Listen and Be Free

God is speaking to you continually, but if you do not heed what He has said to you, if you don't turn and follow, if you continue in your stubborn ways, if you regularly shove God's Word aside, saying to yourself that it is not really God's Word at all but just one opinion, or someone's opinion among many others, if you say to yourself that God can't ask as much of you as it seems that other more "radical" believers say that He demands, if you wall off certain areas of your life and tell God "you can have the rest of me but not that" . . . if you put up consistent RESISTANCE to what God is saying to you, you will not be able to hear Him--not until you repent.

Repent, my people!  Heed the voice of God!  Listen to Him as he speaks and when it seems He is asking too much of you do not immediately reject it.  Bring the Word you have heard to believers who have learned to repent, to change, to be transformed, to begin acting in a new and different way.  Bring the Word you have heard from God to a mature believer, to a brother or sister who you have seen in the act of being transformed, giving up something that is precious to them in order to receive something better from God.  Bring the Word you have heard to someone who knows Jesus and the Holy Bible.  Let them help you discern if it is indeed the voice of God.  And when you know it is Him who is speaking, just do what He says.

God loves you more than you will ever know.  Hearing His voice will do you good when you obey it.  It will set you free.  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:27-28)

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

Yesterday at Crossroads Pastor Lalahery (La) Andriamihaja brought what he called a "lemur" trap to show the children (lemurs are native to Madagascar where Pastor La grew up).  The trap was simply a hollow coconut with a 2" diameter hole in it... in the hole was a 1" ball of aluminum foil.

Lemurs love shiny things as much as monkeys love fruit, and millions (both lemurs and monkeys) have been trapped by grabbing whatever is put inside because they would not let go even when their hand would be caught in the coconut... and the coconut was attached to a stout cable which, in turn, would be attached to a tree.

Monkeys, lemurs, and so often, people, they just will not let go, even when they are trapped.  As a human beings, of course, you are able hear words and understand them.  You can get advice from people who are wise.  And you can learn that "hanging on" is bad for you.

Even so, you may choose to continue to hang on.  You might be more stubborn than an animal.  You may KNOW it is good to let go, but still choose to hang on.  You can decide that the "voice" telling you the Truth is actually just one more opinion.  You can become an unbeliever and no longer recognize Wisdom for what it is--the Voice of God.

One way to begin to hear God's Voice is to start obeying what He says today.  Is there an area of your life, even if you think it is not important, that you know you have kept to yourself, something that you are pretty sure is something God would have you change or let go of but that you have honestly been stubbornly hanging onto?  Your unwillingness to obey the Lord in that one area of your life could be deafening you to hearing God in other ways.

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

Perhaps you're not sure if this "one thing" is a concern to the Lord.  If you're not hearing from God, and think that there may be an area of disobedience in your life, pray about it and ask God to speak to you about that "one thing" first... that could be the key to a open, two sided mutual relationship with God.

If it continues to be the case that you don't seem to be able to hear from the Lord, I'd suggest that you seek out a Christian brother or sister, a believer, a disciple of Jesus, someone who has heard God and obeyed, even when it was hard, and talk with them about this.  Ask them to pray for you, to counsel you, to search the Scriptures with you, to see if indeed this "thing" may be stopping your spiritual hearing.  Jesus promises to be with us when we honestly share with a brother or sister in the Lord.  There's a verse about Jesus being present and answering prayer when "two or three" are gathered together.

Who can be a "spiritual coach" for you at this time?  Ask God to help you find someone.  Look for someone who has already heard God and obeyed even when it was hard for them to do so.  Perhaps this "someone" has repented of sin.  Perhaps this person has been through major changes and you think they could have only "made it" through that change with God.

When Christians have made the hard choice to obey God in spite of temptations to stop listening, they can understand as others are going through the same process.  Such Christians are will be both firm and caring because they know it's good to release what had seemed precious (things, ungodly relationships, attitudes, appetites, habits, addictions) in exchange for what is truly valuable.  They can honestly walk beside you as you learn to live free.  And as you do, you will begin to hear the clear loving sweet voice of our Lord.

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

• “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."  Matthew 13:44-45

www.equalsharing.com

Connecting with Crossroads

The following email went out from Crossroads earlier this evening. 

Crossroads Friends -

     God's peace to you in Jesus' name.  We continue to consider the message we heard last Sunday from our guest speaker Gina Mueller.  Our Father God is always ready for us to spend some time alone with Him.  Take that time as you are able, turn off the noise, shut your door, open your Bible and listen for His voice.

     How can we pray for you tonight?  Please let us know by phone, email or text!  If it's not urgent, let someone know you're in need of prayer when we're together on Sundays, stop by when the office is open during the week, or during our weekly prayer ministry time on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.  When two or three are together in Jesus' name He promises to be with us.  Let's gather with him often!  We look forward to praying with you.

     Just a quick reminder about the crafting time that has been set aside here at church tomorrow evening and Saturday.  Something else in the works – possibilities for a summer youth mission trip and Bible camp are being discussed.  See our church announcement page for these opportunities and more - crossroadscokato.com/announcements

     March begins tomorrow, and in Minnesota that means snow!  One thing we learned on the snowy Sunday at the beginning of February is that would be good for us to get updates on contact information, especially for those who like to text. 

     TEXT MESSAGING - We're going to try sending notices out by text message in addition to email.  The attached contact info update sheet (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD) will be put in the bulletin this Sunday, but you can send us the info whenever you like.  You can text us too -- through Pastor Steve Thorson's cell phone - 763-291-3499 (provider is T-Mobile -- that info is needed by some text messaging systems).  We're learning how to text, slowly, so we might call you back when you text.  We ask your patience as we learn!

     PHONE CALLS - If you would be willing to make phone calls, with prayer requests or vital information such as we had on Feb 3 with the snowfall, let us know you would like to make calls!  What would be wonderful is if someone who does text or email could be the "link" between the electronic crowd and others who prefer a call.  You can always call church at 320-286-2100, but if a quick response would be more helpful, call Pastor Steve at 763-291-3499 as the office has limited hours.

     OTHER WAYS TO KEEP IN TOUCH - On Feb 3 we updated our church website as best we could with the changing conditions.  For those who are familiar with "twitter" you can follow Pastor Steve "@equalsharing."  You can also friend him on facebook.  Our church itself has a facebook page that we'd like to keep more active.  If anyone would like to try doing that from your home let us know and we'll set you up.

     AT CHURCH - One of our young people is building a portable kiosk that will be placed out in the fellowship area at church.  This is an Eagle Scout project and we're very thankful for the efforts that are being put into it.  Each family will soon have a "mailbox"!  That should prove helpful!

     Looking forward to seeing you all soon!  Please pray for one another and for the ministry we have through Crossroads - setting people free to follow Jesus in all of life.

Sincerely yours,

Crossroads Community Church

www.equalsharing.com

Emptying to be Filled

This Sunday (Feb. 17) we begin a preaching series called "Jesus' Most Important Disciples."  The first topic is "Fasting and Feasting."  Jesus did both.

There are many in this world who need to be encouraged to FEAST more often, but up here in North America, we don't value FASTing very much.  Here are some reasons why it would be good to build fasting into our lives:

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

"Why Fast?" by Michael Reinhart.  Thanks to Diane Wood Sponheim for this.

Let’s be honest.

Let us confess: We live in a society that cannot imagine doing without anything. We think depriving ourselves of things is unhealthy.

Let us confess: We have too much, too much of everything. We are an obese society gorged on wealth and the need for more. We live in a society that doesn’t believe in the concept of “too much.” We deny that there is a relationship between our insatiable need for more (greed? gluttony?) and others’ lack of enough.

Let us confess that we think a full life means MORE. Deep down, we believe the way to have a fuller is by cramming it with more and more stuff. Less is bad. More must be better. How much is enough? Just a little bit more…So we cram more and more and more into ourselves, and into our lives.

Let us confess: We know that we cannot worship both God and money, but we’re willing to give it a try. We know we should place our ultimate trust in God, but at the end of the day, we trust our wealth to deliver us.

Let us confess: We are full. Full of noise.Full of food.Full of wine.Full of greed.Full of ourselves.
I can’t remember who wrote this, but I’m thinking it might have been George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment. More experts, yet more problems.More medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. 
We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait.

These are the times of fast food and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom.

We spend money we don’t have, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.

We think life is found in MORE. There is an antidote to this disease. It is called generosity. It is called giving ourselves away. Jesus said, those who try to keep their life will lose it, but those who lose it for my sake and for the sake for the gospel will find it.

Here is the truth. This is a mystical truth, it doesn’t sound right at first, but it holds the essence of the universe. Here is is. Are you ready? The fullness of life is found in emptying ourselves. The more you give away, the more you will discover. The universe rushes in to fill a vacuum.

Theology even has a term for this: kenosis. Kenosis is an intentional emptying of ourselves, to make room for God. Mother Teresa said, “God cannot fill what is already full.”

If you want to be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity and so on, don’t try cramming anything in. Instead, do something completely counterintuitive. Empty yourself.

The apostle Paul said this in Philippians 2:
 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,

And so, at the beginning of his ministry, right after his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights and he fasted. He emptied himself. You don’t begin your ministry full of yourself, even if you are the Son of God. You begin your ministry filled with the Holy Spirit. If you are going to do great things, if you are going to do difficult things, you will have to draw on a power source higher than yourself. You do not have the strength on your own to do all that God has called you to do.

Fasting is taken for granted in the Bible. It is a spiritual discipline that empties us, cleanses us and brings us closer to God, or rather, makes us more aware of the God who has been there all along. We’ve just been too full, too busy, too loud to notice.

A list of those in Scripture who fasted is like a Biblical Who’s Who:
• Moses fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
• David fasted
• Elijah fasted
• Esther fasted
• Daniel fasted.
• Paul fasted.
• Jesus fasted.

They fasted and prayed for repentance and forgiveness. They fasted for victory in battle. They fasted for discernment. They prayed for deliverance. They fasted for strength.

We have lost the spiritual discipline of fasting that Jesus took for granted. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “When you fast…” Not if.

Young unchurched spiritual seekers are hungry for gritty spiritual disciplines that actually mean something.

So this is why I fast during Lent. This is why many people fast during Lent. Fasting is a spiritual discipline in which voluntarily give something up for a time, to heighten our spiritual awareness, our spiritual attentiveness. A complete fast is going without food or water for a period of time.

In Lent many people do what is called a partial fast. This is giving some foods up for a period of time, namely 40 days.

• I fast because I do not want to be a slave to the god of the belly.
 • I fast to be in solidarity with the masses of the world who go to bed hungry every day. Travel the world my friends. We have too much, and we cannot see it. We complain if we don’t have a strong enough cell phone signal. I fast because I need an attitude adjustment.
• I fast as a means of spiritual training. If we cannot master ourselves in the little things, how will we ever master ourselves in greater things? If I cannot sustain little sacrifices, what will happen if I get called upon to make a greater sacrifice? Whoever is faithful in little things, will be faithful in greater things.
• I fast because it is good for the body. I fast because it is good for the soul.
• I fast because Jesus fasted.
• I fast because God cannot fill what is already full.
• I fast because it is through dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.

I fast because I need to be reminded every day, that it is not by my strength or prowess that the kingdom of God breaks in. I am but a vessel into which God pours God’s grace and love. I fast to remember that God’s grace is sufficient for me, because God’s power is made perfect in weakness. I pray this Lenten season may be for you a season of emptying, that you might make space in your life for God to act.

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

Be filled with the Holy Spirit!  That might take a bit (or a lot) of emptying--emptying out of "other" things--whether in this particular season of Lent or any other time.

www.equalsharing.com

Listening To God

The following is from Oswald Chambers My Utmost For His Highest. So powerful.

They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ `—Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

“You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . .” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

www.equalsharing.com

Things Jesus Never Said

I'm preparing a blog post based on the prep I'm doing what will be, for us at Crossroads, the last in the series of messages "Things Jesus Never Said."  Look in this space to see it... perhaps later today. 

To hear the other messages from this series click the links below:

• Jan. 13 Jesus Never Said "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"
  
• Jan. 20 Jesus Never Said "It's Just Between Me and You" (that was the topic that morning even though I never even mentioned the title... The Holy Spirit builds us into a extended family! It's never just private between just you and God)
  
• Jan. 27 Jesus Never Said "It's OK Not to Love Certain People"

www.equalsharing.com

(Revised) Invitation

The email below was originally sent out on Jan. 15 and posted on this blog the next day.  Now, as of Jan. 29, the meeting has been postponed twice and is now scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 3.

Dear Crossroads Friends!

God's peace and power be with you today!

This coming Sunday, Jan. 20 Feb. 3, immediately following worship, our church board of directors will host a "new year" meeting of our church partners and friends.  We invite all to consider becoming a Crossroads Partner for 2013, but if you are as yet unsure about "signing up" for this year, we still hope you will attend. 

At this meeting we'll be brought up to date on what the Lord is doing through us at Crossroads.  We'll also take a look at our 2012 finances and our 2013 budget.

If you've been blessed by a particular Crossroads ministry, we encourage you to share a brief comment or "story" about how God has worked in your life or in the lives of others through Crossroads Community Church, locally or further away.  God has been blessing us in so many ways!  What opportunities have you participated in?  How have you been blessed by giving... or receiving... or both?  We want to give Him the glory at this meeting by briefly sharing together what God is doing. 

In the event that an item will need to be voted on, you will need to have signed the 2013 partnership agreement to vote.  The Partnership Agreement is located in the Fellowship Hall and needs to be signed each year by all who believe God is calling them to be Crossroads partners.  Please be in prayer about that this week if you haven't already.  For more on Partnership please check our church website - http://www.crossroadscokato.com/.

The rest of the email (below) from Jan. 15 related to a "Leadership Day" that a dozen of us from Crossroads attended on Jan. 26.  The following people were able to attend: Don & Robin Begarowicz, Ed & Lynne Lahr, Norma Jean Cruz, Diann Mauk, Steve & Toni Thorson, Al & Becky Sorenson, Duane Melquist, Amy Thostenson.  Chat with them to learn what we did!

On Saturday January 26th several of us from our church will be attending the Leadership Day at North Heights. This is a once a year opportunity to connect with the leaders of our church network in person.  You WILL be glad you took the time to attend if you are able.  RSVPs are due no later than Jan. 18.  If you would like to attend please RSVP by calling North Heights Lutheran Church at 651-797-7362 or email Leadership2103@NHLC.org with the following information for each person attending:

• Name
• Home Church (Crossroads)
• 1st and 2nd choice of workshop (see right and below)

An offering will be received to cover expenses; suggested donation is $15.

Those attending already would like to carpool down, so if you are thinking of going, talk with Steve or Toni Thorson, Ed or Lynne Lahr, Diann Mauk or Becky Sorenson about carpooling.

The complete schedule for the leadership day with presentation topics is available at http://www.crossroadscokato.com/jan-26-leadership-day.html.

Have a blessed week!

Sincerely,

Crossroads Board of Directors

www.equalsharing.com

revised Jan. 29, 7:00 a.m.

Crossroads in Acts

The following email was sent this morning to those who are on an email list put together by one of those who has been leading our Sunday morning Bible studies. 

Good morning all!

The Lord has been leading us through these studies of the book of Acts.  We have going more slowly than usual because we are facing major questions together, questions about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As we do this we will be blessed.  We will be "poor in spirit," that is, we will not be so sure of ourselves.*  We will be willing to stop and stand at the crossroads of decision that the Lord brings us to.   We will stop, look, ask and then walk.  That process is one of repentance and of faith.  Fearless, knowing that God is leading us, we will allow our Lord to refine us as silver and gold, fit vessels for His Kingdom.

*(Please pray for me that I am willing to be corrected just as much as anyone else!  And then speak with me if the Lord leads you to do so!)

I hope each of you will stop and "stand at the crossroads" when we come to major questions, look into God's Word, spend time seeking the Lord in prayer, and then go ahead and act on what it is that the Lord is saying to you.  The "looking," the "asking" and the "walking" is often something that we need to ask others for help in. 

Therefore, I hope many will consider coming to prayer tonight at church, 6:30, so together we can ask the Lord to do that refining and correcting work, and that we will be completely submitted to His will.  This is the way that the Lord leads us to pleasant pastures, to peace, to joy, and to the filling of His Holy Spirit into all of our lives.

As the scriptures say (this is part of Psalm 119):

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Please consider coming to prayer tonight.  In any case, please spend time in prayer about what we have studied so far in the book of Acts.  We looked carefully this last Sunday at Acts 2:36-41. 

If we proceed as we have been, on Jan. 20 we might review a bit of what we talked about on Jan. 13, see if there are any questions we should talk about as a group, and then proceed to the rest of chapter 2, where the Holy Spirit knits his people together into a supernatural community of faith, hope and love. 

This is also the topic of the Holy Spirit "Alpha" videos that have been being shown on Monday evenings at the Begarowicz's home.  God is moving THROUGH HIS WORD and Holy Spirit and I am so thankful!  (I missed last night's Holy Spirit study because I needed to be at our church board of directors meeting... I heard it was a wonderful evening!)

If you have questions or concerns of any sort, about what we are doing in our Sunday morning Bible study, or anything else, please read God's Word, then ask Him to speak with you in prayer.  Asking someone else who is also studying God's Word to read and pray with you is important too, since God does not leave us alone, but gives us one another as brothers and sisters who can be used of God to correct and encourage.  I am available and love to talk with any of you too!

I am learning, as I read God's Word with you.  I am praying that I will not be the "answer man" who knows it all!  I am learning to come to crossroads too, and to allow God to examine me.  Pray that I will be brave in standing on God's Word, and brave in casting aside anything that is not of God. 

Religious traditions and religious teachings that you and I have learned in the past must be examined in the light of God's Word, to see if they are indeed God's will.  Even questions as basic as baptism need to be held up to this light, to be examined, and to be prayed over.  This may cause discomfort, but sometimes discomfort is a part of the process of coming to "crossroads," where we look, ask, and then walk more and more in agreement with the Lord.  God will bless us as we do.

I ask your prayers and your patience with me and with one another through this process. 

Peace be with you my dear brothers and sisters.  Feel free to pass this email on to others who might be interested.

Steve Thorson

763-291-3499

Crossroads Community Church, Cokato

crossroadscokato.com

www.equalsharing.com

God At Work

Crossroads Community Church is a church of freedom.  We do not demand obedience in our church to any human authority.  Our only authority is God himself.

This means that at our church it will not be uncommon for people, for believers, to have disagreements with one another.  We are not be surprised when these disagreements come.  After all, because our unity does not come from any one human beings interpretation of God's will, and because there are flaws in each human interpretation of God's will, God is at work refining our understanding, correcting us according to the Word of God as in Second Timothy 3:16 where it says: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..."

It's exciting to be part of a church where people love God's Word more than their own personal comfort!  Thank you, Lord God, for allowing us to be here!

www.equalsharing.com

On the Prayer List (Part 2)

I woke up thinking of one of the families in particular that, sadly, has less than a week now to move out of their home.  I barely know them.  Late last week, before the wedding, I found out about this.  I inquired about the situation but did nothing significant.

I ask: What is my responsibility in situations like this?  What is yours?  The "watchword for the day" today is this from Second Chronicles 19:7: "Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."  

Am I the scribe or pharisee that passed by on the other side of the road? Is God calling me to repent? How about our "church" community here in Cokato?

Father God, use this situation in whatever way you choose in my life and in the lives of others.  And, please, protect the family for whom I have prayed.

(The "watchword for the day" is from the Moravian Daily Texts.  For today's texts go here - http://www.calvarymoravian.org/dailytext/2013-1-10.  To learn more about the texts or to subscribe by email go here - http://www.moravian.org/faith-a-congregations/moravian-daily-texts/54-an-introduction-to-the-daily-texts.html.  We use these texts as inspiration for our 6:30 morning "conference call" prayer.)

www.equalsharing.com

On the Prayer List

After spending an hour at the food shelf last Friday, my prayer list of people in need has grown.  There are some new names on it.  Other names have been there for a very long time.

Who's on this list?  Some are the names of people in deep financial trouble.  Others are needing to get free of addictions.  Some have major health issues.  And then there are complex family difficulties and painful emotional turmoil.

In the case of most of those I'm thinking of and praying for, it seems that all of these issues, in one way or another, are present in their lives-- all at the same time.  To top that off, many of them have their children to think of and, most, for one reason or another, are single parents.

How will we respond?  Will we dare to come alongside them?  Or will we hold them at arm's length?  Will we at least look for them and pray for them by name?  Will we be open to walking beside them for as long as the Lord calls us to do so?

Let's ask God to bring those names to mind every day.  After all, they are way more than names on a list.  They are the beloved of God.

Time for me now to go and call, and perhaps even go and see, in person, one of those families that is on my list.  I believe that's what God is calling me to do.  What about you?

www.equalsharing.com

After the Wedding

Good afternoon everyone!  The Thorson house is quiet after being full of family and friends for Jon & Breanna's wedding over the weekend until yesterday afternoon. 

We were REALLY blessed at Crossroads on Jan. 6 as Professor and Missionary Brian William Thomas preached and prayed with us!  Brian led the wedding service too (pictured at right).  He's been a mentor to Jon throughout his college years and an adviser to Jon & Dan and their Igniter Ministries group.  His message at Crossroads is worth listening to at sermon.net/crossroadsdc/sermonid/1199933618.

So what's next?

Well, we had a super time last night out at Don & Robin Begarowicz's home as we launched into the first Monday that we're sharing together around the Alpha Holy Spirit videos.  This morning I was back on the school bus and since then I've been mostly doing some planning and publicizing for what's next.  Take a look at the Crossroads website.  That's where you can learn more.  Please come tonight if you can for prayer, 6:30 p.m., and tomorrow for youth at 6.

Time now to spend some time preparing in the Lord for this coming Sunday's message.  We're moving into a series together with our network partners -- a series we're calling Things Jesus Never Said.  The first thing Jesus never said is this:

Jesus Never Said

"God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"

Our Jan. 13 message will be based on the passage in Matthew 5 where Jesus DID say people who can't help themselves are blessed -- the "poor in spirit," the "meek," those who mourn and "those who are persecuted because of righteousness."  We'll also look at Proverbs 28:26 which says, in part: 

He who trusts in himself is a fool...

At the wedding on Sunday afternoon I heard Brian Thomas say that, because Jon is set on going into ministry, that he and Breanna can't count on being secure in the so-called "American Dream." The American Dream includes ideas such as freedom, which is a part of the Christian message to be sure (freedom "in Christ," though, is different than absolute liberty).  But the American Dream also says we ought to work hard SO THAT we become financially secure and independent.

Hard work is important for the Christ-follower!  But, as we learn in Ephesians 4:28, the purpose of work is different for the Christian!  The Bible there sayswe ought to do things that are useful so we "have something to share with those in need."

Mr. Thomas spoke with me about this personally before the wedding, so I know what he was getting at.  He himself has experienced, many times, a different kind of life, a life that is DEPENDENT instead of independent.  Dependent directly on God, and also dependent on God's people.  

There is a strong "counter cultural" character to the Christian message that we need to be aware of.  That quite different "Christ centered" culture is described in the book of Acts and is lived out today in communities where the Holy Spirit is allowed to take control.

Join us on Sundays as we address these topics:

• Jan. 13 - Jesus Never Said "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves" (message based on Matthew 5:3-12 and Proverbs 28:26)
• Jan. 20 - Jesus Never Said "It's Just Between Me and You" (message based on John 17:20-23) with communion
• Jan. 27 - Jesus Never Said "It's OK not to love certain people" (message based on Mark 2:13-17, 1 Cor. 13)
• Feb. 3 - Jesus Never Said "Everyone should believe and act like you do" (message based on 1 Cor. 12:14-20, John 21:23) with communion

www.equalsharing.com

A New Year to Trust God

A new year to trust God, to continue to become "less" so He can become more. Our Bible reading has taken us to Psalm 1, First Chronicles 3 and the beginning of Acts 9.  In Acts 9 Saul is brought to his knees by Jesus, only to be lifted up to a new life.  The First Chronicles "genealogies" of the show me that each of us has a place in God's plan, but no more than "a place."  And the wonder of the Word, celebrated in Psalm 1: Blessed is the human being who delights in the Law of the Lord and who meditates on it day and night.

If you would like to participate in the Bible readings this year, let me know and I'll connect you up.

www.equalsharing.com