The Blessed Life

I am so excited for this weekend.  Actually for the whole month of November.  I have to tell you, this series has been rolling around inside me for quite some time.  In preparation for it,  over the past several weeks, I have read things about "the blessed life" that have not only disturbed me, but just plain made me mad.

Our focus this month at Crossroads is going to be about money - why we have it, what we're supposed to do with it, how to live with it, and how to keep track of it - but I am amazed (I guess I shouldn't be) at the amount of teaching out there that equates blessing merely with HAVING money and OWNING possessions.

I know there have been times in my life where I have fallen prey to the kind of thinking that says: "If I HAVE lots of money and I OWN lots of possessions, than it means that I am blessed." I've come to a bit of a conclusion about all that, and I'd really like to share it with you a piece at a time for the next five weeks at Crossroads.

You may disagree, but I believe our lives are only "blessed", when we use what we've been blessed with, to be a blessing to others.  Don't think you have enough?  Don't think you can be a blessing to someone else? Don't miss this first installment of The Blessed Life at Crossroads.  'Cause actually...I heard you're RICH ! (Shhh...I won't tell if you don't).  

Have a great weekend!   

Notes From The Garage

Well, now we know why the girl does communication cards so well each Sunday. Apparently she's a communicator. Everyone at the Garage tonight got to experience what happens when a diamond is first discovered, when Natalie Lurie took the platform and delivered a polished, professional yet deeply personal message called The Dark Side of Anger.  With great video support by her husband - Crossroads Media Arts Pastor Will Lurie - Natalie was well prepared and looked comfortable, confident and totally in her element sharing God's word with the 50 or so youth and adult leaders in the Garage at the Annex. She was funny and entertaining, but compelling and informative as her message drew out a felt-need we all have - dealing with anger that can threaten to push us over the edge. Way to go, Natalie!  Can't wait for the next time.  Keep it up.

Complementing Natalie's message, was a new original song by Sam and the GARAGE BAND. The vibe in the room was super cool tonight, and I told Sam that when they hit the first chord and began slamming out this new tune with full-on post-punk, British rock edge reminiscent of early Clash, it took me back to being in the Mercury Cafe on Pearl Street in downtown Denver in about 1983 - the first time I really experienced music with that kind of energy and reckless abandon.  Way to go, Sam!  Good stuff.

We are very fortunate at Crossroads to have the kind of student ministry that we have, and the talented people like Pastor Ben and Kelly, Will and Natalie, the GARAGE BAND, and all our adult and student leadership that make it work every week.  The young people that keep coming back, and those who come for the first time, know that student ministry is a big deal for us and always will be. Crossroads was born out of our work in youth ministry and has always been supported at its core by an army of faithful and talented teens. Thank you all for your hard work and support.  Watch as God continues to grow this very special ministry.  

Things Look Bad? Take Another Look!

I know it's just Tuesday, and there's a long way to go before Sunday, but I am already elbow-deep in this weekends service and I want to talk a little about it.  

There are turning points, or defining moments that occur in the life of a person, or a family, or a business, or even a church and I really feel deep down that the month of November 2008 is going to be one of those turning points that we look back on in the months and years to come and go, "Wow. That was really big.  God really showed me stuff that changed my life forever". 

I believe that many will say that about their own lives. Many will say it about their families. Many will say it about their work life, and their own businesses.  And we will all say it about Crossroads.

I know that may sound sort of vague - a turning point. But I believe that many are at a point in their lives where they really need to make a turn, or a change, or round a corner, or experience a breakthrough in their lives in the area of finances.  It is not ironic, nor is it coincidental that at a time of the greatest financial challenge our nation has ever faced, the greatest financial challenge our church has faced, and the greatest financial challenge that me and my family - and perhaps you and your family - have ever faced, we are beginning a new five-week series called The Blessed Life. A series that will focus entirely on what it means to live in Gods blessing.  We'll get eye-opening and life-changing perspective on Tithing, Giving, Generosity, Getting Out Of Debt, and Getting a Handle on Personal Spending, and we'll see how ALL of it has a big impact on what KIND of life we live.

If you are struggling financially DO NOT FEEL ALONE. Millions and millions of people in this country are right there with you.  God has an answer, and we need to hear it.  Make sure that you attend each week of this critically important series.  If you cannot be in the building, make sure you listen to the podcast.  Reach out into your world and invite others to receive HOPE from God's word in these trying times.  Together let's find out what it means to live The Blessed Life.   

Monday Mind Dump

Great weekend at Crossroads as we wrapped up our series Me & My Big Mouth. We could have gone on with it for several more weeks (I think we ALL have a problem running out of things to say sometimes), but we really need to get our financial series in before the holidays take over. Some quick hits on the weekend:

1. First off - thanks to everyone at Crossroads for your gifts to me and Leslie.  It was a real blessing to us. (Someone get Ordway some kleenex!). Love you all!
2. Great crowd, good to see attendance back up after the fall break.
3. It was really fun to sing some songs with the band. I felt like their dad up there, but they were gracious in sharing the platform with me.  Great job!
4. The Filling Station started a new series this week, Heroes of Mega City.  Thanks to Peggy Eshelman for the great work on the set pieces.
5. Great to welcome more first-time attenders this week including the Orlando family from Arizona, referred by The Journey in Peoria, AZ.  Welcome All!
6. Many new hands helping out during set-up this week made the job quicker and easier for everyone.
7. Most important take-away from the weekend: people made a decision to re-commit their lives to Christ.  That's what it's all about!
8. Everything really looked and felt great this weekend.  It was good to share with you all in such a relaxed environment.

Be sure to really dig in for the next five weeks as we kick off a new series called "The Blessed Life".  More info to come about this important and timely financial series in upcoming posts this week. Love you guys. Have a fantastic Monday!

Alternative Lifestyle

The more I know, the less I know.  Give you a great example.  Worship.  What is it?  How do we do it?  Is there a right way and a wrong way?  I spent the better part of 16 years trying to answer these questions, only to stumble on a new and more important question: What does worship look like at Crossroads?

I'm going to do my best to share my heart about some of this on Sunday.  Got some great video clips, and we're gonna break it down and share God's heart about worship from the Bible, and share some songs along the way.  I'm going to sing a couple, Janna's gonna sing a couple and so is Nic.  We'll have the worship team on stage for the whole service.  I can't wait.

Just like our words that we talked about last week - worship starts in the heart, before it ever hits the lips.  And just like our words set the course for our lives, so does our worship.  What have I learned?  I think God is a whole lot less interested in our "style" of worship, then He is in us having a "LIFE-style" of worship.

See you Sunday.  Bring a friend!

Still

When I was a kid living for a time in England, my parents had some friends named Joyce & Michael Cayton whose home we visited quite often.  Their kids were grown and long out of the house.  I was nine and I drove her completely mental. 

On one occasion I remember being at her house and she - obviously exasperated with my...uh...high energy level, grabbed me by the arm and took me to the kitchen.  She got a glass and a pitcher down from the cupboard.  The pitcher was completely empty, as was the glass, and she went through the motions of "pouring" something from the empty pitcher into the glass. She handed me the glass and said, "I want you to drink this, it's a glass of "still".  

I find myself in a hurry most of the time.  I've got stuff to do.  Just like you do.  You ever get overwhelmed by the long list of stuff that you have to do and all the things still undone? Sometimes it seems like the faster I go, the behinder I get.  And then I look at the list (actually it's a list of lists) of all the stuff I've got to do, and go, "Where is the quiet time, where is the time in God's word - not the time preparing a message from God's word - just the time alone with God?  

Maybe you have this all figured out and your schedule never "runs" you.  Fantastic!  You should write a book and do seminars.  For everyone else, here's a scripture that I've been thinking about lately:  

     Be still, and know that I am God 

                                (Psalm 46:10) 

What an invitation; just breathe in, breathe out, and be still. 

I think I'll have another glass.

MONDAY MIND DUMP

1. Kudos to all who did double duty this weekend to make our service great!  Thank you!!
   
2. Worship was REALLY good...again!  We are very fortunate to have what we have.
   
3. Glad Fall break is over.  Hope you had fun!  (Come back to church now.)  Smallest crowd since Late June, tons of folks out, attenders, leaders and staff.  Brutal.
   
4. New family this week.  Lots of kids.  Great to meet them!
   
5. Heading to Ocala for coaching network Tuesday.  Should be painful.  Have to bring video of service for group to dissect.  I hope I can sit in front and heckle myself.  
   
6. Tons of technical issues this weekend.  Simple stuff that ALWAYS works...didn't.  Lights went out.  What?!?  
   
7. Big takeway: it takes a whole mess of happy folks to make all of this work right.
   
8. Despite all the glitches, I enjoyed this weekend.  We rode some on Saturday.  Alabama survived and is #2 in the BCS.  Liked the message.  Had fun on the platform.  Had lunch with several Roadies.  Quality time.
   
9. Life is good.  I'm grateful to get to do what I do.
   

Remember: Guard your heart this week.  Listen to the Alarm (ding-ding), establish perimeter security (eye's and ears), and keep your sword sharp (the Word in your mouth).

HEART - MOUTH - LIFE   

A New Association

Check out the promo for our new men's ministry at Crossroads.  Starting soon. Talk to me.

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

I'd love to get on here and glibbly gab about the glorious day I had...but in all honesty it was a bit difficult to get through.  And I'm not big on that concept.  Something on the inside of me absolutely abhors the idea of "getting through", or just "surviving", or "getting by".  Here's why:  It's just a total waste of time.  The hours are going to pass and they're gone.  I won't ever have them again.  When times are tough or challenges arise (which they invariably do) I need to recognize that I have a choice.  I can whine my way through the day, or I can laugh and enjoy my way through the day.

Years ago I traveled all the time for work.  I'd take a plane or a car out Monday morning and be back Thursday or Friday late.  Leslie and I had a tough time back then.  We would argue and fight and be generally discontent with one another all week long because I was gone, and then waste the entire weekend jousting about the fact that I had been gone all week and was leaving again on Monday morning.  The weekends we wasted not being content with our lives and peaceful in the midst of our circumstances are gone forever, and we'll never get them back.

I am convinced that even in the darkest of times we can experience a level of joy in our lives that makes other people look at us like we're crazy.  "How can you be joyful and cheerful and peaceful?  Look at what a mess your life is."  The joy, the good disposition, the positive attitude and outlook, the peace can all be present in our lives despite what our circumstances may look like.  After salvation, that is the heart of the Christian message.

Look, when we get to heaven, we're not going to need joy, good disposition, positive outlook, and peace.  We're going to be in an eternal state of love, joy, peace and worship.  NOW!  Now is when I need the joy.  Now is when I need the peace.  Now is when I need to be forward-looking. And none of those qualities are going to be the result of my circumstances, good or bad.

Check out what Paul said to the church at Philipi: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want" (Phil 4:12).  Then he tells them what the secret is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".   

YOU...and MY Big Mouth!

Here's hoping I haven't offended you recently...  

Start a series about having a big mouth and it's a given that you will say something stupid somewhere along the way.  I mean, hey...this series lasts a whole month.  I'm supposed to go a whole month without saying something stupid?  You won't, why would you think I could?  

We're "selling" our house.  I use the term "selling" loosely, because since June, all we've really been doing is "showing" our house.  To use the proper King James Version terminology: "It sucketh!"  

I am tired of looky-loo's traipsing in and out of what used to be my private sanctuary from the cold, cruel world.  They haven't done anything wrong.  We put a sign up.  They come and look.  It's what's supposed to happen.  But earlier this evening I sort of reached my peak tolerance for looky-looness.  

(I tweeted about this earlier, so ignore me if this is a repeat for you.) The people were supposed to show up at 5PM and were 15 minutes late.  Not a good start.  I was long gone when they got there, but I pull up in my driveway at 6:30 (an hour and a half after they were supposed to begin) and every light in the house is on.  That's a lot of lights.  And they are STILL in my house.  

Here's the stupid part.  I grab Biskit (our purebred boxer who, to the uninitiated looks like a pit bull) by the collar, hopped out of my truck, and with Biskit barking and slobbering, threw open the front door and announced (in a completely unnecessarily loud voice) "Hey, you people about ready to WRAP this up?"  Their collective breath sort of caught in their chests and they said, "Um...yes, yes...sorry, thank you...you have a lovely home..."  To which I snorted, "Yeah, thanks".  And they left.  Rather quickly.  

Guys, I don't know what to say (I know...all evidence to the contrary).  I just let my frustration with the process get the best of me, and I made them pay the price.  Really, really stupid.  Compound the stupidity of my words and actions with the fact that Enterprise is a small town.  It would serve me right if they showed up at church on Sunday.  Hmm...I wonder what Ben Rice is doing Sunday morning? 

Ramblings of a Pseudo-Insomniac [AMENDED]

I'm kind of a light sleeper.  Truth be told, I really don't sleep all that much.  I do a lot of work, and I read a lot. Especially at night. You know, when you're supposed to sleep.  It's not that I couldn't.  If I was in a sealed room, cooled to a constant temperature of 70 degrees. With no light and absolutely no sound and definitely no cats.  

Shelby, one of the aforementioned offending creatures decided somewhere around one o'clock this morning - just as I was drifting off to Droolsville, after reading 62 pages in a book I'm FORCING myself to read - that she should jump as high in the air as she could and land with as much force as she could muster onto the back of my thighs, which were exposed because I was sleeping (drifting) on my stomach, with my legs outside of the covers, because the temperature was somewhere around 71 degrees.  

Fighting the urge to pick her up and throw her against the wall - something I regrettably did to our cat Sugar, who has never quite recovered emotionally after I did just that one Christmas after she ran straight up the trunk of a freshly trimmed Christmas tree in our living room causing the whole affair to come crashing to the ground spilling cat, pine needles, tree water and ornaments everywhere - I flopped my legs high into the air (made somewhat difficult by the fact that I was sleeping [drifting] on my stomach), flew out of the bed yelling "What the crap!", opened the door (of my marginally sealed and only mostly dark bedroom), and booted her down the stairs. [SEE NOTE BELOW]  

Two hours later, after 40 more pages in a book I have some serious questions about, I sit here blogging my woes to a small group of people that are probably sleeping peacefully right now.  I just thought you should know.  I'll probably pray in a minute.  I think I'll start by repenting (always a good place to start) and move on to questioning the Lord as to why I only sleep about two nights out of seven, as I'm sure somehow He is responsible.  It couldn't possibly have anything to do with my strict diet of Red Bull, Diet Coke, and high blood pressure medication.  Or could it?  These are questions one tends to ask oneself when one doesn't get much sleep...doesn't one?  

Someone once said, "If a man had as many ideas during the day as he does when he has insomnia, he'd make a fortune".  All I can say to that is, "Bring it."  

I'm going to pray now.  I think I'll skip repenting and go straight to praying for people I know.  Who are sleeping right now.  (Pray that I don't start with you.  I haven't had much sleep, and I'd sure hate to get it wrong).  

Have a great Tuesday (now that you're all rested and refreshed)!

[NOTE: NO ACTUAL CATS WERE ACTUALLY HARMED IN THE ACTUAL ACTIONS THAT I TOOK OR THE ACTUAL POSTING OF THIS ACTUAL BLOG...ACTUALLY.]

MONDAY MIND-DUMP

New post I'll attempt to do each Monday morning. My brain doesn't really begin working properly until mid-afternoon on Mondays so this will largely be a random assortment of thoughts and observations about the weekend.

1. First MMD not possible because of @#$*%&!?! computer problems this morning.
   
2. Remembered immediately that saying (or thinking) "@#$*%&!?!" was probably wrong, considering the nature of this weekends message.
   
3. First episode of Me & My Big Mouth was a huge amount of fun.  Lots of good laughs and high quality Word.
   
4. Band cooked it down this weekend.  Especially liked "You'll Come" by Hillsong United.
   
5. Great turn-out considering holiday weekend.  Even with many regulars out, our attendance was strong, and we had many first-time attenders.
   
6. Continually impressed (and humbled) that so many people get up - in the dark - and come help with set-up.
   
7. LOVED the new lobby set-up.  Tons more room.  Everything really seemed to flow great!
   
8. Concerned about all the little kids that come from the apartments behind the church. So glad we are there to share the gospel with them, give them donuts, and give them love for 90 minutes.  But honestly, who lets a 4 year-old out of the house without any idea where he's gone?  Or a six year-old girl go to church (or anywhere else) without knowing where she's going?  Holy cow! Listen, we're going to be diligent to find out who the parents are and do our best to hook up with them (even if they don't want us to know who they are).  People, there's a HUGE mission field in every corner of your town.
   
9. LOVE the people that are attending Crossroads.  Can't believe that we all get to do this every week!
   

I'll be back and Blog something intelligent (perhaps) this afternoon. Have a great Monday!

Open Mouth...Insert Foot

If I had a dollar for every time I said some stupid thing without thinking about it beforehand, I could buy a tropical island somewhere and retire on it. Does anyone know what I mean? I really hope so, because if I thought it was just me...I would probably lose all hope.

If you're anything like me (and chances are pretty good you are), you have sat, head in hands, and lamented loudly, "I can't BELIEVE I just said that", as the foolish words you turned loose on someone echo inside your head.  Why do we do it? More importantly, is there anything we can do to stop it?

I've got an idea of something we can do, and I'd like to share it with you and a couple hundred of your closest friends this Sunday at Crossroads as we kick off a new 3-week series, aptly titled, 'Me & My Big Mouth'.  Come early for Starbucks and Krispy Kreme donuts.  Stick around for the service and let's see if we can get some practical help for today, a little inspiration for the future, and have a few good laughs along the way.

Invite BIG this weekend!  See you Sunday!    

More From Matt

Here's the recent happenings of Pastor Matt as he finishes training in the Ukraine...

Well, hello everyone.  I trust the baptism was truly awesome.  I know it was.  I want to let all of you know that I really miss each of you and cannot wait to see you all.  I hope that you are enjoying me sharing my thoughts and experiences while I am away.  I truly enjoy being able communicate this experience with people that I trust and love.   It definitely eases the pain of being gone.

I met a Christian missionary from Arkansas this week.  Some local churches in his town banded together some years ago to send food to an orphanage that is in Kremenchug (the city I am in).  FIRST, what an awesome thing to hear that good ole' American southern drawl again.  I know I have not been gone that long, but except for the British pilots here, I don't talk a lot.  To get back to it.  What an amazing ministry these churches are doing.  He invited me to see the orphanage, but honestly, I knew that it would crush me, so I didn't go.  Twice a year, they send a tractor/trailer size container of food to feed the kids in the orphanage.  Ukraine is a very poor nation as it is, can you imagine the state of affairs at the orphanage? Praise God for the churches in that small Arkansas town that have combined their resources to do God's work.   Consequently, their coalition is cross-denominational.    That's even cooler!

From that conversation brought me to an interesting point I would like to share with you.  A word of encouragement if you will?  He told me about the one Christian church in Kremenchug.  ONE!?!  It is a Church of Christ that has about 50 to 60 members.  The town has around 250,000 people in it.  To make a comparison; Enterprise had a little more than 24,000 people in July of 2007.  I can't even guess how many churches there are.  Think about that. there is only one church for all of these people.   Amazing! Overwhelmingly, my thoughts have been that the vast majority of people here don't even know they need Christ.  They have no idea!!  But they are people just like us.  The same dark places.  The same highs and lows.  The same uncertainties about the future and eternity.  God's people are the same.  Culturally we may have differences, but basically we are the same.

DOOM & GLOOM

For many these are dark days. In light of what is happening in our world, and in our own country, they are days full of worry, concern, confusion, fear, suffering and lack.  But the Bible says in the Book of Malachi that when darkness covers the earth - when men's hearts fail them with fear over all of the dreadful things happening - IN THAT MOMENT:

"shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings" (Mal 4:2) 

I'd like to share something with you written by David Wilkerson, Senior Pastor and founder of Times Square Church in New York City:

"For God's people, the message is not one of gloom, but of gladness. In the darkest hour, when things look hopeless - when there is fear on all sides, and everything is overshadowed by gloom - Jesus is going to rise in greater revelation than at any time in history.  And the world is going to witness his saving and keeping power in all its glory.  In a world gone mad - when radical Islamics boast they have prevailed, when agmostics cry, 'God is dead!' - Jesus Christ will rise up.  And he will shine as a healing Sun, brighter than in all past generations".

Guys, there aren't the words of some over-emotional, under-anointed, wingnut tele-prophet.  These are the words of Malachi, the prophet of God.  God cares about you and me.  He knows when we are in difficulty.  And through you may be facing more difficult and uncertain times in your life than at any time in your life...keep your eyes on Jesus, because if you do, you are going to see remarkable things, and you will experience a level of joy in your life that you have never known.  

Stay tuned.  In the next few posts I'm going to share more of something David Wilkerson has recently written about signs, wonders and miracles.  

Give Me Some Skin, Man

I had lunch with a good friend today.  Made me remember how much I need friends.  Not that I forgot, but sometimes we can get real distracted by work or home-life or ministry - those great repositories of a thousand little details each that compete for our attention.  And then you take a minute and slow down long enough to look someone in the eye, and have a conversation. And you remember all over again, how good it is to do things person-to-person. There's nothing like it.  

Maybe this never happens to you, but I know that I can get in a mode of operation where everything is coming in and going out electronically.  It's just the way business is done.  Most of my communication with people throughout the week is done that way.  I was having a conversation with someone just this past Sunday afternoon at the fellowship, after we had celebrated baptism together, and this idea came up that reminded me of the story of the little boy who woke up afraid in the night, and his mom came in the room (like she always did), and she comforted him (like she always did), and told him that God was right there with him and God loved him, and he didn't need to be afraid.  He looked at her and said, "I know that God loves me, but sometimes it's good to have some love with skin on it".  

That's what lunch was like today: love with skin on it.  It's so good for us to be around other people.  I know everyone likes to get away from time to time, and I can relate.  But even though I KNOW God loves me, and he's always right there with me, and I don't need to be afraid, sometimes it's good to have some love with skin on it.  Friendship.  Brotherly love. Just can't beat it.  

Call someone up and have lunch with them this week.  Look them in the eye and have a good conversation.  Who knows, maybe they'll even pick up the tab!  Thanks for lunch, brother!    

Couldn't Resist

What do you like to do after a long hard morning of portable movie theatre church?  I know...let's have a spelling contest. Ha, ha!

Don't Take My Word For It...

Check out Lynn's article here:

http://www.rickystokesnews.com/cgi-bin/MyWeb/article_proc.pl?object=17728&category=884

Afterglow

I am still buzzed.  What a wonderful service we had yesterday, and then the lid blew off the top of my expectations as 90 of us gathered at Lake Tholocco where we baptized 23 people! What a privilege.  

Thanks for all your help in making yesterday special not only for those who were baptized, but for the whole Crossroads family. Truly, we crossed over into new territory yesterday afternoon (that seems to happen often, doesn't it?).  Each time that, as a church family, we get to break new ground or have some new shared experience together I see the invisible glue that God uses to stick us to each other.  I suppose the proper scripturally terminology would be, "he has knit our hearts together by the Holy Ghost", but it's the same result.  We take another step, have another experience, live another day as family.

One of my favorite moments yesterday?  Many of us we're sitting in the pavilion after the baptizing, after the pigging out on burgers, dogs and great desserts, and the musicians had guitars and drum boxes out.  They we're playing and everyone was gathered around singing:

You are all over

You are all around me

You are inside me

This is life, This is life

And the sun was low in the sky, bathing the pavilion in warm light, and the voices of the people singing, the unity present in that moment, and the significance of what we had just experienced a short time before in the water, and the faces of those who were baptized as they emerged, and the cheers of the people on the shore, and I thought, "Yeah...this is life".

So glad to be alive and doing life together.  

Corporate Worship Songs

Tim Hawkins...funny (especially the last song.  Worth it.)

BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY!

It is fantastically fabulous outside.  Hope you get to enjoy at least a bit of it today!  I am actually a Fall-hater from way back. I always mourn the passing of Summer, so it's inexplicable to me why I am positively giddy about Fall this year.  I am absolutely loving it! Never happened to me before, but I'm going with it.  Crisp air, turning leaves, carving pumpkins, shooting pilgrims and stuff. Bring it on! 

So anyway...big, BIG Sunday this weekend.  So excited about it!  We are going to have a great service, sharing a little bit and answering some oft-asked questions about baptism. What it is, why we do it, what it does, what it means.  Then Sunday at 3PM we're going to meet up at Lake Tholocco at the EAST Beach (not the WEST Beach), for a little Beach, BBQ and Baptism.  We'll do our baptism service first.  Already have almost 20 people signed up! Then we'll just relax and enjoy some hanging out and eating Crossroads-provided hot dogs and hamburgers.  The church will also get the drinks so just bring a side (some chips, little debbies, potato salad, whatever).  Come, even if you're not getting baptized.  For those late deciders, we'll have extra shorts, dark shirts and towels.  for all the info go to www.crossroadsenterprise.org.  

Oh, and if that weren't enough to get you out of bed:  Janna's singing Christina Aguilara's 'Beautiful' Sunday morning to kick things off.  I can't wait!  See you there.

WHAT A TASK(MASTER)!

And you think YOU have a hard time keeping up (and don't lie to me, no one is that hip), just remember...I was born at the dawn of the transistor age!