Wednesday, September 27, 2017

weekend report

As I got home tonight from work and began once again working inside to keep caught up as well as begin some Fall cleaning, the trees blowing and leaves falling created a scene I could not resist.  So now I sit in my favorite spot on our deck.

The sounds that greet me are everything from falling walnuts as they pound the ground below the trees each time the wind blows, to birds considering whether they'll fly in to the feeders for an evening snack, to the sound of the neighbors' nightly target shooting.  All these sounds are a welcome distraction from what I should probably be accomplishing.

But I can't resist!


This was a great day as I got to do a couple of my very favorite things!

I got to work with a brilliant young lady that came in to record this coming weekend's announcements.  She loves the Lord and we talked about the amazing things God's using her to accomplish and it was such an encouraging time together.  I pray I get to work with her a lot in the future!  Very few things excite me more than discovering new talent and connecting them to our ministry!

After that I had the privilege with my daughter to present the Crossroads Christmas concept to Pastor Dave.  I've worked on 20 Crossroads' Christmas concepts and I'm still as encouraged and excited as ever when all year long I collect possible creative elements, songs, videos and set design ideas - and then sit down with others and watch how the ideas they contribute fit hand in hand with them.  It's obvious that God's hand is on the concept when everything lines up beautifully.  (It's also obvious when it's just been my idea and isn't the will of the Lord!)

As we showed Pastor Dave each element for the first time, it was fascinating to hear his on-the-spot suggestions and affirmation as he graciously listened to us and was so encouraging as he approved the concept.  I left this meeting excited to begin work on the specific elements that I need to create and pass on to others to work on!

Now about last weekend - the Weekend Report

I don't remember another weekend which was so full of technical miscommunications about details of the service, equipment failure, announcement guy's car breaking down preventing him from doing the announcements at the 9:00 a.m. service and many more difficult details behind the scenes.

I believe with all my heart that the enemy was hard at work to discourage the teams this weekend that were involved in the services following an amazing rehearsal last Thursday night and time of devotions and sharing personal needs with one another - a break through moment of sharing according to several team members I talked with!

But despite all the behind the scene problems I received so many compliments and thank you's for the praise and tech teams that I knew God used it exactly as He had intended and nothing was going to stop it from happening.

Here's just a few pictures of our weekend services.

Jocelyn lead this great team as we all joined in for a glorious time of worship!

Austin, Scott and Johnnie all gave their talents to the Lord to help
make the weekend excellent!


Our tech guys play such a huge part in the worship services too!  The LED set design is one of my favorites!

Our Setlist:

Announcements - Jesse Rider

Behold
Scripture Reading
King of My Heart 
The Lion and the Lamb
Special Music:  Home - Jocelyn Nicolas

Video Bumper
Message:  Our Home Pt. 2: Expectations in the Home - Pastor Dave Vance

To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com

I hope you all have an amazing rest of your week - and thanks for reading!

Saturday, September 16, 2017

staying the same

I loved this sentence I just read in a leadership book I'm studying,

when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing, we are ripe for making a move.  Awareness also involves being able to see the possibility of living in a new way.  


In the chapter I'm reading, the study is in the context of Moses leading the Israelites, and just as they got going they faced the Red Sea.

It discusses how God rarely if ever takes us the fastest, most logical way - He has too much to teach us by leading us through the 'roundabout way'.

Just this week I had a chance to spend some time chatting with our pastor and we were discussing some of the things people have been through this past year.  And how in our earthly - limited human way it's impossible to see the whole picture and especially difficult to see the 'why'.  But, we can have such confidence in the fact that God, the creator of the entire universe and all of it's inhabitants can see everything from the beginning of time to the end.   He sees how it all fits together and all supports our journeys.  And all it takes for us to 'change or move on' is trust in His all-knowing plan and surrendering our lives to His way.

My prayer is to see the change He needs in me and in turn to lead well through change which always makes us stronger than we were before!  I do not want to stay the same!!

Monday, September 11, 2017

weekend report

By 7:00 a.m. Saturday the GoMissions team was ready for action downtown Mansfield as we provided drinks and cheered on those running in the Spherion MidOhio 13er!  Here are just a couple of shots.  We used sidewalk chalk to write encouraging words on the street, and rang cowbells loudly to encourage those running past us!


Bill and others wore signs telling the runners what we were providing.

As always Darlene had our missions booth looking great! 


GO  Mark - everyone cheered even the little ones got into it!

Taking your family to serve at a GoMissions event is such a great way to teach them about missions!  It provides a platform for explaining why we need to serve others - both locally, nationally as well as globally.


Later Saturday and Sunday again...  I stood and looked at all the people that the Lord brought through our doors this weekend and am amazed that He allows us the privilege of leading!  It's so humbling to work on projects, watch the time come for them to actually happen and see people come and get needs met!   Oh my goodness what an honor to watch my brothers and sisters in the Lord worshipping, serving, caring for others just being the church!  And our church was definitely hopping this weekend!

We had the honor to welcome Les Parrott to speak in our weekend services and then for the Parrott's together to lead us in the Fight Night event.  Everyone was so blessed and had such a great time together!

As I sometimes do, while amazing things were happening in the auditorium, I wondered around Crossroads and watched the behind-the-scenes ministry that takes tons of organizing in order to care for all of our Crossroads' Kids and teens - just pure joy to see them growing in the Lord!

Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Thankful for our faithful children's workers who are dedicated to teaching
Biblical truths to our kids that will shape them for all of eternity!

Our student ministry praise team lead the youth in worship!

I found Pastor Jesse acting like he was running tech in the
student ministry room with Dylan!
Our praise team lead us in worship in the big room!


The response to Fight Night was unbelievable!

Les and Leslie are amazing communicators!

Signing books

Felt like we'd been friends for a long time!
Our setlist:

Announcements on Video

Glorious Day
Call Upon the Lord
Throne Room
Break Every Chain
No Longer Slaves
City Center Update - Intro of Nicole Blakely and Dr. Les Parrott -Pastor Dave Vance
Message: Dr. Les Parrott
Dismiss: Pastor Dave/Les
Exit Song:  No Longer Slaves

To watch our services live on-line, go to Crossroadswired.com


Thursday, September 7, 2017

always preparing

As I was working on Christmas at Crossroads today, I realized I was doing what I'm always doing - preparing!

As I listened to some pieces and parts for Christmas I got a call from Les Parrott who will be with us this weekend at Crossroads. He was calling to answer my final questions regarding preparations for he and his wife to be with us this weekend.  He seems like someone that would be a lot of fun to have as a friend - so it caused me to be even more excited about the weekend.

So I continued to prepare by adding notes to my Les and Leslie folder!

Earlier this afternoon at Crossroads - two local art teachers stopped by with my friend Vicki following up on some details we needed to discuss in order to prepare for a "Coffee and Painting" event we're going to be hosting in a couple of weeks.  Who needs wine anyway!  Ha ha!

More preparing...

As I prayed for wisdom with our Christmas services I pictured God preparing to send His son to earth - preparing the event we now call Christmas.  How careful I want to be to preserve the integrity of that sacrifice.  How I long to have even a tiny understanding of how terrified Mary was when she was told she was carrying the Messiah, the promised one she had been taught about since she was born.  She knew what it would cost her, her reputation, possibly Joseph the man she hoped to marry and any chance of a normal life.  Still she chose obedience - all part of God's amazing plan...

And when the time had come he sent His son for us and now I need to prepare well and somehow tell the amazing story in a way that conveys who this Savior really was!   I really, really covet your prayers!

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

weekend report

From the moment I saw Ernesto practicing with the vocalists, to the first notes I heard on stage at rehearsal this week, I knew we were in for something special!


Ernesto Alcantara blessed us by guest worship leading this weekend and it lit up the house!  He's a gifted communicator whose personal relationship with the Lord shines through everything he says and does.  We enjoyed getting to know his wife Vanesa and daughter as well - it was amazing.

Ernesto leading vocal rehearsal






Pastor Dave lead us into the discovery that we can and should be both deep and wide in our relationship with the Lord and others, as well as our ministry's focus.  He left us with a challenge to each begin to pray that God will present us with an opportunity to lead another to Christ.  Can you imagine how that would change our community?  More than fancy programs, worrying about trivial things - just tell someone about your relationship with Jesus!  So we can go deep spiritually as well as reaching out and with God's help - go wide into our community, into our jobs, wherever God places us - just reach out!

Our setlist:

Welcome- Announcements - Judy Trueblood (our front office manager extraordinaire)

Great Are You Lord
The Lion and the Lamb
Have it All
prayer
My Heart is Yours

Hurricane Harry offering challenge - Pastor Dave

Message:  Deep and Wide - Pastor Dave Vance

Ending Song:  My Heart if Yours

To watch our services go to crossroadswired.com

You'll want to be with us again this week when special guest Les Parrott will teach our 3 weekend services!   There is still time to register for the 2:00 Sunday FIGHT NIGHT event - but only a few seats left so hurry!!   You can also use the above link to get to our website and register!

See you Saturday night!