Thursday, December 31, 2015

every knee will bow

I just read a horrific article from an abortion doctor talking about how much she loves her job - aborting babies.

She actually grew up in a 'Christian home' to use her terms, although they provided her with birth control and things that encouraged sexual activity as an unmarried believer.  So perhaps her definition of a Christian family and mine are different.

Anyway, it's very easy for me to become discouraged if I allow my eyes to focus on this world.  The horrible things they participate in leave me speechless and worried...

And then I go to God's Word.  His promises.  PROMISES!

"At the name of Jesus every knee will bow..and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! ....15 that you may be blameless and innocent, lchildren of God without blemish nin the midst of oa crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine pas lights in the world,"

EVERY is a really important word.  There will be NONE that do not confess that HE ALONE IS LORD!  It's just a matter of time and God knows the appointed time when He'll send his Son!

When I see passages in the Bible that describe the world back in 'their day' as twisted and crooked - it is a great encouragement that our current world is nothing new and totally within God's plan.  

So what He wants from me is to simply abide in Him...live as if my hope is fully in Him and that I have very confidence that He is Lord of All!!!

May we enter this New Year as if our time is short, as if we're urgently called to tell others and as if we believe with all of our hearts EVERY tongue will confess!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Our Christmas Report

I wish I could calculate how many volunteer hours went into our Christmas at Crossroads services!  It took SO many brothers and sisters in Christ working unselfishly each doing what they are gifted to do to make the services possible!
Some of those jobs included:
-Greg Crawfis and Jean Sloan creating the stage pillars from a picture I took of one of The Voice programs
-The Crossroads' Artist group created the picture boards for friends and families to take Christmas pictures in front of in our Town Square lobby
-The choosing of music then scoring, editing and uploading of every song.  Countless hours of each volunteer and staff member rehearsing and memorizing music.
-Hours of off-site/ and on-site video shoots and then many, many hours editing are way too huge to calculate!
-Tryouts for our children and then rehearsals and services
-Adopt A child details too many to estimate over the past 3 or 4 months!
-Shopping for and the packing of the children's Christmas goodie bags by the Family Ministry Department
-Adding chairs in the auditorium and then cleaning the facility after every service
-And endless attention to the 'story' of our services ensuring that the message of Jesus was proclaimed in all of our work!
-The entire staff worked so hard to make sure every question was answered and every guest was greeted by both our volunteer greeting team as well as our staff!

Enough said - it was a glorious example of what the Lord expected His Church to be - working together to make dreams a reality!

And then God moved people to attend as we were just a couple hundred shy of 6,000 people attending!  I am SO thankful to have been a part of these extraordinary services!!

Watch our service at this link!
A precious Crossroads' girl trying out for the Christmas services!

Aaron and Jocelyn working on the mics preparing!

Aaron opened the services with a techno Christmas!

















Aaron Nicolas



It was so much fun to use footage from Downtown Mansfield
as well as photography of Mansfield on our
Environmental Projection backgrounds.






Jocelyn leading "Do You Hear"...

Melissa performing the beautiful song "Adore"






Stephanie performed a beautiful monologue from the perspective of Mary.

Levi was our lead children's voice this Christmas!
As soon as our Christmas services were over - it was time to
teach that "It (Christmas) still matters".  The staff was more than
willing to contribute all of there used boxes and paper to cover
the stage and auditorium.  It really surprised the congregation!











These little ones helped me cover the floor of the
auditorium with lots of left over paper!

We enjoyed a Crossroads paper fight at our Sunday service!

It Still Matters - included entire families when no child care above pre-school
was provided.  I loved watching these young children worshipping with 'their father!

I felt like the deflating snow-globe best described
the feeling and the lack of stamina following the
busy Christmas preparations!

These beautiful picture boards were created by our Artist Group!














Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Preparing for Christmas at Crossroads

As our team spent hours preparing all the little details involved in Christmas at Crossroads - it's easy not to fully personally participate in worshipping God's gift of our Savior.  I find a longing in my soul for silence and personal, prolonged time to fully focus on Him.  
I found this amazing sentence in my devotional this morning...
"The angel explained... All the laws of nature are amendable by the one who wrote them...."
I long to wrap my heart around the truths of Christmas, the story I've been taught since I was born.  The sacrifice I take so for granted because I've known nothing else in my comfortable, Godly environment.
In America, Christmas is buried under gift-giving, and rushing around, things in themselves that are not wrong - just distracting.  In other countries Christmas provides a once-a-year opportunity to proclaim this life-saving Christmas message through special events like the one Savorn (the country director of Asia's Hope) just had in Cambodia.   Nearly 600 people attended to possibly hear the Gospel message for the very first time!

I wonder what it would be like to be lost and never have heard this message before?  Can you imagine discovering God's sacrifice for the first time, learning that the Creator of the Universe chose to become the Created?
I was reading recently about a movement of women in India who are telling their stories about how they've been abused, nearly killed over and over again and how they have no control over anything in their lives.  They have no voice.  Their stories are starting to be heard and creating change through a deep belief they now have in Jesus Christ as their only chance for survival.  A people who are completely desperate for a saving truth.
I want to be desperate for Jesus.  To understand that my life also is completely out of my own hands, and will only be fully completed in Him, in His timing.  I want to remember the longing my heart feels for Him, when I'm silent and listening...
Please join me in fighting your way through what Christmas has become with a renewed focus on what it really is,  God's mercy on us in our broken, sinful, rebellious state.  The laws of creation were amended through the miracle of a VIRGIN giving birth to the world's Savior!
Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

weekend report

We had another great weekend learning more about the Savior of the World's birth!  We're preparing well for Christmas as we study God's Word and the incredible story of His son!

There are so many events happening at Crossroads' right now,  I thought I would just try to show you an average week!

This is what happens when you forget your phone and have to ask the Technical Production Director to take a pic for you!
staff ugly sweater party

Here's Ron's ugly sweater that he hand painted minutes before our staff party!
No trouble coming up with a whole bunch of ugly sweaters!

Pastor Dave and Julie preparing the punch!

The lantern... a significant part of our Christmas preparation - used as a prop in our video shoot this week
Ladies sewing night at Crossroads produced Christmas pillowcases

OUR SETLIST:

Announcements on Video - Stephanie McAuley

This Is Amazing Grace
Great Are You Lord
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Pastoral Prayer - Pastor Dave
Message: Incarnation Pt. 2 - Pastor Dave Vance

Exit Song:  Great Are You Lord

To watch our service go to crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their worship services this week go to www.theworshipcommunity.com

Saturday, December 12, 2015

sanctity of life

I've spent a part of my day beginning to lay out our Sanctity of Life weekend.

I'm completely overwhelmed as I watch video after video, trying to find something that conveys the complete fallenness this act encompasses.

I've only told a couple of people in the past 6 months or so, how completely sure I am that God wants me to be involved in this somehow, and I just can't figure out how.

Maybe just planning an amazing service that speaks of forgiveness and alternative choices?

Maybe physically volunteering at RPS?

That just doesn't feel like it's enough.

An unborn baby is killed every 20 seconds in America.

I don't know how God stands to look at us....


Monday, December 7, 2015

weekend report

It was just an amazing weekend at Crossroads as we launched our Christmas Series "Incarnation".  Pastor Dave's teaching was perfect to point us toward the true Christmas.  
The worship was wonderful and it was just true joy to serve with our technical volunteers and worship team!  

Our setlist:
Salt and Light
Joy to the World (Our God Saves)
Hallelujah What A Savior
Break Every Chain
Video:  Community Gift from our congregation  
Message:  Incarnation Pt. 1 - Pastor Dave Vance
Exit Song:  Joy to the world
To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com
To see what other ministries are using in their services go to www.theworshipcommunity.com



worship (10)

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

what I learned today....but now,

As I read the beautiful day 3 in my advent devotional, these words were pointed out by the author as 2 of the most powerful words in scripture....BUT NOW....

But now we are justified freely by his grace.... Powerful - eternity providing words!

My study today talked about how Cain killed his brother Abel and his blood cried out from the ground for justice and the new born Savior was born to offer his blood as our final sacrifice.   The answer to injustice.  The only sacrifice that forgives all sin and injustice forever.

Moving into this season - viewing Christmas through this lens changes everything.  The lights are pretty, the gift-giving a fun way to say 'I love you', but unfortunately unless we're VERY intentional about our God focus this year, it will just be another holiday.

I am going to try my best in Him, to remember within the holiday it's become - a reminder that the real cost of this time of year goes way beyond the cost of gifts and time - it cost a baby everything and a Father the sacrifice of His only son to give us eternal freedom.