Sharing Ministry and Faith

God Is On A Mission

2012-01-27T19:57:00.004-06:00

Those who follow this blog will note that I've written less of late. I probably wouldn't write tonight either except that, during one of the many times in the last few days that Toni and/or I have spent with people lately, I was asked to make something clear. That "something" had to do with the death of his/her mother or father. This grieving son/daughter had heard some people say that "God must have wanted" their beloved parent and that "God only takes the best."

My heart broke when I heard this grieving person share that story. The saddest part for me is that of the many people he or she heard saying those things, that is, that God must have wanted their parent and that God "only takes the best"... she or he heard those things said by people from my church.

I wish it wasn't true that Christians would say such things. And maybe this dear grieving soul just thought he or she heard that. Or maybe the people from my church were just repeating what they had heard said by others without thinking. But when I met with this grieving soul I said this: God did not "take" your mother/father, at least not until he or she was already dead, or perhaps when things were just so hard for him or her that death--for a believing Christian--perhaps things were so hard for him or her in life that death was the most loving and caring thing that could happen.

But God did not, and does not, reach down and zap people who are healthy and strong and "take them" to be with him in heaven. God's mission on this earth is to rescue and redeem and transform and save. God does not "want" people and then come and grab them away. What a horrible thought! It's the devil who steals and kills and destroys. Don't put the devil in God's place, and don't put God in the place of evil. God is on a mission for good, to save the earth and its people from the pain and suffering that we have brought upon it. God is not prowling around seeing who he can devour. Let's make that clear.

But I have to admit that we Christ followers haven't always been very clear on what's really going on in this world. We don't have a worldview that fits all that well with the reality that we find in the Bible. The truth is that God did make this world good--and God put human beings on earth to be God's representative rulers here. But we human beings did the worst thing possible. We turned this wonderful creation over to the one who is hell bent to destroy it. And ever since then we human beings have been the devil's slaves--or we would be--if God had not chosen to keep loving us, to put a plan in place to bring the whole planet back to him--back to good.

The Bible is the story about how God has been going about this mission. And when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are then rescued from the devil's army and are made into his own, his people, his chosen. And now we are here as God's warriors of love and joy and peace and healing and resurrection. We are here to bring good news to the broken and to every sinner. God's love for you does not stop, it does not give up. And we will not give up on you either. We won't just say "oh, those terrible things that happen, they must be God's plan." No. We will stand with the grieving and say that God has a better plan, a plan for life, and though there be defeats from time to time, God will bring victory in the end.

That's all I have time to write now. I'm sure this is not written all that well. But I wanted to get it out there so my friend will know the truth. God does not "take us out." God desires life and love for us. Not death. Let's call on God to bring healing and resurrection now! And let's grieve honestly when death does come, and then believe with them until the final victory is won. What a wonderful resurrection morning that will be!

www.equalsharing.com

Holy Spirit Right Now

2012-01-21T17:23:00.001-06:00

The picture above, and the words that follow below are from a young woman named "Jillian" who says this about herself:

i am a twenty something girl in a season of life i didn't see coming. Administrative Assistant by day, youth helper/ creative ministry co-leader/ artist by night. normal girl on the weekends. :) God is leading me down some interesting paths and i'm just trying to follow where He's leading. and no matter what comes up or what crazy turns He takes me on...i'm just learning to trust that its all a part of the plan...God's plan.

Our Father God is leading us also, through His Holy Spirit. We don't know just how or where, but we are moving ahead in faith.

Here's what Jillian wrote last May. You can see the original at iitsallapartoftheplan.blogspot.com.

this is a drawing i did one night...

after reading the verse about the Holy Spirit

- and how its like the wind...no one can see where its going.

and i feel like i have spent a lot of time waiting...

waiting for...........something.

when i first realized that God had a plan for me,
that i could actually be led by Him into a life that i was specifically designed for -
it was one of the most earth-shattering moments of my life.

like - whoa! God has a plan for ME? i need to know what it is!

and so i started praying for it.

i started looking for it.

i was desperate to know what it was...

and while God didnt lay out every moment for the rest of my life for me,
He honored that desperation and started to reveal Himself to me.
i started to get to know Him, really get to know Him and not just "God" as a religion.

and my world was rocked again.

i mean - God was real, He had a heart and He was really listening to me.
He wanted to interact with me.

crazy.

but somewhere along the line i got so focused on the future -
and i entered into the mindset of
"tell me what i am working toward,
tell me what you are going to do for me, through me"...

and i stopped being open to what Jesus wanted to say,
what He wanted me to do right now -
and i just "listened" for what i wanted to hear.

and to be honest - i am still working on listening for right now.

its so hard to stay focused on the steps right in front of us...
i am absolutely a person who wants to know the end, the goal -
and i'll figure out the best way to get it done from there.

but God's got different plans for me.

as HE passed along,
He noticed a man blind from his birth.

His disciples asked Him, Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he should be born blind?

Jesus answered,
It was not that this man or his parents sinned,
but he was born blind
in order that the workings of God
should be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

John 9: 1-3

and Jesus went on to heal the man's eyes.

he walked away being able to see, shouting God's praise.

this man's life didnt make sense...but God had a plan.
that His glory might be revealed through his life.

one day i was having some quiet time and God told me to not try so hard
to figure out how to get to the "end goal"
or even figure out all the details of what the "goal" might be -

but instead,
pay attention to where i am,
where i've been,
what opportunities are presenting themselves...

because all of that has been shaping and is shaping me
into the person God designed,
to be prepared to fit into the life God has planned.

and instead of spending my time waiting and wondering -
i need to embrace every opportunity that comes up,
to learn from them and let them do their work in molding me
so i'm ready for whatever God wants to do.

that I might be in such a position
that the workings of God should be
manifested (displayed and illustrated) in me.

not that we shouldn't dream or have goals
- but we can't get so focused on 20 years from now
that we miss the incredibly valuable lessons this time was made a part of our lives for...

He's preparing us so that His workings can be displayed in the best way possible.

i read that verse in John tonight and i was reminded again of that quiet time.

i am trying to learn to not worry so much about the far future, even the near future...

i have no control over it, and thats the way i want it -
but my flesh wants to take over every now and then.

like when i want a husband RIGHT NOW,
or when i want to be traveling or doing missions someplace different,
or when i want to have an art ministry right now that is doing big things -
leading people to Jesus all over the place...

i just have so many huge dreams and i get so restless and there are times i dont think i can handle waiting for them to be in full swing one more second...

but its at those times when He gives me reminders like that verse.

and i just need to take a deep breath and let go...

God has perfect timing for all of those things.

and He has them set up so that when the dreams He gives us DO come to pass -

His workings will be manifested and displayed for ALL to see.

and my wanting to hurry them and do them my way will never be as good...

He demands that we not settle for anything less than the best.

so that leaves me with being patient.

and learning all i can now from where He has me - so that i'll be ready

for whatever He has planned...

He's got plans and dreams for ALL of His children.

what are the dreams He has for you?

what can you see Him doing in your life right now to prepare you for what He has for you?

www.equalsharing.com

What God Wants To Do

2012-01-18T10:47:00.000-06:00

God wants to give you a new heart.

God wants to make a change in the innermost part of you. In the part of you that makes decisions. In the part of you that is "in charge" of your life.

When God does that there are sometimes changes on the outside. You might act differently in some ways. Some of those changes may be noticed. Some may not. But the point is not to change the outside. The point is to know God's love on the inside.

That's what it means to get a "new heart."

We'll preach on this topic on Sunday at Crossroads. You're invited. Bring a friend.

www.equalsharing.com

No Wallpaper

2012-01-16T10:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday at about 5:30 a friend called and asked if he could stop by for a visit. After he'd been here for awhile he said that he'd hesitated before calling because he was concerned that we would think we had to feed him. We assured him that it was just fine. And yes, we did share supper with him. Of course! Why wouldn't we?

There's no need to pretend! We're glad to have you stop by whenever, even if it is at the time of a meal.

The friend who stopped by his the son of a man who worked as a wallpaperer for many years. He got out of the business in the 1980s, just before wall paper fell out of fashion. Now my friend's dad is quite old and my friend does what he can to take care of him and his mother. Both of them need help getting to doctor appointments and taking care of other chores and my friend is glad to help. It's a part of honoring his father and his mother.

God is not in the wall-paper business. An advantage of wall paper is that it hides imperfections. But God desires honesty. He wants to deal with us as we really are. He does not want us to paper over or otherwise hide our real selves. He wants to bring real healing, real peace, real love.

So please let someone know what it is you need. Don't hesitate to call, even if it is during a meal time. The Holy Spirit calls us to respond to the real cries of the heart even if it is inconvenient. The Holy Spirit leads us to want to be there for you. At least we can pray with you and let you know you are loved.

Please don't pretend.

www.equalsharing.com

Time to Fill

2012-01-12T22:24:00.002-06:00

Grand sanctuary. This photo doesn't do it justice. I sat in there today for a time between bus driving duties. Stained glass windows to the right and left showed prophets and apostles of times past. I'm sure much good ministry is done in places like this but today it felt like a museum. Does God not speak through to and through prophets and apostles today? Does the Lord truly desire crowds to sit in rows, facing front? Is this the church? Is it not the presence of God in the hearts and minds and actions of people abandoned to His will?

The Holy Spirit is the dunamis (power) of heaven. How is the the Holy Spirit active in your life today? Have you prayed and asked to be filled with this power of God? When you are filled, what are the chances you will be satisfied with sitting in a row? It may be unsettling, but when because we know the Holy Spirit is the same that empowered Jesus, whose ministry was love love love love love love, maybe we can take a chance. Perhaps you can ask God to bless you with that power in a special way this week. Ask God to reveal himself. It's time.

www.equalsharing.com

Together at the Crossroads

2012-01-09T11:14:00.004-06:00

Yesterday at Crossroads we played a little game that ended with the formation of small groups. These little groups will be getting together at least once, some during the week, some on Sunday, to talk together and pray about the direction the Lord is calling us to in 2012.

The illustration at right shows a single person "standing at the Crossroads." Fortunately, we are not alone! We have others to stand with us as we begin this new year. Being in these small groups, we will get a sense that we are with one another going forward. And that is a very good thing.

So what will the small groups do in just one meeting? As we always do in times of decision, we will pray and seek God's will.

As the the banner hanging over our Crossroads fellowship hall says (from Jeremiah 6:16), we will ask "where the good way lies" so we will find "rest for our souls."

The groups were formed with no preparation. That was intentional. We are re-forming our church body now at the beginning of this year. That's a good thing because some of us don't know one another well, or we are focused on small groups of friends. Some of the groups might feel a bit awkward, but I believe as they get together to pray they will find they do indeed share much in common.

I'm contacting the groups little by little to share a bit of guidance as to how they might spend their hour or half hour together. Besides perhaps getting to know one another a bit better, the main agenda will be prayer. No one will be required to pray aloud, though some in each group will do so. Before or after the prayer time, we'll encourage one another to share and seek how God wants to use us to reach out to children, youth and young adults, our neighbors in need, our elders and the handicapped, in prayer, in education, in practical help.

Though meeting together just once may not seem important, it is importnat to take time to ask "where the good way lies" instead of just contining to do things as we always have. When we keep going in the same direction for too long, when we continue to serve in a way we always have, we can become tired and disheartened.

Coming to the Crossroads with others will encourage us to find ways to follow our Lord cheerfully and energetically, using the gifts and talents God has given us. Perhaps together we will find that our Lord is calling us in a direction we never expected. Let's pray and ask the Lord what he would say..

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On another note, I found out this morning that we have an opportunity this coming Sunday to reach out and help Marie Fitzsimmons serve food at First Baptist Church on the occasion of the retirement of Pastor Dan Swanson. This will be on Sunday, Oct. 15, from noon - 2:00 p.m. Four of us from Crossroads have already decided to help and we could use a couple more. If you can help, and want to do so, please contact Bob or Mary Kay Morris

www.equalsharing.com

Learning to Be Church Together

2012-01-08T18:11:00.001-06:00

The following is an email that went out a few moments ago. If you'd like to be on the Crossroads email list, please let us know.
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To: Crossroads Friends

Good evening all -

Thanks to everyone who came to worship today! I hope you had a sense of the Lord being present with us in the Bible study/Education hour, in the worship time, and in the potluck following. Thank you so much to Mark Koller for the message he shared from the heart of the Lord. We are learning to be church together and for that I am truly grateful!

Praise God for the GOOD NEWS he gives us to share in Jesus' name. Praise Him for his HOLY SPIRIT that he pours out on us so generously when we are open to Him.

At the potluck we had some fun considering how God may be calling us through the desires he has placed into our hearts to bless children, youth & young adults, elders, and the wider community... We played a "forced choice" game and then formed some little groups that set a time to get together.

If you weren't able to be with us today but would like to be invited to a group, talk to someone you know who was there or let me know and we'll connect you up.

If you are a part of one of the small groups that is planning on meeting in the next couple weeks, to pray and share about how we will be reaching out and sharing the good news, would you please send me a note letting me know who might be in your group and when you plan to meet?

When you get back to me, I will share some suggestions for prayer and possible action for your group. Remember, there is no obligation for your group to meet more than once. Remain open, however, to what the Lord may choose to do in your midst.

Please don't hesitate to share questions or any words of wisdom you might have. God is calling us to be church together. Let's share what the Lord lays on our hearts. As we heard in worship in December, the Lord is calling each of us (each of you) to "Use Your Voice." Here's a link to the sermon preached on that subject http://equalsharing.blogspot.com/2011/12/whats-keeping-you.html

God's peace to all, in Jesus' name,

Pastor Steve Thorson

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www.equalsharing.com

First Call for Help

2012-01-06T17:52:00.000-06:00

The Dassel-Cokato area could use a personal and prayerful and local "FIRST CALL FOR HELP." This would be similar to what is now known as "2-1-1" but, as I said, it would be personal and prayerful.

I'm beginning to work on this and would appreciate your input. Today I sent an email to the other local pastors to see who might be interested in working on this.

Many people in our area do not know who to call. We can help. We can refer people to practical resources, we can pray, and we can introduce people to the #1 helper. See Psalm 54:4 where it says "Surely, God is my helper." So true. Often the Lord helps through us.

www.equalsharing.com

Partnership In Process

2012-01-04T17:29:00.000-06:00

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3)

I'm starting this on Wednesday afternoon. I won't finish it now but I at least want to get it started. There are so many things to do that some things just need to get started and published, even if they're not completely ready to go. I'm going to publish this and then come back to it later.

I'm not driving bus on Wednesday afternoons these days and that's a good thing. It lets me focus a bit more in the middle of the week on Crossroads stuff--plus I get to spend a bit more time working alongside Veda, our administrative assistant.

Lots to be thankful for! I'm thankful too that we've now got 15 official members at our church for 2012. Only 15? How can that be? Well, if you've been around Crossroads, or if you have been reading this blog, you'll know that we're intentionally re-forming our church now at the beginning of the year. We're still organized... we still have a board of directors and probably about 100-200 people who think of Crossroads as "our church," but in order to be members we need to sign up each year. Marc Keith and his family were the first to sign on January 1. I was next... and others are coming along.

Here's what was said about it on Sunday:

this is the part i'll need to add later...
i was just called to help with something...
off I go... be back later!

We're looking forward! Next Sunday Mark Koller will be doing the main message. After worship we're planning a potluck... it's a "potluck with a purpose." The details are being worked out, but in any case if you think you might have an interest in what God is doing through Crossroads these days I'd encourage you to come this Sunday, hear Mark's message and stick around for lunch.

Check the Crossroads website www.crossroadscokato.com for a bit more.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Learning from Business

2012-01-02T20:56:00.002-06:00

Wisdom from the business world can sometimes help the church. Take a look at the item below from a businessman and see how it might apply to the church. My daughter Naomi shared this recently on LinkedIn.

At Crossroads we might think about this as we support our church partners and friends. Just substitute the word "church" for "company" and "work" and the word "partner" or "church member" for "employee." Those who work in business, of course, can just think of this directly connected to your workplace.

Culture Isn't Costly
By Fast Company Expert Blogger Arshad Chowdhury Tue Dec 27, 2011

    Successful company culture can make the difference between a workplace people dread and one they brag about. You don’t have to have a Google-sized budget to offer great culture. Many culture-changing initiatives have no direct costs to the company. In fact, when properly executed, culture-improving initiatives can lower company costs in both the short and long term.
    I’ve spent the past 10 years learning about and implementing solutions to make work better for employers and managers alike. I’ve touched hundreds of companies large and small and have seen many distinct cultures. Based on this experience I offer these simple initiatives to encourage a peaceful, productive workplace that people love.
Make Rules for the 95%, Not the 5%
    Most of your employees are hard working, motivated, and professional. Workplace rules should be designed to give maximum autonomy to the vast majority of your workers. Don’t burden people with rules designed to control the 5% of employees who are constitutionally unmotivated or undisciplined. From dress code to work hours to meeting attendance, fewer rules in the workplace are better.
    For one, fewer rules can start saving you money right away. Get rid of expensive firewalls blocking Facebook and YouTube. At the same time, access to these tools can help your employees research and network faster.
Celebrate Going Home Early
    It’s not true that the longer you work, the more work you will get done. According to a 2010 study, flexible work hours can lead to increased retention and productivity. You can quickly improve culture by focusing on work output instead of hours of input. If you’re going to leave the office early, go ahead and announce to your coworkers that you just closed a mega account, sent out that TPS report, and are now heading for the golf course. There’s no shame in going home after hitting a home run.
Stop Swearing
    Not all rules are bad. Implement a "no swearing" rule today: no swearing about or at your coworkers or customers. By cutting out swearing, you will elevate discourse to expression of thoughtful ideas instead of base emotions. An environment where people swear at one another can quickly turn toxic. The no swearing rule can save you millions by avoiding costly lawsuits where disgruntled employees--with good reason--strike back.
Cultivate Experts
    Imagine if every one of your employees was an expert in what they did; if, no matter how mundane their subject, they could teach it with passion. The benefits to you, your company, and your employees would be profound. Encourage people to become experts by having them research best practices in their field and share those with their colleagues on a regular basis. At my companies, we encourage book clubs for every level of employee. We incur cost here by buying every book club member an e-book. The $79 e-book, however, pays for itself twice: once when employees brag about their incredible work environment with their coworkers, and again when employees learn to do their jobs better through ongoing learning.
Talk About the Future
    Start taking people out for coffee, one at a time, to ask them where they want to be in five and 10 years. Armed with this information, help them achieve those goals, even if the goals aren’t related to your company. If an employee tells you he or she wants to be an actor, support them when they want to take acting classes. This way, in the time that they are with you, they’ll be loyal, committed, and thankful for the support.
Let Employees Manage Their Own Energy
    Our metabolism is guided by our bodies’ circadian rhythms. We all experience peaks and troughs of energy throughout the day, and the highs and lows differ for each person. One-third of your employees experience a dip in energy so steep that between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day they need to nap. So let them nap. According to a NASA study, a nap of just 26 minutes can boost productivity by 34%.
Recognize Your Team Every Day
    People don’t work for just money. They work for recognition, too, so don’t deprive your employees of this vital form of compensation. They are working to build your company every day. As such, give them specific words of thank-you the moment the occasion calls for it. You should be thanking each person you directly work with at least two times a week. As my mentor Chester Elton (coauthor of The Carrot Principle) says, reward behavior you want to see repeated.

Author Arshad Chowdhury is the founder of ClearGears, which powers real-time performance reviews for business

www.equalsharing.com

God's Word in 2012

2012-01-01T21:27:00.002-06:00

The following, written by Anthony Stephens of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31 are from his blog "The Way I See It."

... Many people are making “new year’s resolutions.” These resolutions cause great frustration for many. One of the resolutions that I’ve heard before from Christians is that they are going to finally read through the Bible this year.

Over the past couple of years this resolution has grown stranger to me. Why is it that Christians will say that they believe and trust the Bible yet they don’t know what it says? How do they know what God says and desires if they do not take the time to use the most plain revelation of Himself?

I have tried to make it a top priority to read through the entire Bible each year over the past few years. I have used different methods at different times. One of the best ways I’ve found is to read through the Bible chronologically. One of the best tools I have found to help with this is the One Year Bible Plan. They have two great plans: one that is chronological an another that is just passages from different genres of the Bible. There are also great plans that can be found at YouVersion.com.

I would encourage every Christian to read through the Bible this year, not as a resolution but as a way to know the heart of God more intimately.

...I’d like to share some reasons that you (and I) should get into God’s word – the Bible – more.

The Word is our provision. Deuteronomy 8:3 reminds us that man lives off every word that comes from God’s mouth.

The Word is protection against sin. Psalm 119:11 reminds us that as God’s Word has root in our hearts, then sin has a hard time taking root.

The Word is our guide.Psalm 119:105 So many are looking for direction in life. The Bible is a directional light for us pointing us toward God’s desires.

The Word is eternal. Isaiah 40:8 tells us that though everything else fades, dies, or corrupts, the Word of God stands firm and true forever.

The Word is the clearest picture we have of God. John 1:1-5, 14 shows that the Word is God and became flesh in the person of Jesus. It also shows us that the Word is personal.

The Word is alive. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is alive. It will speak to the specific needs of our lives just like a good friend.

With reasons such as these, what will keep you and me from one of the greatest treasures mankind has ever known – the Bible?

www.equalsharing.com

Open for 2012

2011-12-31T22:06:00.005-06:00

I'm thankful to be a part of Crossroads Community Church.

Crossroads is gathering of people in the Dassel-Cokato area who know Jesus and who feel called to be part of this particular faith family for this particular time of our lives. We are individuals and families who are on a journey to know Jesus more and more, and who want others to know Jesus in a personal way too.

Tomorrow at church we'll have the opportunity to sign a partnership agreement for the next year. The agreement says this:

Trusting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, accepting the Bible as authoritative for faith and life, we believe God is calling us together through 2012 to pray, worship, study the scriptures, serve, care for one another and give financially for the ministry and mission of God through Crossroads Community Church of Cokato.

Is God calling you to be a part of Crossroads in 2012?

Perhaps you already know the answer to that question.
Perhaps it will take you awhile to know if that the Lord is indeed leading you in this direction.

In any case, I encourage you to come and be with us. We won't have a "signing ceremony." The partnership agreement will simply be placed in the back of the church where you can stop by and sign it at your convenience.

Being part of the Crossroads family is more than any piece of paper or "list" of members. As we pray and worship and read scripture and serve and care and give together, we will grow together with one another and with the Lord Jesus.

Being a part of the Crossroads family will help you hear Jesus' voice more clearly. When it's time, you can choose to "sign up" for the year. And if God calls you elsewhere, we will prayerfully and gratefully bless you on your way. God is the boss of this church. We must listen to him.

Whether or not you feel comfortable "signing," we want you to know the doors are open to you.

www.equalsharing.com

My Vindicator Lives

2011-12-30T09:54:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning I sat at a table with my father in law and three other men from his church. (One of the other men was the pastor who confirmed me and who later served as bishop in the area where I worked as a pastor from 1986-1992.)

I was invited there for a men's Bible study and we were looking at chapters 18-19 of the Old Testament Bible book of Job. The book mostly consists of long speeches made by Job's friends (and replies by Job himself), speeches that try to explain the suffering Job has gone through. Job argues that there is no easy explanation. In fact, throughout most of the book Job blames God.

But even though Job is convinced that God is responsible for his suffering, he remains even more certain that, in the end, he will be proved right. That's when Job says "I know that my vindicator lives."

The word "vindicator" is from a Hebrew word that can mean "redeemer," and the word "redeemer" is a more frequently used translation in Job 19:25 (click here for the word in context). The sense, however, is that there will be someone, in the end, who will stand up beside Job and defend him, vindicating him as a good man.

Jesus is my Vindicator and my Defender. How thankful I am I can trust in Him! You can know the Lord's work in your life too. The Lord will stand beside you forever when you surrender to Him.

www.equalsharing.com

Direction for 2012

2011-12-26T19:52:00.004-06:00

On Tuesday night I fixed a couple of incomplete thoughts and sentences in the following, otherwise written Monday evening.

Toni and I are home for a couple days after some time at my brother's yesterday over to this morning. Our sons and some other dear ones are headed to Hutchinson in a bit to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It's nice to have some time off.

Yesterday morning at worship we gathered 'round a manger that one of our church's willing workers had cobbled together as a prop for the Dec. 18 Christmas program. At the south end of the circle we placed a throne style chair. It also had been used at the Dec 18 program. Isaac Morris had played the part of King Herod that day; and then on Christmas Eve during the Time for Children he'd been demoted. The throne was meant for King Jesus, the same one who had been laid in the manger on the night when he was born.

Yesterday morning we heard the Christmas story once again, sang carols, and, bit by bit, wound our way to a message based on Revelation 1:5-6, where it speaks of us as a "kingdom" and "priests to serve our God." I haven't yet listened to it on the sermon.net website that Crossroads uses, but it seems to me that God was leading us in a good direction--a direction that God set for us on Christmas Eve. If you can, take time to listen to the message from that night--it begins at about 25 minutes into the hour of worship that you can find at this link - http://www.sermon.net/crossroadsdc/sermonid/119782963.

It's a good direction--but it is new. I've served as a pastor for 25 years but I've never really focused on Jesus' role as King--nor of our place as princes/ses in the Lord's realm.

One of the dear ones that is with us these days is Kelly Gilbert. She's soon off to Africa on a Youth Encounter Mission. Tonight she loaned me a book that my sons have been encouraging me to read for some time--The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallontton and Bill Johnson. The book is helping me understand more of what it means to be part of the KINGDOM of God.

The book, together with what the Lord was bringing our way yesterday is an important "opening" to our understanding. Sometimes we consider ourselves to be "sinners saved by grace" period, while, actually, there's more to us "in Christ" that that.

"We are not just soldiers of the cross; we are heirs to the throne. Jesus' divine nature permeates our souls, transforms our minds, transplants our hearts and transfigures our spirits. We were made to be vessels of His glory and vehicles of his light." (from Vallontton and Johnson's book)

As we move into 2012, the Lord is leading us to be more confident in who we are: Christ's own kingdom, and priests to serve our God.

www.equalsharing.com

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:18:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came to Christmas Eve worship at Crossroads.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we'll gather for worship once more at 10:15 - informal "in the round" worship -- we'll gather 'round the manger of our Lord to celebrate and pray. See you there!

Please let us know any needs you may have. Feel free to call anytime - 763-291-3499.

Pastor Steve

www.equalsharing.com

Letter from an Angel Warrior

2011-12-22T05:43:00.000-06:00

The following is from Jacob Charian writing in Beyond the Sunday School: Letter from an Angel Warrior:

Hi,

I have seen some of your paintings of angels. Not very accurate. Why do some of your artists try to make us look like lovely, soft women or cute, chubby babies? Let’s correct that idea right now.

When you think of an angel, don’t think of soft clouds or little cupid-like cherubs decorating packages of bathroom tissue. Angels are terrible warriors. We are the army of the Living God, His heavenly host — a mighty, terrible host, surrounded with the blinding glory of the Almighty’s holiness. Our strength is incomprehensible to you humans.

Why one night while the Assyrian army was surrounding Jerusalem, one of our host went through their camp and put to death 185,000 of their soldiers (2 Kings 19:35). Cute, chubby cherubs, ha! Every time a human actually sees one of us, he collapses in terror. That’s why we always have to start our conversations with: “Fear not!”

Like your human armies, we have ranks and orders, differing duties and tasks. Some angels are not quite so military of course, but me and my boys are a real army. We’ve been in on some of the great campaigns. Our regiment follows the Commander Himself. He has a very particular interest in earth. So many of our operations have brought us into this arena of conflict.

Earth, you know, is contested territory. Oh, there’s no real question of who really rules, but the final mop-up action is being delayed in order to compete certain rescue operations in which the Commander has taken a personal part. We look forward to the end of it all. The day is coming when the last battle will take place. All of the hostiles will gather against our Commander and will mount a terrible offensive. We (and some of you too) will be with Him when He meets the Enemy on that day! There’s no doubt at all about the outcome of that conflict.

In the meantime, our present missions are typically restraining actions related to the ongoing rescue program. We move into an area and secure a perimeter of operations from enemy interference. For instance, on one occasion, Dothan, the village of God’s prophet Elisha, was surrounded by the Syrian army. Our unit was deployed to ensure the safety of the prophet and clear the area of hostiles. Elisha knew we were there. He had notification from our Commander. But the prophet’s servant was uninformed about our presence. Elisha told his servant, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha requested from the Commander, that we angels be displayed for the servant’s benefit. So we executed a partial decloaking. The servant was duly impressed; as well he should be (2 Kings 6:8-17).

Most of the time, however, we remain unobserved. But we are present in fearsome power — hundreds, some times thousands of us. We’ve been there in countless operations with the Commander sometimes in warfare against the enemy, sometimes as auxiliary personnel to human endeavors.

I understand many of you may have the notion that serving in an army is a matter of grim, unquestioning duty. That may be the case in some human deployments, but it is emphatically not the case with us in the angel corps. Every last one of us serves because of love for the Commander. We would follow Him anywhere and do anything He requested.

Perhaps you can get some idea of our motivation for service by remembering how the soldiers under David loved him. My squad was in the area one time when David and his command were surrounded by a band of Philistines. At that time David was in his stronghold and he casually remarked how good a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem would taste. Three of David’s men broke through the enemy lines without being discovered and I might add that one of our personnel had something to do with that. They drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David, just because they loved him. (1 Chronicles 11:15-19).

That’s how it is in this army. We love the Commander. Not one of us would hesitate in the slightest to perform any assignment that He might choose to give us. You can hear our love for Him in the songs we sing when we are on the march. How does your proverb go? There are four things that move with stately bearing: a lion, mighty among beasts who retreats before nothing, a strutting rooster, a he-goat, and a king with his army around him (Proverbs 30:29-31). You should see our King with His army around Him!

Actually, some of you did see something like that once. I mentioned earlier that our Commander has taken a very personal interest in the rescue operation on Earth. According to His own plan He left heaven and was born into your human race. It was His mission to effect a decisive blow to the key power center of the enemy, effectively opening the gates from the inside to secure the escape of the rescuees.

We had been with Him in smaller companies since He joined Himself to His human mother’s flesh. We kept her under close guard during her season of pregnancy. But on the night He selected for His human birth, we were all there in full array. There was some possibility that the enemy would attempt to oppose His birth action, so we were prepared to secure the area. Of course, as it happened, the enemy was not encountered in the area that night. Only some time later did he mount a counterstrike through that King Herod. So on the night of our Commander’s birth we had nothing to do but stand watch, until we were ordered to reveal ourselves to a few shepherds. And after making the announcement about our Commanders birth, we sang.

Have you ever heard a really big men’s choir? Start with that idea, but imagine them not in choir robes, but girded for battle. Not grim draftees, but soldiers terrible in joy. Not so few you could count them if you tried, but thousands and thousands. Not bare, four-part harmony, but every voice with a slightly different song and all the voices fitting together like a million pieces of a stained-glass window into the glory of heaven.

Not singing with weak human lungs, but sounding eternal chords like the ones that we used at the creation of the world. Not a song with a few words and a chorus, but a song that could not be contained even if you knew all the greatest words from all the languages of your earth. And this song, if you tried to sing it, would say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom the Commander’s grace rests.” That is the kind of song the shepherds heard!

That night was singing — a song full of terrible love for the Commander, a song full of God’s love for the earth. (You celebrate Christmas for this same reason, rt?) And if you have love for this God who joined your human race, maybe one day you will sing with our army.

As we stand before the throne of our Commander there will be a million upon a million voices of praise, voices singing of endless love, voices singing glory to God in the highest!

That is all I wanted you to know Friends, Hope to see you all soon.

—An Angel Warrior

(written by Jacob Charian)

www.equalsharing.com

Savior -- and KING!

2011-12-21T21:36:00.002-06:00

David Being Anointed as King

I've worked as a pastor for 25 years. But through these 25 years I've never understood the Christmas story in the way I do this year.

Yes, I have seen how Jesus was born in the midst of danger and political machinations -- Caesar Augustus, Quirinius; the Roman Empire, Syria. Mary and Joseph being ordered to appear in Joseph's ancestral home. And poverty too: neglected by relatives, giving birth in a stable, attended by shepherds. This is God coming to be with us in the lowest and most vulnerable way. And, yes, I've recognized Jesus as Savior -- coming to this earth to save us from our sins.

But I've never focused on what seems to be the main point. The one who be born in the birthplace of King David is born to fulfill promises given through King David. As we will read in Isaiah 9:

    ... A child is born to us,
      a son is given to us.
    The government will rest on his shoulders.
      And he will be called:
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    His government and its peace
      will never end.
    He will rule with fairness and justice
      from the throne of his ancestor David
      for all eternity.
    The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies
      will make this happen!

Please pray that this Christmas Eve we will properly welcome and proclaim Jesus as King!

www.equalsharing.com

Be Mine

2011-12-19T21:09:00.004-06:00

Thinking about family. Will you be mine?

Many need family. Many just don't "have" those to whom they are genetically related in the sense of "having" them ready to stand beside them through thick and thin. Many ask, "Will you be mine?" Will you be my dad, my mom, my sister, my brother? Will you be mine for keeps?

Because of Jesus, there is no limit to the number of brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers any of us may have. Barriers can be set up against the expansion of the Lord's family, but those barriers are not set up from God's "side." The difficulty is with us--either we don't know about Jesus' ever expanding love, or we don't trust it, or, for some reason that I will never totally understand, we just don't want it. Some would say that "faith" or "trust" or "belief" is a requirement from God's side, that unless we have this "thing" called faith God will reject us. But I don't see that as true in this life, unless God chooses to let us go our own way for our eventual good, to teach us "the hard way" after we've turned away from him too many times. God's plan and God's desire, however, is to claim us all, and that's what I believe we are called to share--open and unconditional love.

In a practical way we Christians need to find ways of expanding our family circles to include more than those to whom we are genetically related. Some of our boundaries and barriers need to come down. This is best done not in the context of individual family life, but in the church family, in local churches, where people are called out of the isolation of nuclear and extended "blood family" lines into the big family of God.

Matthew 12

⁴⁶While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” ⁴⁸He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

If you don't yet consider yourself a part of Jesus' family, I encourage you to investigate his love. In the end I believe you will be glad you did.
www.equalsharing.com

Open the Gates!

2011-12-17T06:18:00.004-06:00

"Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!" (Psalm 24:7).

What areas of your life are you hiding? Are you afraid to let God deal with the weaknesses and sin in your life? Have you been a believer for a long time but still see how certain parts of your life are displeasing to God?

I'm not speaking of areas of life where you are self-condemned. False guilt is a huge issue for many of us. And sometimes we are too scrupulous about relatively unimportant matters. But are there areas of my life where I battle against any scrutiny? Are there things I hide? Are there things that, when they are addressed, make me retreat into my self-made fortress? In what areas of my life am I just stubbornly unwilling to change?

Here's a thought that might help: There is evidence, in scripture and in the stories of Christians in every day life today, that those areas that are not yet under the control of the Holy Spirit are places where God desires to build a testimony in us. In the Bible, God dealt with the weaknesses and sin-infested parts of many people's lives. Once they were dealt with, by mercy and/or judgment, the stories of those men and women became testimonies, that is, we can hear or read those stories now and see, in retrospect, how God was at work, completing His work in their lives, leading them and preparing them for the next spiritual battle, oftentimes making them ready for greater responsibilities.

As I consider those areas of my life that continue to cause me trouble, when I realize I am resisting God's intervention in those areas, can the thought of that future testimony be a way that I can lower my defenses and allow God to take over that place that I'm still guarding with my sinful nature? Will the promise that he will be making those areas shine especially bright give me reason to open the gates of those areas of my life to let God in? Will you?

A helpful way to open the gates to the Lord is to ask someone to pray for you about the area you suspect God may want to deal with. Don't do this all alone.

------------------------------------

For a bit more on this see Spiritual Gates.

www.equalsharing.com

Honest Hosptality

2011-12-16T11:17:00.004-06:00

The following is from The Missional Church Network

where Brad Brisco quotes from the book
I Was a Stranger: A Christian Theology of Hospitality
by Arthur Sutherland

"Jesus’ hospitality to the displaced and distressed was not calculated but casual. It is as though Jesus lived his life as a type of present participle: '...as he was going, Jesus saw....'

"It is this casualness that undercuts much of what goes by the name of Christian hospitality today. The churches of the country continue to promote program after program, committee after committee, to care for the poor, the naked, and the hungry.

"There is merit, of course, in organization. There is something good to be done by working together. But these efforts, as noble as they are, begin in process of institutionalizing care.

"When that happens, our ability to see the stranger 'as we are going,' is eroded. Clothing and feeding, welcoming and visiting, become agendas.

"By adopting the vision of Jesus, by seeing as and how Jesus sees, our inclination toward hospitality will become natural and unforced. Hospitality ought to be ad hoc and personal."

At Crossroads, let's pray, listen for the Lord's voice, and then, step out on behalf of those in need, not waiting for a program or a committee to be in charge.

It's best to do it with at least one other person, however. Normally we go "two by two." That keeps us both honest and safe.

www.equalsharing.com

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

2011-12-15T17:59:00.000-06:00

How kind of God to come to this earth as a child! It's a fulfillment of Isaiah 11:6, where it says, in part, "a little child shall lead them."

This Sunday at Crossroads our children will lead us in celebrating the birth of our Savior and our King -- Jesus. Come Sunday, Dec. 18 and honor our children and enjoy the gift of Jesus' presence through the Holy Spirit. 10:15 a.m.

O come, little children,
O come one and all,

To Bethlehem haste,

To the manger so small,

God's son for a gift

Has been sent you this night

To be your redeemer, your joy and delight.

He's born in a stable for you and for me,

Draw near by the bright gleaming

Starlight to see,

In swaddling clothes lying

So meek and so mild,

And purer than angels

The heavenly Child.

Kneel down and adore Him
With shepherds today,

Lift up little hands now

And praise Him as they

Rejoice that a Saviour

From sin you can boast,

And join in the song of the heavenly host.

www.equalsharing.com

Real Trust

2011-12-13T18:14:00.001-06:00

The photo here is not from this morning, but it could have been. It was foggy enough this morning that school was delayed two hours. This reminds me of how God wants us to trust him even when we can't see all that well. When we are following Jesus according to God's Will, He will bring us safely through any fog.

How's your eyesight in the fog of this day? Will you trust God's?

www.equalsharing.com

What's Keeping You?

2011-12-12T04:16:00.003-06:00

Here are my notes from yesterday's worship at Crossroads, copied directly from a "Word" document and pasted here. The songs (titles in quotes below), the "Welcome and church family time" and the scripture readings were led by others. Other aspects of worship were not written out ahead of time and the message entitled "Use Your Voice" was not delivered exactly as written here. A link to the audio is available at the Crossroads worship page (http://www.crossroadscokato.com/worship.html). Just scroll down to the sermon player. THANK YOU so much to the tech team for uploading the audio so quickly!

"O Come, All Ye Faithful"

Welcome! and Church Family time

Time for Children – giving thanks before something has actually happened…

Offering with "Breath of Heaven" sung by Ann Benson

"For the Lord is Good"

"Here I am to Worship"

Luke 1:57-80

We’ve been reading through the first chapter of Luke each week since Thanksgiving, and now we’ve arrived at the section that comes just before we hear about Jesus’ birth. You’ll remember that one of the main characters, Zechariah, hadn’t been able to say a word ever since he’d heard that his wife Elizabeth was pregnant. We pick up their story nine months later.
You'll notice there are some parts in bold to read aloud.

[pause]

⁵⁷Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. ⁶⁰But his mother said,

“No.
He is to be called John.”

⁶¹They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.”

⁶²Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him.

⁶³He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.”

And all of them were amazed.

⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.

⁶⁵Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶All who heard them pondered them and said,

“What then will this child become?”

For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

⁶⁷Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.

⁶⁹ He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰ as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹ that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

⁷² Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, ⁷³ the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,

… ⁷⁴ that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.

⁷⁸ By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, ⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Use Your Voice

Silent night… sleep in heavenly peace.

[pause]

Christmas isn’t actually all that silent.

Angels singing

Shepherds chattering, questioning, praising, giving glory to God.

And the run-up to Christmas—major songs of victory and justice, and loud shouts of joy!

When Zechariah could speak, he did! And so did Mary—we shared her song in church last week. Mary and Elizabeth were the first human beings to know and tell the good news of Jesus Christ!

Mary’s song and Zechariah’s—both of them are filled with truth that first came out of the Old Testament!

Both Mary and Zechariah knew the scriptures! Mary was truly an extraordinary woman… and Zechariah… well… he was a religious professional so he should have known.

It took Zechariah longer to believe, didn’t it? It wasn’t until the child was actually born that he could use his voice. Unbelief kept him quiet as a mouse.

Still, we sing that song, Silent Night… and it’s a nice song… but it’s good to know that it doesn’t really do a very good job of telling the truth about what happened around Christmas. The song Silent Night was simply written because someone’s organ didn’t work.

Normally, neither Christmas nor the people of God are to be quiet – except when you are listening for God’s voice, except when you are listening…

Listening to God speak through His Written Word…

Listening to the Father speak to us through His Son…

Listening to the guidance and direction and correction God gives…

What does it say in John 10? Comparing us to sheep, Jesus says, “I know my own and my own know me… and then, in verse 16… “they shall hear my voice…” and verse 27… “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. “

So we listen for God’s voice… we listen for God’s promises… we listen for his purpose in our lives… we follow… we don’t stay stubborn… we know who gives us life, we know who loves us and who can raise us from the dead someday…

And then, having heard, we speak.

Like Mary we heard from last week… from Luke 1:46 and following…

“My soul glorifies the Lord

⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

⁴⁸ for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

And like Zechariah when he finally believed. Luke 1:68

⁶⁸ “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come and has redeemed his people.

⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn

of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

⁷¹ salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us—

⁷² to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

and to enable us to serve him without fear

⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Once we hear from God, we speak. We use our voice.

That’s the lesson for today from Zechariah! It was unbelief that kept him quiet.

What’s keeping you?

Sometimes, like with Zechariah, silence is a curse.

When Zechariah didn’t believe that his wife Elizabeth was going to have a son, the angel decreed that Zechariah would not be able to speak until God’s promise came true.

And when the promise finally did come true, Zechariah burst into song!

So how do we use our voices?

To praise God (for his covenant promises, for signs of his kingdom)

To prophesy! (speak God’s word)

Here are a few verses of encouragement:

Isaiah 40:9 - Get you up to a high mountain when you have good news! Lift up your voice with a shout! Lift it up, do not be afraid! Speak to your neighbors, speak to your family members, say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”

And Jeremiah… Jeremiah 20:9… here it’s not good news… God is speaking judgment and Jeremiah says “if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”

In Numbers 11 we have Moses speaking wishing that ALL God’s people would be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak God’s word! “I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!” That’s Numbers 11:28.

And that wish was godly… it was a wish that had come from God… One of the most important ways to know if someone is truly hearing and speaking God’s Word is to wait and see… to see if what has been said actually is true in real life…

Moses said that God would set his people free from Egyptian slavery. He said that he had been sent by God to set them free. But when God did set them free, bringing them through the Red Sea and leading them through the wilderness toward the promised land… then the people began to recognize that this Moses was truly able to hear God and speak His Word.

And that’s one of the tests of someone who speaks in God’s name today.

As Moses said in Deuteronomy 18: ²¹You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” ²²If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

We know Moses was a true prophet because what he said came true… remember that he wished that all God’s people would be prophets and that God would pour his Holy Spirit on all of them!

That came true when the Holy Spirit came down on all of Jesus followers at Pentecost… from Acts 2… [as the prophet Joel had said:] “ I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy...²¹And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!

One of the signs of God’s work in our lives is when he brings us to the point where we actually use the voice God has given us! When we use our voice to praise God… and when we use our voice to speak God’s word…

That’s what the word “prophesy” means.

The word “prophesy” means nothing more or less than using our voice to speak what God has first spoken to us.

And it’s not just for the pastor!

For example, here’s a section from First Corinthians 14…

It’s a Word from God given to the church in the city of Corinth… First Corinthians 14:

“²⁹Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.³⁰And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.³¹For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.³²The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

The vision of the church that God gives us is of many speakers, many proclaiming the Word of God.

In the church that the Lord was speaking to in First Corinthians 14 there were lots of people speaking… everyone was excited about what God was doing!

In that particular circumstance, needed to calm people down… reminding them that they could decide themselves when to speak what the Holy Spirit was saying to them… God’s plan was that only two or three people should speak and the others should listen and consider carefully what was said.

For us, this is a great encouragement to go ahead and USE YOUR VOICE!

It’s really not your job to sort everything out. If you suspect that God may want to speak through you, go ahead and speak! But know that the rest of us will need to listen and discern what you’ve said…

We’ll need to compare it to what God has said in his Word. Not just in one verse but in the whole of scripture.

And yes, we will notice if you seem to have a particular gift for using the voice of God…

If you never publicly witness to what God is doing in your life, if you never speak in praise of God or in telling the good news of Jesus… then we might give what you say extra scrutiny… extra prayer…

So the Lord’s encouragement to us… beginning with Mary last week, singing her heart out to God, and today with Zechariah, who finally believed when he saw his son being born… better late than never!!!

…The Lord’s encouragement to you is to USE YOUR VOICE!

Don’t need to worry too much about being correct. The Lord will use the rest of us to help us sort it out.

This all applies, by the way, to what I say…

When I speak, weigh it carefully. And especially compare it to the Word of God, especially to the center of God’s Word… to the Word that is born in Bethlehem and dies for sinners on the cross, for you and for me…

Pray over this… God is calling all of us who believe and trust in Jesus to use our voices often. Too often, like Zechariah, we are muzzled by fear and unbelief.

When you are too quiet… when you never speak God’s Word, then it’s time to pray for faith… for courage… for boldness…

Yes, there are times, when it’s best to be quiet… it’s good to think before you speak. That’s why the Bible says to wait if anger is getting control of you.

But the normal thing, is to speak the truth… to speak the truth in love.

One of the things that the Holy Spirit did when He first came upon the disciples was to make them speak!

So don’t think just being quiet is the best thing.

We can sing “silent night” at Christmas… that’s fine… but, honestly, let’s not take that too much to heart.

I really don’t think this is supposed to be a silent time.

God’s desire is for his people to speak.

And to sing.

"Hosanna, Praise is Rising"

PRAYER – pray for those who are muzzled by fear and unbelief… pray that God would loosen their tongues to praise God, to pray, to prophesy [speak God’s word]… pray for boldness and humility… pray for discernment, for wisdom, for patience, for kindness as we speak to one another… pray that we God’s Word would be known among us, that we would desire to know God’s Word… pray for the lost, that they would be saved and that God would use our witness to save many! Pray for voices of anger to be quiet… pray that we would not just use our voices to grumble and complain… bind any spirit of murmuring and dissension… pray for respect and the ability to listen to each other and especially to God as he maybe speaking to us through others… pray for an increase in faith and faith active in love and speaking the truth in love… pray for the Holy Spirit’s inspiration…

Lord’s Prayer…

Revelation 1

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.

So shall it be! Amen.

"Soon and Very Soon”

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Steps of Faith for the Next Generation

2011-12-09T14:13:00.003-06:00

The following is from the conclusion of the message given to us on December 4th at Crossroads. The message began with a reading from Luke 1:26-56. Audio of the entire message, and, in fact, the entire hour of worship can be found at http://www.crossroadscokato.com/worship.html.

...You remember that last week (Nov. 27) I referred to Romans 4 verse 16. In this particular verse it shows how we, who are not related by blood to Abraham, come under the promises that were given to him two thousand years before Jesus, that he would be a blessing, and that his family would be a blessing, that there would be a wonderful future. We come under that blessing by faith.

Romans 4:16

The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

The promise comes not only to those who are of the law, that is, of the Jewish heritage, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.

When we come to trust Jesus Christ, the promises of God that were given to Abraham come down also on us... and the promises are not only for any one of us, but also for our children, for the next generation.

That's something important to know because a lot of us, as I said last week, spend so much time being worried about our kids.

God is not going to abandon us. We can trust him. No matter how challenging the times are. You can trust God. Not only for ourselves but also for our children.

That's why I showed the picture of the duct tape on the van.* For many years that van carried Tonia and , the adults, but also our kids. I'd like you to think about this. There's no duct tape on the van that God gives. It doesn't close off the next generation. They can also be claimed under the grace and mercy of God.

There's only one qualifier. That's that word "trust."

Trust.

Faith.

Coming into a relationship with God where we know that God is our Father.

We come into that right relationship simply by trusting.

That doesn't mean we can't have questions. Trust does not mean never having any questions. You can see that in the story that we just shared from Luke 1. When Mary is confronted with this wonderful promise does she have any questions?

Luke 1:34

Mary asked the angel,
"But how can this happen?..."

How can this happen? How can this be?

You may be wondering the same thing about the assurance God wants to give you about something in your life. How can it happen?

So you can ask those questions.

But then, when you receive the assurance--when an answer comes that God gives--then it's important to step out. Because trust is not trust unless you step out in faith.

It's just like Hayden is sitting in this chair. If he did not trust that chair to hold him up, would he be sitting in it? He probably doesn't think about it at all. But you can't trust without actually relying on it. If we say in our head that we trust but we don't act that way, is that really trust? No, it's not. Then we're walking in fear.

God wants us to know. That's why he keeps reassuring us with his promises over and over.

Over the past two years many of us have struggled with doubt and questions about our future. We've asked, we've prayed, and God has answered with miraculous signs. God has given provision for this church. This is a testimony to the faithfulness of God for those who trust His Word. It's about the Word of God. And for those who trust His Word, God has been faithful.

God has been faithful.

So it's good for us to ask for assurance It's good to ask for prayer and to have Christian friends come alongside... but then the time comes when we have to act--trusting God.

Mary said "How can this be?" Then God gave an answer. And then Mary said, "Let it be." "Let it be with me according to your word."

Let it be. I'm not going to resist anymore.

How many of you today know that there's been resistance? ... How many of you today know that there are some areas of your life where God is calling you to step out in faith--but there's just this huge block--this resistance. ... God is calling you to step out in faith.

I'd like to dare you to do something today. I'm not going to ask you to talk, but I would like to ask you to come forward so we can pray for you... If you just raised your hand I'd just like you to come up so we can pray for you now.

[Several people, perhaps a dozen or more, came forward. I then prayed for them.]

Here we've got a lot of Marys and Josephs. They need the assurance. They need to know in some way that you are with them and that they can step out in faith and do what it is you are calling them to.

Oh Father! I pray that you would grant to each one the assurance of your salvation that you poured out for them on the cross. I praise you Lord and thank you for what you have done for us.

Whatever there is in our lives that still stands as a resistance to you and your ways, in Jesus' name, we ask that you would take it from us.

Would you repeat that with me?

In Jesus' name, we ask, that you would take it from us.

We ask, Lord, that you would do that now. And I pray that each of these here would take a step of faith, whatever it is that God is calling them to--whether it's stepping out in some ministry, following your call in some way in their lives, so they can know, Lord, that you are with them every step of the way. and that you are with them for their children.

Father God I thank you and praise you.

If there are those here, Lord, who do not yet know that they are under your blood, under your salvation, I pray that you would grant to them, Lord, the assurance of your love. We pray in Jesus' name.

God bless you all.

You know it's not just about coming up one time in church. It's a lifestyle. It's taking steps of faith every day. Every day God calls us to different things. It's a matter of paying attention to what God is saying to us, checking it out with a couple friends and then stepping out.

Don't try to do it all by yourself. It doesn't work. That's one of the reasons we gather as a family in church. That's one of the reasons we have this thing we call communion... so you will know you're not alone.

Now I wish that we could all gather right up here in a little circle, all together, and have communion together. Wouldn't that be sweet?!

Did you know that, in your home, with your family, that you can gather your family around and share the Lord's supper? Did you know that? There's no rule in the Bible about that. We have a tradition that the pastor presides, and that makes everybody feel comfortable, but I'm not sure God always wants us to be comfortable.

God is going to be calling us to step out in different ways. Yes, I'll preside here. That's fine. I'm used to it. I'm more or less comfortable with it, being in a big group. But I encourage you, if the Lord calls you at some point, maybe at Christmas time, to share this gift of God...

If you want some coaching, I'll coach, I'll help you learn. If you're the head of the household, it's a wonderful gift to give to your family. God calls us to step out in faith. Don't do it unless your convinced. Don't do it just 'cause the pastor said...

We're going to share the Lord's supper at this time.

-----------------

* The van's back door has a broken latch and shouldn't be opened right now so with sofistikated duct tape I'm making sure it stays closed. Just don't close off your family, or the others God wants to bless through you, including in the generations to come.

The Lessons of Between

2011-12-07T23:32:00.002-06:00

God is faithful. Among all the lessons that the Lord has taught us over the past years, that is the most precious. God is faithful. He will not abandon us no matter how long the journey may be. His promise is true.

At some point during the past year or so I picked up The Land Between, by Jeff Manion. In the book the author "uses the biblical story of the Israelites' journey through the Sinai desert as a metaphor for being in an undesired transitional space... After enduring generations of slavery in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob travel through the wilderness (The Land Between) toward their new home in Canaan.... Manion explores the ways in which the Israelites' reactions provide guidance on how to respond to God during your own transitions..."

In the second chapter, Manion suggests that, through "The Land Between," God is leading the Israelites through life-threatening situations to prove that he can be trusted.

The people are supposed to be learning trust along the way... the Land Between and its hardships are meant to train and transform the people. God's intent is to use the harsh conditions of the wilderness to prove his faithfulness. If these faith lessons take hold, then the people will be molded into a people of trust, prepared to enter the land promised to their ancestors.

Do you see that in your life? Can you see that whatever "Land Between" you are in is meant to get you ready for the promised land? The question being asked of you through your trials is "Who is the source of life? Upon whom will you depend for what you need?"

In the case of the ancient Israelites, once they entered the promised land they would need to resist looking to the other gods for protection, for provision, for direction and life's purpose. The desert was a training ground. There they would learn to be dependent on God, and on God alone.

Hear the whisper of the Creator:
"I am all sufficient."
"Turn to me."
"Trust me."
"I am proving myself as capable provider."

How do you and I respond in the harsh conditions of the Land Between? Do we trust? Do we respond in faith? Are we allowing ourselves to be disciplined and trained by the hardships we experience in the Land Between so that we can live in greater dependence on God alone?

Remember, our patterns of response to our challenges and trails will shape who we become. That was true of God's ancient people. It's also true of us in Dassel-Cokato in these days. God has been leading us, setting us free so we can follow Jesus in all of life. Will we continue to trust? Will we continue to follow the providential guiding hand of God? There is great reward when we do.

Let's walk together through the lessons toward the future God has prepared. God is setting us free so we can set others free! What a generous and good God! What a blessing to follow Him!

www.equalsharing.com

Use Your Voice

2011-12-05T12:16:00.005-06:00

Luke 1
    ⁵⁹On the eighth day they came to circum- cise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
    ⁶¹They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
    ⁶²Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

That's part of the scripture reading for this coming Sunday at Crossroads.

When Zechariah finally acted in obedience to the revelation that had been given to him, he was able to speak, and when he spoke he lifted up his voice in praise to God.

How do you use the voice God has given you? Will you speak? Will you sing? Perhaps you will write. Perhaps you will chat online.

God calls you to repent, to believe, and then, use that voice!

www.equalsharing.com

Unless the Lord Builds the House

2011-12-03T09:28:00.005-06:00

I got up early this morning and listened to two presentations of "Working Preacher" and then to part of a sermon preached by Bob Burmeister at the Roseville campus of North Heights Lutheran Church.* The sermon was from last Sunday and was on a similar theme to the one we shared at Crossroads last week. The basis of the message was a Bible verse from Psalm 127:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the work of the builders is wasted.

Pastor Burmeister reminded the crowd in Roseville that their founding pastor, Morris Vaagenes, had often used that verse (Ps 127:1a) when the church embarked on building programs. But, as Bob also said, the word "house" does not really mean a church building or a brick or wood or stone structure. Instead, "house" here refers to a family line, a heritage that is passed down from one generation to another. I could paraphrase that verse this way:

Unless the Lord builds the family,
the work of parents is bound to be frustrated!

The most important thing parents (and, in fact grandparents and any other adults who want to have a positive impact on the next generation) can do for kids is to allow God to work on their own lives, that is, on the lives of the adults, allowing him to transform US through repentance and ways of living that give God control.

That is the same basic message that I shared at Crossroads last Sunday. God's promises are not only for individuals. They come to the whole "house" when we live by faith in Jesus. You can listen to the message at the Crossroads worship page (scroll down to the sermon player) or at http://www.sermon.net/crossroadsdc. The message begins 36 minutes after the beginning of Sunday's recorded worship.

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* The church I serve, Crossroads Community Church of Cokato, building a relationship with a new "association" of local churches headed by Pastor Per Nilsen of North Heights Lutheran Church (Arden Hills and Roseville) and Community of Hope Church (Rosemount and Hastings).

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Hallelujah!

2011-12-02T15:00:00.003-06:00

(Thanks to Deb Skouge for turning me on to this! So good!)

www.equalsharing.com

God's Internet Gift

2011-11-30T09:24:00.000-06:00

People have communicated at a distance for thousands of years. During most of history that communication was physically written words on paper or other materials. During the past few years communication has grown tremendously. It's mostly electronic communication -- and much of it via the internet. At the moment I'm chatting via facebook with Andria Jasper, a missionary that our church has supported, someone who came through town on foot but who we kept connection with via the internet. Now she's in Thailand. Wow!

Back in the Old Testament there is a story about how God scattered people who had become too proud. But the Holy Spirit gathers us together again in Jesus' name. He does that as we gather face to face, but also as we connect by whatever means are provided for, including the internet and other electronic communication.

Last night I was on the phone with friends in the Twin Cities and Texas, and left a message for friends in Wisconsin. Other friends connect via email and facebook. And occasionally someone comments on this blog, either here directly, more often, when I link to the blog via facebook.

Those connections are so good. They are ways that the Lord has provided to do battle against isolation and loneliness, isolation and loneliness that can lead to depression and despair unless they are brought into the light.

Unless we step away from face to face interaction, and if we don't avoid talking with people, for example, on the phone, I believe we can praise God for His internet gift.

www.equalsharing.com

In The Midst Of

2011-11-29T05:22:00.004-06:00

Here's a note I sent to our church's first "huddle" group.

The Lord woke me up early this morning, and, in the last hour or so, has revealed something to me that I want to share.

For a very long time I've been puzzling about why it is that God wants us to stay here in Cokato.

This morning it became clear to me that one of the reasons we are still here is that the Lord wants to be active AMONG us and IN us, among us and IN our relationships with one another.

If people leave without being clearly called elsewhere, that cuts off what God wants to do IN and AMONG us.

One of the things huddle is about is allowing God to deal with us personally, to look, not to our intellectual convictions but to what HE is doing IN us... and a lot of what God is doing IN us he does by our interactions with one another. Loving God does have to do with loving one another!

This, as many of the things God is saying to me, needs to be clarified, but I'd ask that you would be praying about it.

After all, the word Cokato does mean "in the midst of." And that's where God is working through His Holy Spirit... in our midst.

Your partnership, and your comments, whether in person or through this blog, are important ways that the Lord is at work among us. Please do not hold back. God calls us to speak and to listen to one another. Please do not remain silent if the Lord is speaking to you. I cannot state this strongly enough. If God is to work in our midst, we must speak what the Lord lays on our hearts. (And don't worry too much if you don't live in the town of Cokato. The name of the town is just an illustration and county and town boundaries are truly artificial lines drawn by people, not by the Lord!)

The Lord impresses on me that when we hold back on what the Lord is saying to us, when we hold back the Lord's word that he has planted in us, that his Holy Spirit is grieved. See Ephesians 4:30... read the entire chapter to see it in context at this link.

For more on this subject, please see Pastor Bryan Lowe's "Rolling Stones Theology."

Peace to you all in Jesus' name.

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One More Step

2011-11-28T09:34:00.004-06:00

It's been about two years since Toni and I have really felt "settled." At some point after the August 2009 ELCA vote* it became apparent to us that the life we had known for 25 years was coming to an end. It wasn't until February of 2011 that we actually moved from the Cokato ELCA parsonage but there has certainly been a sense of being off balance since 2009.

Not that it's been all bad. Being thrown off balance has caused us to cling in a deeper way to the source of our faith, to God Himself. We and our family have learned and grown spiritually through this time, and so have many others who have been part of the ELCA.

Beginning after my August 2010 resignation from the Cokato ELCA church we started to pack things away. I am a bit ashamed to admit that my wife ended up doing the lion's share of that packing as both of us struggled spiritually and in other ways. I wrote and studied and prayed (a lot), did some job searching, commuted back and forth two days a week to Minneapolis beginning in January for a class (Psychology and the Church) and connected with friends and colleagues. In February we moved to Dave and Barb Yeager's home and then in March we moved to a rented farm house three miles north of town.

The "one more step" today is to go back out to the farm to work on finishing the cleaning there. It will be so good to get this taken care of. All of this time of being unbalanced has taken time away from my pastoral work, and I'm looking forward to a better focus on that.

Of course, just getting the farmhouse and garage out there cleaned out doesn't mean the move is done. Far from it. We've still got boxes stacked on the floor of the garage here in own that need to be put up on something so they don't get wet with the Minnesota melting slush that will surely soon be falling off our car and van. I've told Toni that it will take a year to get completely settled. Hopefully that's an exaggeration, but still, it's good to think we'll get one more step taken care of today.

What's the one more step that God is calling you to work on today? There's no sense worrying about tomorrow. One day at a time is enough.

* click this link to be reminded what that was about.

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Children ARE A Blessing!

2011-11-21T21:12:00.004-06:00

(This is the beginning of what I'm preparing for Sunday, Nov. 27 at Crossroads. Still a work in process! This Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent, a season of preparation before Christmas. The Thanksgiving-Christmas Season is a time when our hearts turn, more than any other time of year, toward family. The message God has put on my heart for this Sunday is an encouragement to trust God for our kids, even when we are tempted to worry or hover or, on the other hand, just give up on kids that just seem too far out of control. God has given us promises we can trust about our children. That's the encouragement the Lord is calling me to bring this week)

Children are a blessing. That should be obvious. Often, however, children bring anxiety. So much about kids is beyond our control!

Scripture promises that children are a blessing from God. (*See below for some of those Bible promises.) We all know that God's plan is for us to "be fruitful and multiply," and children into the world. Another big clue as to God's blessing is that God chose to come into the world by means of a family -- and I'm not only thinking about the once-in-a-world way that God came to be born into a family headed by Mary and Joseph -- God chose a family line beginning with forty times great grandparents Abraham and Sarah.

God used those families--Abraham and Sarah and their children, Isaac and Rebecca and their children, Jacob & Rachel and their children (and on and on times forty) to bring Jesus into the world. And those little family units were so often dysfunctional, often horribly so. Still, God promised that their children would be blessings in the end, and they were! God was true to the promises he made.

And, you know what? When you and I come to trust in God as our Father through Jesus Christ, the promises that God gave that family come to your family too.

Did you know that? Did you know that you honestly do not need to worry about your children?

Oh yes, pray for them! Love them! Treasure them! But do not worry about them.

As God protected Isaac, and Jacob, and Judah, and their wives and their children and grandchildren and great grand children, making them such a blessing, so God will do for your kids. No matter what happens, God will protect them. No matter what things may look like now. Just keep praying. Continue to trust. And love them always!

All God asks from you is trust and love. Trust in his Word. Trust in the One who came through the family of Abraham and Sarah, that is, Jesus Christ. And love them as best you can.

According to Romans 4:16, for example, the promises given to Abraham and his family are now given to you when you trust the One who gives the promises. And those promises come to your children as well.

Parents - Do your best. But then trust God.

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*Here are some Bible passages about children:

Psalm 127:3
³Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him
Prov 17:6
⁶Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.
Psalm 128:3–4

³Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,

flourishing within your home.

Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees

as they sit around your table.

⁴That is the Lord’s blessing

for those who fear him.

Genesis 1:28

²⁸Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Genesis 15:4–5

⁴Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” ⁵Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

Genesis 24:60

⁶⁰They gave her this blessing as she parted:

“Our sister, may you become

the mother of many millions!

May your descendants be strong

and conquer the cities of their enemies.”

Genesis 33:5

⁵Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”

“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied.

Genesis 41:51-52

⁵¹Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” ⁵²Joseph named his second son Ephraim,* for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

Genesis 48:4

⁴He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants* after you as an everlasting possession.’

Deuteronomy 28:4

⁴Your children and your crops

will be blessed.

The offspring of your herds and flocks

will be blessed.

Joshua 24:3–4

³But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. ⁴To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

1 Samuel 1:19–20, 27; 2:20-21

¹⁹The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, ²⁰and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him. ... ²⁷I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.” ...^2:20Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” ²¹And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 28:5

⁵And from among my sons—for the Lord has given me many—he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the Lord’s kingdom.

Isaiah 8:18

¹⁸I and the children the Lord has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.

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What To Say?

2011-11-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

How can I choose what to give thanks for? Every moment, every breath, every part of my body and every aspect of creation makes me want to shout in praise! The snowfall is worthy of a symphony. The comfort of a warm home, the beauty of the classical music playing in the background, the computer I'm using to write and publish and prepare for tomorrow, the cars in the driveway, my dear wife's voice in the other room as she is on the phone, the anticipation of tonight at the Godspell musical and tomorrow at Crossroads -- SO MUCH THAT IS WORTHY OF PRAISING AND THANKING GOD!

So what will I say tomorrow at church when there's a chance to speak? How will I sort out what is worth saying tomorrow in a few words? My guess is that others might also be asking that same question. Tomorrow we'll give time for people to share testimonies; people will be encourage to give evidence, from their lives and the lives of those they love, that GOD IS WORTHY OF ALL THANKS AND PRAISE! How will we decide what to say?

Tomorrow, after we read the scriptures (see Preparing for Thanksgiving) we will pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide our words. Then we will trust God to inspire our speaking and our listening. We will ask him to be in control.

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One more thing I'm thinking about today as I look out the window of our new home. I look back over the last year and I am in awe of God's protection and provision. Last year, at Thanksgiving time, the Lord inspired me to write a piece entitled "Thanksgiving as an Act of Faith." This year you may be in a spot like we were last year, not really knowing what the future would bring. As you pray for how you will give thanks this year, I'd encourage you to look back over the past year or more and see how the Lord has led you and kept you safe. And if things are especially hard this year, take time to count your blessings, knowing that, in the end, God will make everything work out for good. Cling to that promise and the other promises from the Word of God. Check out A Quiet Time with God and God's Love Never Fails. And then take a breath, and give thanks!

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Preparing For Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T06:11:00.008-06:00

How are you preparing to give thanks?

Beginning Sunday November 20 we at Crossroads will share a special opportunity to GIVE THANKS to God. See the Crossroads Community Church home page for that day's order of worship.

How will we do this? As the Bible teaches, we will give thanks by testifying, that is, by giving testimonies of God's goodness. We always look forward to sharing what God has done and our hearts are stirred as we hear simple words of thanks! This is the Lord's doing and the Lord's plan!

This Sunday at church we will especially encourage people to share words and stories of thankfulness. Feel free to break out into song if you like ;-) but each person speaking should limit their sharing to three minutes or less.

As we prepare, consider these questions:

What evidence is there, in your life and in the lives of others that you love, that God is present, healing, forgiving, giving you peace, protection, joy and love?
How have you seen God at work? Are there times or situations that you couldn't have gone through without the Lord? How have you seen God blessing, protecting, rescuing, forgiving, providing?
What testimony can you give of our Lord's presence during the past weeks or months or years? Can you point out the "footprints in the sand" that have carried you through these days?
What good reasons do you have to be thankful?

Let's not let people think we're just "fortunate" or "lucky." Let's give God the credit He deserves! Let's share with one another! Let's teach our children how to give thanks! Let's practice that in church where you know people are there for you in Jesus' name!

Consider these Bible verses as you prepare to give thanks.

Psalm 22:22-31
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
   in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
   All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
   stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor
   the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
   but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
   my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
   those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
   May your hearts live for ever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
   and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
   shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
   and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
   before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
   and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
   future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
   saying that he has done it.

First Corinthians 1:4-7
   I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 11:38-44
(from Jesus himself, giving a reason for giving thanks aloud)
   Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

www.equalsharing.com

No Shame

2011-11-15T11:19:00.001-06:00

Poor doggie!

Our dog, Charlie, has an addiction. OK, probably more than one addiction... he does all kinds of weird doggy things, but the addiction that's causing him trouble right now is his continual ear scratching. We discovered that the scratching was hurting his ears. Looking closer, and with the help of a veterinarian's microscope, we learned that his urge to scratch came from itching--and the itching was caused by mites.

He's now on medication for the mites and the itching, but still, he's got a cone on his head. There is no shame in this. It's just an uncomfortable but necessary tool that will keep him from scratching his ears. It will allow him to heal.

Human beings are different in some ways, but we can be physically addicted to behaviors that hurt us and others. There's an unconscious physical side to our bodies and brains that are almost impossible to control with will power alone.

Thankfully, help is available! Medical help. Psychological help. Psychiatric help. Use the help you can find and talk with someone you trust to seek the help you need.

Don't be too hard on yourself. It's possible you're feeling guilty for something that isn't sinful at all. You may be suffering from false guilt. However, if you are addicted, and if your addiction is causing you or others harm, or if it's clearly against the commands of God, get help! There is no shame in getting help to deal with behaviors or other addictions that we know need to be left behind.

Unlike Charlie the dog, we humans don't need to wear "a cone of shame." Now that's something to be thankful for!

www.equalsharing.com

Coming Out For Prayer

2011-11-14T10:42:00.006-06:00

In my opinion it's unfortunate that we immediately think of people being honest about sexual preferences when we use the expression "come out" or "come out of the closet." It's unfortunate because there are so many things that we keep hidden in polite company., and, sadly, many times we treat Christian community as a sort of "polite society" where we pretend that things we "consider to be unpleasant do not exist."

Too often we remain closeted, thinking that, perhaps, others we go to church with are doing a lot better than we ourselves. Betsy Simons of Treehouse spoke of this sort of thing during her educational hour presentation at Crossroads yesterday, saying that Christians can think that once they accept Christ that all their issues should just go away. But they don't go away. Instead, people often keep them hidden. And when they are hidden, they rob us of love, joy and peace, making us less effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Hidden things become a "log" in our eye, making us critical and sour, keeping us from compassionately ministering to others in Jesus' name.

I'm thinking of this as I continue in thankful prayer for who stood up and/or came forward for prayer at the conclusion of my sermon yesterday. One person asked us to pray for her as she is dealing with anger. Someone else spoke of his concern for a sister who is a Jehovah's Witness. Then four women came forward without saying anything. I had encouraged everyone to consider coming forward at that point, having clearly stated that nothing needed to be said in public. But I did say, several times, that it would be important for those in need of prayer to not just keep their concerns between them and God. I encouraged them to let someone else know what their concern was, so they could be prayed for and prayed with in person, specifically addressing their needs.

I was a bit surprised that only these six came forward. I thought there might be more. It could be that I didn't do a good job of inviting, and it could be that it was just too big a change for some. That's okay. No one needs to come forward at church. My ongoing prayer, however, is that no one keeps closeted with their needs, that we would all come out to someone else who can pray for us. As it says in one of my favorite Bible promises: "Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (the words of Jesus as we read them yesterday from Matthew 18).

If you're still in hiding with a big issue, please, in Jesus' name, come out! Speak with someone you trust and ask them to pray and help you find whatever practical help you may need. Feel free to ask me or anyone else, or, if you want, come to Crossroads on Wednesday at 6:30... compassionate prayer warriors will be there for you.

www.equalsharing.com

Enter the Circle (2)

2011-11-12T23:00:00.033-06:00

This is my preparation work for tomorrow's message at Crossroads as of this time. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would use our worship tomorrow as He desires, to save and free many in Jesus' name.

Romans 11:33-12:5

³³O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! ³⁴For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ³⁵Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return? ³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.

^12:1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, ⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

Two weeks ago, on the day before Halloween, I brought tootsie pops to church. I sucked on one, put it back in the wrapper, and tried to give it to the kids. ;-) I talked about how we are infected with "harmartia" (sin) and that covering up sin with a shiny wrapper doesn't work.

Then we looked at the circle of repent and believe--the circle that God uses in our lives to make us new.

The message ended with a story from the book Too Late In The Afternoon. A character in the book, Alex's grandson, talked about his grandpa Alex...:

"'...a crotchety old man and had been tight fisted and a hoarder of money… He was always thinking that another Great Depression was around the corner and that thinking robbed him of pleasure. He had constant anxiety.'"

Then, at the age of 77, Grandpa Alex came to a crossroads--a moment of truth--

Quoting from the message from two weeks ago:

"'After many years of being a miserable old man, Grandpa Alex got a wake up call.'

"He met a JIM--something BIG in his path."

Who all was here two weeks ago? I mentioned this last week too... I used Jim Richards as the BIG thing... The big thing could be a good thing or a bad thing... If you met Jim in a dark alley--that would be a good thing... but, in Grandpa Alex's case, the BIG THING he met was bad.

Going back to quoting from two weeks ago:

"'He was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and was in remission the last ten years of his life."

"'Six months after that diagnosis, we started to see a remarkable change in him."

"He became joyful, generous, kind, someone you wanted to be around.'

"God had done a miracle in Grandpa Alex's life."
And then I concluded the message like this:

"It can be done. You don't need to go on the way you always have. God can give you a new life and a new spirit.

"It's never, ever too late.

"Jesus is here to meet you with his grace. He knows the truth about you. You can't hide it from him no matter how many layers of tootsie pop paper you put on yourself. He knows the truth. And he's willing to make you new.

And after that, I led a prayer: (Here's a link to an audio clip of the prayer from Oct. 30 - https://www.onlinefilefolder.com/1s4arog8daO4vI).

"Father God, I can't see the hearts of people. You haven't given me that ability.

"But you can; and you know, Lord, how it is that there have been times in our lives when we've walked around pretending to be new and different when there really is some work that you need to keep doing in us.

"So Lord God, we together here, as we say 'Amen' to this prayer, we want to give you permission to confront us, to be that 'big Jim,' and the let us know the truth about ourselves.

"And then we ask that you Lord would walk with us and that you would send someone else to walk with us too as we make a turn, make a change, a transition--as we repent--and as we believe.

"And we ask Lord that you would bring us through this process as many times as necessary to continue to make us new."

So that was two weeks ago. It was "Reformation Sunday" and I thought it was sort of fitting because we were talking about having reformed lives, new lives, changed hearts.

But I wonder now, two weeks later, what really happened through that message. Have people who heard that message actually ENTERED the circle? Have we looked for times of encounter with God?

I got a note from someone this week that said it would have been good to help people step out in faith on that Sunday two weeks ago... This person said:

There was a time toward the end of your sermon when it would have been very appropriate for you to ask for those struggling with feelings of guilt or not sure if they were saved, etc., to come forward for prayer. I've seen that at other churches and as people came forward, others in the congregation came up behind them, laid hands on them and prayed along with the pastor. Your sermon was great calling out these issues, but then people were not able to get them resolved in a concrete way...

I actually had the same thought... why not give people a chance to step out...

To step out here... to come forward... to ask for prayer out in the open... because, truth be told, we don't walk the circle alone.

Something more I'd like to add at this point--a bit off the subject but I think it's important.

See the word on the right side of the circle? When I say the word "repent" what do you think of? It's my guess that many of us think of SIN. "Repent" can mean changes away from sin and for us human beings it always means that... at least it means stopping being so stubborn... but "repent" doesn't always mean feeling bad or saying you're sorry. Sometimes REPENTING means just a change of direction, doing things differently, even THINKING differently.

...Like in the Bible passage we read earlier from Romans 11 and 12. We step out. We don't CONFORM to what we've always done. And I let God TRANSFORM me... and you let God change you... from the inside out. REPENTING MEANS CHANGE that God makes in our lives... it really NOT about feeling bad about doing something wrong.

But here's what I'd really like to focus on today: These life changes--becoming a more faithful and more effective disciple of Jesus--they don't usually happen to us all alone--it usually takes a team--sometimes it takes more than one team.

In the Too Late In the Afternoon book God rescues a man from depression through spiritually wise Christian friends, a medical doctor and a psychologist. Here in Cokato and Dassel God works through teams of Christian friends, professionals and organizations of many kinds. Local churches like ours can connect people with the help they need as long as people somehow don't keep their troubles to themselves. Prayer ministry can lead to practical help, and practical help can lead to prayer.

We are called, by God, to walk with one another and with those we reach out to, to walk with them all the way... not to just get them saved... to get them saved for God, and then let them loose to figure everything out alone. We're called to walk together. All the way.

One of the people who are a part of our Crossroads church family has recently come clean about an addiction to pain medication. That person is now getting help through a Methadon clinic in Saint Cloud. In order to let God deal with that issue, this individual needed to be honest with other people about it. It wasn't a matter of just dealing with it one on one with God. She needed other people to enter the circle with her... to come along on her journey. Many of us are doing that with friends and family every day.

This is something Betsy Simons knows about. (See Covenant Love for a bit more about Betsy. Tomorrow we'll ask her to share at this point in the message -- something about how entering and walking the circle of repent and believe TOGETHER is important in her life and/or in her work with Treehouse, a ministry aimed at loving kids, bringing hope, transforming lives.)

You can enter the circle with Betsy and the youth she ministers to by supporting her--and we as a church can consider making her work one of our church's missions.

Still somehow, we do need to enter the circle.

Somehow we need to step out. For others. For ourselves. But not alone.

Here's what I'd like to try.

Let's be a little daring today.

How many of you know someone, either yourself or someone else, who just needs a change... some kind of a change that you know you need God to handle. Something that's a God-sized challenge... something that just needs to change. In yourself or in someone you know well, someone you are close to? Maybe it's an out of control teenager or child. Maybe it's an addiction. Maybe it's something that you know, from the Bible, is sinful. Or maybe it's just something that you know you'd like to leave behind.

How many of you have that sort of thing going on now either in your life or in the life of someone you're close to, someone you can walk beside? Maybe it's a simple matter of being saved for heaven. Maybe you'd like to know that for sure--that you are saved. There is power in prayer, in admitting you can't do it on your own.

Is there anyone who would like to share what they'd like to pray about? What the BIG thing in your life is that is leading you to say, yes, I need a change? (I'll leave a time here for people to share if they'd like.)

Here's what we're going to try: I would like to pray for you today. a little more personally than we usually pray here. Just a little more personally. I'd like to encourage you to take a first public step, recognizing that you have a need to repent and believe God for a change in your life OR in the life of someone you are walking with.

I won't be surprised if almost everyone comes forward today... So what I'd like to do is to have you be thinking of that one God-sized issue--that BIG JIM challenge in your life right now--and I'd like you to step out, in just a minute, to step out of your row and to come up to the front.

Then I'm going to pray for all of you as a group, trusting the Holy Spirit to give the the right words... and then if there are others who would like to pray out loud... we'll have an opportunity to do that. And then I'll encourage you to let someone else know what it is you prayed for.

This might be hard in a small town where everyone thinks they know you. But, honestly, until you let someone else know, you'll probably stay on the same old track. It's not by mistake that the Holy Spirit had the Apostle Paul write about being MEMBERS or PARTS of one another... Romans 12:15 is one of the simplest teaching on this: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." And we can't rejoice with you, or weep with you, unless we know who you are.

We're in this together, my friends. Let's not stay back and think we can do it on our own.

(At this point we'll do what was explained above, trusting the Lord to lead us. We'll then sing a song of surrender to the Lord.)

www.equalsharing.com

Covenant Love

2011-11-10T17:50:00.000-06:00

There isn't anything that can get in the way of God's love for you. No matter how many times you screw up, God will always be there. Even if a human mother or father forgets, even if friends abandon, God will not. He has written you into the palms of his hands.

For many reasons we can fall into situations where that love is hard to believe or even to accept. This Sunday at Crossroads we welcome Betsy Simons, a "Program Associate" from TREEHOUSE will share about one organization that helps people, specifically YOUNG people find hope, guidance and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

Come Sunday and meet Betsy. Hear something about this amazing ministry--a ministry that is much needed in every community--including ours.

www.equalsharing.com

Repentance Means Change

2011-11-09T14:12:00.006-06:00

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2).

This coming Sunday the churches that we're partnering with are continuing a series that began last week. They will move deeper into a series on family life. As I've been studying the scriptures and praying over what direction the Lord is leading us, I'm believing that I am called to do something a bit different.

Even though I'm sure a series on family life would be a blessing, I'm going to get off that particular path for now because I believe God is calling us make a turn, to move in a different direction, to, in fact, spend a bit more time on the Biblical "shape" we've been working on, that is, the Circle.

As I mentioned yesterday, the Circle represents God's call to "Repent and Believe." (For more on this, see Enter the Circle.)

But the Circle applies not only to "repentance" in the sense of turning away from what we normally THINK of as sin.

It DOES apply to that, of course. Repenting of something that is clearly against God's commandments and God's will IS a part, an important part, of what the Circle is about.

When we sin, God's call is to turn from the sinful path and believe God's Good News--the good news of forgiveness--the good news that allows us to start over with a clean slate and begin to live in a new and more godly way.

That's "repentance as we know it."

There is another kind of repentance, however. This other sense isn't closely connected with specific sins that need to be confessed. Instead, it's a change of mind, a change of heart.*

One can see this, for example, in Jesus' parable story of the "two sons," one of whom first rebels and then changes his mind and does what his father told him to do (Matthew 21:28-32).

Another example: The people who were transformed by Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the New Testament were not changed by just confessing particular sins. Their minds were changed about everything in their whole life. They began listening to a new master, a new shepherd, a new Lord.

Repentance isn't just about saying "I'm sorry" for this or that. It's a change deep on the inside that affects the outside. Repentance is change that continues throughout our lifetimes. By the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we are made over... over and over again... made over to be more and more like our Lord.

It's in that sense of the word repent that we "turn." We change. Instead of being stubborn we consider what it is that God might be saying to us. We're willing to listen. We don't stop up our ears and wear blinders. We say, okay. We say, I'll think about that. We don't just plod ahead. We don't wait to be necessarily convicted of a particular sin. We allow God to change us from the inside out.

Don't just be "conformed." Allow God to transform you. Don't just go on and on with your life. Pray and ask him to intervene today, and then, with other Christians, pray and consider what changes God is calling for in your heart and in your life. And then act in faith. Believe me--God knows best.

----------------------

* Clear evidence that "repentance" isn't just about sin is found in the Old Testament where we see even God "repenting!" This does not mean that God sinned and needed to say he was sorry. No. Instead, this is "repent" in the sense of doing something different than what had been expected. See, for example, Exodus 32:12-14; Psalm 106:45; Isaiah 57:6; Jeremiah 4:28; 18:8; 26:3, 13, 19; Ezekiel 24:14; Joel 2:13; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 4:2. God "repents" or "changes his mind" about punishment when people repent of their sin.

www.equalsharing.com

Enter the Circle

2011-11-08T17:26:00.001-06:00

If you've been to Crossroads in the past few weeks you've seen shapes projected on the wall, shapes that were designed to convey God's truth. The shape above is based on Mark 1:15, where Jesus says:

The time has come! The kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the good news!

The straight line at the top is symbolic of our lives. The "X" is a moment, an event, a crisis, an opportunity or just a time when the Word of God speaks especially clearly to you.

When we encounter such moments, we can react by ignoring what God might be saying to us through it and just keep going, we can stop or go backward, or we can notice it and then enter the Circle--the Circle of God's Purpose. We do this through a change of direction (that's the original meaning of the word "repentance") and acting on what God teaches us--acting in faith (that is, to believe).

This is God's desire, that we would pay attention, repent and believe. To understand more about this, I'd encourage you to go to the Crossroads "worship" webpage and listen to the message from Oct. 30 and Nov. 6. This coming Sunday's message will build on the "circle" as well.

www.equalsharing.com

Note to the Board

2011-11-03T09:47:00.003-05:00

The following was sent to the Crossroads Board of Directors this morning.

Good morning all. According to the church calendar http://www.crossroadscokato.com/calendar.html our next board meeting is on November 10. ... ... Toni and I will sleep at the new house (785 Mooers Ave) tonight for the first time.

The class I am teaching on Wednesday evenings is going well. If it were possible, someday, to have someone record such classes those who are not able to attend could benefit from them. With available technology, and if someone was willing to help with it, we could also put the class on the internet at the time it is being taught. The same is true of our Sunday morning worship. It just needs a person with the proper skills to be there and willing to make the connections.

Yesterday I had conversations with church and community leaders about the future of the Thrift Store. It will be moving to another location sometime in 2012 and I'm wondering how we at Crossroads could be of assistance. The coffee shop is also for sale. I wonder if some sort of coalition could be put together that would benefit us all and extend our mission.

On a related topic, I've had conversations about a sort of local "FIRST CALL FOR HELP" that I'd like to see us institute in the Cokato-Dassel area. I do a lot of that sort of thing already, talking with people in need and referring them for help, and I feel energized by that sort of work. People who do not have a church family could connect with the church in this way were we to make such a service available. I have one trained person who is interested in helping and in getting others involved.

If you'll look on the Crossroads facebook page https://www.facebook.com/crossroadscokato you'll see that I posted a video about addiction and depression. As we pursue the vision of SETTING PEOPLE FREE TO FOLLOW JESUS IN ALL OF LIFE one of the areas that we'll need to look at is how people with addictions, etc., connect with help and with the peace that comes from a close and personal relationship with the Lord (Covenant) and a good purpose for their lives (Kingdom). The work we do with meeting needs is also about that purpose, setting people free, for example, from physical needs, so they can move on in their relationship with the Lord and with the responsibilities that he desires to give us.

We did a great job helping with meals on wheels during the last half of October. Many thanks to the eight or more people who helped deliver meals one or more days. God is calling us to be involved with ministry to the elderly and handicapped of our community.

Yesterday, as I went to the Cokato Manor for a visit, I arranged with the director of activities to have our church included on the 2012 calendar for leading worship (occasionally on Wednesday and also, for a month that we'll be assigned, on Sunday mornings) -- we'll also be on the schedule for 2012 special "Communion" services at the Cokato Manor. As time allows, I'd also like to see us sponsor worship opportunities in the local senior apartment and assisted living facilities. These things we will do in cooperation with the facility management and other churches.

Toni and I will be moving more things on Friday (day and evening) and Saturday this week. Give us a call if you would like to help--though we DO have our kids home this weekend so that will be REALLY helpful!

Peace be with you in Jesus' name.

www.equalsharing.com

Bible Basics part 2

2011-11-01T17:32:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow evening at Crossroads we'll continue our Bible Basics class. So far, in the book of Genesis, we've learned about God's plan to bless the world through us--through all of humanity--by making us to be God's specially made partners--partners who are to live always in close relationship with God and therefore be God's representatives in the world, ruling creation on God's behalf. We then learned how human beings reject the relationship God desires to have with us and turn over our God given authority to a false god--that is, the devil. Because of this the world has suffered in ways that we can only begin to understand, and we human beings suffer tremendously as well.

Though we started our discussion of how God continues to bless and care for the world and for us in spite of our "ha-martia" ("hamartia" includes all ways that we do not measure up to God's plan for us, both intentional and unintentional sin, both of which bring condemnation on us and on the world) -- though we have started our discussion on how God continues to bless and care for us even though we are rebellious and disappointing sinners -- though we've started that discussion we'll get into it more tomorrow night. God reestablishes both his COVENANT and his KINGDOM, first through the lives of Old Testament men and women, and then, finally, through the incarnation, birth, life, teachings, sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension of the ONE who is both Son of God and Son of Man--that is, Jesus Christ.

To understand this big story of the Bible, it's important to know the main Old Testament characters. We'll look at four of them beginning tomorrow night--characters we find in either the first five books of the Bible (known as the Torah or Pentateuch) or in the books Christians know as as "History" (see Nev'im). The four main Old Testament characters we'll look at are:

Abraham (and Sarah), the one with whom God re-establishes his Covenant, that is, God's irrevocable promise to bless the world through human beings.
Joseph, the one through whom God re-starts God's the Kingdom authority and power God intends for us as God's representatives on earth.
Moses, the first clear example of Covenant relationship and Kingdom rule combined in one person.
David, one in whom we see both a deep relationship with God (for example, in the Psalms) and his courageous rule as earthly king (in the books of Second Samuel and First Chronicles).

None of these, however, show the fullness of either Covenant or Kingdom. We don't see that until Jesus comes on the scene in the New Testament. We'll get to that soon.

www.equalsharing.com

A Home For Love

2011-10-31T20:22:00.002-05:00

As of last Thursday, Toni and I are purchasing (we have a mortgage) the house pictured above, 785 Mooers Ave., Cokato. We are so thankful for the ways that we have seen the Lord's direction in this big decision. A member of the Crossroads board of directors noticed that it might be for sale. A good friend served as our real estate agent, guiding us through the purchase. Now we've hired some work to be done (insulating. etc.) and, thanks to relatives and friends, we've started moving. We plan to begin living there sometime later this week and will soon call this house home. Our kids will be "home" this weekend and we can hardly wait!

Toni and I pray that the Lord would use our home to continue his work through us in this particular community and among all those we consider "our own" -- friends, family, neighbors, church partners. We pray that through our home we would proclaim how much the Lord has done for us, what mercy he has shown us, so many may come to know his agape love and follow Jesus in all of life. (See Mark 5:19-20.)

www.equalsharing.com

My Prayer for Crossroads

2011-10-27T05:41:00.000-05:00

God is working through us to set people free to follow Jesus in all of life.

This is God's action, not ours. God does this work We participate in this work as we tell the truth.

So, I am praying that we tell the truth.

How do we tell the truth? First we must know the truth.

So I am praying that we would know the truth.

The first truth is that we are loved no matter what. Jesus reveals that truth most clearly.

I am praying that we would know this truth of God deeply, to the point where we will not doubt it.

The second truth is that God gives us responsibilities in this life, responsibilities that flow out of who we are, responsibilities that are full of God's authority and power. Our responsibilities flow from who we are--and we are loved by God! Unconditionally. Totally. Without reserve. Our responsibilities are to love God and to love "our neighbor" as ourself.

Therefore, I am praying that God would reveal to each of us specifically how it is we ought to be doing, how it is that we ought to be sharing that mighty love of God, in truth, with our neighbors at this time and in this place and that we will act boldly on what he reveals.

We can dare to seek God's truth, to pray for it, and then act on it no matter where it leads. We can do this because of God's great love. I am praying that we will never be afraid.

www.equalsharing.com

Extreme Makeover

2011-10-24T21:15:00.000-05:00

Toni and I are sitting in the living room with our son Dan. Dan's been home for a few hours; our son Jon was here for a long weekend so it's been great to have part of our little family around. We're looking forward to a visit from our daughter Naomi and her husband Tim in less than two weeks. We are so thankful. Honestly.

Back in the summer of 2010 I attended a Thorson family reunion in the Hesper, Iowa area. I learned then that the Thorsons were known for drunkenness and violence. (True story, I'm not making it up.) Along the way something happened, and I remember saying to those gathered that it would be great to know how our family members got to know Jesus. Something changed, and I'm sure, from the rest of the family heritage I've learned about, that Jesus had a lot to do with it.

Jesus is in the extreme makeover business. He doesn't just reform our lives, making them a bit better. Like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, he rips them down and makes a wonderful new creation where the Kingdom of God moves.

www.equalsharing.com

More Doing, Less Writing

2011-10-23T22:13:00.004-05:00

Some changes have made me less inclined to blog these days. I'm working regularly as the pastor of Crossroads Community Church plus about 20 hours a week as a school bus driver. Then we're also in the midst of buying a house in Cokato and we're doing our best to support and befriend those we see regularly (and less often) around here... and, of course, keeping in close touch with family. Lots is going on at church too. Check out crossroadscokato.com. I mostly maintain the "home" page there and, if you're curious, you can hear me and others on the recordings you'll see at crossroadscokato.com/worship, the Crossroads "worship" page. Perhaps I'll write more on this blog this week! In any case, I'd love to hear from you! Give me a call 763-291-3499 or email me steve@equalsharing.com! Thanks!.

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Bible Basics

2011-10-13T10:41:00.005-05:00

Last night we had the first introductory session of the first class that I'm teaching at Crossroads. I say the "first" introductory session because I know there are some who could not make it last night and who might want to come next week, so, next week we'll repeat, more or less, what we covered last evening. I'd like to share a bit of it here too because there are those who can't make it next week either, perhaps because of travel plans around MEA weekend.

I'm calling the class "Bible Basics." It's based partly on a book called The Bible for Dummies, one of a many in a "For Dummies" series of non-intimidating reference books. I encountered this book a few weeks ago and have been looking through it and much of it I really like. For last night's class I distributed a few pages of the book ("fair use") and asked those attending to read that part before the second official session, scheduled for Oct. 26--the week after our second introductory session. Pick up a copy of those pages at church or pick up a copy of the book itself at the bookstore of your choice.

The other book that we'll be using in the class is Covenant and Kingdom by Mike Breen. We started introducing the concept of "Covenant" in worship over the past two weeks. A Covenant is a trustworthy relationship, a relationship that, like a marriage, has been sealed by some sort of "covenant act." One commonly known example of a covenant act is the placing of the rainbow in the sky after the great flood. A lesser known but deeply significant covenant act is found in Genesis 15 -- see this brief article for an explanation.

Last night we looked at signs of the covenant in Genesis 1. We see that in the act of God to make human beings with a special divine connection. God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." This making of human beings in the image of God means that we are imprinted with God's own self, imprinted in the sense that a hand print, pushed into something soft (like clay), leaves a place especially made for the hand. This not only tells us that we are made special, but that human beings are designed for a relationship with God, a relationship that God seals with his promises and demonstrates with covenant acts. As we look at the Bible we will see many signs of this wonderful covenant, excellent promises that God will not break.

We also then looked at the other half of what Mike Breen calls "The DNA of the Bible." Like DNA has pairs (Adenine-Thymine, Guanine-Cylosine) so God's work in the world is based on COVENANT (a sure, solid relationship with God that we can trust) and "KINGDOM," the first sign of which we see as God gives his authority to human beings over the earth and its creatures. We human beings are truly blessed! We'll be looking for signs of this "Covenant-Kingdom" structure throughout the Bible as we move from week to week.

Sadly, we human beings rejected that original blessing. We chose to reject our maker and believe the devil instead. So, we hide from God (leaving an empty place where the imprint or image of God should be filled by Him) and to turn over the authority to the devil, bringing much evil. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL! He has a plan to bring us home to him, and to restore us an the rest of creation to how it should be. The Bible is the story of how that has taken place in the past and how it will be in the end.

That's a brief summary of what was presented last night. We also took a quick look at some questions (about picture/poetic langugage in the Bible, why there are lists of names, whether God knew evil would come to be) and had a bit of time for conversation!

This pastor's class will continue for six weeks (beginning with next week's "second introductory" session and the real "second session" on Oct. 26. Come when you can.

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Free to Follow Jesus in All of Life

2011-10-11T14:17:00.000-05:00

Our Lord wants us to be free. Since the beginning of humanity's time on earth we have been wrapped up in destructive patterns of life. Through Jesus God has acted to set us free.

Unfortunately that freedom is hidden from so many, often because religious authorities get between us and our Lord. Instead of following Jesus we follow pastors or preachers or denominations.

Now the Lord is showing us a new way. Crossroads Community Church is dedicated to spiritual freedom. I serve as pastor, but I'm not the authority. It's the pastor's job to point to Jesus, not to him or her self. I hope that's what I do. I am a leader, but a leader who wants to shift the attention away from self to the Lord.

Please pray that all of us in the Dassel-Cokato community would be set free from whatever binds them so we can follow Jesus in every area of our lives. Please pray that I would never get myself in the way.

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Mental Health Awareness Day

2011-10-10T14:22:00.001-05:00

I don't usually get interested in "special days" and even in this case I can't say that I know lots about it, but I do know that mental health (and mental illness) is something that most of us know very little about, perhaps because mental illness provokes fear, and when we are afraid we don't really want to learn. I've written about this subject before and get very little feedback on it, but because this is an "official day" of sorts, I thought it would be good to at least share a bit more on the subject.

Partly I'm thinking of this because we were recently victims of a theft and many people who are desperate enough to steal are also sufferers of mental illness. This doesn't excuse the crime, it just helps us know, perhaps, that there is more to their story than what first meets the eye.

Let's be compassionate and smart as we care for ourselves and our neighbors in Jesus' name.

-------------------------------------

The following was prepared by someone I don't know, a "30 something" mother from Britain.

Did you know:

1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year

Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain

Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men

About 10% of children have a mental health problem at any one time

Depression affects 1 in 5 older people

Suicides rates show that British men are three times as likely to die by suicide than British women

Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population

Only 1 in 10 prisoners has no mental disorder

To read the rest of Sharon Howard's information, including videos on the subject of mental illness, go to http://showard76.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/world-mental-health-awareness-day-2011/

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Driving for Inspiration

2011-10-07T11:52:00.019-05:00

Toni and I are back in town after spending a few days in Des Moines for the LCMC Annual Gathering (brief summaries here--more to follow). It was a tremendously encouraging event, definitely worth the 5 hour drive and the 40 minute commute to and from Kellogg, IA where we stayed each night (at the home of John & Marilyn Berthelsen -- thank you SO MUCH for wonderful hospitality). The overall sense of the event was one of FREEDOM, JOY and INSPIRATION. Next year the annual gathering will be in Denver. Let's plan a trip!

Below you'll find an embedded video of one of the Wednesday morning sessions... it's nothing like being there... but still, it's a taste. The message, by Pastor Gemechis Buba, is on THE SEVEN CONVINCING PROOFS OF THE RESURRECTION--it begins at about minute 40 of this video. You can meet Pastor Buba in person at 7:00 TONIGHT Community of Hope Church in Rosemount (for directions click here or at the Alliance of Renewal Churches Midwest Gathering later this month... more on that below the video.

Watch live streaming video from markeysav at livestream.com

http://livestre.am/146tO

Other LCMC gathering videos, including
opening worship with a message by Pastor Bill Bohline
and
the concluding worship hour with a message
by Pastor Jaynan Clark
are available -- click the links above or go to

http://www.livestream.com/markeysav/folder

Later this month, on Wednesday evening, Oct 26, Dr. Buba will speak on THE POWER OF PRAYER at the MIDWEST GATHERING of the ALLIANCE OF RENEWAL CHURCHES. Making the drive to Arden Hills is worth it just to hear him speak! Come if you can or attend another time at your convenience. The evening sessions are all free.

2011 ARC Midwest Gathering
The Alliance of Renewal Churches
Prayer – Ushering in a Kingdom Uprising
Wednesday – Oct 26
6 p.m. Registration at North Heights Lutheran Church-Arden Hills - click link for map
7 p.m. FREE Opening Session
• Worship and Prayer – Stephanie Midthun and Friends
• Message - An Evening of Worship and Prophetic and Healing Prayer Ministry with Rev. Gemechis Buba
• Worship and Prayer Ministry

Thursday – Oct 27
9 a.m. Chapel - Worship, Meditation, Communion, and Prayer – Nathan Hoff and Friends
10 a.m. Morning Session
• Worship
• Message: Prayer – Fighting for God’s Purposes. A conversation with a Father of the Renewal – Morris Vaagenes, Senior Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Master
• Worship
12:30 p.m. General Lunch/ARC Pastors Lunch
1:30 p.m. Workshops
• Proximity, Presence and Prayer, Kendra Diehl
• Topical Intercession, Mike Swecker
• Celtic Spirituality: Prayer, Work and Mission, Danny Mullins
• Inner Healing Prayer Ministry, Robert Walter and Amanda Starck
• Pastors, Vulnerability and Prayer, Paul Anderson
3:00 p.m. Free Time and Dinner on our Own
7:00 p.m. FREE Evening Session
• Worship – Stephanie Midthun and Friends
• Offering
• Message: Underground Prayer, Robert Walter, ARC Leadership Team members
• Prayer Ministry and Worship

Friday – Oct 28
9:00 a.m. Chapel - Worship, Meditation, Communion, and Prayer – Nathan Hoff and Friends
10:00 a.m. Adult Morning Session
• Worship – Ryan Kowlessar and Friends
• Message: I Give You Authority, Kristi Graner
• Worship and Prayer Time
11:30 a.m. Connecting with One Another
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Workshops
• The Power of Sabbath and Prayer, Agust Olafsson
• City-Nation Transformation Through Prayer Evangelism, Dan Clites
• Praying Through the Beauty of Discipline, Midge Wietzema
• Soaking Prayer Ministry, Julie Beghul
• Journey Inward-Journey Outward, Joe Johnson
3:00 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Workshops
• Healthy Intercession and Intercessors, Joy Frenette
• Praying in the Spirit, Fred Thoni
• Teaching Children to Pray, Scott Boecker
• Praying the Psalms, Scott McLaughlin
• Celtic Spirituality: Prayer, Work and Mission, Danny Mullins
5 p.m. Dinner on our Own
7 p.m. FREE Evening Session
• Worship – Eric McIntyre and Friends
• Offering
• Message: What’s in the Air Makes a Difference, Mike Bradley, ARC Director
• Worship and Prayer Ministry

I'd really encourage you to come for one of those evenings, perhaps especially on Wednesday. Dr. Buba is an exciting speaker, solidly grounded on God's word and his own relationship with Jesus Christ. Honestly, this is a can't miss kind of opportunity.

Sometimes the drive is worth it. This is one of those times.

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Learning to Make Disciples

2011-10-04T15:52:00.002-05:00

I'm in the lower level of the Des Moines convention center at a "break out" session here at the LCMC annual gathering. There are quite a few down here listening to Bob Rognlien, a pastor from California. He is sharing in depth about a ministry model (based on "huddles*") that we are also working on at Crossroads. These "huddles" are, and will be, practical ways for us to move step by step, toward being more than just a group of believers who happen to worship together--toward being a truly disciple-making church. After all, Jesus final words to his followers here on earth was to make disciples... not to just make "church members."

At Crossroads, we want to be what God is calling us to be: a transformational "extended family" of believers who live in relationship with each other and learn to be disciples from one another. We're getting a good start! Pastor Bob is giving us a picture of how that works in a larger context.

This "huddle*" model of disciple making is found over and over again in the Bible, particularly in the stories of Jesus and his disciples. One example of this is found in Luke 6:

"...Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles... He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon." (Luke 6:13-14, 17)

In this scripture passage and many others, you'll see how Jesus lived in three dimensions. He lives "UP," that is, in a close relationship with God the Father. He lives "IN" a small group of, in his case, twelve disciples (and, in that small group, he teaches them by his example). Then Jesus lives "OUT" toward the many who are in need -- the "multitude."

There's more to say, but I need to get off to the next session!

---------------
*A "huddle" is a group of 8-10 Christians who meet regularly. Marcus Haug is leading Crossroads first huddle. We have met four times so far. For more see Huddle Logistics.

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LCMC Live

2011-10-03T15:29:00.004-05:00

NOTE from Oct. 7:

Beginning Sunday evening Oct 1 and continuing through Wednesday Oct. 5, Toni and I and 1,200+ others were in Des Moines for the LCMC Annual Gathering. I stayed an extra day for a "New Ministries workshop."

Now we're both back in Cokato. Both Toni and I were greatly encouraged for our work here through this event and we would love to share more about it.

While we were there the main sessions were available to be viewed and heard live over the internet (for free) and that video was shown here. Go to Driving for Inspiration or the LCMC website for recordings As of now (early Friday morning, Oct. 7), there are brief summaries of each day's events on the LCMC blog.

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You Are Worth It

2011-10-02T05:43:00.000-05:00

When Jesus rose from the dead he showed himself alive to the same people who had followed him before his execution. He restored those relationships. This shows how important relationships are. We should not just let relationships die. By his example, Jesus shows us how "worth it" it is to keep relationships alive and to do all we can (and pray all we can) to restore relationships when there is a falling out. When you get a sense that there is a relationship that needs restoring, it's probably the Holy Spirit that is pushing you to reach out.

Earthly, human relationships are not the most important things. When relationships are based on lies, or when lying is necessary to maintain them, then we have a problem. Relationships require truthfulness if they're going to be blessed by God. Emotional ties are traps when they require people to suppress truth. But when love and truth live together, that is goodness... that is near unto goodness itself.

I had the privilege this week of walking alongside a family as they laid a loved one to rest. In the months prior to this death, the Lord used a particular individual (not me) to encourage family members to reconcile, to put behind them what had been many years of division. God was present at that funeral. I was so thankful to have a small part in it.

One of the reasons it's good to come to church on any given Sunday is because the Holy Spirit is there AMONG those who gather, not simply "within" the individual believers. Those who were able to come to the Friday and Saturday church retreat (Sep 30 - Oct 1) were blessed by His mysterious and empowering presence. I'm looking forward to the same as Toni and Wendy and I attend the LCMC Gathering in Des Moines beginning later today for the same reason. It's worth it to take the time.

Those who we gather with, whether at our local church, in our families, or in associations that require travel, they are worth it. You are worth it. The Holy Spirit will make it so.

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LCMC Video

2011-09-28T10:24:00.002-05:00

Enjoy this video of the LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS IN MISSION FOR CHRIST - Toni and I will attend their annual gathering in Des Moines next week. Crossroads could choose to affiliate with LCMC in addition to the Alliance of Renewal Churches.

LCMC Introduction from Peter Churness on Vimeo.

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Faith Steps of the Week

2011-09-27T14:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick update on what's up with us and Crossroads.

Personally, we're hoping to move into Cokato before winter. Good, affordable rental housing has been hard for us to find so we're looking to buy a home. It's a big commitment, but since we're asking others to make commitments, we need to lead in that direction. We're taking steps of faith and encourage others to do so as well.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) night at the PAC, from 6:30 - 8:00, the Dassel-Cokato area youth will meet together for what is known as "DC-United." Youth directors from Cokato and Dassel formed this organization a few years ago... the youth directors get together on Friday mornings to pray and share together, and to plan large group youth events, and the first of which will be held at the PAC tomorrow night. The theme for DC-United during school year is "REAL." T-Shirts will be available at the PAC tomorrow night (like the one Dassel Church of Christ's music director Dave Herring is wearing in the photo at right). Crossroads has a special role this year - we will be the "prayer team" for our area youth. The September 28 event will feature music and prayer. Please join our youth and the Crossroads Prayer Team at DC-United tomorrow!

Thursday evening we have been asked to share the good news of Jesus in a special way--we will host a memorial service for a community family (the family of Dorothy "Robin" Westbury, who passed away last week). The service will be at Crossroads beginning at 6:30.

THEN, ON FRIDAY EVENING AND SATURDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON, Crossroads will host our first retreat! We're making final preparations for this "FREE AT THE CROSSROADS" retreat that begins Friday at 6:30. Details are available on the Crossroads website. The retreat's purpose to make sure we know we are free. The idea that we are free is not understood by Christians. We normally spend most of our lives following other people or our sinful selves. Without knowing it, we give control of our lives to others. On the retreat we will spend some time understanding, from scripture, how GOD calls us. When we understand that, and hear God's call, then when people "command" us, or when the devil and our sinful selves try to order us around, we'll be able to say "NO! I'm now going to be following Jesus Christ. I'm going to follow God in every area of my life." On this retreat we will learn some practical and Biblical ways to do that. Again, I encourage you to go to the Crossroads website to learn more. Registrations are still open. No one will be turned away. Invite friends and family.

Our retreat leader will be Pastor Wendy Berthelsen. She is the founder of Call Incorporated (more info on the Crossroads website). Pastor Wendy will also preach on Sunday morning, October 2, at 10:15 a.m. worship. We will share the Lord's Supper (communion) that morning as well.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, Toni and I will drive south to Des Moines, where we will gather with many others for the annual gathering of "LCMC," "Lutheran Congregations In Mission for Christ." (That's the organization that I'm officially connected with as pastor.) We will be there through Wednesday or Thursday. We feel a good vibe with this group and are looking forward to it. Some highlights of the gathering include worship on Sunday evening with preaching by Pastor Bill Bohline of Hosanna! Lutheran Church, Lakeville, MN, Messages by keynote speakers Greg Goden, TJ Anderson and Gemechis Buba, a Bible study by David W. Preus (through whom I heard God's call to serve as a pastor in 1980) and closing worship with communion with preacher Jaynan Clark. On Wednesday evening and Thursday there will be a special event for new ministries... perhaps I'll learn something there that can be helpful for us at Crossroads.

Thanks for taking the time to read what I've shared. Please keep us in your prayers and share your comments! Thanks!

www.equalsharing.com

Your Circle

2011-09-23T13:32:00.001-05:00

Another day, another field trip! Today the bus is at Collinwood, just south of Cokato and Dassel. It's a beautiful day for the 4th graders to be out exploring and learning about God's creation. Praise God!

I came into Cokato to have a late breakfast with the other driver and got a message from the Cokato Manor suggesting that I stop and spend a bit of time with a family about to lose a loved one. So I did that. It was a God blessed opportunity, seeing that I was having breakfast, at the time, no more than 100 yards away from the nursing home. And what a privilege to share the good news of Jesus' undying love with those who are near death. "Blessed are the poor in spirit... Blessed are those who mourn..."

Last night at huddle* we were challenged to notice "God Blessed Opportunities" like that. God blesses us in so many ways every day, sometimes with affirmation, sometimes with correction. The key is to NOTICE them and then ask the Lord to help us learn the purposes he has in mind to teach us. We used a diagram like the one below:

The dotted line represents our every day lives. The X at the top represents a moment when we notice what just might be God's action in our lives. The "X" is sometimes called a "KAIROS" moment. It's not that God isn't acting among us regularly, it's just that at times we think, "hmm... could that be God?" or "Is there something the Lord might be trying to tell or teach me through (whatever it is)..." Sometimes the X moment is a scripture reading. Sometimes it's an unexplainable "God-incidence" like the one I experienced today at the café. Sometimes it's a difficulty or crisis.

In any case, what is good then is to take time out to process what we have experienced instead of just letting what might be a God-moment go by unnoticed. Doing this "processing" in a group, particularly with others who know Jesus and the Bible, with others who are likewise trying to learn from the Lord... doing this with a group like our "huddle" will keep us from getting too far off track. I'll process this moment, and others, with those I'm learning to trust in the "huddle" next week.

Once we notice and consider making a change based on observation, reflection (and PRAYER!), we discuss it with others and then make a plan to put what we have learned into action. The "believe" part of the circle is the way we responsibly act on what we have learned. Again, it's important that we do this with others so we aren't deceived by our emotions, our faulty perceptions, or our sinful selves.

Over and over again I have seen the Lord put events like the "café call" today. I've seen these as confirmations or affirmations of my sense that I should stay in the Cokato-Dassel area. I'll check that with the group next week.

God can speak to us through many kinds of events, even those that are hard. I have certainly experienced those too. But, as we will hear in the song "He's Always Been Faithful" on Sunday,

I can't remember
a trial or a pain
He did not recycle
to bring me gain. (Sara Groves)

So, what is God doing in this "everyday" of your life? What's your circle today?

------------------------------

*A "huddle" is a group of 8-10 Christians who meet regularly. Marcus Haug is leading Crossroads first huddle. We have met three times so far. For more see Huddle Logistics.

www.equalsharing.com

God's Life Plan

2011-09-21T21:09:00.007-05:00

Good evening all. I'm home for a relatively short time, considering it's night. I'll head to bed soon in the hope that I can get a good night's rest. Tomorrow bus 38 and I will be on duty from early morning till late afternoon, doing the morning route, an all day field trip and then the regular afternoon trip. Same thing Friday. Then, on Saturday, Toni and I are planning on heading up near Mille Lacs for a wedding. So, if I'm going to get a message together for Sunday I'd better sketch out a few thoughts now.

The group I'm working alongside these days is doing a series on "LIFE." They actually began last Sunday--but I was called upon to share a message on commitment then so I'm a week behind the rest. So we'll read Genesis 1:26-28, which speaks of the gift of human life, we'll celebrate the baptism of Raquel Grace Robertson, we'll share a scripture Raquel's grandpa brought to our prayer meeting tonight (Hebrews 3:1-6), add Psalm 8, and then I'll read this priceless scripture from Matthew's gospel:

Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:23-25)

It's clear from all these scriptures that having and raising children to know Jesus is a sacred trust. Part of the task to which God calls parents and every adult Christian is to help children know what God thinks of them, that they are precious in his sight, and that God longs for them to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and then to know their own identity, as God's very own.

Anyone who has trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior discovers that they are holy in God's sight, precious, and called to His. As I am reading in Raquel's grandpa's "Life Application Bible" in a reflection on Hebrews 3:1 -

"By knowing who you are in Christ, you can deny all the false messages of the world. Many strident voices will try to convince you that you're not pretty enough, not smart enough, and not successful enough. But your identity in Christ alone completes you! You can add nothing to it, and this world's detractors can take nothing from it."

God's plan is that Christian adults impress that on young people as often as we can and by whatever means we can--through tender loving care, through prayer, through the scriptures, and through baptism... God's life plan is that we would continue to do that as long as we live.

That's all I have time energy for tonight. At least it's a start on what we'll share on Sunday. I hope you can come and be with us. It will be a God blessed day.

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Love Without Boundaries

2011-09-20T18:17:00.004-05:00

Sponsored by Love Without Boundaries
7:00 PM, Friday, Sep. 23
The Church of St. Philip Social Hall
821 E. 5th St., Litchfield, MN 55355

On Friday evening I'm hoping to go over to Litchfield to hear Pete speak. I've never met him but I do know what he represents--a courageous group of people who are dealing with issues that I can only begin to understand. The sponsoring organization is called "Love without Boundaries." Together with NAMI of Meeker County, LWB works "to eradicate the stigma involved with mental illness through education and support."

The flyer for Friday evening's event says this:

Besides the standard medical treatment for mental illness of medication and therapy, there is a crucial third ingredient: spirituality, volunteering, creativity, focusing our lives not on just on our wounds, but on what we love. Using the insights gained from his own 30 year struggle with depression and MS, National speaker Pete Feigal uses humor and heartbreak to examine this extra element to recovery to give consumers, family members and mental health professionals concrete ideas and tools to help fmd our gifts, and then ways to share our gifts with others. The focus will be on tinding hope, losing our shame, building new dreams, and rediscovering meaning and purpose in our lives.

As I mentioned back in January in Mental Illness and Poverty of Spirit, sheriff's deputies had brought this subject to light during their annual meeting with local pastors, saying that many of their domestic calls and other calls for service involved mental illness. So this isn't just something that "some people" deal with and the rest of us can ignore. It's good for all of us to know something about it. According to government statistics, mental illness affects about one quarter of all adults and a higher percentage of youth. Yet, many of us know very little about it. Learning something will help us avoid (1) unnecessary fear, (2) naive optimism (thinking people just need to get over it), or (3) the rejection of those who suffer, thinking of them as somehow worse sinners than the rest of us, believing it's all about poor choices or a lack of self control.

I like the name "Love without Boundaries" and I'll try to go to the event on Friday night. Let's reach out to those who suffer in this way, praying with and for them and their families, and helping them find ways to cope and find healing just as we do with any other illness. Can we really exclude people from our care who are suffering in ways that we cannot imagine? Or can we ask "What Would Jesus Do?"

"Love Without Boundaries" (LWB) itself is a local support group for the loved ones of individuals whose lives have been touched by mental illness. LWB meets on the first Thursday of every month from 7-9 p.m. at the Litchfield Public Library. You can contact LWB at lovewithoutboundaries09@gmail.com or call Dollie at 320-693-7072.

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Free in Truth

2011-09-19T12:53:00.004-05:00

A few months ago someone gave me a t-shirt with the words "I AM FREE" and underneath a Bible reference - "John 8:32." It doesn't look like the one pictured here. It's white with black letters. It doesn't have anything else on it, not even the words of Jesus from John 8:32. What are those words?

"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

In this part of John's gospel, Jesus is having a discussion with the religious leaders. The religious leaders don't believe Jesus can be any kind of savior or messiah because he doesn't have the right credentials. Jesus reply is this: "It's not a matter of which professional group or religious society we belong to. It's only a matter of truth. Truth is truth, whether it's accepted by you or not. Therefore, anyone who knows and teaches the truth is free from spiritual domination of any kind, whether from human beings or from the deceptions of human nature. Being free is just a matter of knowing the truth, and," he says, "my Word is just that--it is truth."

I'm thinking about that as we at Crossroads are discovering who we really are as a church. We are a sort of "toddler" church, a very young group of believers that just getting to its feet. We're thankful for the partners we have--both those in our local area and those further away. They walk beside us as we walk beside one another, holding one another up. One thing we don't want to do is to start depending on man made rules, so-called "infallible" doctrines, unbreakable traditions or institutional requirements. Those are traps we want to avoid. We believe God is calling us to be free.

One sign of this freedom is an unwillingness to lock ourselves (or others) into ways in which we do church ceremonies. This coming Sunday we will celebrate Crossroads' first baptism. Someone from our church is roughing up a baptismal font. The baptism will honor the responsibility of parents to teach and raise their children in a way that honors God and trusts Jesus. When parents bring their children to be baptized, that's what they do. They recognize that their love, and their guidance, is not enough. As they baptize their children, they are honoring great commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). They will baptize first and teach the children to obey afterward. They trust that God works through baptism, as it says in Romans 6:4. They don't believe it matters how much water is used or that God "requires" any particular way for baptism to be done. Others will do it differently, desiring their children to come to repentance before baptism. I believe the Bible honors both, and so will we, so help us God.

Religious people so often want others to conform to their own standards, somehow trying to enforce their interpretations of God's Word and bind others to it. It's my prayer that we at Crossroads will be, and remain, truly free, bound only by the truth of God's Word, truth that never fails, but truth that we never interpret with complete clarity. In this life there are many things we will never know pefrectly (see 1 Cor 13:12). Some things are very clear, other things are not. Christian scholars and teachers over the centuries have disagreed about baptism and other in a church-dividing way. We at Crossroads, together with many in the Alliance of Renewal Churches, will not do this, so help us God.

If you're looking for a church that is free and truthful, check us out. And pray for us, that we will not fall into legalism of any kind.

Such freedom may make us feel less secure, from a human point of view. It will have us relying on God alone.

www.equalsharing.com

The Greatest

2011-09-18T15:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Gintare Varankeviciute, a missionary from Lithuania in New York City, for this photo! To see it in it's original habitat go to https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150379605876210

www.equalsharing.com

Commitment and Blessing

2011-09-17T20:39:00.003-05:00

I begin writing this as I am preparing myself to to preach (tomorrow) and to preside at a wedding (today). Part of the message the Lord has for us tomorrow was shared on this blog back on September 8 - see "I Will, With God's Help." I'm being called by God challenge our people to a deeper and more public commitment to the ministry of Crossroads Community Church.

The Lord gave me the confidence to do this as I listened to Pastor Larry Johnson as he spoke at the Youth Encounter commissioning two weeks ago. His notes are available for download as a pdf at this link. I plan, like Larry did, to use the blessings of marriage as an analogy to the blessings of other commitments that God calls us to make.

Tomorrow we'll begin the message portion of worship with a reading from Matthew 20, the one where God (pictured by a landowner) gives the same "wages" to workers no matter if they work twelve hours or one.

This produces a problem when it comes to encouraging believers to "get to work" on what God wants done in this world. If every desperate believer in Jesus is going to get the same reward, what's the incentive to actually do God's will? Yes, there is the danger that we won't ever get around to doing what God wants done (see Matthew 25 for some warnings about that), but there are also some blessings we'll miss out on if we wait too long.

God wants us to get on the way of blessing as soon as possible, for our sake, and for the good of others--for the salvation and healing of so many who do not yet know our Lord. And the way we can get on that way of blessing and to say on that way is through commitment through God's commitment and ours.

[At this point in my message I'll share some of what I wrote back on Sep. 8. about God's amazing commitment to us and the blessings beyond number that brings to the world.]

It's not easy to make or keep (honest) commitments, but when we do, we reap the benefits (see Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4) as do those we serve.

To use a bus driving analogy, my commitment to drive on Monday through Friday provides structure and builds character in my life, and it also gets the kids where they need to go. If I just drove when I felt like it, kids would be stranded some days.

Or, when we are raising children, it takes commitment and follow through! How terrible when parents are ruled by their feelings in regard to their children! Having our own children, or having foster children or adopted children, that is a wonderful example of commitment, as we stick in there to for their sakes. But, as we do, we experience blessing ourselves.

The blessing to us personally actually comes from the fact that making and keeping commitments is not easy. Whether it's marriage, raising children or even committing to a particular group of believers like Crossroads, some of the blessing comes because of the suffering and the trials we face as we stay together and pray together.

I've often compared staying together to a rock polisher, a mechanism that keeps us bouncing off one another, getting our rough edges honed off. As we hang in there, or here, with others, this bouncing off one another's personalities hurts sometimes, but that, in time, and with lots of prayer and forgiveness, produces strength of character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. Go back and read Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4 once more.

Making commitments to one another is a way to grow spiritually. If you want to grow closer to God, pray that he will lead you to a commitment that pleases him. Don't just go with the flow! If we avoid making commitments, if we just go with how we feel at the time, if we just "get out" when the going gets tough, we will not grow spiritually. If we simply stick around when we feel like it, we will not become mature and able to reproduce, that is, to make other disciples of Jesus as he has commanded us to do.

But there's another blessing that comes with commitment. This is one that my pastor friend Larry Johnson didn't touch on two weeks ago. I was reminded of it as I read what Mike Bradley wrote recently in his blog. In a piece entitled "Don't Underestimate the Power of Presence and Encouragement." He spoke there about the Old Testament story about David and Jonathan:

"....In 1 Samuel 23... In verse 13 and following we have the story of [future king] David and his men hiding in the wilderness, [reigning king] Saul hot on their trail. David receives word Saul is searching for him in order to kill him.

"Then, as I read verses 16 and 17, Holy Spirit caught my attention. These verses tell us something that on the surface might not seem all that important or exciting. It is the simple story of Jonathan coming to be with David. It is a short story of the power of presence and encouragement...

"David is in a place where he needs courage; and Jonathan comes to be present with him and to give him that word. In verse 17 we read Jonathan’s words of encouragement to David: '"Don’t be afraid," Jonathan reassured him, "My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware"' (1 Sam 23:17, NLT).

Jonathan has made a commitment to BE there with David. He has said, "You can count on me." This gives great comfort and wonderful peace.

This week several of us were gathered at a home in Dassel along with two staff members of the North Heights - Community of Hope group that we're part of. If you were here last week you heard a message by the senior pastor of those churches--you can listen to it on our website's "worship" page. As we were at that Dassel home, one of the pastors from those churches looked me straight in the eye and said, "We want you to know that we are here for Crossroads. We're committed to this relationship. We're not just going to let you go."

That was very encouraging. It was a much needed word at the time. All of us at the table, I think, felt a sense of confidence rising in us as we heard this word of promise. I've felt that many times in the past few months as we've been growing into relationship with this North Heights - Community of Hope group, and with the whole Alliance of Renewal Churches. And it's an encouragement we will share with one another as we are willing to step into commitments to local churches, to local churches like ours.

If you have not made a commitment to a local church, now would be a time to pray about doing that. For your sake, and for the sake of the others, like me, you will encourage by doing so. I believe your commitment will be a blessing. And through making that commitment, and through keeping it, you, and your church, will grow.

There are several ways you can commit to the ministry at Crossroads.

After you've experienced the ministry here, and after you've prayed and asked all the questions you need to ask, you can become a Crossroads partner. You do that simply by signing the partnership commitment that you'll find in the church's front room. (You can see it on our website's "about us" page, in the paragraph that begins "Our members are ministry partners who...).

Or, whether or not you're ready to sign the partnership agreement, you can commit to something else through this church--you can take the step of deciding to come to prayer on a Wednesday evening--it's the "deciding" to come that constitutes the commitment. Or you can sign up for the upcoming retreat, or you can say that you will serve with our children or youth or in another capacity.

You can say, yes, count me in, or, yes, I admit it, saying "I am a leader. I am important! (At least to someone, at least in some small way.) I'll quit pretending it doesn't matter what I do, what I say, what I decide."

Taking a step of faith, to say "Yes, I will, with God's help," taking that step will help you grow, and you, and others, will be blessed.

www.equalsharing.com

Unnecessary Resistance

2011-09-16T03:13:00.002-05:00

Last night at huddle* we were challenged to consider how the power of God in and through our lives is encountering resistance.

As I've been praying through this since I find that there are two kinds of resistance, (1) unnecessary resistance, that is, ways in which God's power (see Ephesians 3, especially verse 20) is burned up unnecessarily, and (2) God's purposeful use of power, which is intended to make things happen.

Some of the things God wants us to be directing his power toward may resist Him too, but those purposes are not unnecessary. I think what God wants us to do is to examine the ways in which his power is dissipated unnecessarily so it can be properly directed toward overcoming the resistance HE chooses.

A bus driving analogy: one could consider the children on the bus to be "resistance" because they add weight to the vehicle (and, at times, stress on the driver!), but removing them so the bus can move more freely would sort of defeat the purpose of the bus. What we want to do is remove the excess baggage and friction etc. That's the "unnecessary resistance," not the kids.

More about this later. I just wanted to get this thought written down.

--------------------

*A "huddle" is a group of 8-10 Christians who meet regularly. Marcus Haug is leading Crossroads first huddle. We have met three times so far. For more see Huddle Logistics.

www.equalsharing.com

Friendly, Firm, Fair

2011-09-14T10:01:00.003-05:00

I hope my last post (I Get It Now) didn't make anyone think that the kids on my bus are a problem! They're not! I'm getting to know them and, the more I get to know them, the better I like them. Kids have energy and creativity, they are excited to express their individuality (especially in the afternoon) but, honestly, they are truly blessings to me.

I am very glad to have this job. When I wrote the post yesterday I was thinking about the huge responsibility I have in driving this 40 foot vehicle with 50+ young people on board. There are skills involved that no one really knows school bus drivers need to have, until you actually drive. But the time with the kids makes up for the challenges. They are gifts of God! Each one!

That doesn't mean it's all calm. The school district has rules in place that young people, to various degrees, like to challenge. The rules are good and the school administrators do an excellent job of being a "team" with us drivers. We can, and do, call on them often to help us in our work and in our relationships with these kids.

When I was done with my route today, I stopped in briefly at the weekly prayer meeting that the local pastors have each Wednesday. After a couple errands, I came home and have been listening to public radio, as I often do. This morning there happens to be a discussion on the air about "school discipline." (Click that link to listen to it later.) The speakers, Ross Greene and Michael Thompson think of proper behavior as a skill that needs to be learned. Consistent bad behavior, they say, can be, perhaps, explained and dealt with as a "learning disability.." It's important, they say, not to get into power struggles with these kids. Forming relationships with the kids and targeting strategies toward these young people is needed more than punishment.

As I think of the many young people I've known and cared about down through the years, and as I think of the kids I'm getting to know on my bus, it seems to me that there is truth to what they say. I don't think Proverbs 13:24 means that we need to use corporeal punishment. I think it means that some sort of intervention is needed, that we must be firm, and that it's huge mistake to just let kids do whatever they want. (I've never used a "rod" on my kids.) But neither I didn't just step aside and let kids run my home or my life. Thanks to the firm and fair rules and the back up of the administration in my school district, I won't let the troubled kids run the bus either. I'll seek to build relationships with them all.

www.equalsharing.com

I Get It Now

2011-09-12T12:47:00.002-05:00

from http://www.shoecomics.com/comics.php?sel_dt=011707

At our meeting before school started, this comic was handed out to the bus drivers. Now that I've driven for five days, I get it. Click on the comic to see the punch line. Some things you only appreciate when you are actually "doing it." Please pray for me and for all school bus drivers on the road today!

www.equalsharing.com

You and I

2011-09-10T06:40:00.006-05:00

You and I, we don't need to be alone. Whatever the situation, whatever the sorrow, whatever the pain, the Lord wants to give us to each other, to be companions and comrades and co-belligerents in spiritual warfare, to stand or sit together in the darkness and point one another to the light that sometimes seems tiny, to the light that will, on one glorious day not too long from now, break through and flood this broken world. Jesus, acquainted with sorrows, still marked with the scars of his suffering--Jesus will reign! No sorrow, no sin, no confusion, no pain, NOTHING will overcome that love. And, honestly, nothing will overcome it today.

To know we're not alone, to know we're not alone even "only with God"... to know that we need to be honest. The Holy Spirit longs for us to be really real with one another, to not hide our sorrow or brokenness away in a dark corner, to shatter the fake strongholds, to come out, to stop pretending that we're always okay. There's nothing more lonely than living a lie... and those lying façades don't only make you or me feel alone, they also keep others in the dark. They think we're doing just fine.

God is calling you and I to honest living. I am praying that Crossroads can be a place for honesty. The same goes for this blog I call "equal sharing." Let's be real together. Let's rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. And let's BE those people who dare to rejoice or weep, as the case may be.

It's time to let one another in. It's time to give up the false front. It's time to come, with two or three or a dozen others--it's time to give up the desperate and wearying attempts to hold the transforming power of God at arms length. Let go and let God! And let your brothers and sisters see you! Stop fighting so hard by yourself! Let God be God and let others be brothers (and sisters). When you and I do that, in Jesus' name, the Holy Spirit comes in... and His presence, soon or later, will bring REAL joy. Then songs and praises will be as real as tears.

That's the kind of church God is calling Crossroads to be. A place where you and I don't need to be alone.

P.S. ... For a bit more in the same vein, take a look at the video you'll find at Where You Can Be You.

(Pastor Bryan Lowe turned me on to this topic today. See "Rainy Day People" and submit a comment if you dare. I did. I appreciate Pastor Bryan so much. He is one of the most courageous people I know.)

www.equalsharing.com

Good to be Known

2011-09-09T20:59:00.001-05:00

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot grasp it.
Psalm 139

The bus I'm driving these days has a digital video recorder in it. Today I had the eerie experience of sitting in my supervisor's office watching what had occurred in the bus over the previous two or three days. I knew the recorder was there, but had forgotten it, I guess, so it was a strange sensation to see what had gone on behind my head while I had been busy driving. And lots goes on! More than I know.

Early this morning the Bible verses above came to mind, given to me, I believe, by the Holy Spirit. Watching the video recording made me think of how God is watching over all of us with such love, seeing everything and hearing everything and still loving us, even when we are doing what is not pleasing in his sight.

Oh! how He loves us! (Even though he knows us!) Because God knows with such love, he came himself, in person, straight into our dysfunctional world, to take upon us all the sin HE knows (far more than what WE know), so He could save us from ourselves. For that reason, and for many others, it is good to be known-- good to be known by the One God!

Let yourself know that He knows!

It is so good!

http://youtu.be/RxTOsQ3LDE4

www.equalsharing.com

I Will, With God's Help

2011-09-08T11:04:00.004-05:00

Life has changed. I've started my regular bus route--getting up before 5:30 five days a week, getting home at 8:30 or 9, then turning around to go back to the Dassel bus barn at 2:45 or so for the afternoon run, home here about 4:30. There's a lot to learn--making sure the bus isn't too early or late, learning the kids names and personalities, and getting to know the orderly ways that the buses unload and load at the schools.

I've made the bus driving commitment for the 2011-2012 school year alongside my commitment to Crossroads Community Church. It's a big commitment. The new schedule cuts down the flexibility of my daily life. I've always been busy--I'm almost never bored--but still, already on the third day of driving bus #38 I can see that things have changed.

Commitments are good things. There is, first of all, the commitment God makes to his creation. God continues to sustain and bless us with sunrises each day, with sunshine and rain and snow, and by giving us each breath and each heartbeat. This morning I so much enjoyed seeing the wildlife--two young deer running on a trail alongside the road, staying with the bus for quite awhile. Beautiful. And birds beginning to flock together.

Each season that goes by is a clear sign of God's commitment to us--and we who have had God's love poured into our hearts get a little taste of how much God is committed to us as we are not willing to just "let go" of those who suffer. Deep inside we know, from God's point of view, we are not replaceable. God loves all that he has made and he does not change.

In the Bible, we read over and over again that God cares enough to make promises. He makes promises to his creation in general, and to the human race in particular and to those who have come into a personal relationship with him. Through the life of Jesus we learn that God cares for individuals, even when they fail. It's remarkable that when Jesus said to his disciples "follow me" that he remained faithful to them too! He did not replace them when they disappointed him. He remained faithful to them throughout his ministry and then, when he rose from the dead, he came back to those specific men and women. Only Judas was replaced, but that, sadly, could not be any other way.

In return for his commitment to us, God calls us to make commitments. First, he calls us to love him above all things. Because we human beings are inconsistent in our sinful nature, God calls us to confess our commitment aloud, to say with our lips, "Jesus is Lord." This means we leave behind other options for "kings" or "queens" of our lives. God comes before everything else and he will not share that central place. See "God Won't Cohabit" for more.

But though God's promises and faithfulness to us and our response of commitment to him is and remains the central commitment of our personal lives, and though no one except God has a right to judge that relationship, we are called to make other commitments also.

On Sunday evening Toni and I went to the Youth Encounter commissioning service in Spring Lake Park. Kelly Marie Gilbert, who we at Crossroads heard from in March made a promise to a particular ministry--to be trained and then to serve for one year as a volunteer with a group of young people called "Crossfire."

At the commissioning service, after some exuberant worship, Youth Encounter's president (Pastor Larry Johnson) gave a message on commitment, speaking of the blessings that come to us when we are willing to say "yes" in response to God's call, instead of just coming along with a ministry when we feel like it. I'm hoping to share more of Larry's message here when I get a copy from him.

This is a season for commitments. I believe it's a time for those who have been participating with Crossroads Community Church to prayerfully consider what God is calling them to in connection with this ministry. Larry spoke of the dangers that come when we merely "co-habit" with one another. I came to believe that was a word for this season of our church. Perhaps it is God's word for you in this season of your life too, wherever you may be. Our church is based on partnership--you can read a bit more about that on the "about us" page of our website.

Our members are ministry partners who trust Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, accept the Bible as authoritative for faith and life, and believe God is calling us together for this season of our lives to pray, worship, study the scriptures, serve, care for one another and give financially for the ministry and mission of God through Crossroads Community Church of Cokato.

If you are a partner, this may be a time for you to consider a more specific commitment. Some of us are unwilling to step out to say "I will, and I ask God to help me." I can understand that! Adding this bus driver commitment alongside of everything else certainly does stretch me! But, for this season, it seems to be the will of God. So I said yes. Perhaps you can say yes too.

(A follow up to this is at Commitment and Blessing, written Sep. 14.)

www.equalsharing.com

CrossroadsCokato.com

2011-09-07T05:46:00.000-05:00

Just a quick word of encouragement to check out the Crossroads website at crossroadscokato.com. We'll try to keep it updated.

www.equalsharing.com

Following Jesus Where You're At

2011-09-04T01:23:00.002-05:00

Here are my preparation notes for tomorrow's preaching. I'm thinking of this for a variety of reasons, partly because someone I have cared about and spent time with recently came to a very sad end. I don't know what else to do but go back to scripture and cling to the promises of our Lord.

I love the Bible stories of Jesus and his disciples. I love them because, from a spiritual point of view, they are so deeply connected with the lives of the followers of Jesus who are alive today. I love these stories because they are so honest. They show God at work in the mess of everyday life. These stories show what God can do through the lives of his disciples, through the lives of people like you and me, even when we don't look so good.

It sort of reminds me of First Corinthians 5:17 - 6:13. You can read that at the bottom of this post. That passage speaks of the new creation, that, as Jesus' people, we are new. But even so we live in a broken and sinful world, a world that not only has its effects on other people out there, but also on us, on you and on me. First Corinthians 5:17-6:13 tells us that yes, we are new, and that God is at work in us on behalf of others, but that things do not always go so well. Beginning in verse 4 of First Corinthians 6 it says this in the translation called "The Message."

People are watching us as we stay at our post … in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right; when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.

The life of a follower of Jesus, you see, isn't about us at all. It doesn't really matter what the circumstances of our lives are. We don't look at ourselves and we don't want anyone else to do that either. We look to Jesus, and to him alone.

I have to do that because, as the song "Everlasting" says:

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains.
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace.
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame.

(See http://youtu.be/X-afZJ9_TIM.)

So I love the stories of Jesus and his disciples in the Bible. I love them because guess who gets the glory and the honor and the praise? The disciples? No. It's Jesus. It's Jesus every time.

Yesterday I asked my brother Randy to come and read scripture this morning. Randy, would you come now and read another one of those true and honest stories. As he reads, let's close our eyes and imagine ourselves in the real life situation they were in. They've had an incredible day of being with Jesus. He had just fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread... this should have shown them that they never had anything to worry about... but they didn't get it... in any case, Jesus now sends them out ahead while he goes alone to pray.

Mark 6:54-56
     ⁴⁵Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
     ⁴⁷When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰because they all saw him and were terrified.
     Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, ⁵²for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
     ⁵³When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. ⁵⁴As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

So who is it that looks good in this story? Is it the disciples? Hardly. Their hearts were still so hard that, when they came to land on the other side of the lake, they were no good at all. But, honestly, did it matter? Did the disciples do the healing work? Were they the ones who the people over there were glad to see? No way. It was all about Jesus. It was NOT about them. And it's not about us either. In fact, when miracles do happen when we pray, when we DO get a chance to participate in God's incredible healing and saving work, there's a bit of danger there.

Turn over with me to Acts chapter 3. Now we don't have time to go through all of this, but you'll see here in Acts 3 that two of Jesus' disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, are going to the temple in Jerusalem at the time of prayer, and they meet a crippled man who asks them for money. They didn't have any money, but they did have Jesus living in them through the Holy Spirit, so, speaking in the name of Jesus, they said, "'Get up and walk!' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong." He jumped to his feet and went with them into the temple, "walking and leaping and praising God!"

Then look at Acts 3:11 and following:

¹¹While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹²When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? ¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. ¹⁵You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. ¹⁶By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

When success comes to Jesus' disciples, whether it's then or now, when we pray and someone is healed, or when we help someone get to know the Lord and they are saved, it's a great thing, but it's also something of a problem because it's so easy then for people to start looking at us instead of at the one we serve, Jesus Christ himself.

The miracle stories of the Bible, and the miracles that God does in the world today, they are very good and very precious, and we ought to be seeking and praying for these mighty acts of God to take place among us. But more often than not, we human beings who have found our Savior Jesus and have been filled with God's Holy Spirit, more often than not you and I are going to end up being used in more humble ways. We shouldn't be satisfied with that, and we should keep pursuing great and mighty signs of God's presence among us, but we should not be discouraged when things turn out differently. Because, in the end, it's not about us at all. And God will us ALL THINGS for his glory--even when all we do is to just let someone know something about the Lord, even when all we do is give someone a sign of Jesus' love in a rather small way.

Because, in those circumstances, Jesus is at work too. Right where you are at. Even before everything becomes clear and perfect in your Christian life. What's important is that Jesus shines. Not you. Not me.

[At this point of my message tomorrow, I'm going to ask my son Jon to speak about his experiences in his every day life, helping people to come just a little closer to Jesus, and then we'll pray and encourage one another to do the same.]

-------------------------------

First Corinthians 5:17--6:13
     ¹⁷...If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
     ^6:1As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ²For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
     ³We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
     ¹¹We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹²We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

www.equalsharing.com

Send A Missionary (part 3)

2011-09-02T18:46:00.003-05:00

The Garden of Hope In Chiang Mai, Thailand

Like many young people, Andria is filled with the Holy Spirit after having been healed and transformed by Jesus Christ. She deeply desires to give her life to mission work, especially among other young people who have suffered abuse and exploitation.

Several, even many, from Crossroads have supported her so far, but time is running out. She needs several one time gifts or monthly commitments so she can serve with The Garden of Hope in Chiang Mai, Thailand, "a community that protects vulnerable and at-risk children and teenage women from abuse and exploitation in Southeast Asia and equips and enables them to develop maturity and responsibility, bearing fruit for the glory of God."

Unlike many of us, Andria does not have a "home base" of relatives that can support her. She came to us as one of "Crosswalkers" in 2010 (through that "walk" she experienced what it truly means to trust God) and, then, in July shared a message at Crossroads.

Will you help her? Every bit helps. Her deadline is TUESDAY (Sep 6) and she is still in need of about $4000 total in one time gifts or monthly commitments.

Go to "Send A Missionary" to learn more and to find out how to send a donation. In any case, please pray!

www.equalsharing.com

Where You Can Be You

2011-09-01T09:17:00.004-05:00

This video really fits Crossroads. Really. See below for a transcript. (Thanks Mary Kay!)

http://youtu.be/Ze5nCEmiamQ

Here's a few reasons why people don't go to church.

    I can't come to church until I get my life together.
        Church is HOW I got my life together.
        (A place for new beginnings.)

    Church is filled with a bunch of hypocrites...
        and there's always room for one more.
        (Imperfect people welcome.)

    All they care about is your money.
        They care about me, not my money.
        (People are priceless.)

    Is there some kinda dress code?
        Yes, the code is, wear some clothes.
        (Come as you are.)

    Church, it just makes me nervous.
        I was nervous at first and then I felt right at home.
        (Right where God wants you.)

    I'm not sure I believe everything that you believe.
        ...but you can still belong.
        (Doubts welcome.)

    Church is for whimpy, girly men.
        ...you wanna say that again? :)

    If you knew me,
    and what I've done,
    you wonldn't want me.
        If you knew me,
        and what I've done,
        you wouldn't be worried.

You can come to my church
even if you were brought up
    Catholic,
    Baptist,
    Methodist,
    Jewish,
    Mormon,
    Lutheran,
    Pentecostal,
    Presbyterian,
    Church of Christ,
    Southern Baptist, or
    ...a little bit of everything
    ...or a whole lot of nothing.

See, it's not about a religion, it's about a relationship!

So please come to my church.
    Where nobody's perfect,
    Where beginners are welcome,
    Where socks are optional, but grace is required
    Where forgiveness is offered.
    Where hope is alive!
        And it's ok... to not be ok.
        Really.

www.equalsharing.com

Free at the Crossroads

2011-08-31T22:40:00.001-05:00

Today I got a chance to take the school bus out for a trial run. School starts on Tuesday and I wanted to make sure I know the route. It's a quite complicated drive with about 28 stops and maybe 50 turns. Twice the route has me pulling into driveways to turn around. I was glad to have Dean Carlson, an experienced driver, ride along. With his help I didn't make any wrong turns. It might be different with a few dozen students on board, distracting me or making suggestions about potential "short cuts.". That's why it was good to make this run today. Now I know where I'm going. At least that part should go well.

Just as Dean guided me today, I need the Lord Jesus to lead me through the many intersections of my life. When I have a good guide, I can be free from fear and I can be free from being led by other voices, whether they happen to come from children or anyone else. When I have a good guide, I don't need to rely on my own understanding. I can be free to do what God has called me to do. I don't need to worry about what anyone else says. It's so much better to be led by the Lord.

Coming up at the end of September our church will be sponsoring an "all church retreat." The purpose of this retreat will be to help us get out from under OTHER expectations so we can be FREE to follow the one who knows and loves us best. Free at the Crossroads will help you and me to know know, follow and serve Jesus through all of life's transitions. You will become more free to follow Jesus in your family, in your work, in your church and community.

Please mark your calendars for the evening of September 30 and the morning and early afternoon of October 1. This is sponsored by Crossroads Community Church and is open to all. Contribute what you can for the book, lunch and speaker: $25 suggested donation per individual, $45 per couple, under age 25 free. More details to follow.

www.equalsharing.com

The Crossroads Website Begins

2011-08-29T17:06:00.002-05:00

We now have a website... just beginning to get it working... www.crossroadscokato.com. Thanks to our own Veda Davis from Crossroads, her son A.J., and Kelly Gilbert, who is going off to Africa with Youth Encounter this fall. We shared Kelly's testimony at Crossroads back in March -- see the eighth paragraph and following of "The Doors Are In."

www.equalsharing.com

Real Life and Facebook

2011-08-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

I haven't written since Monday, at least not on this blog. I've posted things on facebook but not here. Honestly, I wish more of my real life friends were my friends on facebook. Here's why:

Facebook, to me, feels more like a community than this blog does, especially because I rarely get comments here. On facebook, because lots of people write and comment, there's a sense of relationship. I know that the facebook world excludes lots of people, and I wish there was a way to reproduce what goes on there in person, but that's impossible. Even printing on paper, doesn't work well. You can read what's written or printed but it's not easy for you to respond that way. On line, responding is immediate. It's like having everyone in the same room.

Feel free to friend me on facebook, or, if you're on facebook and you don't want to do that, feel free to go to my public facebook page (known as a "profile" or a "wall" as often as you like (screen shot above). I'll never know who is there looking or clicking. But it's a lot more fun to be facebook friends.

Unfortunately, you can't see my "wall" if you're not registered on facebook. We will print some things on paper, and make them available at church, but, as I said, it's not the same.

www.equalsharing.com

Baptism at Crossroads

2011-08-22T13:54:00.004-05:00

I'm needing to correct this post... I was incorrect about the date of the upcoming baptism. It's September 25, NOT Aug. 28. I have called the family already but need to make this correction here as well. Thank you so much to the person who called this to my attention.
---------------------------------
We'll be celebrating our first baptism at Crossroads next [Sunday] month. I announced this yesterday by saying that at Crossroads we honor the desire of parents who bring their children for baptism at whatever age. We do this even though it's not possible to convince all Christians that the Bible allows the baptism of small children. When we baptize little ones, we rely completely on the grace and mercy of God. And that is never a bad thing to do.

Are you relying completely on God's grace and mercy? Do you believe Jesus forgives all your sins? Can you be like a small child in your relationship with the Lord, not trusting in your own goodness in any way but simply relying instead on the love of your heavenly Father? Can you rely on Him even when you know you will never understand everything about what is "right" or "correct" in God's eyes? Can you receive everything God teaches as a gift instead of as a demand for compliance? Can you do this no matter at what age you choose to bring your children for baptism, or at what age you are baptized yourself?

When we get close to Jesus, we will learn this kind of trust. And when we do desperately trust God as he has been revealed in Jesus Christ, God will fill you with Himself (the Holy Spirit). You will live then not by your own power or from the "correctness" of your doctrine, but from his grace, his mercy and his saving and healing power, which will flow through you to the world.

Relying completely on Jesus: That is the best thing any of us can ever do.

www.equalsharing.com

Toward a "Stated Vision"

2011-08-20T09:11:00.003-05:00

The application for congregation membership in the Alliance of Renewal Churches asks for the "stated vision" of our church, Crossroads Community Church of Cokato. I'm glad for the push to get clear on what Crossroads is about. No church can be all things to all people. So how can God's purpose for our church be put into words?

We start with what God has already done. We look for patterns in the history that led up to Crossroads' beginning. We examine our story. What has God been teaching us? What scriptures could be sort of "themes" for this history? What words summarize our journey with the Lord? Who are the partners, locally and beyond, who the Lord has brought to us for these days? We'll take a look at the "footprints in the sand" to see where they are leading.

How would you answer these questions personally? What has God been teaching you as an individual? What scriptures are themes for your personal story? What words would summarize what God has been doing in your life over the past few years? Who are your partners? Who else's footprints have been beside your own? Who has God been carrying by your side?

Please send me your own answers to those questions. I will look forward to talking about these with your personally in the days and weeks to come... leading up to our All Church Retreat on September 30 - October 1. God will lead us as we discern the purposes God has put in each of us, in each of our hearts and minds and souls.

I will pray for you and ask God to inspire you as you look for his footprints in the sand of your life. It's not for no reason God has brought us together to this point. He has brought us here to lead us forward, to be a blessing to our families, to our communities, and to the world.

So, first, we will look back. Then, we then boldly look ahead in the same general direction. If God has brought us thus far, forming among us certain characteristics and strengths and weaknesses, where do we guess that God is leading us? God will bring good out of this journey when we love him and are called according to his purpose!

The Lord will lead us in stating a vision, writing down the purpose for our church's existence. The Lord will lead us to this. He wants us to be a blessing, and getting clarity will be helpful. That way, even when we think we are strong, our footprints will be moving along at least in a similar direction to the way the Lord carries us when we cannot carry ourselves.

I will pray and do my best to lead us toward getting this "stated vision" written down in God's time.

"I will stand at my watch-post... I will keep watch to see what the Lord will say to me...

"Write the vision; make it plain... so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed times... it does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will not delay... the righteous live by their faith." (from Habakkuk 2:1-4)

Let's see what we will do together. God is moving us toward a future that belongs to Him.

www.equalsharing.com

Send A Missionary (part 2)

2011-08-19T08:36:00.003-05:00

The following is from Andria Jasper's blog Walking The Path Thank you to everyone who has supported Andria so far. For more of Andria's story, see Send A Missionary (part 1).

"...My plane ticket has been purchased and I will be flying out September 10th at 7:20am for Thailand! My funds right now are at 65%, it still blows me away with how far I have come and how little I have left to raise! Only $500 in monthly supporters and $1,000 of my set-up, I am oh so close to calling Thailand my home!

"The process of fundraising thus far has been a journey I will never forget. I have learned to trust the Lord in a way that I never have before. I daily had to wake up and say ok I trust you Lord to provide for me because I have nothing. To see the Lord continually provide for me throughout this journey has been a huge blessing. I admit it has been a struggle, a struggle I never expected. But man I would not change a minute of it, to be in a position to not be able to do anything but trust the Lord! To see the funds come in has proven to me time and time again that I am in the will of the Lord, He has called me to Thailand and I will go!

"I still have about 3 weeks left of this fundraising process and I am excited to see the Lord bring in the funds! Please continue to join with me in prayer! That those the Lord are calling to give would do so!"

The information on how to donate to Andria's mission is found on Send A Missionary (part 1).

Andria asks that we share her story with others, that we would let them know of her mission to the most broken of the world. Andria's email address is andria.jasper@bcom.org. Please contact her with any encouragements or questions.

Thank you all so much

www.equalsharing.com

A Daily Report

2011-08-18T16:24:00.007-05:00

Thursday has become a day for out of town meetings. I've been going to a pastoral staff meeting at North Heights from 11 - noon on Thursdays, but today, the third Thursday of the month, there are two other groups to attend to. I'm on the board for an organization dedicated to helping volunteers serve senior citizens and the disabled, an organization that has been called "Faith In Action of Wright County." Today, at our regular monthly meeting in Buffalo, we renamed it "Wright At Home: Independence for Seniors" and approved a new logo. After that I met with Twin Cities LCMC pastors for prayer and conversation, this time at Holy Cross Lutheran in Maple Lake, a church building that also houses Sola Publishing. Earlier today I was at my desk, where I often pray and study, communicating with people who are in various leadership positions at Crossroads. I'm back at my desk now--my desk at home.

One of the purposes of this blog is to let people know what I'm up to. That's even more important than it used to be because Crossroads doesn't have a full time staff that keeps me in line ;-) or an office where I report for duty each day. Neither my current part time interim pastoral contract nor the contract that is in the works for Sep 16, 2011 through Sep. 15, 2012 requires me to keep everyone in the loop as often as I do, but, for me, that's part of what "Sharing Ministry and Faith" is about.

The more-or-less major projects in the works right now are doing what I can to encourage and work with our church's leaders as they get the education program going for youth and adults, working toward getting plans together for the Crossroads retreat (save the date, Friday evening through Saturday mid-afternoon, Sep. 30-Oct. 1) and, as I discovered I need to do last night, work with our leadership to describe our church's mission and vision--that's for the Alliance of Renewal Churches congregation application. All of this needs to be done with boldness, humility and teamwork, and putting this up in public will help our people feel they are a part of things and that decisions aren't being made in secret by some authoritarian "Herr Pastor."

I'd like to listen as well as speak (or write), so please don't hesitate to call or write back. As my new "senior pastor" Per Nilsen tweeted yesterday, "Leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing significant to say." You all who are now, or who are considering becoming partners at Crossroads: You have the gift of God's Holy Spirit among you! Please share your thoughts, your dreams, your prayers, words of correction. You are no less important than anyone else, and the Lord may be speaking in and through you now, with words that we need to hear.

www.equalsharing.com

Hesitate? NO!

2011-08-17T11:44:00.006-05:00

Video of "LIGHT MY FIRE" by The Doors (~1967)

You know that I would be untrue,
You know that I would be a liar,
If I were to say to you,
___ we couldn't get much higher...

The time to hesitate is through,
No time to wallow in the mire...

Other than a few conversations and some prayer care opportunities, the past two days, Monday and Tuesday, have been pretty much filled with what's necessary for my family's life in this world... accepting a contract to drive school bus on a regular route, participating in a first aid and CPR refresher with other drivers and coaches, reading through school district policies, updating what I still call my "checkbook register" (actually using personal finance software for credit and checking accounts), paying college bills, making dents in neglected paperwork...

Today I'm inspired to get some planning and publicity done for our work at Crossroads... it's not something, however, that I do alone.. I've contacted the leaders of our education programs (children, youth, adult) to see how I can help them with publicity and did the same in regard to the All Church Retreat (Sep. 30 - Oct. 1). Then there are lots of other things in the works: baptisms, a funeral, an application for official Alliance of Renewal Churches membership and my own plans to attend the LCMC Annual Gathering (in Des Moines Oct. 2-5 with a "New Ministry Workshop" Oct. 5-6). All of these things are done in cooperation with people in our local area--people like you!

Some publicity is already done -- here's a piece from this week's Enterprise Dispatch newspaper -- thanks to Veda Davis for getting this published. Dave Anderson's ancestors were among the founders of three local churches. He'll be with us this Sunday. Click the image below to see the entire story.

I encourage anyone who knows of events that are (or should be!) coming up at Crossroads, or in our Dassel-Cokato area, things that would benefit others, to leap out and share them with others through personal conversations, email, or the Crossroads facebook page.

Please don't wait for someone else to act!

If there's anything we learned over the weekend, as people stepped out to lead the benefit for Elijah Morris, it's that, as The Doors said back long ago, "the time to hesitate is through," done with, OVER!

www.equalsharing.com

What I Don't Write About

2011-08-17T07:49:00.001-05:00

There are some things I don't write about on my blog. Politics is one, but I've said that before--politics is full of gray and necessary evil. It's very important, and there are many ways in which Christian teachings can be applied to it, but it is a terribly messy part of life, full of compromise and behind the scenes deal making. Politics and government are necessary according to the scriptures, but they cannot bring God's kingdom.¹

I also don't write about things that would embarrass people, whether the person who would be embarrassed is me or someone else. Even though I believe the grace of God covers everything, and even though I believe, according to scripture, that we human beings are very much alike,² some things are best left to personal and private conversations when just two or three are present.³ Though I might allude to personal things, I don't clearly reveal things here that are not already commonly known and that are pretty much accepted by those I live with and encounter in daily life.

It's actually hard for me not to write about everything. I'm a pretty open person and I like to think there's nothing I wouldn't talk about with an individual or small group. Honesty and transparency are indispensable parts of ministry. If leaders aren't obviously human beings with broken edges, if leaders can't appropriately admit their faults and sins and seek forgiveness, then those leaders play God. Such leaders may seem super competent, they may attract large followings, but they end up diverting attention from God Himself. And that, obviously, is a huge problem--a betrayal, actually, of God's call. Nevertheless, in open forum blogs like this, where anyone can read and share what is written here, some caution is required.

I only hope the things I do write about are honest enough so that people who read this will know they can come to me (or to another mature Christian) to talk and pray about whatever needs they may have. In personal ministry, nothing is out of bounds.

-----------------

¹ technically politics is a part of the "kingdom on the left."
² First Corinthians 10:13a
³ for example, Matthew 18:15

www.equalsharing.com

Our Business with God

2011-08-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning. Getting ready to head over to the church building. Yesterday was a big day over there, a great social event, a wonderful fundraiser, a good day to see what can be done when we work together in Jesus' name. Today will be a good morning too, with youth sharing how the Lord worked in their lives during their July mission trip to Jamaica. This is all a sign of the Holy Spirit at work--not to say that the Lord isn't just as active out in the world. A group from Crossroads took time yesterday to pack meals for Feed My Starving Children and next Saturday another group will spend the afternoon at Paul Gustafson's Street Outreach at Franklin Avenue and Thirteenth Street in south Minneapolis. And God is involved with you whenever you do anything in Jesus' name.

Today, however, let's go one-on-one with God Himself. Let's allow God's Word to speak to us and let us examine ourselves before him, recognizing that we really do need to receive his Grace. That's what we'll do this morning at church.

www.equalsharing.com

Crossroads on the Web

2011-08-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Even if you don't want to use "facebook," you can visit and connect with Crossroads Community Church through our facebook page. That's the only "website" we have at the moment.. When you click this link you will see what is pictured above. Feel free to ignore the invitation to "Sign Up" for facebook and just scroll down through the page to see what is offered there. Also new yesterday and today is a Crossroads Calendar. See the link at top right.

www.equalsharing.com

How to Be "Church"

2011-08-10T15:25:00.001-05:00

Crossroads does not discriminate between people who are "members" and "non-members." We will step out in faith and prayer for people no matter who they are. We invite people to consider becoming partners in our ministry, but if individuals or families are not yet ready to become partners, we will still pray and care. In like manner, we will not be offended or troubled if some of "our people" are ministered to by people (or pastors) from other churches. We will not be possessive. We will trust the Lord to be our shepherd, even when the Lord sends people or pastors from other churches to care for us.

Will you pray and ask the Lord to break down the barriers that keep the Lord's people apart from one another? If church membership is one of those barriers, if church membership makes us possessive, then we need to repent.

I believe the Lord is calling us to this new way of being "church."

www.equalsharing.com

Crossroads Update

2011-08-09T09:26:00.003-05:00

The following email was sent to Crossroads Partners and Friends a few moments ago.

It's an exciting time to be part of the Crossroads Community. Did you see Crossroads in the Corn Carnival Parade? Does anyone have photos? Send them to me (steve@equalsharing.com) or Veda Davis vmdavis@centurylink.net or just post them on the Crossroads facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crossroads-Community-Church/155497534488225. That's the nearest thing we've got to a website so far, but we're praying that the Lord will provide a "real website" with a real calendar of events soon!

The Elijah Morris benefit (Little e Big G) will be at the Crossroads church building this Saturday, August 13. Thanks to all who are helping with the event. It is featured in this weeks edition of the Enterprise Dispatch newspaper (see http://www.dasselcokato.com/). We still need your participation--call Lynne Lahr (320-286-5773) or Mary Kay Morris (320-286-6143) to find out how you can help or just come in the late morning or early afternoon. The event to be held from 4:00 - 7:30 will include a pork chop supper, a silent auction, music and games--all around fun for the whole family. Please come! Bring your neighbors and friends!

On Sunday August 14 we'll share the Lord's Supper and hear from the youth people who were on a mission trip to Jamaica last month. Education and youth programming and a "Leadership Growth Group" are about to begin. Our first Crossroads High School Youth Event is scheduled for 6:30 next Wednesday, August 17, 6:30 p.m with swimming and a picnic at Pleasant Lake (north side) near Annandale. On Sunday, August 21 we'll hear a powerful message of hope from a musician, Dave Anderson, whose ancestors were founders of three Lutheran churches in the Cokato area. A story about that will be in the Enterprise-Dispatch next week. A picnic for the whole family is on tap for Sunday afternoon, August 28!

Now to the main subject of this pastoral email:

You may know that we are moving toward affiliation with the Alliance of Renewal Churches. We would like to hear from you on this. What questions do you have?

As an important part of this journey, we have entered into a strong and supportive relationship with North Heights Lutheran Church (Arden Hills and Roseville), which is a member of the Alliance (the ARC), together with Community of Hope Church (Rosemount and Hastings). These relationships will give us a firm foundation as we go forward to do what the Lord is calling us to do in our community, reaching out in Jesus' name to save and bring healing to the lost and making disciples of Jesus who are Christians first and members of any "denomination" second.

The Lord has been using these relationships in our midst for many years, beginning in the 1970s with "Evangelizations" in Cokato by Pastor Morris Vaaganes and the "Lutheran Renewal" movement (http://www.lutheranrenewal.org/). I heard God's call to be a pastor at the Lutheran Conference on the Holy Spirit in 1980. The ARC grew out of the Lutheran Renewal movement about ten years ago. It is a good fit for us.

The ARC is Lutheran. It honors the Lutheran Confessions, the Creeds, the sacraments of baptism and communion and, above all, the Word of God in the scriptures and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. It does not bind itself, however, to any written document other than the Bible. This opens us to strong relationships with those who do not share a Lutheran heritage. To be a member of Crossroads, for example, we simply ask people to sign a partnership agreement each year: Trusting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, accepting the Bible as authoritative for faith and life, we believe God is calling us together through 2011 to pray, worship, study the scriptures, serve, care for one another and give financially for the ministry and mission of God through Crossroads Community Church of Cokato.

I encourage you to become familiar with the ARC by visiting their website at http://www.allianceofrenewalchurches.org - go to the "Welcome" tab and the "About Us" section. A summary on paper is available at church.

Here is a summary of beliefs of the Alliance of Renewal Churches that is found on their website. No set of beliefs drawn up by human beings are ever perfect. Perfection is only found in God himself, who we never know perfectly in this life. Together with the relationships we will build in our relationship with the ARC, these beliefs will be a strong and God honoring foundation for Crossroads as we move into the future:

God is One, revealed in the Scriptures as three persons, the Father, the source and creator of all, the Son, our Savior and Lord, and the Spirit, who calls us to faith and empowers us for effective service,
Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, through His virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death on our behalf, and resurrection from the dead, offers eternal life to all who believe. We are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the same grace that saves also empowers for victorious living.
The whole human race has fallen and cannot be rescued from bondage to sin and to Satan without Christ.
The Word of God, the Bible, is true, and we can therefore trust in it without reservation. We accept all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as a whole and in all their parts as the divinely inspired and revealed Word of God and joyfully submit to it as the only infallible authority in all matters of life and faith.
The Church is composed of all those who have been born of the Spirit by believing in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ, with Jesus Christ as the Head. We purpose to submit to Christ's headship in all things.
Baptism unites us with Christ's death and resurrection and the Lord's Supper gives us fellowship with the living Christ in His true body and blood.
The local congregation consists of true believers, submitted to Christ, and carrying out His ministry and mandates in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Pastors help equip the members to do the ministry. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to all members of the Church to do the supernatural ministry of Christ until He returns. Christ will return for His Bride, the Church, and true believers will live forever with Christ, while unbelievers will be sent to eternal punishment.
The ecumenical creeds (the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian) are true declarations of the faith we affirm.
How we live affirms or denies what we profess. We do not want to deny the Gospel by wrong living. We adorn our creed with our conduct.
Right relationships are as necessary as right theology. We will not invalidate sound doctrine by unsound attitudes and actions toward others.

Again, I encourage you to go to the Alliance of Renewal Churches website to learn more at http://www.allianceofrenewalchurches.org. It would also be helpful for you to become familiar with other churches in our region that are affiliating with the ARC.

North Heights Lutheran Church in Arden Hills and Roseville (website: http://nhlc.org/)

Community of Hope Church in Rosemount and Hastings (website: http://www.cohlc.org/)

Hosanna! Lutheran Church in Lakeville (website: http://www.hosannalc.org/) is a member of both the ARC and Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC).

We count on your prayers, your participation, and your support as we do the work God has called us to in the community and beyond. Please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested.

Thank you!

Steve Thorson
Crossroads Community Church
15905 US Hwy 12 SW
P.O. Box 295
Cokato, MN 55321

equalsharing.com
763-291-3499

What to Do with the Past

2011-08-05T07:19:00.000-05:00

Have you suffered? Have you been in pain? Are you tempted to bury your past, to try to forget about it? God has a better way, and he warns us against pushing the past underground. God wants to use all the circumstances of our lives to transform us so we are more and more like Jesus, and his past, his cross--that's the power of God.

If you desire to have the gifts and joy and power of God in your life, don't forget the past. Walk prayerfully through it. Process it wisely, with the help of a wise Christian friend. If there are people in your past that have hurt or offended you, or you have hurt others, pray about going to them. Don't rush, but don't build a wall between you and them. Get help to reach out, to reach back, to prayerfully learn what it is God wants you to learn. Let the affliction do its work. Self-pity or self-protection keeps your wounds alive.

If you could use a friend to help you walk through your past in a Christian and spiritual way, I might be able to help you or help you find a wise someone to do that with you. It's best not to do it alone.

www.equalsharing.com

Growing Connections

2011-08-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

Toni and I are back in Cokato; she's returning from Okoboji and I'm coming back from the Cities. Toni spent time with our boys and some friends who have gone to family camp with us several times over the years; I was at North Heights for the Holy Spirit Conference and staff meetings, also stopped at Bethany College of Missions and Hosanna! Lutheran Church in the southern suburbs.

We are very much looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do in our area in the days and weeks to come! The connections the Lord has provided beyond the local area will be helpful as we move ahead at Crossroads.

What connections do you have that could be helpful in your home area?

www.equalsharing.com

Sixty-One Miles

2011-08-03T19:24:00.000-05:00

We need that power. God calls us to bring healing, joy and saving grace to those who are in turmoil, pain and loss. We can't do it on our own. An opportunity to experience and be filled with the Holy Spirit's gifts is happening right now at North Heights in Arden Hills.

It's a sixty-one mile drive from Cokato to the Lutheran Holy Spirit Conference. Hundreds of people are here tonight praising the Lord and learning from Him about becoming Unoffendable. The conference continues until each day and each evening until Saturday. Click this link for more information.

It's free if you come to North Heights, there's a $20 charge for "streaming" the all four of the 7:00 p.m. evening sessions to your computer... here's a link to that.

www.equalsharing.com

Caring Together

2011-07-29T14:36:00.001-05:00

Good morning! It's a little after 7 a.m. (Friday) right now. I've been up since just after 6, walked to the store to get something for breakfast and am now back at mom and dad's apartment. Don't know when I'll get this blogpost published, but I'll at least get a start.

Early yesterday morning I got a call from a person in need. I've promised to connect with this person when I get back to the Cokato area and she, together with other people in need, has been on my mind. How can we best serve those in need? How can we best help?

Our community has done a good job of providing places where people can go to get a few basic needs met. We have seen the Lord at work as believers were inspired to organize a food shelf and a thrift store. Both of these have good visibility in our little town and are able to serve a good number of people.

Needs, however, extend far beyond just food and clothing. This is true both in the realm of felt needs (things I think I need) and real needs (things that are absolutely necessary for ongoing physical life). Though, in a spiritual sense, God encourages us to be content with food and clothing alone, it hardly seems fair that we ought to close our hearts to those who those who aren't starving or naked. All of us could make a longer list of things we believe are needs (as opposed to mere wishes or wants) in the place and climate where we live.

What do you think you need?
Will you extend the same care to your neighbor?

The person who phoned me early yesterday morning was not calling about food or clothing. Food and clothing are relatively inexpensive. Paying a car repair bill is not. Neither are things like rent or mortgage payments. And medical bills? Those can be bank breakers for almost anyone. It's enough to make us hide away so people don't ask us for help. It's enough to make us put up walls, harden our hearts, screen our calls.

I've been thinking about this a lot for a long time. Over the years we have assisted so many who are in crisis, and others who seem to move from one crisis to another on a daily or monthly basis. What's the best way to help? How can we do this together instead of dumping off our responsibility on someone else?

I was thinking about this as I drove from Hayward to North Heights yesterday, and then, at the end of our meetings, I cornered the pastor whose main area of ministry is "Community Care." I was hoping that perhaps they may have some ideas or help for us as we in Cokato try to serve in our community. I was not disappointed.

Pastor Mindy talked with me for awhile about how they are organized to meet needs. She then gave me a brochure for North Heights' Community Care area. Her area of accountability involves training and supervising dozens of volunteer ministers and some staff people who facilitate healing and prayer ministries, baptisms, communion and weddings and funerals, grief support, visitation and counseling, and, finally, about 14 volunteers who they call the "care team." These men and women work and pray together to help people find the resources they need, no matter what the need may be.

I'm hoping we can learn from Pastor Mindy Bak and this "Community Care" group. I think we could be less stressed about helping our neighbors if we did get some training and knew that we're not just out there helping someone alone. Perhaps we can send a small group to North Heights to be trained.

Here's what the brochure says about the Care Team:

Assistance in various forms is available to [those] in crisis. We can refer you to resources throughout the community as well as connect you with resources within the body. An appointment with the Care Team can transform your breaking point into God's point for offering hope, help and healing. Applications for financial assistance are individually evaluated and follow predetermined guidelines. Contributions can be made through the offering plate by noting "Crisis Fund" on the memo line of a check or on an envelope. Your gifts make a real difference in the midst of life crisis. Crown Ministries offers additional help with financial management (see adult classes).

Caring and praying TOGETHER -- that's the best thing we can do.

www.equalsharing.com