WEEKEND UPDATE (082910)

Hey guys, yes it's Tuesday.  First time EVER in two years that me weekend update hasn't been done by Monday.  Really long week prior with some out of state travel and a large proposal that was due Monday morning left me powering through the weekend, working through the night Sunday, and falling into bed Monday late afternoon for the first time since Saturday!  That said, SUNDAY was a FANTASTIC day at Crossroads.  One for the books!  Here's a few things that stood out:

• MANY people renewed their commitment to Christ on Sunday!!
• Others decided to go public with their faith through baptism!!
• That's why we do what we do!
• Taught about the RAPTURE in Sunday.  Very cool stuff.
• Some people don't believe in the rapture.  I'm okay with that.  One thing is certain regardless of what you believe, we're ALL going out of this life and into the next one way or another.  Whether it's the rapture or the end of your life, you and I will depart this life one day.  So I just figure that the best thing we can do is LIVE READY, yeah?
• I liked the idea that Peter teaches about: Live holy and godly lives, while looking for the day of God.  We don't always do that.  Many of us trust Jesus with our TOMORROW, but not really with our TODAY.  We'll take eternal salvation, but we kinda like deciding what we do with everything else.  I believe that God would have us all come to realize that the best use of our time in the HERE and NOW, is to live it FULLY ENGAGED in the things God wants us to pursue, in the way He wants us to pursue them.  Now THAT'S a life well lived! 
• Nic and the worship band were GREAT.  Love their version of the last song "Our God", and so did EVERYONE during the first and second service!  Way to bring it!
• GROUP LINK was great on Sunday afternoon at EOCC!  About 150 people gathered for a great free lunch, a chance to mix and mingle and sign up for our FALL SEMESTER of small groups.  If you didn't attend, you missed a great time, but you didn't miss out on getting in a small group.  Sign up sheets will be in the lobby before and after each service for the next two weeks.  Sign up!
• Following up on that: Our purpose at Crossroads is these THREE simple things: Love God, Love Others and Serve the World.
• We do that by doing these THREE simple things: Connecting people to God, to each other, and to the world around us.
• To accomplish that we ask YOU to do these THREE simple things: Attend Sunday service, get in a small group, volunteer your time.
• It's time for the second of those THREE simple things to take place, so make sure you get in a small group and dig in to Crossroads Fall Semester!  Isn't SIMPLE great?  Yup, yup!
• And finally this: For the first time EVER, I wore dress shoes, slacks, a nice belt and a long sleeve shirt TUCKED IN to my pants on stage on Sunday morning.  It felt great, but I probably won't do it again for a while.  Some people said, "Wow, you really look great like that!", while others said, "I don't like the way you dressed today!".  Opinions were about 60-40 in favor.  Just so you know...while I appreciate your comments (especially the complimentary ones - who wouldn't?)...I don't really care about all that.  It's not personl, it's just the way I roll.  I wear what's there.  I may wear a dashiki, a kilt, a racing jumpsuit, a tuxedo, or a pair of cutoffs this weekend.  Don't really know.  It usually comes down to what's clean and hanging in my closet. (So I guess that leaves the kilt out!  Or DOES it???)

May God grant you great peace as you live FULLY in TODAY, while LEANING IN to TOMORROW.  May God grant you wisdom to STAY FOCUSED on the task at hand, while being TOTALLY AWARE that there is a life to come.  God bless you, protect you, and keep you healthy and propserous 'til we meet again next Sunday for the final week of OUTTATIME!