a different Christmas

 This will be a different Christmas for sure!  

My daughter's first baby arrived early so I had the privilege of being down in NC with her for the past week 1/2.  What a joy to see how amazing she and Jared are parenting this little one, already pointing him to Jesus!  I have loved every moment of it!

Being here also means I'm less involved then normal with Crossroads' Christmas.  I still have responsibilities but missing all the final meetings and tweaks to the plans.  Christmas was always one of my favorite ministry seasons although some of the pastor's I've worked with didn't particularly love it - ha ha!

It's always a magnificent thing to watch everything fall into place as God's hand touches our work and forms it into exactly what His will is.  None of us ever dreamed COVID would still be controlling much of what is happening around us by December, but alas it is.  Still, I see God's leading even in things like Pastor Dave's suggestion for live animals this year - and the fact that they have to be outside.  This removed all worry about COVID by wearing masks and being spread out from one another in the fresh air!

It gives everyone at Crossroads the opportunity to invite anyone they've been wanting to invite to church to stop by...even if it's just to see the animals!  Please use this opportunity to invite families, even if you don't think they'll stay for the service it may be Step #1 in getting them to Crossroads.  Meanwhile inside the Gospel of Jesus will be celebrated through beautiful song and God filled teaching! 

Everything we plan is intentional, everything pointing them to the Savior! We'll have people out with our animals in front of the church to welcome everyone and chat with them about Christ's birth - we just need you to help us get those people here!  We'll even have a camel!

Remember if you invite people with Elementary aged kids or younger, there will be children's services just for them at all of the 5:00 p.m. services - December 22, 23 & 24.  

Even in the ugliness of all the sickness, we can still safely worship and honor King Jesus while remaining a safe distance from one another! I'll be back from NC soon and hope to see you there!

weekend report

As we prepare for Christmas weekend there was no cut-back in preparations for this weekend's services!

Milo lead us in a great time of celebration as we sang Christmas songs and then as Pastor Dave taught us things we've never considered before and we all saw Christmas in a whole new light...messy!

Here are a couple of shots from the weekend:

Shawn, Michael and Streeter took Drummer Boy to a whole new level!

Our Young Adults set up their Christmas service in our lobby in anticipation of a great night of celebration and an open Coffee House with refreshments!

Our setlist:

Announcements - Jesse Rider on Video

Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)
Angels We Have Heard on High
Drummer Boy
Hark
The First Noel

Video Bumper
Message:  Messy Christmas Pt. 4; Messy First Christmas

Exit song: Hark

To watch our service go to crossroadswired.com

I hope to see you at one of our 5 Christmas Services next weekend!

a Saturday of listening

One of my favorite things to do is to sit for hours and just listen.

I have listened today to Christmas services from all around the country, reviewed all the links I've saved since last year of song ideas, video ideas and all kinds of projects that we may consider this year at Crossroads. Ready to create Easter - cover me and our team in prayer please!

Just listening and listening, open to what the Lord would have for me to 'take in'.  Very satisfying!

I have found the older I get the more important I consider listening to be.  Listening to my family, to what's going on around me, to my grandkids and especially to the older adults in my life. even though i consider it important I need to get better at it!

The death of my dad has created a new desperation to pay attention and to consider more closely what the older adults around me are feeling, dealing with and to consider how it feels as your vitality starts to slip away.

I look at my older friends and relatives and try to imagine them in the prime of life when their dreams had not yet been pressed into and before they gave up what 'could be'.

America does not value their older loved ones like some other countries do.  I wish we did.  Youth is idolized here - it's why millions are spent on face lifts and clothes that are not flattering to the older body - just trying everything possible to appear young.

As I reach out to those much older than me it's difficult to understand that they've also seemed to lose the ability to know what they do want.  When we offer to provide exciting experiences they decline, when we don't offer they complain about being lonely or bored.  It's confusing for both us and them.

I don't want to just take them on 'field trips', I want to convince them they are vitally important and have huge purpose in their community and in the eyes of the Lord.  We need their experience and wisdom and knowledge to be passed down to us.  Especially their spiritual maturity acquired by trial and error, by obedience and disobedience to the Lord.

I feel God calling me to do something about this senior loneliness - this acceptance of the elderly believing the lie of our society that their importance has ended.

This is my prayer - to figure out a new way to serve our elderly.

night #1

Tonight is our first rehearsal and night of preparing tech support for our Christmas services.

one of our EP backgrounds

The enemy knows where and how to hit us, details overlooked, changes that don't get communicated, careless words...but God is Mighty and He is sovereign and all will be as He wills it- we just need to get through the preparations!

I haven't reached the point of anticipation yet, too buried under the details right now - but, we'll get there.  Right now I am remain in a state of prayer...covering all the staff praying for protection from illness, prayer for rest and for cooperation among the team.

The details pale in comparison to the message that must get out.I've never felt so desperate for that to happen.  The only message that can bring any shred of hope to a hopeless nation and world.

A Savior who is Christ the Lord...

May our work proclaim the message of Emmanuel so loudly that many, many people meet you Lord for the very first time!

my day off

I am enjoying a morning at home where I can hear the satisfying hum of my washer and dryer indicating domestic accomplishment, at the same time I sip coffee and enjoy staring at my Christmas tree - which glows beautifully against the very grey background of a gloomy, rainy Mansfield morning.

I am sitting down ready to hammer out the last few creative details of our Christmas weekend services...Lord willing!

This past week we shot video and worked all week long on tiny details that we pray will all come together as an offering to the Lord within our services.

Here is just a peak of what's to come - pray for us to be mindful of Him in the process and that we will prepare exactly what God will use to move people's heart toward Him.  That's all we care about!

Modern meets old barn