there was a man

There was a man from our area who said Crossroads was his church.

We did not know who he was.  He had never filled out a card introducing himself to us.

And then he died.  This made us very sad.

The same week there was a man who passed away that we had known through previous jobs, who was always the life of the party.  He was one of the only men I'd ever been around who was intoxicated in public.  He was one of the only men I'd been around who had no concept of right or wrong.  He did what he wanted, when he wanted with no apparent purpose, goals in life or any care about living for anything beyond current satisfaction.

And then he died.

A few years ago there was a man, a very wealthy, one time very influential man I knew who passed away.  This was an older man that at one time started businesses, helped children with their educations and all sorts of generous things. A man I looked up to.

And then he forgot that God's blessings on his obedience was the source of his success, and he wanted even more.   More women, more alcohol and fewer real relationships.

He once put his arm around me sobbing, telling me to promise him I'd always be a good girl.

And then he died.

I've thought a lot about these men recently.  Can lives exist virtually unknown, unappreciated, unable to live strongly until the end?  The things of this world are fleeting and can be destructive.

I've been troubled thinking about these men.   I wish I had known the first gentleman - I wish I could know everyone at Crossroads, impossible of course.  It's so necessary to be connected in groups or ministry areas at the church in order to be known and do life together as God designed us to.

These men reminded me again about how vitally important every single day is and that hope only comes from the Lord.

my head gets full

My head gets full of ideas and it is hard to concentrate! I have so many ideas right now for new groups, new projects, new writings and new relationships to foster that I don't know where to begin.

Most would give me the advice of prioritizing, but all are equally important. Honest! Scheduled events help push me toward decisions. Such as our new art small group that will begin meeting this Thursday. In preparation for this group, I have set aside Tuesday to finish research, project descriptions, follow up contacts with group members etc.

Beyond that it is a toss up! So toss I will, trying not to let a single unproductive moment pass. Don't worry I include the productive moments of rest and study also! Oh yeah, and back to the gym. I want to be in shape for warmer weather so the toning will also begin shortly. I don't know why I put off working out, I accomplish things while working out too - reading or reviewing new music. Overlapping tasks, that is what I like the most.

With God's help the new year holds endless possibilities. So I wait anxiously for the new week to begin, the new list of to-do's to start and the blessings that I know God will bestow upon our ministry this year!

what I learned today

I think in terms of groups. I have trouble focusing on one of anything. Recently when considering how to honor Veterans in this weekends services the answer was clear, identify all the Veterans in our congregation! Create a new group. Cool! Now anytime I need a Veteran for our services I have many of them registered.

In an attempt to re-build our drama team I am creating a new Drama Small group with the help of our amazing drama leader Maureen Browning. As I began to recruit for the team, I was astonished to find that most of the actors I talked to, some of which had been at Crossroads for years, were not part of any group. Not a small group, not a ministry team, nothing...this proves that our backdoor is still open at Crossroads. Our Management Team has been creating the 2009 calendar to help close this door, I am very excited to see how different the ministry looks at the end of the year. So, my Magnification mantra for the year is to do all I can to 'slam the door and lock it!'

I am currently reading Seth Godin's book, Tribes. In it he says, "Too many organizations care about number, not fans. They care about hits or turnstile clicks or media mentions. What they're missing is the depth of commitment and interconnection that true fans deliver. Instead of always being in the hunt for one more set of eyeballs, true leaders have figured out that the real win is in turning a casual fan into a true one." Fans may seem like a negative way to think of a church congregation, but many act like fans don't they? They may like the music, or come just for the great teaching, but many are in no way truly connected or committed. That's a challenge. I refuse to accept this.

In some regards I guess you could say I'm not happy with the status quo, I know that God created each of us to connect and be part of one another's lives. I pray he shows me many chances as a leader to create these opportunities for our congregation.

Seth Godin goes on to say, " Whatever the status quo is, changing it gives you the opportunity to be remarkable." Crossroads can be known as a place people connect to come together to do God's work. Together we can change the status quo and become remarkable for our Lord! So I learned to day - we need to aim for remarkable!

groups

We plan to honor our Veterans on the weekend of November 8 & 9. In an effort to identify who among our congregation are Veterans we created an info card and placed it in the chair back. We will be asking veterans to complete this card and I will finally have a data base group to work from whenever I want to do something patriotic in our services.




The concept of groups is all inclusive. Think about it, everyone in our congregation is part of at least one group.


The church
Ministry Team
Small Bible Study Group
Small Group - fellowship
Womens Group
Mens Group
Youth Group
Singles Group....on and on...

Every time I sit in the service I wonder what other groups could be created? I have a heart to begin an artists group, but just haven't figured this one out yet. For a while we were using art in our Town Square on a regular basis, but artists are hard to recruit and difficult to get commitment from. (Although I have one very faithful participant!) What it seems to take in addition to projects is to create a Small Group in order to keep some teams together. The artists will especially require this. We will have to not only participate in projects together, but a caring non-judgmental connection. This I will add to my to do list! I love artists. The church needs them.

Nothing excites me like connections do. I watch the vocalists, band and tech teammates first know one another in a volunteer work environment, then become friends who care for one another and do life together. It is how the church should function! Amazing!