This One's for the Girls (and the Guys who love them)!

For the next two weeks (which includes Mother's Day on May 8th) we're doing a very special series dedicated to women everywhere, as we talk about women God chose to make our lives and our faith possible.  Ladies First isn't just about how guys should hold doors open and pull chairs out and stand up when women walk in the room (but that's all good stuff).  No, much more, Ladies First is about what happens when God choses women to do world-changing, life-changing things.  The interesting thing is, he didn't just chose queens, and princesses, and women in powerful positions.  He chose ordinary women, many with a "past", and did extraordinary things through their lives. Women like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesus.

Don't miss the next two weeks, and don't forget that May15th is Beach, BBQ and Baptism - one of the most exciting events we do at Crossroads!  Sign up to be baptized by clicking HERE.    

A Letter To Our Awesome Small Group Leaders

Hey Guys!  I want to take a minute to let you all know what I think: Crossroads has FANTASTIC Small Group Leaders!  That's not a suck-up statement.  It is something proven on a regular basis as I hear the amazing life-change stories coming out of your small groups.

So, in order to serve you better as you lead, we will be providing you with some NEW RESOURCES by way of video and email blast.  These resources are designed to help you keep the people in your small groups up to speed on everything going on at Crossroads.  Here's what you'll be receiving:

1. A weekly recap of all the relevant numbers from each Sunday service (from attendance to offerings to decisions) along with and great commentary from Crossroads attenders to encourage you, and keep you and your small group informed;
2. A list of service opportunities within the church so you know exactly where to point your small group members who are ready to serve;
3. A list of service ideas in our community (and across the world) to help you decide how your small group will reach out as a group and serve the world around you.

Additionally, we are working on a new in-house curriculum for a recurring 8-week long small group experience called DRIVE.  DRIVE is a video-based small group study, complete with simple workbooks, that will be the first Small Group stop for people who are new to Crossroads.  Designed to propel people forward in their spiritual journey, DRIVE will be a game-changer for small group leaders and participants alike! 

Look for these new resources, and always remember: your feedback is important and welcomed!  Keep up the GREAT work!

PG

    

Grace Place Leads the Way

I saw something remarkable happen in our community on Easter Sunday.  And it was something God did through The Grace Place in Enterprise.  Now, I've never been to the Grace Place, and I've only met Pastor Donnie Thrasher one time, briefly in the parking lot of Salem Baptist Church after a service.  So it's not like we're "big buddies" and I'm blowing his horn here.  But I am blowing his horn here.  

I used to live near Salem Baptist, and I can recall for years driving by that little church on Sunday mornings on my way to "big" church.  Then one day I saw a sign in front of tiny Salem Baptist Church that said "Grace Place".  And I Sunday after Sunday as I drove by to "big" church I saw them grow and grow and grow.  In the years since, I've only ever heard good things about The Grace Place, and as a pastor of a growing church, I am proud of what God has accomplished through their love for God and the people He has called them to serve.

Fast forward to Easter Sunday:  I had heard that Pastor Donnie and the Grace Place had never been able to have an Easter Sunday service where they had their entire church under one roof at one time.  I heard, in response to that, that they reserved the Enterprise Civic Center to have a big Easter Sunday service.  While that is such an awesome and wonderful thing for them to have the opportunity to do, that's not what I want to brag about.  

Here's what I want to brag about: All over town, in the days leading up to Easter Sunday, yard signs popped up with the simple invitation, "Easter Service - Enterprise Civic Center", with the date and time.  The words Grace Place did not appear anywhere on those yard signs.  That is about the coolest thing I've seen any Pastor or church in this town do for a very long time.

The Grace Place didn't promote themselves, their agenda, their church, their name, their location, their style, their ANYTHING.  There were no cool graphics, or pictures of the Pastor, or pithy tag lines or ANYTHING else.  The Grace Place promoted a risen Savior, and they invited our entire community to meet Him.

What happened?  I heard around 1200 people attended.  I don't know how many were Grace Place regulars, but having done this as long as I have, I would be willing to bet you that they reached dozens and dozens (and probably hundreds) of first-time attenders. People that might never have had the opportunity to hear the Gospel preached, had they been focused on promoting themselves.  I'm blown away by what they did.  

Pastor Donnie, Grace Place, way to lead!  Well done.    

 

WEEKEND UPDATE (Easter Sunday 2011)

What a wonderful day of celebration we had Sunday at Crossroads!  Our biggest crowd by far of the year packed out the college cinema for two awesome services.  Many people made life-changing decisions including many who decided to go public with their faith through baptism.  Here's a few highlights:

• Worship was great!  Loved the song selection!
• Lots of Easter Sunday Launches including our fantastic NEW WEBSITE!  Kudos to Will and Brian G. for making it happen.  Tons of new resources including VIDEO PODCASTS!
• Also launched Crossroads DRINK COFFEE DO GOOD campaign supported by Land of 1000 Hills Coffee, and sold over 10% of what we need to sell in an entire year to support an entire Rwandan village!
• Loved the new "Good News" segment in our service where we take time to celebrate the awesome things God is doing in the lives of Crossroads attenders, in small groups, and in our community through the work of God's people!
• We talked Sunday about how we've all asked the question "Where is God in all of this?" when confronted with difficult circumstances in life.
• It's often hard to see God in the beginning of trouble.  How do we find good news in tragedy?  Or hope in hopeless situations?  Peace in the midst of disaster?
• Even though most of us would readily admit that the most significant and defining moments in our lives were difficulties (and even tragedies), when faced with challenging circumstances we often think, or say, "Does God really even care?
• The BIBLICAL FACT remains that when it comes to faith in God through Jesus Christ "There is more here than meets the eye"!
• Our tendency is to look at our lives through the filter of the circumstances in our lives and in the world around us.
• But like PAUL SHARES, we need to instead look at life's circumstances through the filter of eternity!
• Jesus conquered the world by being raised from the dead!
• So we can take heart, because we have a brand new life!
• Even though difficulties come, we have EVERYTHING to live for!
• We just need to know WHERE to look: To the resurrection!
• And WHO to look to: Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith!
• What's the Good News?  HE IS RISEN!   

Such a great day!  I shared about one time (of many) that I also asked, "Where's God in all this", a story about when we moved from Colorado to Alabama, and everything in my business life and work in the ministry seemed to be caving in on itself.  I wound up in a metal building doing worship for about 30 teens.  The reality of that experience is, without all the difficult move and the challenging circumstances, we likely never would have started Crossroads.  In fact, teens from that very youth group serve at Crossroads today, nearly 15 years later.  You heard from one of them last week...Pastor Ben Rice!


God is SO GOOD!  Have a GREAT week!

Thank You, Pastor Ben!

HUGE thanks to Pastor Ben Rice for sharing for the past two weeks in our series Leverage!  Heard so many great comments, and look forward to having Ben back soon.  Me and Leslie and some of our kids took full advantage this past Sunday as we headed out of town for a few days at a remote cabin in Northeast Alabama.  A GREAT get-away and time to relax and recharge.  Can't wait for this weekend!  Easter Sunday at Crossroads is a FANTASTIC time to invite friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and complete strangers to church.  Invite BIG this week and consider attending the early service at 9:00AM.  I am so excited to be with you again as we share a special Easter message called, GOOD NEWS! 

A Post From Pastor Ben

What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you. –A.W. Tozer.

Why should we look to the book of Colossians for insight when speaking about leveraging our life, even the seemingly mundane details, for God's glory. Colossians is one of the most Christ-centered books of the Bible. This is the case because the apostle Paul was writing specifically to the believers in the church of Colossae and Laodicea to inform them of the significance of remaining focused on the teachings of Jesus, the gospel, while there were competing philosophical and theological ideas that were circulating and gaining popularity in their community. From this we can see that the book of Colossians is relevant to us as believers right now in our world and in our community. Also, Laodicea was a small town with little economical significance to the Roman empire. However, at some point it began to become a hub of economic activity during the writing of this letter. Sounds similar to our area with the Fort Rucker community being part of Alabama culture, doesn’t it…ya’ll?

As a result of this, different philosophies and worldviews began to permeate the culture of their community.  The apostle Paul, being the responsible Christian leader that he was, found it necessary to address these issues (Col 2:8).

What I find really interesting and also very assuring about this book is that even the early Christian had struggles with their faith. Not necessarily struggles with, “is Jesus the Lord?”, but just getting distracted with the details of everyday life, while also being influenced by other voices in the world around them,  and consequently not necessarily holding fast and “remaining” in the teachings of Jesus.

This happens to us all the time, and it's something that we have to be aware of.

So, the book of Colossians served as an important reminder to those Christians, as well as serving as a reminder to us. Paul gives some very practical advice to the believers in chapter 3 in regards to all of the competing voices and distractions in their lives.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. -Colossians 3:16 ESV

In this passage he is encouraging the believers to allow, or be aware of, the teaching and character of Christ. To “let” Christ’s character influence our character. It almost sounds like he is describing a Sunday morning service at Crossroads. We come together, sing some songs with the worship band and celebrate our God and Savior, while also receiving teaching and admonishment  from the message. This is why attendance on Sunday morning is important for Christians. The next passage takes a different turn. It looks at worship as being even more practical, taking it into our neighborhoods, places of work, and our homes.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. –Colossians 3:17 ESV

This is of paramount importance because if we see this then we see God in our lives. Not in a Bible story, not in an article of a newspaper, or a story we read online, or in a chain e-mail from our cousin that we have to send to 10 other people or else.

No…we see God in OUR life.

How important is this? Can you put a value on how important this is? I don't think you can. Don't you want this for your spouse? How about for your children? This is one of the reasons why ministers for years have used the term “personal relationship” when speaking about accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. 

Jesus Christ is in you and with you.

To be continued…

WEEKEND UPDATE (041011)

Fantastic day at Crossroads!  I never get tired of being there, of doing life with others there, of serving there, of worshipping there, or of writing about things I experience there.  Here's a few quick hits from this weekend:

• TONS of first-time attenders!  What a privilege.  Let's all be sure to connect with every person that walks through our front door.  You need to know how RARE it is for churches to have as many first-time attenders as we do.  That's why it's so important to honor that gift from God, by warmly welcoming those who have given their morning to come to Crossroads!
• MANY people made high-quality decisions yesterday to renew their commitment to Christ and to go public with their faith through baptism!
• Pastor Ben did a GREAT job with Part One of our new series LEVERAGE!  Ben Rice has such a huge heart for God and for the people of Crossroads.  We are seriously blessed to have him as part of our church family!  For those who don't know this, Pastor Ben and Kelly Rice are an integral part of the foundation of Crossroads.  They are one of the very big reasons that there IS a Crossroads!  Thank you guys so much for what you do!
• People went NUTS updating their Facebook status, posting pictures and comments, and tweeting from yesterdays service at Crossroads.  Way to EXPAND your reach!!
• Jeff Williams takes awesome notes every week of every service and posts them to his blog.  You can find it HERE.  Thanks Jeff, you are a gift from God to the body of Christ!
• Children's environments next door absolutely ROCK!  I LOVE being in the building.  So much energy, so much love, so many people loving God by serving others!

Don't forget this week: Get your invite cards out there in your world.  Sunday April 24th is Easter Sunday and it's the day MANY people will come to church perhaps the only time in the entire year.  What a great opportunity to invite them to Crossroads!  Especially those who have wandered some in their lives.  We have found over the past few years that people who have walked away from God really like it at Crossroads.  Crossroads is a great place to invite people who don't like church, or who have walked away from church, who have been hurt in church, or who are simply fed up with church!  So many have experienced life-change as a result of their decision to come.  All they are waiting for is an invitation from you!

Have a GREAT week!

 

The Tip of the Iceberg

Leslie and I were talking yesterday about the idea of what a person sees at Crossroads on Sunday morning as being just "the tip of the iceberg".  In other words, there's a whole lot more going on, then someone might realize at first glance.  Let me give you a few examples of what I mean:

• We live in a "training town".  The largest single block of attenders at Crossroads are in WOCS, or flight school, are family members of those in WOCS or flight school, or earn their living supporting the mission at Fort Rucker.  As a result, our congregation (just like the population at Fort Rucker) is constantly rotating in and out.  
• Though the SIZE of Crossroads physical congregation tends to neither diminish nor significantly spike in growth, the FACE of the congregation constantly changes.  Which means that untold numbers of people come through the front door, are impacted by the ministry in some way, and then leave a some point.  In 2011 we'll likely see more than 600 first-time attenders.  
• Crossroads reaches WAY more people than you will ever see on Sunday morning. On an average Sunday morning at Crossroads what you are likely to see is somewhere around 270 people attending church.  What you don't see is the 763 people (as of last Monday) who either attend on Sunday, participate in a small group, listen to our weekly podcast, or stay connected to our church community by taking advantage of one or more on-line resources.

Why is all of that important?  So we can boast of numbers of people greater than those attending on Sunday?  No, no.  It's not about that.  Our life is about influencing people for Christ.  Here's what it's about: those 763 people that are connected at Crossroads are just the ones we know about!  They ARE the "tip of the iceberg".  

While I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with those 763 people in a meaningful way, we ALL need to be aware of, and deeply concerned about, the HUNDREDS that come through our front door and never fill out a Communication Card, and never join a small group, and never get connected to God's mission, and LEAVE without anyone really knowing they were here.    

Just as there is far more to Crossroads than meets the eye, there is an entire mission field of people God loves living just out of sight, just below the surface of the water.  That is why, as followers of Christ, as representatives of the Gospel, it is incumbent upon every one of us  to pay attention to more than just "tip of the iceberg".

What represents the "tip of the iceberg" for you at Crossroads?  Maybe it's the group of people you gravitate to on Sunday morning.  It's comfortable.  I get it.  You see them, you know them, it works, and those relationships are HUGELY important.  

But what would it be like to say to your comfortable group, "Today at church, let's challenge ourselves to walk across the room and meet and talk to someone we have never met before".  

When is the last time you met someone who is at Crossroads for the very first time?  Look at it this way: you might be the only connection they make that first time.  You could be the reason they come back.  You could be the reason they get in a small group.  You could be the reason they connect their lives with God's mission.  You  could be the reason they get their family in a great church and continue to grow relationally, spiritually and in service to the church and the world when they ultimately LEAVE.  

You could be the very reason that number is 764 next Monday!  Dive in!  There's a whole world of relationships and opportunities to influence others for Christ just below the surface of the water!  

Have a GREAT weekend!

 

POWER UP (Your Smart Phone In Church)!

Though there's no scientific research to support this, I'm pretty sure the average age of the Crossroads attender is somewhere between 25 and 30.  Which is also (and, again I have no data to support this, I'm just guessing) the age group representing the largest purchasing block of smart phone users AND the largest group of people with active Facebook accounts.  I said all that to say, if you attend Crossroads, chances are good that you have two very important things: a Facebook account and some sort of smart phone.  Hmm...how can we leverage that?  

Statistics (which I do not have, but if I did would probably) indicate that you, with your smart phone, typically update your Facebook status at least three-times a week.  (Some of you do it a WAY more than that, and that's AWESOME!).

With your smart phone and your Facebook account, you tell people all over the world about your day, your job, your dog, your politics, your purchases, and what your mother did to make you mad.  You post pictures and videos, you play Farmland and Mafia Wars, and through all of that the biggest thing you do is use your smart phone and your Facebook account to communicate what's going on in YOUR world with THE PEOPLE in your world.

So...here's what I suggest you do with your smart phone the very next (and every) time you come to Crossroads and walk in the auditorium: POWER UP and let the people in your WORLD know what's going on in your CHURCH.  How do you do that?  Simple, just like you'd do any other Facebook status update.  Take a picture.  Post it.  Hear a scripture.  Post it.  Hear something that makes you go, "Hmm...that's good".  Post it.  Love worship?  Talk about it.  Something good happen?  Put it on your wall.  Learn something useful.  Let your world know.  Experience God?  Share it on Facebook on Sunday morning.  

What would it be like if we extended the reach of our Sunday service to the Facebook account of every smart phone-user at Crossroads?  For starters:  If just twenty of you did it next Sunday, and you had an average of 250 facebook friends, we just increased the footprint of the gospel by 5,000 people!  The sky's the limit from there.  So the next time you come to Crossroads, turn your smart phone ON, and turn up the volume and the reach of the Gospel! (Just make sure your phone's on vibrate).

Look for MANY MORE opportunities to come to use electronic cabability and social media to enrich your Crossroads worship experience!


(P.S. Twitter users #fb your posts or set your Facebook account to allow status updates from your twitter account.)

  

    

WEEKEND UPDATE (040311- Communion)

Great Scott, what a fantastic weekend!  Started for Leslie and I on Saturday as we rode Harley's with a group of awesome folks for about six and a half hours.  As I cracked open a generous amount of throttle on Highway 27 east of Ozark, I felt the stress and strain of life begin to break off of me like a plaster shell; my concerns and worries swallowed up in the deep fluttering exhaust note of my chromed-out V-Twin....  Everyone should have a large motorcycle.  Preferably a Harley.  I'm pretty sure that's in the Bible somewhere.

Sunday came, and what a remarkable day it was.  I was a little shaky in the first service (sorry), as part of me was still out on the open road...Ahhhh the sticky black stripe rolling over green hills and through lush pastures...as I blast through the countryside, terrifying small farm animals with the blap-blappity-blap of 88 cubic inches of American steel...  (Okay...clearly I have some issues here that only riding will address).

So...Sunday:

We celebrated communion.  When we do that together as a church, a community of believers...well, there's just nothing like it!  Next to Baptism, sharing communion in the context of our church community is one of my favorite things in life.  Communion was given by Jesus to helps us remember Jesus in everything we do.  Remembering helps us to remain in Christ.  What an awesome God!

Thanks to everyone who made Sunday's communion services at Crossroads possible!  Have a GREAT week.  Next Sunday, we begin a brand new two-part series called 'LEVERAGE'.  Archimedes said, "Give me a lever long enough...and I will move the world".  Join us for the next two weeks as we talk about the "levers in our own lives" and how God wants us to leverage our time, talent and treasure to "move our world" for Christ!