WEEKEND UPDATE (010310)

Great to be back at Crossroads and so great to see all the friendly faces I missed in the week we took off between Christmas and the New Year.  Here's a few quick takes on the weekend:

1. It's time to GROW!
2. Loved the holidays and especially time with my family, but glad to get back in the groove and looking forward to a hugely productive year.
3. People, people, people.  I LOVE that I get to see so many awesome people each week!  I'd rather be in the lobby at Crossroads than anyplace else I can think of!
4. Many first-time attenders on Sunday!  Let's work hard to reach out to them and keep 'em coming back!
5. Our week away over the holidays felt like months. 
6. I don't know about anyone else...but I was rusty Sunday morning!  Felt like I hadn't shared a message in long time.
7. Loved seeing my top five favorite roll-ins from 2009. Reminded me of the messages.  What we studied and learned, what we applied and how we grew!
8. Great to unpack a bit of the parable of the sower on Sunday. The Bible makes it pretty clear that God wants us to grow, to be productive, to bear fruit for the kingdom.
9. Oh my goodness, is it cold enough for anyone else?
10. Our direction - not our intention - determines our destination. Looking forward to digging into that in the coming weeks.

I ended my evening Sunday with a long phone conversation with a dear friend (and Roadie from way back).  He's shoveling snow and missing the Crossroads family.  Then two emails.  One was someone telling me why their family is leaving the church.  It sucks when that happens, but it's part of life as a pastor.  I wish no one ever left, but that is a completely unrealistic desire on my part.  The other email was from someone who attended Next Steps, who attended Roadies 101, who is a highly involved and motivated volunteer, telling me why their family is digging in and taking things to the next level at Crossroads in 2010.

Guys, there's a place for everyone.  When you find that place, go for it. Put your whole heart into it.  In my brief nearly 50 trips around the sun I discovered this (it's nothing new, but worth repeating):  If you want to be in anything in life (I mean really be in it), you gotta get in it and pour yourself into it.  Whatever it is.  Your reward, your connection, your personal fulfillment and ultimate satisfaction in anything is directly related to how much of yourself you put into something.  Not how much you take out - how much you put in.

2010 - It's time to GROW.