WEEKEND UPDATE (I Totally HEART You Edition - REVISED)

For 30 years now (because my wedding anniversary is February 9th) I have lovingly received a "pass" from Leslie on Valentines Day.  It suited me well as I have always viewed this day as little more than a commercially contrived conspiracy to drive up cost and manufacture demand for greeting cards, chocolates and flower arrangements.  (I know, I know...how could anyone possibly "Bah Humbug" poor little Cupid, right?) But I bring good news for all you gooey-hearted, dreamy-eyed lovers out there.  Something I studied a bit (and actually taught in Youth several years ago) actually changed my opinion of Valentines Day forever.  You can read one of the literally hundreds of stories (and legends) of St. Valentine, Martyr for Christ HERE.  In other fantastic news, Sunday at Crossroads was AWESOME!  Here's just a few of the many reasons why:

• GREAT crowd!  SEVENTEEN first-time attenders! 
• MANY people raised their hands evidencing quality decisions to attend every week of our current series God, Love & Sex; to allow God to change their hearts concerning relationships; to allow God to intervene in their marriages; to renew their relationship with God through Christ; even to trust Christ with their lives for the very first time!  It was a HUGE day of decisions!
• The first service has numerous technical difficulties which were all sorted out by the second service.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but God is so much bigger than all of that, and we really experienced the Holy Spirit moving on people's hearts yesterday, helping them overcome difficulties in their marriages and in the dating lives of singles.  God is SO good!
• Loved the "I Love You THIS Much" segment yesterday.  Surprising answers!
• Our young, single contestant Leo really cracked me up.  He put his top ten list together of what women want for Valentine's Day and it was very nearly opposite of the survey results.  When I asked him if he learned anything, he said (off the mic), "Yeah, whatever I think is the exact opposite of what women think!"  Leo, keep up that thinking you'll go far in your future marriage!
• Having a great marriage isn't as much about FINDING the right person as it is about BECOMING the right person.
• Even in great marriages "Seasons of Winter" are a part of preparing for great blessings to come.  Don't throw in the towel on your marriage just because you're in a season of winter.  Spring is coming!
• Singles: Don't abandon your life for the "perfect" guy or gal.  That's not love.  Love invites this person into the TOTALITY of your life.  You invite them to know your family, your friends, your church.  You INCLUDE them in your life, not ABANDON your life for them.
• Singles: Don't speak prematurely (especially weighty words like "I love you").  Give God time to build a foundation for your relationship before you put too much pressure on it.
• Singles: Be careful to remember that when your HEART moves toward someone, your HANDS naturally want to follow.  Easy does it.  
• When talking about your past (especially your past relationships and especially past sexual relationships, if you've had them) be honest, but spare the details.  The devil seems to use the details to plant seeds of doubt and mistrust.
• Single Guys: She is relying on YOU to "catch the little foxes" of sexually tempting things that could destroy the purity of your relationship.
• Single Gals: If you're in a relationship with a guy who is pressuring you sexually, you are in a relationship with a guy who DOES NOT fear the standard of God.  And if he doesn't fear God's standard BEFORE you are married, what makes you think he'll fear it AFTER you're married.  Think about it.

So many great take-aways from yesterday's service, but the best is surely this: I saw and spoke to MANY people on Sunday who are taking this series and the application it affords SERIOUSLY.  God is working relational MIRACLES in people's lives and it is so AWESOME to see!  Keep coming back.  Don't give up.  Next week: GREAT SEX!  Feel free to invite Grandma...but you might not want to sit next to her!  I'm kidding mostly.  When God's teaching on intimate loving marriages lands where it's supposed to land, no one is embarrassed or uncomfortable.  Invite big!

Have a GREAT week!