Lori Biddle

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

weekend report

Crossroads had quite the weekend - our new lead pastor Dave Vance taught for the first time and the Lord filled our ministry with His presence! It was awesome!

Our new lead Pastor Dave Vance

Our setlist:

King of My Heart

Video Announcements - Kristin Scott - Nursery & Preschool Coordinator

The Lord Reigns
Great Are You Lord
Lord I Need You

Message: Venture - Dave Vance

Exit Song : Lord I Need You

To watch our services go to www.crossroadswired.com

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

Monday, January 12, 2015

chapter two

If there was ever any question about Pastor Dave and his family being what Crossroads needs as we
begin Chapter two, they all disappeared this weekend.

We were packed!

Praise & tech teams surrounded Pastor Dave for prayer before his first message

It was as if Pastor Dave had been here forever.

The energy and excitement was almost 'touchable' as we watched our new pastor take the stage and begin to teach us - "Venture". We worshipped, we learned, we dreamed and we're ready. What God has in store in Crossroads' Chapter two is yet to be seen, but I suspect that Chapter 2 will hold things beyond our dreams.

It feels like a movement of the Lord - like it's much more then anything that can be contained within the walls of Crossroads, like it's something that will spill out into the streets of Mansfield and beyond.

If God chose this family to bring to us, if He is going to make Chapter 2 a time of miraculous things that we've only dreamed of - then what is our responsibility?

Prepare well: Continue the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - pray like you've never prayed before

Connect with others: Join a House Church or volunteer in one of the many areas of Crossroads

Take the next step: Sign up for a CLASS or commit to begin to 'give' financially - whatever that next step of spiritual growth is for you

Let's all participate, let's all take ownership and let's all move forward as one...We Are ONE!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

what I learned today

I've been studying The Sermon on the Mount - it's so interesting to realize what kind of people gathered around that mountain to listen to Jesus.

They were 'people with no spiritual qualification' (quote from the Divine Conspiracy).

I had never thought about that before - they were not people that already had answers, or spiritual accomplishment, they were people in great need. They probably thought they only had physical needs but Jesus revealed there were much more important needs then those! And these needy people were the 'ones that shall inherit the earth' - according to Jesus!

"if we look at the Beatitudes as another list of spiritual to-do's, we diminish the beauty of Christ" (DC)

I feel sometimes that's what I spend my time doing - diminishing the beauty of Christ. When due to sin I do not even fully enter that 'beauty' how can I possibly tell others about it?

As I sat in my living room this morning looking at God's beautiful snow, I prayed - actually begged Him to so fully enwrap me in Him so that when I enter a room people immediately want to know what is different - how to know Him - there is no significance outside of this. There is no purpose to take up space in the world outside of this.

The Crossroads fast that is going on right now, asks us all to spend some time today, day #2, reflecting on our areas of weakness, and reminds us that repentance means an internal change. And true internal change will lead to an external change of action.

Will you join me in examining your life today - confess any unconfessed sin - and let's change this community for Him simply by being obedient and giving up anything that distracts us from Him.

Let's be different through Him.

Monday, January 5, 2015

my day off - the fast

Our ministry is doing 21 days of prayer and fasting beginning today.

As I prayed for the Lord to reveal to me what He needs me to give up it's been interesting to look at.

What I realized is for me it's more about adding not removing. It's about practicing disciplines that I've heard about all my life but only dabbled in off and on. My life often swallows me in it's options and opportunities and I move forward into them without regard to the deepness in Christ I may be sacrificing.

My intent is large but my focus is small. So I quickly try things and then go on my merry way onto whatever the day holds.

So this morning I'm confessing this to the Lord and entering a time of dedicated focus, eliminating a few distractions for 21 days, reorganizing my eating which includes some elimination, but mostly entering a time I pray is rich in community with Him, and dedicated to Him and focused on Him.

I think this is a brilliant way for Pastor Dave to ask us to start a new chapter at Crossroads together as the body of Christ. Will you join us?

Sunday, January 4, 2015

weekend report

This weekend is a milestone in Crossroads history as our 2nd Pastor, Dave Vance and his family join us to begin Chapter 2 of Crossroads! You can feel the excitement in the air - last night sitting up front it almost seemed I could feel the Holy Spirit sweep through this place - the experience of opening our hearts to a new pastor has been very emotional - and the more I get to know him the more the Lord confirms this is the man our pulpit needs.

As we sang The Stand - I've NEVER in the history of Crossroad seen more hands raised high in the air to our Lord. Just one more action of submission as we all surrender any desire that may be our own agenda to fully embrace the Lord's leading under Pastor Dave.

Thank you Crossroads for continued faithfulness during this time of transition.

Our Setlist:
Angie Mahek, one of House Church pastor's wives and praise team member, is my hero for stepping in to do the announcements last minute when the announcement guy was not available to do them. Thanks Angie!

Man of Sorrows
A Mighty Fortress is our God
Prayer for our Guatemala Missions team that leaves next Saturday
The Stand
Message: Renew - Wendell Anderson
Prayer of confirmation for Pastor Dave and family - Mike Sloan - Chairman of the Elder board
A few words from our new pastor and closing prayer - Dave Vance
Exit Song: A Mighty Fortress

To watch our entire service on line go to www.crossroadswired.com

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

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2014 is gone

2014 is gone, but man was it ever full.

It was full of God granted moments to grow in Him, to know Him more - these moments happened at Crossroads, in Cambodia, at the STORY conference and the Willowcreek Leadership Summit. Opportunities too many to list - but opportunities I don't take for granted.

We lost our founding pastor and his amazing family, but God gave us a great new pastor and family to take their place. This family has been brought to us to lead us into 2015 and beyond and we're SO ready.

God took some dear friends home to be with Him in 2014 and we miss them terribly, but He also gave some new lives that we have already come to cherish and are honored to begin to build into.

And as the year drew to an end - the final event of 2014 was Christmas at Crossroads. I had the honor of sharing the night with many of my best friends and my family.

Christmas at Crossroads' final night/left to right
Eric Biddle, Jocelyn Biddle Nicolas, Aaron Nicolas and me

This event was the culmination of a year for me personally that I'll always remember. Without a lead pastor it was really a different leadership experience. We were all forced to take even more ownership of every little detail then ever before, and everyone did. Everyone stepped up big time! It's been a blessing to be part of!!

So now together as family, as friends and fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord we've pushed through and we're ready to move into the next year - and I can hardly wait to get 2015 started!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Final Christmas report

The flu took our family down after Christmas - so I'm just getting around to posting all the pictures!

It was a great time of gathering together with 4,000 of our friends at Crossroads as we celebrated the birth of Christ! This is a sample of what our nights contained as we worshipped the King!

To watch the entire service go to crossroadswired.com