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Gene

"ROCKTOBER"

Now that the first half of November 2011 is officially in the books, I am beginning to come out of the fog enough to talk about this past 'Rocktober'.  That is not a phrase I use for every October.  Nope.  'Rocktober' only seems to come once every 5 to 7 years.  But for reasons I have never been able to figure out, all of the monumentally big, difficult, drastic, or otherwise annoyingly huge and distracting changes in my life (and Leslie's life - because we're one flesh), happen in the month of October, hereinafter to be referred to by me as 'Rocktober', not because it's cool and involves multiple bands from the '80's, but because every time it happens, it absolutely ROCKS our lives and our world.

Maybe you have something similar in your life, where despite your best efforts, some eerily familiar season of your life rolls around and you know you're in for it.  Now for those of you that were always the biggest or toughest kid in school, this next part probably won't resonate with you, but it bears saying that the way 'Rocktober' feels to me is the same way I felt when I was in the 7th grade, in my 6th period English class with Mr. Benevidas, when Denny Thomas, the kid in the desk next to me leaned over and said, "Jeff Montano saw you look at his grilfriend and he's going to rearrange your face on the bus after school.  Get ready for a fight."  And your stomach drops to your feet for fear, not so much fear of getting beat up, but fear that there's absolutely no way to get out of getting beat up.  After all, no one was ever afraid of a punch after it landed.  It's the anticipation and uncertainty that really gets you.  

What is at the heart of 'Rocktober'?  It's CHANGE, man.  C-H-A-N-G-E.  And it's not that change is bad.  Fundamentally, change is good, and I totally embrace it as such.  But - and you know this - the anticipation and uncertainty of a looming change (whatever that change is to you) can absolutely peg your freak-out meter.  Know what I mean?

Every time 'Rocktober' comes for me, it brings with it sweeping change.  Sometimes job-related, sometimes relationship related, sometimes geographic, but in every case, it is something that somehow I was completely unprepared for (either by Divine Providence, or some ommission on my part that God used to bring it), and every time it happens (thank God it's only once ever 5 to 7 years) it totally owns me.

This 'Rocktober' wasn't about a geographic change, or moving to a new church, or even changing jobs.  It was about some fundamental changes in the way I approach the business of my life.  It was about adding discipline to a certain area of my life that was lacking it.  And it hurt like a mother.  Honestly, I felt beat up from the inside out. 

But...(and thank God for big buts) with the bruising of this particular 'Rocktober' comes the cleansing. 

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;

therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. 

For He bruises, but He binds up;

He wounds, but His hands make whole" (Job 5:17-18). 

This 'Rocktober' forced me to take some measures that have changed my relationship with forecasting, long-range planning, financial programming, and pragmmatic decision-making.  It needed to happen, and it came about because I put it off for as long as I could.  But truly, the specifics of my 'Rocktober' are not really all that important.  Because it's really not about what you're going through that's important.  It's the lesson-learned and the action taken moving forward. 

For me, life is ALWAYS better after 'Rocktober'.  Every time it happens, it's as if my life is literally propelled forward into the next season.  And it's ALWAYS good, not just for me, but for EVERYONE around me.  In fact, I have found that the harder 'Rocktober' is, and the longer it lasts, the better things are for me and those I'm called to influence.  And it's not just because it stops hurting, it's because you learned something about yourself during the beating.  And you got to see again how much God loves you.  And how He loves you too much to allow you to ignore important things. 

So let me ask you (not, have you ever experienced something like 'Rocktober, or how do you deal with big changes, or did you ever get beat up in the 7th grade, but instead, more specifically):

What are you ignoring?

What are things in your life that you need to deal with?

What have you put off confronting because you're afraid?

Epilogue: Jeff Montano only threw one punch.  It landed on my cheek.  I'm pretty sure it hurt his hand more than it hurt my face.  I just sort of stared at him and didn't move afterward.  He looked real confused.  I think the bus lady took him to the Principal's office.  I remember he cried.  When we were in high school he apologized to me.

'Rocktober" is over for me.  But the hard work of making meaningful, forward-looking, positive changes has just begun.  Feels good, though.  Do it.  Peace.        

    

"The church that helps people..."

Heard last week that someone referencing our church said, "Oh Crossroads, yeah.  That's the church that helps people, right?"  wow.  There it is.  You know what else?  I heard two more times last week the exact same thing from different people.

Last Thursday a mother and her daughter (who is also a mother) came into the building.  Like many who have come before them, they were short on food and really needed help.  As per our practice, we welcomed them and gave them a place to sit while they filled out a quick form.  Our resources only allow us to distribute food boxes to a family one time per month, so we keep track of who's come in so we can help as many as possible.

They left a few minutes later with two sets of food boxes - enough food for each of their two families for one week, when they add perishables, such as milk, eggs and bread. 

This past Sunday was "Food Box Sunday", the last Sunday of the month - a day we have designated to help everyone remember to bring in their food box supplies for packaging and distribution.  This past Sunday, we didn't recieve much food.  Only enough to make a couple of boxes - which were distributed to people who came to the building Monday morning.  Our food boxes were gone before 10 AM.

The people of Crossroads have been so great about embracing generosity and serving the needs of others in our community.  It's so important for us to remember that we don't just go to church here...but we are a vital part of the community.  Even if you live far away from the church, the church is here, everyday to love and serve the needs of others.  Help us make that happen.  We're short on  food.  Please don't wait 'til the end of the month to respond. 

"For I was hungry, and you fed me." MT 25:35

AWESOME ANSWER!!

This past Sunday, our rockin' worship band at Crossroads (with yours truly bangin' the drums) played a face-melting rendition of Ozzy's Crazy Train before the message.  Here's some great facebook traffic from a long-time Crossroads attender (not a staff member, folks but a comitted Christ-follower and faithful volunteer) who really gets it:

HEATHER:  Crazy Train??? Only @ Crossroads!!!

SHAUN: Please explain why prince of darkness as Ozzie is known on earth, theme music was used at church? :)

HEATHER:  Great question Shaun! And there is no short answer so here’s the Top 10:

10. This aint yo grandma’s church

9. We believe that boring church is a sin (and there’s never a dull moment here)

8. If you read the lyrics of Crazy Train, it reads like a modern-day psalm/prayer (check it out: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/o/ozzy+osbourne/crazy+train_20103982.html )

7. It is our mission to reach the un-churched people in this world – what better way to do so?

6. We practice, as Jesus did, taking this sinful world as it is

5. God is famous for taking what is meant for evil and turning it to good

4. Crossroads is famous, as Jesus is, for meeting people right where they are and connecting them to God in ways that transform them-if you’ve ever felt like your life was going off the rails of a crazy train, then you know what I mean :)

3. Our band ROCKS!

2. We are taught to make a joyful noise

And the #1 reason:

1. THAT’S HOW WE ROLL…

Way to cast vision and spread the message, Heather!

BB&B 7 (101611)

Greetings in the name of Jesus!  What a wonderful day we experienced this past Sunday as we engaged in Part Four of our current series Game Plan, then headed to the West Beach of Lake Tholocco for Crossroads 7th Beach, BBQ & Baptism celebration!  This event was a wonderful way to begin the Fall season and for many was a day they will never forget.  The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful and (unlike last year at this time) the water was warm!! 

Though it was a privilege to baptize ten people on Sunday, I must tell you my heart is heavy for the many who signed up to be baptized who did not make it out to the lake.  Some must have slipped through the cracks between noon and 3PM.  It happens.  There we several who made very recent decisions to be baptized, and then when there's time between the service and the event, you get home and get comfortable and sometimes as busy as we all are, it's hard to get motivated to get back out of the house.  I totally get that.  But there were also several that I know for certain, simply did not have a ride to the party.  As a church, we need to pay attention to that in the future and make sure that everyone who wants to be baptized can actually get there.  Next time we do this, there's three things we're going to make sure we do:

1. We're going to teach about Baptism the Sunday of the event.  What it is and why it matters.  Every time we've done that in the past, more people have made the decision to be baptized.  I won't make that mistake again.
2. We're going to send a team out ahead so we can all leave from church and go directly to lunch at the Lake.  After lunch, we'll baptize folks and then hang out.  That'll help people who might be apt to stay home once they get home.
3. We're going to have a couple of vans available to shuttle people from the church to the lake and back, so that no one is excluded from participating if they want to be there.

I think if we do those three things, we'll baptize more people than ever before.  All that said, this past Sunday was truly a wonderful day.  Biggest crowd in a month, great crowd out at the lake.  West Beach is WAY better than East Beach.  That's a keeper. 

We ran some numbers yesterday that I want to share with you.  They are fantastically encouraging and they demonstrate what I've been sharing with you for the past few months: God is really up to something big at Crossroads.  Here's just a bit of the evidence from the past 90 days alone:

• 156 First Time Attenders!
• 92 Second time Attenders!
• 63 Third Time Attenders!
• 42 became Regular Attenders (that's more than 25% sticking around and that's HUGE)!
• 63 people made high quality, life-changing decisions to renew their commitment to Christ, to trust Christ for the first time, or to go public with their faith through baptism! 

Guys, things are cooking at Crossroads, and God is about to blow the lid right off this place!  Look forward to some very exciting news for our church in the next 30 days.

God bless you and keep you and give you peace.  Have a GREAT week!

     

LOCATION CHANGE: BB&B at WEST BEACH

So...I'm all amped up to share a few baptism blog posts and I get a call this morning that the East Beach pavillion at Lake Tholocco is under construction necessitating a move to the West Beach.

So...BEACH, BBQ & BAPTISM is still at 3:00PM this Sunday October 16th...BUT...it will be at the pavillion at the WEST BEACH of Lake Tholocco.

Spread it around, let everyone know.  We'll have new directions up on the website as quickly as possible, and we'll also have them available in the lobby on Sunday morning.  See you there...at the WEST BEACH...for Crossroads 7th Beach, BBQ & Baptism!!

This Sunday at the Beach

I am amazed when I think that this Sunday October 16th marks the seventh time since Crossroads launched that we will celebrate people "going public" with their faith at 3:00PM on the East Beach of Lake Tholocco at Crossroads BEACH, BBQ & BAPTISM celebration!

Each Fall and Spring since September of 2008, we have gathered together at Lake Tholocco and have shared a time of fellowship and celebration as nearly 200 people have been baptized.  It is such an honor to be able to witness and celebrate such a significant event in the life of a believer!  It is - by far - the greatest privilege that any of us have as a part of the Crossroads community.

We have been praying and believing God for the past 10 weeks that we would see 50 people baptized this Sunday.  Though not that many have signed up to be baptized, I am confident that those who SHOULD be baptized Sunday WILL be baptized Sunday.  But often, people don't realize that they should.  So here's your part in that:

Yes, pray...but do more.  Share with those in your circle of influence (friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, fellow students, anyone) that this event is OPEN TO ALL.  Let them know, they do not have to attend Crossroads to be baptized Sunday.  Let them know, they don't even have to be people that go to church to be baptized Sunday.  Let them know if they have never been baptized, this event is for them.  Let them know that if they were baptized, or sprinkled, or Christened, or Blessed at some point in their life but they don't remember it, or it wasn't a significant or meaningful experience, this event is for them.  Let them know if they have been baptized or blessed or Christened or sprinkled or whatever, and they have come back to God, or want to come back to God, this event is for them.  Let them know!

Why is this event for them?  Why is this event for YOU?  Because the Bible clearly teaches that God's desire for everyone, is that they would take the step to publicly demonstrate that they are identifying their lives with Christ by being baptized.  Don't wait til next time.  Be baptized this Sunday at 3:00PM on the East Beach of Lake Tholocco.

Beach, BBQ, & Baptism from Crossroads Community Church on Vimeo.

In the next few posts, I'll be sharing more about what Baptism is, and why it should matter to all of us!

THANK GOD IT'S...

Friday?  Sunny?  Easy?  Early?  Comfortable?  Certain?  Possible?  Reasonable?  What?

I'm just really, really thankful.  I try to stay that way regardless of what's going on in my life.  Sometimes that's really difficult.  I know it is for you as well.  Here's something the Apostle Paul said about that:

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

In our clamour to know and understand God's will, God's plan for our lives, it is easy to overlook how important it is to remain thankful.  An attitude of thankfulness is a foundational piece of God's plan for all of us, and if we shoot right past it we wind up being more concerned with what is missing than what is present, what we don't have rather than what we do have.  When we are thankful, we place ourselves in a position of being generous with our hearts and minds and attitudes and actions.  ThanksGIVING. 

ThanksGIVING in the midst of troubling circumstances is the best giving because it is sacrificial giving.  It is the best giving because it actually costs us something.  That it costs us something means that it isn't always easy.  You know...it's easy to be thankful - to give thanks - when everything seems to be going your way.  But it is far more difficult to intentionally be thankful in the midst of life's obstacles, speed bumps, and potholes.  That's why it is so much more valuable.  God's will for you is to be thankful regardless of your circumstances.

So...what are YOU thankful for today? 

   

GUEST BLOGGER: Dave Clark (Prophet/Mystic/Cajun)

This is a continuing series of guest posts by my very good friend Dave Clark.  I usually start out by saying, "No editing. No disclaimer", but Dave has added his own opener this time.  This should be interesting...   -Gene

The views expressed here do not reflect the views of Crossroads Community Church, the pastor, staff, or congregation but are solely the thoughts of the author. 

I want to talk about the nativity (birth) stories of Jesus. If you can get what's called a 'Synopsis of the Gospels' you can see the two stories side-by-side and interesting things are revealed. The stories are in Matthew 1:18-2:23 and Luke 1:5-2:40. Let's compare. 

They both have him born in Bethlehem, but why? There was a well-known prophecy from Micah 5:2 saying the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. Matthew even has it woven into his narrative as a pronouncement from the priests and scribes (2:6). John knows of it too, (John 7:41-42). Though he doesn't quote it, Luke knows it too and has to make sure Jesus 'comes from' David's city, Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7). The problem for both authors was the common knowledge that Jesus was from Nazareth and that didn't fit into the prophecies; no Messiah comes from Nazareth. (See John 1:45-46). So, what to do? Two different stories of the same 'event' emerge. In Matthew, Jesus ends up in Nazareth via Egypt, and even includes prophesy that “He” (Messiah?) will be called a Nazarene (2:23). Problem is there is no prophecy known like that. In Luke he is clearly from Nazareth (1:26; 2:4). Additionally, Luke's device to ensure Jesus is born in Bethlehem is a worldwide census by Caesar Augustus in the days of Quirinius, governor of Syria. Problem is there was no worldwide census in that time period and none when Quirinius was governor of Syria. What you clearly have here is two separate tales woven to explain the birth of Jesus. Nativity stories of great men were common in the day, with tales of signs and miracles that attended their birth. Caesar had them; Alexander had them; the Pharaoh’s had them. The evangelists were going to have them also.  

Only because they come from the Bible do we not look at these differences and what they might mean. We are engaging in what is called 'the suspension of disbelief'. It is a recognized principle of psychology that in a story people will set aside critical thought to embrace the story. Nowhere more true than some views of the Bible and what it is. 

Am I saying the Bible is not true? Am I saying the virgin birth and the miracles didn't occur? Am I trying to destroy your faith in the Bible? Am I some kind of godless, liberal, atheist? Many point out these contradictions (and there are many in the Bible) because they are unbelievers trying to tear down the faith. I am not one of them. 

I say the Bible is not true in the way some people call it true; that every word is literally true and everything in it objective fact. There are different truths. The sun is a giant, thermonuclear ball of hydrogen. That is a fact. And the sun rises in gilded beauty. That is also true, a different fact. The virgin birth and miracles; I don't know. They could well be true facts. But if they aren't, it doesn't change who Jesus was, or is, or what he did and said. Or what he does still. I suppose I am trying to destroy a certain type of faith in the Bible. The one that sees it as magic and unquestionable; used to bind people to only one way of thinking. The kind of faith that is used as a cudgel to beat people and keep them in line. As to godless, liberal, atheist; I say no, though the religious background from which I come already has consigned me to the pit. So be it. They worship a book instead of the one who gave it to them. They have made an idol. I worship an infinite, infallible God; he is more than the book he gave us. 

Faith and love can't live in fear. Many view the Bible as the inerrant word of God. So any questioning of it is heresy and laden with fear and judgment. But demanding scientific accuracy in a narrative where it doesn't exist isn't faith and denies the mysterious, winsome nature of our faith. But Jesus told us to be like children, full of trust and curiosity and joy and love. Children trust, they don't know all the answers. Children love, they have hearts attune with their parents and aren't looking at their mother's resume'. Children are curious, believing that goodness can be discovered. Children are filled with joy, knowing they bathe in the love of their parents. True faith means living with mystery, trusting God to fill in the blanks. 

So where did the theory of inerrancy came from, why do inerrantists hold their views and what are the implications for them and us all if they hold sway? 

The tenacious insistence of an infallible, inerrant Bible is only about 150 years old. Prior to then it was not an issue. Why? What happened? Study history and you find this was the midst of the scientific revolution. Science began to displace religion as an authoritative explanation of the natural world. Added to that, the time was also the true beginning of biblical criticism, the treatment of the Bible as literature, subject to the disciplines of textual, literary, historical and form criticism. These tools were already being used on other ancient literature but only recently had the church lost the power punish the “heretics” for forwarding such ideas. With the church now impotent to launch reprisals against those who held other views, they were free to be and to question. One of the main reactions to this was the doctrine of inerrancy. 

Why would this be so? In criticism, the literalists perceived an attack on the truth of God. They were as much slaves to rationalism as any scientist. Anything not objectively true is false. So they manically began to try to prove the Bible. They might as well have tried to prove the color blue. The reality of our belief will always be on the inside, where a (yes, subjective) knowing confirms in our heart the truth and reality of God. Or as Paul put it “the Spirit of God affirms to our spirit that we are God's children” (Romans 8:16). That is why it is faith. It has no objective proof. There is much more to it than that of course, but I only have time for a brief description. So what does it matter if Christians hold the view of requiring empirical evidence of faith? 

I can think of no more glaring example of the inerrantists view made concrete than the Creation Museum in Kentucky. There they teach that Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs! Though even this is a change for creationists (a subset of inerrantists). In earlier decades they denied altogether the existence of dinosaurs but were finally overwhelmed by enough evidence that they just had to accept reality. Having to work them into their scheme somehow, now the first couple frolic with T-Rex and Jesus rides a Triceratops! This is the product that comes from that world view. 

The final outcome of inerrancy unchecked, is fear and retreat from the modern world; a rejection of science for pseudo-science and a return to superstition, repression and the dark ages; for their god is too small.

Think carefully about this. The exchange of certainty from an inerrant Bible for the hurly-burly of real life is not the great deal you may think. They still want to silence the heretics.

The Lesson from What If?

Good morning from Florida's Space Coast!  I write this from my mother's kitchen table in Cocoa, Florida where I have been for the last couple of days.  I was in Ocala on Friday to meet with Ron Sylvia, lead pastor of the Springs (we'll be talking about that in the weeks to come), and I got to spend time with my coach Hal Mayer, and friend and fellow church planter Brian Burgi.  You should remember Brian, his wife Jennifer and their extremely cool small son Barrett from the time they spent at Crossroads while Brian was in Flight School.

It seemed good to come and see my mom and Uncle Gene while I was so close to Cocoa, and I just sort of showed up with no agenda or timetable. My mom is 84 and very young at heart.  We've done little but sit around and eat and talk and laugh and rest and it's been a perfect visit (except Leslie's not with me).  I ran 5 miles yesterday morning to keep my mojo intact, and I'll be home later this afternoon.

This past Sunday was one of the most wonderful experiences I've had since a bunch of starry-eyed believers started Crossroads more than 3-1/2 years ago.  We interrupted our series Game Plan for a special service called 'What If?'.  If you weren't there you can watch it in standard definition and beautiful black & white (in keeping with the minimalist theme) by clicking HERE.  This is what I'm taking away from Sunday:

• God has invited Crossroads to play a significant role in what He is up to in the earth.
• You are obviously up for what He is up to.  Well done.

That said, let's get together again this coming Sunday.  We'll do part 3 of our series Game Plan, I'll share with you some specifics about this past Sunday and I'll tell you why my confidence has never been higher going forward.  We have much to do.  Can't wait to gather together again.  See you soon!