creating Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you still reading my blog!  I haven't been writing, again!

This morning I've had time to think back over Christmas@Crossroads and realized again that creating involves layers of work, an idea doesn't just happen - first the concept;

Amazing CREATIVE TEAM: Dan Fleming - Head Worship Leader; Jocelyn Nicolas - Asst. Worship leader/
Asst. Creative Arts Leader; Lori Biddle -  Creative Arts Director; Aaron Nicolas - Young Adult Pastor
& Front of House Sound Engineer; Lead Pastor Dave Vance; Eric Biddle - Creative Arts Specialist;
Arnie Clawson - Technical Director;
(not pictured)  Milo Sgambellone - Asst. Worship Leader and Brandon Magers - Multi-Media Coordinator

after the concept, second is developing the idea into music that supports the movement through the story; working on every single transition between songs and videos; storyboarding video shoots; meeting on locations with all the supplies to shoot; experimenting this year with lit steel wool spinning and sparklers to create one of the videos; editing videos...re-editing videos; creating a stage layout so the team can set the stage; creating the icon for advertising; multiple rehearsals; organizing meals for rehearsals and performances; choosing clothing for the singers/musicians; recruiting the Crossroads Artist Group to help hang everything in our lobby and asking a close friend to create the picture taking backgrounds, everything making sure that we flow toward Pastor Dave's messages; advertising; and now, major clean-up!

Re-aiming lights and setting up platforms - step #1 on the stage

I cannot remember the last day I got to wake up and read and think without a current deadline looming over me!  That's just the nature of my job - to create and finish well so everyone else can do their job. I was very stressed at one point the week leading up to the performances and realized it was the point in the process when I no longer had ANY control - the process had physically begun, so I finally just released it to the Lord and fell back in love with it again!

Pastor Dave and I are already discussing next Christmas and we may have the theme, I'll know for sure after we develop the concept just a little bit further.  That would allow us to plan a summer shoot that would resemble the climate Jesus was born in.  Making the service as true to the story as possible.

This year's Christmas@Crossroads was the most original video work we've ever done, and I loved every minute of it!  In fact I'm pretty sure that the moving background on the worship songs clear at the end of the service, was the only thing we purchased!  So we're making progress!!

One of our favorite concepts was shooting forward moving video and then using a treadmill to make it look like 'Ruth' was walking!

A big shout-out to all the videos in which
Mya Taylor portrayed Ruth!

Even though creating Christmas is a whole lot of work, perhaps the most difficult thing about creating is to release that concept to others.

When you own an idea and have 'stewed' over it for so long, you form a tight concept for what everything should look like and sound like.  But, as you invite others into the process you have to consider their ideas and play to their strengths.  That's where covering everything with prayer and trust comes into play.

As I stood back and watched what the worship staff, musicians, technical staff and Pastor Dave's messages' brought to Christmas, I praised the Lord for such talent and dedication!  I watched as their ideas brought more depth and creative expression to the services and was so thankful to be at Crossroads where we have such creative freedom!

I'm pretty pumped that IKEA is coming to Columbus -
the stars were a hit!

I talked to several staff members who got to minister to those who stayed after the services to pray and I rejoiced as they had this honor.  These decisions or prayers to the Lord, and the richness that the service brought to families that just want to keep Christ first,  paid huge dividends and reminded us once again - this is why we do our jobs!

My on-going prayer is that our work brings additional dimension to the services we create, not changing the message, but adding visual and technical support that helps you remember what's being taught!

Hide God's word deeply in your souls - and thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives!

weekend report

This weekend began our Ruth series, and it was amazing!  This series will tell the beautiful story or Ruth and Hope!

Everything was beautifully prepared to support the teaching, everything from an amazing, thematic time of worship to the beautiful original video footage our team shot - to the small things like 'hope' bulbs on the tree!  All was carefully prepared and presented to our congregation!

Pastor Dave's teaching, "A Difficult Journey of Hope", set up the series beautifully and taught us much that we didn't know about this obedient woman in the Bible!

I can't wait to hear the next teaching this coming weekend!

Our worship team did a beautiful job - even inviting a cellist to join them this weekend - it was gorgeous!

Here are a few shots of our weekend.

Jocelyn ended the service with the song O Lord - it
was such a great support of the message we had just heard!

Our setlist:

Announcements on video

Ever Be
Forever Reign
I Have Decided
Oceans

Message: Ruth Pt. 1 - the Difficult Journey of Hope - Dr. Dave Vance, Lead Pastor

Special Music:  O Lord

To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their services go to theworshipcommunity.com

weekend report

We had yet another amazing weekend!

This weekend I walked around all the areas of Crossroads during one of our services.  I was completely overwhelmed as I saw worship happening in each room of Crossroads!

Here is the look of worship...

Our main auditorium was full of people fully engaged in worshipping the Lord!

The student worship was so great - I left the room worshipping myself!

The students room was set up for 100 and they were adding chairs when I came in!
Talk about praise!

Another form of worship is using your technical talents to serve!

This was worship in the 4 & 5th grade room!

Worship in the form of technically serving!

Worship in the elementary room!

And a young Pastor, Aaron worshipping God with his words of teaching!

Our Setlist:

Announcements on video

Opening Worship Intro Video

Good Good Father 

Responsive Reading

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

In Christ Alone

It Is Well

Light and Dark Video Bumper

MESSAGE:  Light and Dark - Pastor Aaron Nicolas 

Exit song:  In Christ Alone

To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com

to see what other ministries used in their services go to theworshipcommunity.com

what women believe

I joke with my friends about the changes I see in myself.

I often say that if I didn't get to see them struggle with the same things I do, like my forgetfulness, I would think I'm totally losing it!

If I didn't believe that my identity in Christ never changes, and the way He sees me is so different than how I see myself, I think I would be completely hopeless.

I've watched my mom struggle with this over the past year.  So much of 'who she was' in her mind was wrapped up in my dad.  Now as she faces growing old alone I've seen her wonder what her value is.

I am more aware of the stigma attached to the aging and more determined than ever to play a part in helping them believe in their value.  Being young doesn't make you more valuable, although it is a physically stronger time, it is not a more important time.  Women believe a lot of lies.

The Crossroads women's retreat I've been working on with an amazing group of ladies, is going to be based on the 'words of women' and I long to make it applicable to all age groups.

Ladies of Crossroads - let's come together and support one another, be available to one another, honor those older than ourselves and invite others into our lives.  And refuse to believe all the lies of our enemy as he seeks to destroy our confidence in Christ!

 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

what I learned today

This morning has started slowly...a very real blessing!  So I am beginning in scripture and prayer.

My devotions took me to I Corinthians 13:12, where God talks about 'one day we will fully know'.

I've always believed that God has let us know in His Word just what we need to know.  Enough challenging goals and information to spend our life pursuing righteous living and to keep us focused and plenty busy!

But this study reminded me of all the unknown things yet to come, that only God knows.  It's easy to go through my day assuming that 'my little world' contains everything there is.  Of course we all know that couldn't be further from the truth as we look beyond ourselves at our current world and it's sad state.  But I sometimes live that way, worrying about trivial things.

But when I take time to wonder about the 'unknown things', things I'm completely unable to handle right now -  it's fascinating!

What is to come - the knowledge we will some day possess  I would guess will make the things we've experienced here and worried about here seem completely ridiculous.

Oh how I long to give my Savior the respect of trusting Him enough to realize that I'm never given more than I can handle here on earth.  That I need to keep my focus fully on kingdom things and FORGET the dumb worries of today.  A lifestyle of worship and trust.

May this day be fully focused and demonstrate to the King of Kings that His agenda and all the unknown things are what motivates us today.

weekend report

Well I thought I had seen it all, and then Pastor Dave took the stage...

It was a blast this past weekend at Crossroads!  I don't think we could have fit another element into our services!  And each element was amazing!

From the recognition of our Veterans by Nicole Blakely, a retired Veteran herself, to a rap by our lead pastor - Dr. Dave Vance, to beautiful worship and the privilege of praying for a hard-working missionary!  So very good to be at Crossroads this past weekend!

We gave out EVERY SINGLE new visitors packet again this weekend and are scrambling to keep up with serving all our new attendees!  God is good, so very good!

As we prepare for Thanksgiving his week, I am completely aware of how very, very many things I have to be grateful for and I cannot silence my words of thanksgiving to my Lord!!!

Here is a glimpse at some of the things from this past weekend at Crossroads.

Yes it's true, our pastor is a rapper!

It's Undeniable!   He brought it!

Our Setlist:

Sermonspice video for Veterans Day

Nicole Blakely thanked the Veterans for their service to our country!

Undeniable - with our Pastor featured on the rap
The Whole Earth
Doxology
We Believe

Prayer for Missionary
Message:  Pt. 8, the Contaminated Church - Laodicia:  Dr. Dave Vance

exit song:  The Whole Earth

To watch our services go to Crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their services go to theworshipcommunity.com

grateful to our veterans

I have an afternoon today, for the first time I can remember to just work at home. So I decided it was a perfect time to review some new music for Christmas while I worked. I've fallen in love with the version of Silent Night my daughter showed me yesterday, it's by a group called Future of Forestry.


Recently I emptied my entire attic and purged nearly everything. One thing I didn't get rid of were my frames, and of course my framed pictures that weren't currently hanging or sitting in our home. I probably had 40 of various sizes.


So today I decided to sort the frames, label the tubs and get those sorted correctly. Within these frames were both original art as well as photography that I count precious of our kids, weddings and distant relatives.


As I worked the wind picked up outside and the flag flapping widely caught my eye. I couldn't stop watching it fly against the nearly artificial looking beauty of the fall. It caused me to draw in a grateful breath and just watch, just pause, just take it in.




Immediately I thought of our dear Veterans, and their selfless sacrifice for my freedom and was filled with such gratitude. These amazing veterans are the reason I can sit hear listening to whatever I want to, to praise my Lord out loud for all to hear and to worship anywhere I choose.


I thank you all sincerely and I pray that you'll draw close to the Lord on this special day and know He understands sacrifice and loves you!

grateful to our veterans

I have an afternoon today, for the first time I can remember to just work at home. So I decided it was a perfect time to review some new music for Christmas while I worked. I've fallen in love with the version of Silent Night my daughter showed me yesterday, it's by a group called Future of Forestry.


Recently I emptied my entire attic and purged nearly everything. One thing I didn't get rid of were my frames, and of course my framed pictures that weren't currently hanging or sitting in our home. I probably had 40 of various sizes.


So today I decided to sort the frames, label the tubs and get those sorted correctly. Within these frames were both original art as well as photography that I count precious, our kids, weddings and distant relatives.


As I worked the wind picked up outside and the flag flapping widely caught my eye. I couldn't stop watching it fly against the nearly artificial looking beauty of the fall. It caused me to draw in a grateful breath and just watch, just pause, just take it in.




Immediately I thought of our dear Veterans, and their selfless sacrifice for my freedom and was filled with such gratitude. These amazing veterans are the reason I can sit hear listening to whatever I want to, to praise my Lord out loud for all to hear and to worship anywhere I choose.


I thank you all sincerely and I pray that you'll draw close to the Lord on this special day and know He understands sacrifice and loves you!

weekend report

I knew this weekend was going to be special as the praise team gathered around two dad's from our praise & tech teams, laid hands on them and asked the Lord for protection and healing.  Both have kids facing pretty serious surgeries this week.  When the church supports one another and holds each other up in prayer - there is nothing more powerful!!

I was blown away yet again, as we baptized over 20 people this weekend!  The thing that makes this so amazing is, we had a huge outdoor baptism at the end of the summer - so it just confirms the life-change we have the honor of continuing to see the Lord doing at Crossroads!  It was also a huge testimony to the work that is being poured into our youth and pre-teens as they were being taught on the important of baptism.

I always find baptism very moving as people show outwardly what the Lord has done inside of them. But before the service began, a mom of one of the young ladies being baptized walked up to me and said - "Your daughter is baptizing my daughter!", yes, I immediately began to cry - but they were tears of worship, and thankfulness that I get to see my kids lives' mature in the Lord as they pour their life into others!  I have been thanking God for this mom's kind words to me all day!

My daughter baptizing Julia who excepted the Lord
on a mission trip last year!

Then we had the honor of hearing from one of the young men we support that serve fearlessly in a country were persecution is beginning to take place.  He thanked us for our support and for the wells we are providing funds to build and was so happy to worship with us this weekend.

Pastor Dave's continued teaching from Revelation in his 7 Church series was also very stirring as he reminded us that Jesus holds the key - that all we have to do is live faithfully where we are in order to be ready for what the Lord may ask us to do next.   Are we ready to walk through the next door that the Lord puts before us?

The worship was rich as we lifted our voices singing,
Every fear suddenly wiped away here in your presence
All of my gains now fade away
Every crown no longer on display, here in your presence
Heaven is trembling in awe of your wonders
The Kings and the Kingdoms are standing amazed...

Wonderful, Beautiful, Glorious - matchless in every way

 And in light of all the uncertainty in our country right now - the words were even more rich as the worship reminded me that all the kingdoms of this world will fall before our God.  Again I say, I have no idea how anyone outside a relationship with Christ lives without constant fear and worry!

Our setlist:
Announcements shot in front of one of the local churches to support the teaching of the 7 Churches

My Heart is Yours
Come Thou Fount
Down To The River To Pray
BAPTISMS
Here in Your Presence

Prayer for Global Lead pastor

Message: Pt. 7 - The Capable Church - Lead Pastor Dave Vance

To watch our services on line go to crossroadswired.com

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

my day off

This day was all about family!  It's an honor to live within 20 minutes of all of my family except for my sister who is just an hour from Mansfield.

God is so generous to our family.

I had the privilege of starting my day by taking my mother-in-law whom I dearly love, to lunch and then grocery shopping.  We had a great time and I ended the shopping trip by printing off some amazing pictures I've been waiting to frame, mainly of the grandkids!

I then went home to cook dinner for my son's family and my hubby.  Following dinner we all ended up in the upstairs bedroom that's been converted into a toy room.  Here we played with Legos and danced to children's songs like "Old McDonald's Farm and Twinkle Little Star".  So fun!

I am SO thankful for this kind of simplicity.  Some may consider it trivial - I consider it life-giving.

And so as my day off comes to an end I'm filled with ribs, and 'guess why the chicken crossed the road' kids' jokes, the hum of the dishwasher and a reluctant glimpse at tomorrow's calendar still clinging to today's memories...

Thank you Lord for simple days and precious memories and being completely surrounded by family.

weekend report

I don't know when my heart has been more full than it was after being at Crossroads this weekend.

It was a weekend so full of promise and I was just so thankful for all the students in love with the Savior - willing to give up their weekend to totally run the church.  They were amazing in the parking lot, greeting everyone that attended, serving in the Coffee House, running all the technical areas of sound, lighting and video and leading us in worship.  Simply the perfect demonstration of health in the church.

Students serving in the Coffee House

More help in the Coffee House

Pastor Dave encouraging the students before the service

Our parking lot and front doors were well manned with students!

Greeters at the front doors

Greeters in the lobby to welcome everyone!

More student greeters!

Professionals in the parking lot

 Another precious moment in the service today was our Child dedication!  10 families committing to raise their children in a Godly home!  So important!!

Our Children being dedicated to the Lord - parents making the commitment to raise them in a Christian home!

One of my favorite moments of the weekend - our Senior Worship leader Dan, playing
for his precious granddaughter to sing Jesus Love Me!

Our Setlist:

9:00 a.m. service -

Jesus Loves Me

Child Dedication

Only Wanna Sing
The Stand
Great Are You Lord

And one of the other exciting elements this weekend was to finally get to hear the original song written by Austin Hart, the 'theme' song for their mission trip this past summer.  I kept hearing how much the students loved it and now I know why - it was beautiful!  It was called

First Loved Us

Bumper video

Message: 7 Churches; The Corpse Church

To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their services go to theworshipcommunity.com

log in my eye

Lately I've tried to pay really close attention to not just what comes out of my mouth but even my thought life.  Especially in regard to being critical - or having a desire to gossip.



What I've begun to do is each time thoughts come into my mind creating a critical spirit toward a situation or person, I ask myself "and what is the log in your eye"...



Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Matthew 7:3


This helps me so much! And if I honestly ask this of myself, God is quick to reveal the log...


So as you go through this day that the Lord has given you, be brave enough to stop your critical thoughts by asking Him to reveal your log and be prepared to be much less ready to criticize those around you when you see your own shortcomings!

the longest time

I think this is the longest time I've gone without writing.

There's been no particular reason.

My days are completely filled with family and work and all things Crossroads.  And I'm so thankful!

I'm praying over Christmas and working specifically on that right now, so I can hand it off next week for all of our talented staff to 'take it' and make it happen like they always do!

I pray it will meet people where they are, that Christmas at Crossroads will cause the miracle of Jesus to come to life in a very personal way they've never experienced before!



Pray for us as we work to prepare Christmas...


"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory To God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

what dad said

I was deleting some of the notes I have on my phone tonight and came across some of the last ridiculous things my dad said or had said to people that repeated them to us.

So here it goes:

He was heard to say to two ladies standing in the aisle of church, "ladies if you're going to block the whole aisle then put up your wide load sign!"

A friend was visiting dad and told him he didn't like St. Bernard dogs because they slobber.  My dad said, "You'd slobber too if you had 11 kids!"

Dad often said he was so poor he had to have a co-signer to change his mind!

He once said to some poor soul - probably one of his long-time barbershop buddies, "If ugly was music you'd have a whole orchestra!"

At the hospital in his final weeks he said as he pulled out the urinal and we all cleared the room, "I have no idea where everyone is going, they're usually taking pictures of everything under the sun."


He ALWAYS had us howling laughing, and there's just not quite as much laughter when we get together now, that is unless we start repeating his ridiculous sayings and comments!

I miss you dad - your were a great father and were madly in love with Jesus, and for that I can never thank you enough...

I love you.

weekend report

It was very hard to believe that we were already into another weekend when our focus for so long had been preparing for the 20 year anniversary of Crossroads.   But it was time to move on this weekend, beginning the next era of Crossroads.

We began strong!

Add caption

Pastor Dave challenged us to be 'all in', and I found myself searching my heart for anything I've been holding back from being completely in Him!  Let's go Crossroads- are you IN!

Dan and the boys worshipping!

Our faithful praise team!

Milo lead us to the thrown!

Our amazing student worship team preparing for their services this weekend!

Our Setlist:

Announcements including a video Promo for The Seven Churches of Revelation series

Sermon Spice video : All In - A Worship Intro

Your Love Awakens

Unstoppable

It Is Well

No Longer Slaves

Message:   ALL IN - Lead Pastor Dave Vance

Special Music:  The Motions

To watch our services on line go to crossroadswired.com

To see what other ministries used in their worship service go to theworshipcommunitiy.com