Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

Verse of Inspiration–Luke 10:20 (the great triumph)

One key question that humanity has dealt with over time is why do bad, tragic things happen?  Another question that simultaneously happens in regards to Jesus is why do followers of Jesus (if He has defeated evil) still experience these tragedies?  A reality that we can be sure of in our life is there are going to be tragedies and pain that we experience regardless of our faith of lack there of.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus reminds us that the great triumph in our lives is not “our authority over evil but God’s authority over us.”  The promise of being a follower of Jesus is not guaranteed authority over evil but the promise of God’s authority over us.  It is this authority over our lives that empowers us to faithfully walk through those times of tragedy knowing the ultimate victory we have received through Jesus.  It is in this realization that God will use our faithfulness during times of tragedy to reach those that are far from him.

As you struggle this year be reminded that these struggles are a reality of life.  May you be reminded that the promise of Jesus is not your authority over evil but God’s authority over you regardless of and because of the circumstances of your life.  May you live confidently in the promise of God’s authority over your life and the ultimate deliverance from evil through Jesus the Christ.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in discipleship, Faith

Verse of Inspiration–Gen 24:19 (choosing a spouse….whole story in Gen 24)

On what grounds do you choose a spouse?  What is your guideline?  What makes someone spouse material?  What makes you spouse material?

I think that we so often sell ourselves short and we are so lonely that we jump into a commitment of marriage and we make the decision based upon a feeling instead of based upon guidelines and expectations we have for our life.  There’s a story in scripture where Abraham sends off a servant to find wife for Isaac.  Abraham’s servant prays for the would be wife and in the prayer proclaims that the woman that goes above and beyond is the one for Isaac.  This is a great guideline in pursuing a relationship with a significant other.  Do they go above and beyond?  Do you go above and beyond?  If the answer is yes, then it’s a relationship with pursuing.  If they don’t go above and beyond then don’t settle but keep moving forward trusting God will bring your “Rebecca” into your midst.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in Love

Verse of InspirationàGen 17:17 (Abram laughs at God’s plan)

It is so easy for us to by cynical about our life, the world, and especially God’s plan for our lives.  In fact, for most of us when we hear God’s plan for our lives we simply laugh and shrug it off as, “yeh right.”  When we hear God’s plan for our lives is it so far beyond our comprehension that we shrug it off and dismiss it quickly.  Our cynicism becomes a tool that evil uses to cause us to be deaf to God’s huge dream and plans for our lives.

My hope for you today is that you would not laugh with cynicism at God’s plans and dreams for your life but that you would believe through faith that this God has your best interest in mind and that following Him is saying “yes” to living a life beyond our wildest dreams.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in discipleship, Faith

Verse of inspiration–Gen 9:7 (telling Noah to enjoy life)

Living in this world it is so easy to allow the pressures and stress of life to pull us down to a point that we really don’t enjoy life.  There is even a piece of this associated with God and that being a follower of Jesus actually causes life to be more of a drag.

But yet God has a different plan.  God desires nothing more then for us to enjoy life to its fullness.  God desires nothing more then for us to enjoy living with complete freedom the way were created to live and this is only possible through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  For it is through a relationship with Jesus that we are set free from allowing the worries and stresses of life to have a priority in our life.  Through Jesus we are able to be free to be fruitful, reproduce, live life lavishly with every ounce of our being.

Enjoy your life today; it is a gift given to you by God.  A gift for you to enjoy; don’t miss the opportunity today to celebrate the gift of you.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in Hope

Hey Jesus Freak!

This Wednesday at 7pm is our Pit Crew Meeting.  We will talk about the morphs that will take place as we go to two worship experiences and give everyone a chance to sign up where their gifts can best be used.

Hands down, the #1 reason why someone comes back to Crossroads after their first time is because of our pit crew’s (Hospitality Team) commitment to creating an environment on Sunday that welcomes the transforming presence of Jesus.  I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me after a first time experience at Crossroads, “Pastor, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt anything like this before at a Church.”

Serving on the pit crew has eternal significance…whether that is cleaning on Wed. nights; taking out trash on Sunday morning; hosting guest before worship; etc…IT HAS ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE!!!

So who should come on Wednesday night?…..Anyone who wants to begin or continue to make an eternal impact for Jesus Christ on Sunday mornings at Crossroads.

You can register by clicking the following link….. http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=qqnwdtdab&oeidk=a07e38lme3i84d015f2

We will send out descriptions of all the different pit crew roles to those that have registered tomorrow evening.

Posted in new church

Verse of Inspiration (Gen 8:21; luke 3:9 (John Baptist saying…don’t go through motion just bc it cool thing to do)

As we read the flood story God makes a promise at the end of the story that He will never again destroy creation for the evil of humanity.  In essence, God says, “I will never again make the world pay for the evil of humanity.”  What God doesn’t say is that He will never again hold humanity accountable for their actions or that ultimately the evil of humanity will not have to be accounted for.

If we open up our ears we can hear the “cross” in the background.  As God tells the story of the flood God is also telling the story of the cross.  In the cross we see humanity’s evil/sin being accounted for in/through Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the one that takes on the flood of the penalty of humanity’s sin.  In Jesus’ death/resurrection the evil of humanity is finally dealt with completely and put to rest that true new creation and new life can happen for humanity.

Jesus is the heart of the matter for you and I because it is through Jesus that our sin/evil is wiped away through the flood of God’s love and justice that is simultaneously demonstrated and received through Jesus on the cross.  Our decision to believe in this truth is at the heart of our humanity and defines our choice to live a human or “less then” human life.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in Faith

Today I spent some time in Zechariah and the thought occured to me that repentance is reconciliation.  What I mean is that when we turn to God, He is already turning towards us.  The prophet has this amazing picture of Israel turning back toward God after the exile and when they make the turn they are met by a loving God that is right their turned toward them.  So often we think that repentence is a word to stay away from that actually drives people away from Jesus.  Perhaps repentance is simply the promise that when we turn away from our sin and turn towards Jesus we are met by a Jesus that has already turned toward us.  My prayer today is that you will embrace repentance as the promise that when you turn away from yourself and turn to Jesus that you will be met by the loving embrace of Jesus that has already turned toward you.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in grace, Hope
Tags: jesus, reconciliation, repentance, turning

Over the past few years its been interesting to watch the development of facebook within our culture.  It seems that in the last 12 months its also taken another step.  Facebook increasingly becomes a place where folks spend time searching for answers to questions in their lives and seeking advice from the FB “friends.”  These conversations take up enormous amounts of time and I’m not sure how productive the conversations actually are.  They seem to me as I watch them to become more about gossip and tearing down others while lifting ourselves up.  I’ve yet to see someone start out a facebook question with, “I really think I made a mistake and I need some help in knowing how to make it right.”  In fact, its just the opposite, we use facebook to make ourselves look better regardless of the damage it causes another person.  And then our “great” FB junkie “friends” chime right in on the conversation affirming and confirming the decision or action we want to take that is implied in how we phrase the status update.

For example, “my pastor just wrote this crazy blog saying that because I ask my FB friends for help that I am participating in gossip.”   I can only imagine the comments from all the FB peeps when the reality is the status update is phrased in a way that assumes the one who writing it is “right” and the one they write about is “wrong.”  What’s my point?

My point is that I think that the average claim to be “christ” follower that is active on facebook probably spends 300% to 500% more time on facebook then in prayer to God.  The scriptures are clear that when we desire an answer in our life that the only way to truly find that answer is in prayer.  When seeking an answer Daniel turns to the Lord in prayer, supplication, fasting, sackloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:3).  Its the idea that in my turning to God for an answer it opens up the door for God’s movement in my life.  I often think we turn to others who just want to tell us what we want to hear instead of turning to God.  You are going to spend the time seeking answers in your life why not use that time wisely.  My hunch is that if we spend less time using facebook to try to make ourselves look better and more time opening the door to God’s movement in our lives through prayer that the answers to the longings would be revealed and we would be better people for it.

Peace from Pastor P

Posted in personal thoughts

We live in a culture where being a follower of Jesus doesn’t fit with the standard of culture.  We are daily challenged with the question of will we act through faith in Jesus or will we allow the culture to bread fear in our lives that will keep us from acting through faith in Jesus.  The scriptures remind us that for those that remain faithful God will have the last say in their lives regardless of the present circumstance.  The story of Daniel in Daniel 5-6 teach us this truth.  It seems as if Daniel’s faithfulness is the going to be the cause of his destruction.  But yet it is his faithfulness that is honored and what brings honor to God.  It is his faithfulness that bears the fruit and the truth that God will have the last say in Daniel’s life.  I want to encourage and empower you today to remain faithful regardless of the “bark” of the world trying to convince you otherwise.  I want to remind you that the world’s  “bark” is much louder then is “bite.”  I want to remind you that for those that seek to live by faith that Jesus will have the last say in their lives.  For through Christ, “you have overcome the world.”  Jesus’ voice in your life is louder then the other voices and through faith, His voice will silence the other voices that seek to destroy you and you will/do have victory through Jesus.  The promise of Jesus is not that the world won’t seek to devour you but it is the promise that in spite of the world’s attempt to separate you from Jesus it cannot nor will not keep Jesus from being the final voice in your life for those that live by faith.

Peace,

Pastor P

Posted in Faith

Have you ever heard someone say, “peace be with you”?  Have you ever wondered what that meant?  I think for many of us we think of tranquility and a pronouncement of a monastic calmness of “peace.”  However, I’m not sure that is what Jesus was getting at in His resurrection appearances in John where He says, “Peace be with you.”

Think about it, Jesus was just brutally beaten, mocked, and nailed to a tree.  Seems anything but peaceful, huh?  Seems to me like raw violence directed solely at the son of the living God.  To make matters worse, it wasn’t even Jesus’ death it was mine; it was yours.  It was our violence that He endured.  And yet, this endurance was so that we, who were enemies of God could be beloved children.

Perhaps when Jesus says, “Peace be with you” He is not saying, “tranquility, calmness, and serenity to you.”  Perhaps He is saying, “you are no longer under the violent and wrathful  penalty of sin that you deserve but you are offered “peace” with God.”  Perhaps Jesus is saying, “I died your death so you might have life” when He says, “Peace be with you.”

I pray you will not reduce the “peace of Christ” to some tranquil, calm, serenity of contemplation but will instead recognize that He took on the wrath and consequence of your sin that you might hear from God the beloved words, “I am at peace with you.”

Peace be with you,

Pastor P

Posted in discipleship, leadership
Tags: jesus, peace, resurrection, violence, wrath