Weekend Update (9-11-11)

Greeetings in the name of Jesus Christ!  It's been more than a week since I shared a blog post - a week filled with pressing deadlines and uphill climbs, a week fraught with potholes and speedbumps, and a week that saw tragic circumstances for one of our beloved Crossroads families as they say goodbye to a cherished loved one.  It was also a week in which we mourned as a people for those lost on September 11th, 2001. 

That said, I greet this Monday morning with the peace of God which passes all understanding, and joy in the Holy Ghost!  Jesus is alive and well and beckoning us into a life-changing, soul-saving relationship with our heavenly Father!  God be praised!

Sunday, as we honored the memory of all who were lost on 9-11 by observing a moment of silence and praying for our nation, we wrapped up our series City of Progress sharing from the 8th Chapter of the Book of Nehemiah.

I strongly encourage you - if you missed even one week of this compelling teaching series, go HERE right away and catch up on the services you missed.  I promise you, it will be time well spent!  Here's just a few of the things that stood out to me:

• "The RUBBLE in your life reveals the TROUBLE in your life".  The rubble isn't the problem.  Just like for the people of Jerusalem, the rubble was an indicator of how far they had wandered from God's purpose for their lives.  Nehemiah is the guy that says, "Look past the rubble of financial meltdowns, problems in your relationships, marital discord and dissatisfaction with your jobs, and see that all of those troubles are rooted in wandering from God's purpose for your life".   
• "The TROUBLE in your life comes through the GATES in your life".  Though none of us could be expected to control many of the challenges, difficulties and tragic circumstances that come our way, if we're honest, many of the troubles in our lives are events (or sequences of events) that we ourselves have authored.  Nehemiah is the guy that says, "Honoring God means that we must be dilligent and responsible Gatekeepers".  We're not responsible for the thoughts that come our way, we're only responsible for what we do with those thoughts after they've arrived.  When we allow potentially destructive or dangerous things to enter unabated and ancontrolled through the gates of our eyes, ears, and mind - and we decide to allow those things to stay so that we might dwell on them for a while - they captivate us, and ultimately capture our hearts.  Just as God's people we're taken captive for 70 years in Babylon, you and I can be taken captive by the things we allow to walk right in to our lives.

So many great things came about as a result of this series, I don't have time to mention but a few of them.  Here's a HUGE one: we averaged 20 First-Time Attenders each week of City of Progress!  Way to go Crossroads family!  Way to reach out into your world and invite BIG!  Also...Huge thanks to Nic, Janna and the band for letting me sit in with them a couple of times during this series.  That was SO COOL!

 

Next Sunday, September 18th we kick-off a brand new series called GAME PLAN.  Don't miss a week!  Have fun in small groups this week as you dig in to DRIVE!  Remember to pray for the lost, and continue to pray and believe God for 50 to be baptized at Beach, BBQ and Baptism on Sunday October 9th!  Peace.