrate their support by signing one of two large posters of mission and vision statements. We will have these available for everyone to sign for next couple of weeks before we laminate them for mounting in the church.
What I love most about our vision statement is that it expands on our tagline "experience community". Our vision is to be a place with people experience transforming grace in genuine community. As I said Sunday, community is not a place, but a relationship that exists between people. It is the feeling you get when you know you are where you belong and are genuinely accepted. As was evident from the service, Crossroads has helped transform lives through God's grace.
I realize that not everyone is totally on board with our decision to return to having only one worship on a Sunday. Let me assure you that it is the desire of the leadership to return a two service format when attendance justifies doing so. We have already established benchmarks for when the transition will begin. When we fill the current auditorium for two services, we will begin the process of constructing our actual auditorium. Nothing would please me more than to see us again on a consistent growth track for the future.
Finally, I want to encourage you to speak to me, email me, or call me if you have any questions, concerns, or problems. Often times, people are upset about something that is not even TRUE. They have been misled by someone else, either intentionally or unintentionally, who has a personal agenda and is not seeking the good of the church. Our congregation is strong and now is united behind a God-honoring and Christ exalting mission and vision. God has great things planned for this church.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
ReUnited!!!
On Sunday, November 2nd, Crossroads Christian Church will return to a single service. We are praying that this first service will be a catalyst for a new passion and renewed sense of mission for our congregation. I believe God is ready to do tremendous things in our church. You will not want to miss this service at 10:30am.
I also want to mention how pleased I am with our newest staff member, Tyler Brooks. He has jumped right in and is actively working to make our worship experience better and better each week. Moving to a single service on Sunday will allow him to really focus in on making the service the best it can be. Tyler's style of leading worship is different that Dawn's or Sherry's or Max's, but it comes from a genuine desire and heart to worship God.
I want to ask each of you to do two things. One, pray for the leadership and staff of Crossroads Christian Church. We need to hear God's voice and follow His direction. Secondly, take some time and personally get to know Tyler and his wife, Torie. Invite them over for dinner some evening or after church. Let Tyler know you support him. We are his first church and we want to spoil him with encouragement and kindness.
I also want to mention how pleased I am with our newest staff member, Tyler Brooks. He has jumped right in and is actively working to make our worship experience better and better each week. Moving to a single service on Sunday will allow him to really focus in on making the service the best it can be. Tyler's style of leading worship is different that Dawn's or Sherry's or Max's, but it comes from a genuine desire and heart to worship God.
I want to ask each of you to do two things. One, pray for the leadership and staff of Crossroads Christian Church. We need to hear God's voice and follow His direction. Secondly, take some time and personally get to know Tyler and his wife, Torie. Invite them over for dinner some evening or after church. Let Tyler know you support him. We are his first church and we want to spoil him with encouragement and kindness.
Monday, September 29, 2008
What's Happening to Our Church?
As some of you have noticed, we have suffered the loss of several families in the last few months. When I am asked why, I wish I had a really good answer. There is no one singular reasons for every situation.
The best I can come up with is that our congregation seems to be in a holding pattern. We need to break free from this spiral of discouragement and negative thinking. We need to get focused on our mission again. This is going to happen and we are going to get back on a growth track.
The key is going to be leadership, and here is where your prayers and words of encouragement are essential. Pray daily for the leadership of our congregation. Let them know that you support them 100%. There are real difficult choices that need to be made and it will take courage and wisdom from God to make them.
I would also ask you to pray for Tyler and myself as the staff. There is much that we need to do together to be effective. I think we have gotten off to a great start, but more work lies ahead.
Finally, pray for the people of Crossroads as well. Difficult times in a church test the very nature of our commitment to the church and to one another. Hang on and hang in with us. I know that we are on threshold of great things as the Body of Christ. God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
The best I can come up with is that our congregation seems to be in a holding pattern. We need to break free from this spiral of discouragement and negative thinking. We need to get focused on our mission again. This is going to happen and we are going to get back on a growth track.
The key is going to be leadership, and here is where your prayers and words of encouragement are essential. Pray daily for the leadership of our congregation. Let them know that you support them 100%. There are real difficult choices that need to be made and it will take courage and wisdom from God to make them.
I would also ask you to pray for Tyler and myself as the staff. There is much that we need to do together to be effective. I think we have gotten off to a great start, but more work lies ahead.
Finally, pray for the people of Crossroads as well. Difficult times in a church test the very nature of our commitment to the church and to one another. Hang on and hang in with us. I know that we are on threshold of great things as the Body of Christ. God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Graduate School....
Last Tuesday evening, I began a graduate school class at Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek). I was reminded why I did not pursue higher education. While I love to learn, I don't love it enough to spend $1250.00 for the privilege. It is a great class and will be immensely helpful to my ministry. Dr. Gary Johnson is the minister of THE CREEK and is focusing the class on the practical side of church leadership and management.
What I find to truly be a work of God is that this "free" class is exactly what I need to be studying and discussing with a man of God like Dr. Johnson. We are covering material on leadership that speaks to both my needs and the real needs of Crossroads. It is a great experience.
What has made it even greater is that one of the other students in this class is brother in Christ named Jeff. He was a member of the church I served on the south side. His education was in journalism, but his passion was for ministry. He has been preaching now for several years on part-time basis and working as a chaplain at a cancer hospital. He is taking the class because he needs more education, as well as being free. What a blessing to see that he is still serving the Lord after all these years, and to have played a small part in his life.
GOD IS GOOD!
What I find to truly be a work of God is that this "free" class is exactly what I need to be studying and discussing with a man of God like Dr. Johnson. We are covering material on leadership that speaks to both my needs and the real needs of Crossroads. It is a great experience.
What has made it even greater is that one of the other students in this class is brother in Christ named Jeff. He was a member of the church I served on the south side. His education was in journalism, but his passion was for ministry. He has been preaching now for several years on part-time basis and working as a chaplain at a cancer hospital. He is taking the class because he needs more education, as well as being free. What a blessing to see that he is still serving the Lord after all these years, and to have played a small part in his life.
GOD IS GOOD!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)