The Water's Just Right...

I LOVE that people are being honest!  If you look to your right, you'll see a poll I posted.  It's about taking our own spiritual temperature.  My favorite thing on there so far, are the two votes that voted, "Lukewarm".  That is so AWESOME!  

I know, you're thinking, "What do you mean that's awesome?  People being lukewarm is awesome"?    No. People being honest is awesome.  Temperature is easy.  It's just a matter of adjusting the thermostat.  The tough thing is to get a group of people to be transparent with each other.  That's why I am so ENCOURAGED about what is happening at Crossroads!  

If our whole trip at Crossroads is life-change (and it is), how do you get life-change if you're not honest with yourself or others?  Guys, that's what this whole thing is about; coming to the place where we say, "You know, it really doesn't matter what you think about me - Here I am!" And seeing that there's a family of people who want to embrace you, just like you are.  

That's EXACTLY the response God is looking for from each of us.  If you have been a Christian for any length of time yourself, then you have probably found yourself at some point getting "ready" for church.  Putting on your "spiritual makeup" so you can present yourself to other believers as a "worthy" subject of Christ.  But inside you're recoiling at the very thought of telling one more person, "Fine, I'm just fine...and you?"  

With each passing day I become more aware of the incredibly fragile state of humankind.  But it's not something I look at disparagingly.  It's something that gives me joy and great peace. The goof ups, the mistakes, the little rebellions that we ALL participate in - sometimes willingly - are truly such precious things.  Why? Because they help us see that we're not enough.  And we can see our need for God.  

The next time you make a mistake, the next time you do or say something you wish you hadn't, the next time you realize that you have become truly lukewarm in your relationship with God and with other people, don't mope.  Rejoice!  Be of good cheer.  Why? Because you have arrived at the place where God's grace and mercy can bring life-change.  And you're in good company!  

The biggest reason we get lukewarm, is because we think we have failed to live up to our own expectations of what a Christian should be.  I think maybe we need to adjust our thinking a bit. Let me ask you something:  Is there anything more important than for a Christian to be humbled by how much God loves us anyway?  Is there anything that makes us more humble then to come face to face with our own shortcomings?  God's strength is made PERFECT in our weakness!  

Bring you imperfections to the pool and jump on in.  The water may be warmer than you think.    

     

Legacy

Martin Luther King

15 January 1928 - 4 April 1968

Glimpse

What a great youth service we had Thursday night!  It was so encouraging to see everyone there; teens, young adults, and seasoned veterans of youth ministry alike. The fellowship was great, the music was just awesome (way to go, Sam!), the message was uplifting and full of hope (you rock, Chris Vincent!), but the greatest thing that happened tonight might have gone unnoticed by most. And it was everywhere you looked in the room.

In the Matt Redman song "Seeing You", there's a line that goes like this:

No one can sing of things they have not seen

God open our eyes towards a greater glimpse

The glory of You, the glory of You

God open our eyes toward a greater glimpse...

Do you ever feel like your eyes have been opened, when they were closed before, and you can see things you never saw before?  I'm starting to see - really for the first time - what the glory of God must look like.  To me, it looks like people.

The song goes on to a chorus that repeats:

Worship starts with seeing you

Worship starts with seeing You

Our hearts respond to Your revelation...

The Bible says that we are made in the image and likeness of the Father.  We are made to look like God.  So many times I sat in church and thought, or even prayed aloud, "God, just give us a glimpse of Your glory".  And all the time it was all around me; God's brilliant glory reflected in a creation of His that was so special, he designed it after Himself.  Oh the beauty of His glory that shines in each and every one of us!

My heart is responding to this revelation: Worship begins, where I see the glory of God reflected in the people that He loved so much, He put His life in them, and gave His life for them.

There's a scripture in Numbers 6:25, a benediction, that says, "The Lord make His face shine upon you".  That word "shine" literally means "to be illuminated".  God has made His face to be illuminated upon us. No wonder we can see the glory of the Father on the face of his beloved creation, you and me!     

The Look of Grace

I got a call yesterday from a guy I used to work with.  He asked me if we ever got the church going in Enterprise.  I told him about the Annex, and where it was, and what we're doing there.  He said he would come on Sunday.  I don't suppose he's been to church for a very long time.  I mean...a loooooong time.  It was the most exciting news I heard all day.  Even if he doesn't come, I'm still thrilled!

To think that someone might come to church, simply because they trust that there is a place they could go, where people want them for who they are, is the happiest thought I ever get to think.  And it's the reason that Crossroads exists.

Jesus LOVED people!  All people.  He sat down and ate, and shared time with people from all walks of life.  The example he set for us is to be people-lovers! That's how we demonstrate our love for God.  In fact, he let us know that if we didn't do that, he'd have a tough time recognizing us when we get to heaven.  We need to make it easy for him.

Here's how I have prayed for a long time (REMEMBER: This way of life is NOT natural when you live in the world - that's why Jesus had to show us how to do it): "Father, help me see people like Jesus saw them, love people like Jesus loved them, and give my life for people like Jesus gave his life for all of us".  We don't have to literally die on the cross to give our lives for others, but Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ".  Paul said, "I don't live anymore, but Christ lives in me".

I love what the Message says at the end of Galatians 2: If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

There is no law that can keep us "right" with God.  When we look at other people, let's look at them with "grace-tinted glasses".  That's the way Jesus looked at us, and still does.  And he still wants us. Amazing!

Go deep.  Get some grace-glasses.  They come in an amazing variety of colors.  A pair to fit every situation.  Every life.

Bugs In My Teeth

I just got back from our monthly Ocala Coaching Network meeting.  Each month I meet for a full day session with a group of purpose driven church planters, coached by Hal Mayer. I rode down Sunday after church on "Elvis", my '06 Road King Classic.  It was smooth sailing all the way from the house to the hotel.  But the weather turned icky last night.  Rainy and obviously dark, as it was, you know...night?

I have four caveats when it comes to riding "Elvis".  I'll ride in the rain.  I'll ride at night.  I'll ride on the Interstate. I'll ride with a half-skinned back tire. But I'll only do TWO of those things at the same time!

So I stayed an extra night, left this morning in the bright sunshine, and blasted the 330 miles home in 5 hours, with 2 stops for gas and Red Bull.  Zow!

Lots of great stuff going on at Crossroads.  Four people re-committed their lives to Christ last week!  We start a new series for the month of April called Home Improvement.  It's sure to be a blast!  We're signing people up for a new motorcycle fellowship group, and a women's exercise class.  No, they won't be meeting at the same time.

Gotta run to our creative team meeting to get video clips and illustrations lined up for our first Home Improvement episode, Quibbling Siblings.  Look forward to fresh posts on my Blog each day this week.  It seems there's a lot of you reading these things.  Out Site-meter registered 58 visits last night alone (and I wasn't even on line - Ha, ha!).

Love you guys.  Talk to you soon.  Like in a few hours...   

Fearless

I talked to a guy today.  He told me that once, a long time ago, he went to church.  He told me the reason he went to church was that the pastor's daughter was about the best looking gal he'd ever seen, and he couldn't take her out, if he didn't go to their church.  

According to this fellow, the pastor's daughter had many times dated another young man who was the dictionary definition of a "rebel".  As he regaled me with tales of this young man's wild antics, he admitted to being somewhat disappointed in the church in general.  He said that though this young man was in actuality a true menace to society, he was a church-goer. So the pastor of the church allowed this young man to date his daughter.  

The guy I talked to told me that he figured if his friend, the wild one, could date this girl just because he went to church, then he ought to be able to pull off the same feat.  So off to church he went one clear Sunday morning.  Dressed in his best duds he entered the sanctuary and sat down in the back row.  After some preliminaries, the pastor stepped forward and asked if anyone had anything to add to the announcements.  A man in the front row seized the opportunity and jumping to his feet declared boldly, "I just want everyone to know that my wife isn't sleeping with 'so and so'!"  The guy I talked to thought to himself, "Well, this is going to be a humdinger of a church service".  He told me that as the choir stood to sing, he looked up and counted no less than four adulterers that he knew of, and one gentlemen, a deacon, who was known to frequent the beer joints.  He said to me, "I thought if there aint no more to this than that, I aint got no use for it".  He said that was the last time he ever went to church.  It was 30 years ago.  

I asked him if it offended him that people of "suspect moral character" attended church.  He said, "No, that don't bother me at all.  What got to me was that they all tried to cover it up".

I think most people feel that way.  I have often said that I have witnessed more genuine spirituality in AA meetings that I have in many church services.  Why?  I believe it's because the people in the AA meeting weren't afraid someone was going to judge them for being honest.  What is the reward for creating an environment where people can be transparent?  Authentic faith.  

We all live in glass houses, and we all tend to keep the shades drawn.  But that place of authentic faith and spiritual wellness comes from being willing to pull up the blinds and let others see into our lives.  When we do, we start to see how much alike we all are.  And we get a whole new understanding of  the importance of God's mercy and grace.  

Who knows?  If we could truly be fearless enough to reveal our weaknesses to each other, and see how those frailties demonstrate the glory of God, maybe that guy I talked to - and thousands like him - would come back to church.

        

Here's looking at you...

Does your vision ever get blurry?  I mean, do you ever look so hard at something that your vision actually starts to cloud over and become distorted?  Keep it up and soon both your eyes are focused on the tip of your nose.  Makes us look kind of silly, doesn’t it?  Sometimes that happens when we read a lot, or when we do close work, or when we’re tired.  There are other times we get cross-eyed, too.  Like when our focus is on our problems, and our challenges, and the obstacles we face in life.

The world is a visually noisy place.  Drive down any city street and your eyes are assaulted by streetlights, and stoplights, and taillights, and billboards, and store signs, and street signs, and buildings, and trees, and people, and junk of every shape, size and description.  How is it that we ever manage to keep our cars between the yellow lines with all those distractions?  We filter out the noise and focus on our destination – our purpose.

Jehoshaphat knew all about that.  His story is in the Old Testament (2 Chronicles 20).  He was a king and leader of the nation of Israel.  He faced certain annihilation by the enemies of God coming to make war with him.  Though shaken to the core over his situation, he resolved to cry out to God, and he said, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you”.

His world was visually noisy, too: Bad reports of a vast army coming against him and his people; visions of flaming arrows, gleaming steel swords, bronze shields and chariots of iron; fierce combatants, looming failure, bloody battlefields, and the hopes of a nation crushed.  But he found a way to filter out the noise.  It was no more complicated than the way we filter out the eye-noise we encounter when we’re driving down busy city streets.  Jehoshaphat decided where to focus his vision.  And when he did, he saw clearly.  And what he saw was God moving on his behalf, and guiding him to his destination – his purpose.

God has a destination for every one of us. Sometimes in the journey to that destination we encounter problems, challenges and obstacles.  But our destination is not TO life’s difficulties; it is THROUGH life’s difficulties.  And if we’re going to avoid crashing on the way, we’ve got to filter out the noise and focus on our purpose.  The next time life’s events cause you to go cross-eyed, think about where your eyes are focused.  Maybe it’s time to cry out to God, like Jehoshaphat and say, “I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you, Lord”.  

Give it a shot.  You’ll be amazed how much better things look.

Grace vs. Justice?

The feminist, activist author Margaret Atwood said, "Never pray for justice, because you might get some".  While her humor is not lost on me (demonstrating the concept that true justice is a pendulum that can swing both ways) I am grateful for those who prayed that our request submitted to the City of Enterprise Planning Commission for a Conditional Occupancy Permit to hold worship services at the Crossroads Annex would be approved.  I am writing this to let you all know that at 4:45PM on Tuesday, our request was indeed approved, unanimously...but, conditionally. We are grateful that the city planning commission agrees that the Crossroads Annex is a valuable tenant at Morgan Square Mall! Thank you to all the commissioners!  

Someone else once said, "The wheels of justice grind slowly".  That quote is borne out by the fact that our approved request now goes before the city council for final approval.  After that - assuming they, too, approve our request - we will need to request an inspection by the city engineering department to be officially granted a permit to hold worship services in the Annex. The next time we can get on the city council's docket will be the first Tuesday in May. (Could that be the sound of grinding wheels I hear?) 

As my understanding is that we have a conditional opportunity, we will forge ahead.  Our next "conditional" service will be on Sunday, March 30th.  Be sure to be there for a special message simply entitled, "Crossroads".

Oh...and Margaret?  You may have a point, dear.  Perhaps sometimes it's better to pray for grace than justice.  Keep the faith, Roadies, we'll be non-conditionally-official soon.      

With God, All Things Are Possible!

What an awesome, inspiring day yesterday was!  Resurrection Sunday, and what better way to celebrate than joining together with old friends and new friends at the very first service at our new facility, Crossroads Annex!  Sixty-three people came to celebrate with us, twenty-one of them for the very first time.  We are fast reaching the 100 mark we're looking for to really launch out!

I remember very clearly on Thursday morning last week, unlocking the doors to the building we leased just a few short weeks ago.  I sat in the middle of the main meeting area and looked around at what a complete shambles the place was in.  Absolutely NOTHING was close to being finished. I had started everything...and finished nothing.  I was sitting there (feeling sorry for myself...kind of weepy and mopey...and, alright I was boo-hooing a good bit) and I just cried out to God.  I said, "Lord, if You are truly in this then You gotta' get me some help!  I can't do this alone.  But we have to have a service in here Sunday morning, so something has to give!"  And He spoke to my heart in that instant.  Not words like, "Oh poor Gene, all of this is going to be okay.  I know how hard you've worked and how dedicated you are to Me".  Nothing like that.  I really sensed the Spirit of the Lord speak to my heart saying, "Get up!  Gird up you loins!  Man up you sad-sack, and get back to work!"  Thank you for those comforting words Father...

From Thursday night until our Sunday Easter service began, you could barely move in the Annex for all the help that was there working to make our facility a showplace.  We had more help than work to do.  People that don't even GO to Crossroads spent endless hours there giving of themselves - time, money, strength, energy.  It was humbling in every respect, and I am so very grateful to everyone for everything they did.

You should just SEE this place!!!  It's incredible.  And it will serve us well in the weeks, months and years to come.  But the best part of that Thursday to Sunday press, was seeing relationships develop between people that really weren't all that connected before.  I had the privilege of spending time, forging new relationships in the pressure of the work that had to be done.  There is no greater way to learn about people, and grow closer to people, than working together in the service of God.

This morning I think about all of you "Roadies" that have sacrificed for this mission of reaching our community with the love and compassion of Christ, and I am overwhelmed again.  This time, not overwhelmed with the work left undone - but overwhelmed by God's always amazing provision!  I can't wait to see you all again.

You've completely captured my heart.

Friends, God did it again, and we got to see it!  He made the impossible possible - right there in our midst at the Crossroads Annex!  And he used us ALL to do it!      

Dark to Light

As we approach Easter Sunday I keep thinking about the final week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the range of emotions his followers experienced.  On Sunday he rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.  Thousand pour into the streets to cheer his arrival, believing that he has come at last to establish an earthly kingdom, and overthrow the government of Rome, giving control of all Judea back to the Jews.  But little do they know, the kingdom he has come to establish will be far different than the one they envisioned.  Little do they know that by the end of the week, Jesus will be dead, and their dreams will die with him.  But the story doesn't end there.

I think about how bitterly disappointed Jesus followers were throughout the events of that final week.  How they must have been so confused as Jesus rehearsed in their ears his own coming death.  How their hearts must have failed them for fear as Jesus gave himself up without a fight. How all they had lived for, all they believed in, all they gave up - homes, families, businesses - all of it for nothing now; how it all must have seemed just a mad fantasy, as Jesus hung dying on the cross.  But the story doesn't end there.

How dark were those final hours?  Thursday night Jesus is arrested, and a horrific string of events planned from time immemorial takes place, causing even the most stalwart in the faith to desert Christ and flee to the relative safety of obscurity and anonymity.  How we, too, tend to be ready to surrender our God-given vision when darkness falls in our lives.  I keep thinking how important it is for us to remember that before the glorious day of resurrection, darkness fell upon the face of the earth.  Because the story doesn't end there.

You may be experiencing dark events in your own life right now.  You may be looking at your life thinking, "How can I possibly survive this?"  It could be a physical problem, it could be a financial problem, it could be a relationship problem.  It could be all three.  Whatever the situation, we all share that same humanity with those early Christ-followers who said, "This is more than I can bear", and chose to walk away.  Who could blame them?  Who could blame anyone for questioning God's intentions whether the face of the earth is covered in darkness, or our own life situation seems dark and hopeless?  But the story doesn't end there.

I encourage you to fix your eyes not on Friday - the day of Jesus trial and conviction, the day of Jesus crucifixion and death, the day of Jesus burial, the day that darkness fell on the face of the earth - but on Sunday, the bright and shining and glorious day of new beginnings, the day of the empty tomb, the day that the darkness could not overcome the light!  I encourage you to look past your present darkness, toward the bright and glorious light that is Christ - the mender of broken bodies and ruined relationships, the guarantor of God's of promised peace and provision, and the hope of the world.

Take heart, mom worried about wayward children.  Take heart, dad fretting over bills greater than the bankroll.  Take heart, wounded, sick, or faith-weary children of God for Christ the Lord is risen!  Like those that lined the streets of Jerusalem that day - we have no idea what awesome plans God has for our lives.  We don't know how they will unfold.  We don't know when things will come to pass.  We don't even know the shape our lives will take in the years to come.  But we do know this is what the scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9).  

Let's not decide in advance that things can't or won't work out because we may be facing trouble. Instead, let's decide in advance that we don't know everything.  And let's remember that God has a plan for our lives.  It may be dark where you are, but it's only dark because the dawn is coming.