Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

‘Weekly Tribal Update 5-12-10′.

Psalm 55:16

S—But I will call upon God; and the Lord will save me.

H—It is this eternal truth that when we cry out God hears us.  Our cries never fall on deaf ears.

A—Contrary to most belief God does not ignore those that cry out to Him.  God hears our cry.  We often equate God not acting as we would like Him to with Him not hearing us.  Just because God doesn’t always respond the way we would like Him to doesn’t mean that He doesn’t hear us.  In fact, perhaps that He doesn’t respond as we would orchestrate gives greater validity to Him hearing our cry.  It is by Him hearing our cry that He is able to work for the good of “all things” who love Him.  My job is not to “be God”; my job is to cry out to God and trust that He hears my cry.

P—Lord, I come to you this morning thankful for my time today and moved by watching you work in the lives of men this morning.  I come thankful for the reminder that my job is to cry out to you and to trust that you hear my cry.  Protect me from getting caught up in how you respond to my cry but give me the assurance that regardless of how it seems or feels; that I believe through faith that you desire me to cry out to you and that every time I cry out you hear my voice.

E—God is listening for my cry and He will respond

Peace from Pastor P

Matthew 21:6

S—the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them

H—Jesus is getting ready to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and He asks His disciples to go and get Him an ass so He can ride an ass into the city.  This seems so absurd.  The king of kings and the lord of lords wants to ride an ass into the city as His triumphant entry; sounds ridiculous.  You would think that the disciples would speak up and say something to Jesus.  At the very least the disciples should ask why or ask, “are you sure you want to ride an ass into the city.”  But yet the scripture tells us that they don’t say a word they just simply go and do as Jesus directed them as absurd as it sounds.

A—How often does Jesus direct us to do something and before we go and do as He as directed us we have a 1000 questions and want intimate details for reasons of the direction?  In fact many of us spend most of our lives asking Jesus questions about His direction for our lives instead of “going” and “doing.”  But yet this scripture tells us this morning that a disciple is someone who goes and does as Jesus directs them even if Jesus tells them to go and get an ass for Him to ride into the city.

P—Jesus, today I come to you and desire to go and do as you direct my life.  Protect me from the temptation to ask questions or to analyze your plan but give me the faith to take action.  Help me to continue to learn what your voice sounds like in my life and give me the grace to take action when you direct me to go and do.  Give me the grace not to question but to trust you when I hear your voice and give me the grace to realize that the more absurd the request the more it has your fingerprint all over it.  Amen.

E—I’m excited that to be a disciple the only requirement is to go and do as directed.

Peace from Pastor P

S—There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no God beside you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

H—David reflects upon his life and all that is happened and he is overwhelmed with what God has done with his life.  Perhaps David is even more overwhelmed with the fact that what God has done in his life is a small thing to God.  This thing (David’s life and accomplishments) seem supernatural to David and a huge amount of success but yet it is a small thing to God.  David is convinced that there is none other like God he serves.

A—If I take time to reflect on the way in which God has moved in my life it is incredible to think about.  It blows my mind to sit down and take in all the ways God has moved and used my life to influence those around me.  And yet this is a small thing to God.  The very thing that seems to be a world changer in my own mind is a small potatoes to this God that specializes in transformation.  Perhaps God is pointing me to see that by itself, my accomplishments are nothing to get excited about but when I connect my accomplishments with others I can begin to see God’s outlook and desires.   Perhaps one of the reasons God gave birth to the church is to bring our lives/stories together so we could see God’s perspective; God’s big picture; God’s size dream for our lives.

P—God I pray that you would help me to see that your work in my life is nothing but a small piece to the puzzle and yet it is an important piece to the puzzle.  Help me to see that when I join your work in my life with those around me a get a glimpse at the massive work you are doing through your people.  For there is none like you and only you are able to do accomplish these unthinkable achievements in my life.  Thanks for inviting me to be a piece in the puzzle and may I never forget that I am only a piece; I am not the puzzle and at the same time the puzzle is not complete with out me.  Amen.

Peace from Pastor P

Matthew 7:7

S—Ask and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

H—As Jesus ends His sermon He gives some insight to the nature of God.  In this verse He shares with us this idea of asking, searching, and knocking that leads to receiving, finding, and opening.  Jesus wants His listeners to realize that this God is in the business of giving, finding, and opening up our lives to all He would have for us.

A—I think that deep down we all desire to receive, to find, and to have opened up for us a life that is beyond our dreams.  At the same time we have this view of God as this angry parent that wants to tell us “no” and confine us to His own agenda instead of empowering us to live His dream for our lives.  So often we spend time talking with others and among ourselves about what we want to be given, to find, to have opened but I think we rarely make it a point to bring these requests before Jesus on a continual basis.  God desires nothing more then to bless His children in ways that empower them to embody will of their Father.  My hope today is that we will spend time talking with a God that desires to bless us; to ask, to search, and to knock our way around this world discerning and discovering God’s will for our lives.

P—Jesus, I come today repenting of my absence with you.  I repent of speaking with others about my desires instead of consulting with you first about your will for my life.  I pray today that I will hear directly from you.  I pray that you will give me your blessings; I pray you will help me find what I am searching for; I pray you will open up the appropriate doors in my life that I would continue to live your dream for my life.  Amen.

Peace from Pastor P

www.wedesiremore.com; chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com

Adams and Eves,  (these updates are BCC’d to over 150 people connected to Crossroads…..)   

Please take a couple moments to read through these updates; this is our primary way of communicating what is going on at Crossroads and the opportunities for you to live the best possible life……this week’s edition includes information about our upcoming launch of Life Groups in April.

If you are not able to come to worship on Sunday due to being sick or out of town and you would still like join in you can go to www.live.connect2crossroads.com to listen in live to our Sunday worship experience…..live listening begins at 10:15am. 

SATURDAY IS OUR NEXT LOVE WORLD TO HEAVEN EXPERIENCE; GIVING AWAY BBQ SANDWICHES ON SKIBO RD. (FRONT OF GANDER MOUNTAIN); MEET AT 11AM ON SKIBO RD.….COME JOIN IN THE FUN

LIFE GROUPS LAUNCHING THIS NEXT WEEK…SEE BELOW FOR CURRENT OFFERINGS

New Sermon Series, “Why” begins this week with week one “Mission Possible”

Opportunities to Pursue Jesus

• Daily Prayer
• Reading Scripture–Log on to www.youversion.com to start a plan…if you need help please reply
• Worship This Sunday (April 18th) @ 10:15am at “the mill”
• Going Green—please bring a coffee mug with you on Sundays; we are going to phase out our paper cups for coffee as a way to be a good steward and cut down on trash.  There are also “crossroads travel mugs” available for $5 if you would like to have one.

Opportunities to Pursue each other

• www.youversion.com –join “Crossroads Route 66” group to see how Jesus is speaking to other during the week and contribute your own thoughts and insights….if you need help reply

• Facebook Page—PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE NEW PAGE AND USE THE WALL AS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS DURING THE WEEK http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Hope-Mills-NC/Crossroads-Churcha-new-united-methodist-community-of-faith/155915776719?ref=sgm
• Generation Now (Youth)—
• Life Group Launching (April)—a Life Group is a “loving, intentional, fellowship, experience” between 4 to 12 folks that commit to meeting between 6-8 times over the course of a few months.  So far we have four Life Groups that will be available and hopefully more to come.  1. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace   2. Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love”  3.  Game Night (games like apples to apples; rock band; etc)  4. Women’s (Fight Like a Girl) Life Group  5. Pot Luck Life Group  6. Singles Life Group….if you would like more information about starting your own life group or any of these listed above please reply to this email…..

Opportunities to Pursue Others

• April 17^th (BBQUE Sandwich give away)— give away hundreds of bbque sandwich for free on skibo rd. to let our community know we love them and so does Jesus.  Please reply if you’d like to help with this “love the world to heaven” experience.
• Food for Haitian Orphans—please bring canned meat for the orphans of Haiti
• Sunday Morning Pit Crew—Great way to connect and serve on Sunday mornings; Please reply with any questions.
• “The Ark” Team (childrens ministry)—please reply if you’d like to serve in the Ark.  Positions currently open in both classes.
• Generation Now (youth ministry)—please reply if you’d like to hear of ways to serve
• “No Strings Attached”—grab some “no strings” cards on Sunday and do at least two random acts of kindness each week for others in our community
• Prayer—spend time in your daily prayer time praying for those in our reach that are not followers of Jesus

Financial Update

• Offering April 11th–$1,576.00  (THIS IS $1,000 BELOW WHAT WE NEED EACH WEEK)

If you’d like more information, would like to respond to any of these updates  or if have updates you’d like listed please email info@connect2crossroads.

Peace,

 Crossroads

910-366-3869 

 info@connect2crossroads.com 

“seeking to be a crossroads between the brokenness of the world and the transforming love of Jesus Christ”

Adams and Eves, (these updates are BCC’d to over 150 people connected to Crossroads…..)

Please take a couple moments to read through these updates; this is our primary way of communicating what is going on at Crossroads and the opportunities for you to live the best possible life……this week’s edition includes information about our upcoming launch of Life Groups in April.

If you are not able to come to worship on Sunday due to being sick or out of town and you would still like join in you can go to www.live.connect2crossroads.com to listen in live to our Sunday worship experience…..live listening begins at 10:15am.

LIFE GROUPS LAUNCHING 2 WEEKS AFTER EASTER…SEE BELOW FOR CURRENT OFFERINGS; EXPO FOLLOWING WORSHIP ON MARCH 21^ST.

HOLY WEEK (PASSION SUNDAY 28^TH; COVERED DISH MEAL APRIL 1^ST; RESURRECTION CELEBRATION APRIL 4^TH)

Opportunities to Pursue Jesus

• Daily Prayer
• Reading Scripture–Log on to www.youversion.com to start a plan…if you need help please reply
• Worship This Sunday (March 21st.) This is the last week of our message series called “Evolution”; this week we are going to look at Jesus as the “perfect storm”; if you or anyone you know are going through (or have gone through) a storm then this is going to be a great Sunday that will launch us right into the celebration of death/resurrection 2010.
• Route 66 (Cross Country; Generation Now; Konnect)— Join us each Wednesday for “Cross Country,” Generation Now, and “Konnect” as a weekly way to dive deeper with Jesus for our adults, youth and children.  It kicks off at 6:45pm each Wednesday evening.  Caring, professional childcare for our wee little ones.
• Going Green—please bring a coffee mug with you on Sundays; we are going to phase out our paper cups for coffee as a way to be a good steward and cut down on trash.  There are also “crossroads travel mugs” available for $5 if you would like to have one.

Opportunities to Pursue each other

• www.youversion.com –join “Crossroads Route 66” group to see how Jesus is speaking to other during the week and contribute your own thoughts and insights….if you need help reply

• Route 66 (Cross Country; Generation Now; Konnect)— Join us each Wednesday for “Cross Country,” Generation Now, and “Konnect” as a weekly way to dive deeper with Jesus for our adults, youth and children.  Also, if you would like information on how to begin a life group or if you have an idea in mind and would like to start a life group please reply to this update.
• Facebook Page—PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE NEW PAGE AND USE THE WALL AS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS DURING THE WEEK http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Hope-Mills-NC/Crossroads-Churcha-new-united-methodist-community-of-faith/155915776719?ref=sgm
• Generation Now (Youth)—Small Groups begin this Saturday evening; contact Pastor Tim for more info (tim@connect2crossroads.com)
• Life Group Launching (April)—a Life Group is a “loving, intentional, fellowship, experience” between 4 to 12 folks that commit to meeting between 6-8 times over the course of a few months.  So far we have four Life Groups that will be available and hopefully more to come.  1. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace   2. Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love”  3.  Game Night (games like apples to apples; rock band; etc)  4. Women’s (Fight Like a Girl) Life Group 5. Pot Luck Life Group  6. Singles Life Group….if you would like more information about starting your own life group or any of these listed above please reply to this email…..don’t forget that immediately following worship on March 21^st there will be an expo on each Life Group being offered in April.
• Easter Egg Hunt—March 28^th at Hope Mills Lake all of our children and families are invited to an Easter Egg Hunt for a time of fun and fellowship.  There is a need for some filled eggs for this fellowship experience.  If you can bring some filled eggs please contact Kyle Burrows (kyleburrows.us@gmail.com)

Opportunities to Pursue Others

• Food for Haitian Orphans—please bring canned meat for the orphans of Haiti
• Sunday Morning Pit Crew—Great way to connect and serve on Sunday mornings; Please reply with any questions.
• “The Ark” Team (childrens ministry)—please reply if you’d like to serve in the Ark.  Positions currently open in both classes.
• Generation Now (youth ministry)—please reply if you’d like to help serve at Trade Street Arcade our new youth outreach
• “No Strings Attached”—grab some “no strings” cards on Sunday and do at least two random acts of kindness each week for others in our community
• Prayer—spend time in your daily prayer time praying for those in our reach that are not followers of Jesus

Financial Update

• Offering March 14–$2,062.00

If you’d like more information, would like to respond to any of these updates  or if have updates you’d like listed please email info@connect2crossroads.

Peace,

Crossroads

910-366-3869

info@connect2crossroads.com

“seeking to be a crossroads between the brokenness of the world and the transforming love of Jesus Christ”

Deuteronomy 31:6

S–Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.

H–Moses is talking to the Israelites and telling them that he will not go with them into the promised land.  Moses, the one that led them out of Egypt; the one that spoke the law to them; the one that led this community of faith through the wilderness….this guy stands up and says, “I’m not going any further with you.”  Its this idea that God is the true leader of the community.  God’s presence is the most important presence and it is God’s presence that will lead the community into the promised land.  Yes, we cannot deny Moses’ importance; however, Moses’ presence is not the most important and the determinant of Israel reaching the promised land; it is God’s presence that is required.  Going to the promised land without Moses helps to solidify that is it God that is truly leading this community of faith.

A–This is such a great thought for me this morning.  It reminds me that Jesus must be the leading, guiding presence within a community of faith.  It reminds me that Jesus has different leaders for different seasons within the community of faith but that the “presence” or “leaving” of leaders is not the deciding factor in the community of faith going to the promised land; it is the presence of Jesus that is the deciding factor.  This gives me great comfort as I look years ahead and know there will be a time when I will move from Crossroads.  Although, I must admit I hope it is decades from now.  However, I am reminded this morning that Crossroads going to the promised land is not dependent upon my leadership and presence but is dependent upon the power and presence of Jesus Christ.  My job is to make sure that the power and presence of Jesus never leaves this community of faith.  Pastors and leaders will come and go but if the power and presence of Jesus remains; Crossroads will cross the Jordan into the promised land.

P–Lord Jesus, thank you for this reminder this morning.  I come to you this morning holding the people of Crossroads and the whole Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Raeford, Lumberton, Grays Creek, North Ramsey region in the palm of my hands.  I come before you today and would ask your protection upon them and for your guiding presence.  I come this morning thankful for the opportunity to travel with them during these beginning steps of Crossroads.  I pray that you would continue to be the leader of this community of faith and throughout the history of this community of faith you would protect it by bringing the right mose’s and joshua’s into their midst.  Use us to reach our world with your saving grace and ultimately bring us to the promised land.  Amen.

E–I am excited that Crossroads belongs to Jesus not to me; I am only a steward during this season.

Peace from Pastor P

Adams and Eves, (these updates are BCC’d to over 150 people connected to Crossroads…..)

Please take a couple moments to read through these updates; this is our primary way of communicating what is going on at Crossroads and the opportunities for you to live the best possible life……this week’s edition includes information about our upcoming launch of Life Groups in April.

If you are not able to come to worship on Sunday due to being sick or out of town and you would still like join in you can go to www.live.connect2crossroads.com to listen in live to our Sunday worship experience…..live listening begins at 10:15am.

LIFE GROUPS LAUNCHING 2 WEEKS AFTER EASTER…SEE BELOW FOR CURRENT OFFERINGS; EXPO FOLLOWING WORSHIP ON MARCH 21^ST.

HOLY WEEK (PASSION SUNDAY 28^TH; COVERED DISH MEAL APRIL 1^ST; RESURRECTION CELEBRATION APRIL 4^TH)

Opportunities to Pursue Jesus

• Daily Prayer
• Reading Scripture–Log on to www.youversion.com to start a plan…if you need help please reply
• Worship This Sunday (March 14th) This is the 6th week of a 7 week message series called “Evolution”; this week we are going to examine those evil desires that are inside of us and how to deal faithfully with them through God’s healing grace.
• Route 66 (Cross Country; Generation Now; Konnect)— Join us each Wednesday for “Cross Country,” Generation Now, and “Konnect” as a weekly way to dive deeper with Jesus for our adults, youth and children.  It kicks off at 6:45pm each Wednesday evening.  Caring, professional childcare for our wee little ones.
• Going Green—please bring a coffee mug with you on Sundays; we are going to phase out our paper cups for coffee as a way to be a good steward and cut down on trash.  There are also “crossroads travel mugs” available for $5 if you would like to have one.

Opportunities to Pursue each other

• www.youversion.com –join “Crossroads Route 66” group to see how Jesus is speaking to other during the week and contribute your own thoughts and insights….if you need help reply

• Route 66 (Cross Country; Generation Now; Konnect)— Join us each Wednesday for “Cross Country,” Generation Now, and “Konnect” as a weekly way to dive deeper with Jesus for our adults, youth and children.  Also, if you would like information on how to begin a life group or if you have an idea in mind and would like to start a life group please reply to this update.
• Facebook Page—PLEASE CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE NEW PAGE AND USE THE WALL AS A WAY TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS DURING THE WEEK http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Hope-Mills-NC/Crossroads-Churcha-new-united-methodist-community-of-faith/155915776719?ref=sgm
• Homepage Poll and Question—go to the home page and answer the weekly poll and questions as a way to get ready for this Sunday
• Generation Now (Youth)—Trip on March 5-7; contact Pastor Tim for more info (tim@connect2crossroads.com)
• Life Group Launching (April)—a Life Group is a “loving, intentional, fellowship, experience” between 4 to 12 folks that commit to meeting between 6-8 times over the course of a few months.  So far we have four Life Groups that will be available and hopefully more to come.  1. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace   2. Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love”  3.  Game Night (games like apples to apples; rock band; etc)  4. Women’s Life Group 5. Pot Luck Life Groups (you would think that)……..if you would like more information about starting your own life group or any of these listed above please reply to this email…..don’t forget that immediately following worship on March 21^st there will be an expo on each Life Group being offered in April.
• Easter Egg Hunt—March 28^th at Hope Mills Lake all of our children and families are invited to an Easter Egg Hunt for a time of fun and fellowship.  Details to come through the Ark Crew…

Opportunities to Pursue Others

• Food for Haitian Orphans—please bring canned meat and crunchy granola bars for the orphans of Haiti
• Sunday Morning Pit Crew—Great way to connect and serve on Sunday mornings; Please reply with any questions.
• “The Ark” Team (childrens ministry)—please reply if you’d like to serve in the Ark.  Positions currently open in both classes.
• Generation Now (youth ministry)—please reply if you’d like to help serve at Trade Street Arcade our new youth outreach
• “No Strings Attached”—grab some “no strings” cards on Sunday and do at least two random acts of kindness each week for others in our community
• Prayer—spend time in your daily prayer time praying for those in our reach that are not followers of Jesus

Financial Update

• Offering March 7th–$2,238.00
• Individual Year End Statements have already gone out, if you haven’t received one please let us know.

If you’d like more information, would like to respond to any of these updates  or if have updates you’d like listed please email info@connect2crossroads.

Peace,

Crossroads

910-366-3869

info@connect2crossroads.com

“seeking to be a crossroads between the brokenness of the world and the transforming love of Jesus Christ”

Deuteronomy 10 and 11

S—Loving the Lord with heart, mind soul; welcoming the stranger; not being seduced to worship other gods; write command, bind them on foreheads; teach them to children

H—Moses is laying it all out for his readers by reminding them to Love God, to love those around them, to be careful not to let the strangers of the land to influence them but rather for the Israelites to influence others, to spend time with God’s word, to wrap God’s word all in and out of their lives, and to teach these ways to their children and impress them upon their hearts.

A—Deuteronomy is blowing me away the past couple of days.  Its amazing how the more I read scripture and the more I become familiar with the story the more the story fits together.  In the name of freedom we who claim to be followers of Jesus in America have lost sight of the responsibility that is also required with the forgiving freedom of Jesus.  We have manipulated the promise of Jesus into a promise that doesn’t require anything from us and forgotten that Jesus set us free so that we, through God’s grace ,might be able to live into the commands of Moses not to ignore those commands.  I repent today of my sin of allowing my culture to influence me and of my failure to do an adequate job of impressing these commands on my children.  I am at the same time thankful for this responsibility and desire to be the kind of man that is wrapped in the scriptures and passes down the faith to all those around me.  I am reminded today that being immersed in God’s word is a hedge of protection in my life that continue to empower me to respond to God’s healing grace and allow the Holy Spirit to transform me into the journey of Christian perfection.

P—Lord Jesus, I come to you this morning realizing that although I have come a long ways (in my mind) from where I’ve been but I am reminded that there is so much more room to travel to become the person you desire me to be.  My prayer is that I will embody this scripture today; that I will love you with all I am; that I will welcome the stranger; that I will not be influenced by the culture around me; that I will wrap myself in your word; that I will impress these things upon the hearts of my children.  Give me the grace to live into this scripture.  Amen.

E—I am excited that through grace I can and I am expected to fulfill the requirements of the law.

Peace from Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com