How does God speak to us?

      Is it really possible to talk or communicate with God?  As we all know, there are plenty of people around who claim that God talks to them.  A couple of years ago I read about a man that was personally taken on a “tour” of Heaven and then sent back down to earth to share what it was like.  That brings up a good question, though, does God talk directly only to a select group?  Does He speak audibly to anyone today?  Has He ever?  Does He listen?  Let’s dive in and find the answers in Scripture!

God Speaks Through What He Has Made

     Growing up in California has its advantages.  Seeing the great Sequoia trees in the mountains of Fresno or taking in the awesome beauty of the waterfalls of Yosemite National Park gives just a small glimpse of the greatness of our God!  Psalm 19:1-4 says,

“¹The heavens declare the glory of God;

     And the firmament shows His handiwork.

²    Day unto day utters speech,

     And night unto night reveals knowledge.

³    There is no speech nor language

     Where their voice is not heard.

⁴    Their line has gone out through all the earth,

     And their words to the end of the world.”

According to this Bible passage, God is constantly talking to us through His material universe—in a universal language! We would do well to stop and smell the roses more often!

God Speaks Through Supernatural Acts

True, creation tells of God’s glory and ways but He has also spoken through some unusual acts of intervention in the course of history and time.  In the Bible (Exodus 5-12) we have the story of the children of Israel in bondage to Egypt.  Moses was the one chosen by God to go to Pharaoh and demand that he release the children of Israel from captivity.  As Pharaoh refused to believe in the God of Moses, he hardened his heart against the Lord.  Then God said to Moses,

“⁵And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”  Exodus 7:5

It was part of God’s strategy to display His glory in bringing His children out of bondage.  It also taught Israel a lesson to be careful to believe in the Lord as Moses declared to Israel,

       “³⁵To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.” Deuteronomy 4:35

The miracles of Jesus Himself were intended by God to speak to us:

“³⁰And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”  John 20:30-31

Miracles are real.  They have happened before and still happen today.  God is speaking through them to remind us of His power and greatness.

God Speaks to Us Today Through the Bible

As one writer puts it, “God in Christ came to us wrapped in swaddling clothes, so the word of God comes to us wrapped in the words of these men—in this human form.”   The Bible gives us a sharp resolution of who God is and what He wants from us.  But the question arises, ‘Can God reveal something “outside” of what the Bible says?’  Here are a couple of guidelines to help us stay ON COURSE with the truth of God:

If the Gospel that is Preached is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ,  Then God did not speak to them!

“⁶I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”  Galatians 1:6-9

If What They Say Does NOT Agree with the Bible, then God Did Not Speak to Them!

“¹⁹And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”  Isaiah 8:19

A Trip with a Lesson

One theme in Scripture that strikes me every Christmas is the worship of the Christ-child.  The account of the Magi stands out as the height of this theme in Matthew 2:1-12.  The opening verses in chapter two states, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."   These strangers appear on the scene suddenly, declaring that they have seen “His” star in the East and desiring to worship the One “born King of the Jews”.  They have come a great distance to follow after a star they call “His star” that “went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was” (v.9b).  Just imagine the terrain and time that it took to make this journey.  This is not a whimsical decision to present valuable gifts to the King.  No, no—this was a sacrifice of great proportions.  All of this—to worship!  Think about that.  This was the greatest of honors to be in the presence of the King and give Him homage through their gifts.  God was calling them, that much is sure.  The star and the prophecy from Micah gave them the directions to find the Messiah but they had to make the commitment to follow and worship.

Fast forward to today: we are still called to follow the revelation of God in the Bible and worship the Lord Jesus. This time of year is a great reminder of the highest calling for believers to worship the King. This is what the Lord put into the heart of Abraham, David, and the Magi—to follow and worship. I want to encourage you this Christmas to set your heart’s desire upon worshipping the Lord everyday. There is so much joy and grace in kneeling before the Lord Jesus and giving Him the treasures of your heart—I promise you will never regret it!

Blessings, Pastor George

Shame on Us

Greetings to the U.S.A.,

Well my dear countrymen, we have now entered a time and era that is unprecedented in our lifetime. The country that I live in has gone the way of Sodom--it is seeking out Gomorrah. Let me be clear, our beloved country has been going in this depraved direction for a long time but yesterday the United States took a definitive step to affirm immoral practices in public policy that will greatly change the nature of our country. This is simply a matter of moving down the list of Romans 1 and the progressive march from idol worship and the worship of the creation to affirming a public policy of homosexuality. My fellow citizens, the Bible describes this as the last stage in God giving people over to the consequences of their sin. This did not result in blessing for Israel nor for other kingdoms throughout history and the consequence will not benefit the United States of America. How can we escape the judgment coming upon the nation? Return to the Lord! He is the Judge of all the earth. This God loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and bring us eternal life. Our corruption as a nation has reached a boiling point and will consume us from the inside out if we do not turn to the Lord by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can shelter us from the coming wrath.

Dear fellow citizens, every nation and kingdom has fallen and within the account of the collapse is a corruption of values and character. This is upon us now as our country has willingly taken some deadly steps toward same sex marriage, legal use of marijuana, and abortion on demand. Today is day 1...and it will not end well for the good ol' US of A unless we return to the Lord.

Shame on Us....Shame on Us

Walking in grace, Pastor George

My Brother's Keeper Sunday

In the past election, the economy was a huge factor. We realize that things are difficult for everyone financially. This is why we deeply appreciate the financial support you share with Crossroads on a regular basis. It has always been our commitment to use your dollars in the most effective way possible. We watch the expenses closely and look to get the best value we can.


As most of you know, we provide Financial Peace University on a regular basis. I believe in the program and in the principles that Dave Ramsey teaches. The leadership team has based our stewardship strategy on those principles. We remain dedicated to that strategy. In keeping with that strategy, we have made the following decisions.

1) We have cut staff salaries by $120 per week. It is not something we wanted to do, but the circumstances demanded it. We appreciate the staff and all the hard work they do. They have always gone above and beyond what we have expected.

2) We have indefinitely suspended doing the 3% for debt reduction. Given the current economic situation, we felt that we should be focused on funding our current programing and making our regular mortgage payment. Over one thousand dollars ($1000) of each offering goes just to cover the mortgage payment. The leadership team is still dedicated to reducing our debt. We will be discussing and proposing some future changes to our stewardship strategy in regard to it.

As difficult and challenging as things are financially for us as a congregation, they are even more so for those in our community who are poor. While you and I can financially “tighten our belts”, those who are less fortunate struggle for food, paying basic utilities, and even having gas in their car to go to work. This is where our benevolence ministry “My Brother’s Keeper” is desperately needed.

MBK is funded in several ways. First, it is funded through the two garage sales we have every year. Many of you have generously donated of your time and items for the sales. We also fund it through using the PayLess gift cards. Three percent (3%) of what you put on the card before you shop is donated to the ministry. You can use the gift card to buy groceries and even pay for gas as well.

Another way you can help MBK is to utilize their other program for purchasing gift cards for many popular restaurants and retail stores. These make great Christmas gifts and a percentage of price is given back to help those in need. For example, if you purchase ten $5 Starbucks cards, 10% of your $50 would be given to MBK. See Becky Holladay or Stacy Tilton for a list of merchants that participate in the program or use this link https://www.glscrip.com/downloads/2012giftguides/holiday_gift_guide1.pdf

The final way that we fund My Brother’s Keeper is through the second of our two annual special offerings. On November 18th, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we will be taking up a special offering and ALL funds received will go to MBK. Remember this is a SPECIAL offering and should be “over and above” your regular tithing and giving to the church. It will NOT include any funds given online through our e-Give system. That means that you must come prepared to give either by a check or cash on that Sunday.

Please pray about this, and seek God’s direction. You folks blew my mind with the record special offering on Easter. I know that even in difficult times, God is still in control. Let your thankfulness and generosity be expressed as you consider how much you should give. As you do that, know this, that the funds you allow God to provide through you will make the difference in someone’s life. It will allow MBK to be the answer to a desperate person’s prayer for assistance.

See You Sunday,
Mike

On Election Day

With election day coming close I wanted to bring a little biblical advice before you step behind the curtain—vote based on character notcharisma.  One account from 1 Samuel 10 sticks out to me: Saul was head and shoulders above the people with a handsome countenance and no one was like him in all Israel (v.23-24).  However, with all of the affirmation of the outward appearance, there was not a corresponding inward desire to obey the Lord.  In others words, Saul looked the part but history would prove that he was far from the ideal leader.  Time and time again Saul was presented with the opportunity to do the will of the Lord and, time and time again, he did the wrong thing.  You see, dear friends, real leadership is built upon character not charisma.  Leadership is leading people to do what is right time after time.  In selecting any leader it is important to look beyond the charisma that a leader brings.  Don’t get me wrong—charisma is a good thing.  But effective leadership is not simply about charisma but it is built upon the character of the leader and you know character through experience.  Helpful questions in discerning character are, “Has this person proven that he is a capable leader over a long period of time?”, “Has he met with adversity and overcome it?”, “Can I trust this person based upon his past leadership experiences to lead the country in the right way?”  and most importantly, “Would the Lord be honored with the policies and values that this person holds?”  I would ask you, dear Christian, look beyond charisma and vote character on election day. 

In Christ,  Pastor George               

Important Decisions

Here I am again, trying to establish the practice of blogging. If at first you don’t succeed, try again, again, and again I guess. I feel that the need to open up this important line of communication with members and friends of Crossroads. I hope that it can be an avenue for discussion and greater understanding.

 Things around here are moving fast. We are already in the midst of our Fall programing. This month is filled with lots of events for both families and individuals. I will not mention everything that is going on, so please check the church website for full list of what’s going on.

 We are really focusing on keep the website current. Sunday, we had our very first “official” meeting of our newly expanded eldership. I am really excited with the current make up of our leadership team. Each person brings a unique and valuable prospective to the table. As usually, we had some important decisions that we needed to make.

 Dave Nance and I reported on a seminar we attended in Indianapolis on church compliance with the legal requirements of government. It was, as I anticipated, an eye opening experience for both of us. Basically, we learned that the government at all levels is looking very closely a churches and non-profits to see if they can get some revenue. As far as the federal government, they have created lots of new laws that we need to comply with or face fines, assessments, and even possible revocation of our non-profit status. This could mean that our members would no longer be able to claim their tithes and offerings on their taxes. In other words, these matters are serious issues that must be properly addressed.

 In order to bring our congregation into full compliance with current law, the elders have made three important decisions I want you to be aware of. First off, the leadership unanimously decided to engage the services of StartChurch to assist us through this entire process of reviewing and updating our structure and processes. StartChurch is a company dedicated to helping churches deal with the increased scrutiny by the IRS. With over 12 years of extensively researching the laws that govern religious and non-profit organizations, they have compiled over 80 effective and user friendly manuals, using simple day-to-day language, and compliance software that makes church starts and management easier.

 We have contracted with them to help us do a full audit of all our internal and financial processes, to incorporate our congregation, to update our constitution and by-laws, and resubmit our non-profit and tax exempt status to the state and federal governments. It will take the better part of year to complete this process. We will do our best to keep you informed as it goes forward. It is an expensive, but absolutely necessary process.

 The second important decision dealt with our associate minister Dave Nance. Those of you who have been around here a while know the background. Dave has been an integral part of Crossroads for nearly a decade. He was our first paid student minister. A few years ago, Dave began internship with me preparing him for ordination. This included both practical coaching as well as intensive study program. We were extremely proud to ordain him as an evangelist and minister of the gospel.

 I cannot tell how much I appreciate Dave’s work as our associate minister. He has been my right hand in the ministry here. The only difficulty has been that there is no provision for an unpaid associate minister in our structure or leadership. Dave has always been a voice on the leadership team, without an official seat at the table. We needed to correct this.

 The leadership team unanimously decided to appoint Dave Nance to immediately begin serving as an elder of Crossroads until the December congregational meeting. At that meeting, we will vote on Dave as a congregation. I have no doubt that he will serve this congregation well in that capacity. Please keep him in your prayers as his responsibilities shift.

 The third decision that was made in the meeting was the selection of a chairman. In the past, our leadership team was not formally structured with an official chairman. One of the lessons learned from the StartChurch conference was legal importance of such a structure, and need for such a position. This position is even more important now as we move forward in this process.

 The leadership team unanimously determined that Dave Nance would be the best person to serve as our chairman this year. There were a number of reasons for this. One, he attended the seminar and is already up to speed on the process of review with StartChurch. Two, he is a detailed, high organized individual. Working through this process is going to require such person to keep it on track. Finally, Dave will have the time and availability to communicate and coordinate this process with StartChurch. He and I will continue to work closely with each other. The leadership team will also be greatly involved in this whole process as well.

 As members of Crossroads, your participation in this process is going to be vital. We will keep you updated as things progress. I am certain that we will have some special congregational meetings to properly approve any changes made to our existing structural documents. I am equally certain that this audit and review is going to make us a better church as well as legally compliant with current law.

 I want to close by encouraging you to consider your financial support of Crossroads. We are currently running nearly two hundred dollars behind our approved budget each week. Unless we see a significant increase in support these final months of the year, this shortfall will have to be reflected in next year’s budget.

 If you have not signed up for e-give yet, please do so. The link can be found at crossroadschristianchurch.net If you need any assistance, ask Stephanie Guinn. She will be happy to help you. Try it, and I think you will like it. Even if you only use it to give a onetime gift, it will be greatly appreciated at this time.

 I also ask for you to remember the leadership and the staff in your daily prayers. We live in exciting and challenging times. The key is going to be leaders guided by God's guidance and wisdom.

See You Sunday!
Mike

I believe in Aliens!

That's right--you heard me say it--I believe in Aliens!  First, there have been some super cool movies about aliens (just see the new movie Men in Black 3).  Second, there have been some strange cloud formations in the sky (besides the happy face and sheep).  Third, I saw a guy the other day with green and purple spiked hair.  And finally, there must be Aliens because there is no other reason why God's people would walk away from their Lord.  The prophet Jeremiah says it this way, "Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods?  But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit...For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jer. 2:11, 13)  Crazy right?  But this is not something that just happened in Jeremiah's day--it is happening today at an alarming rate.  People who have made a profession of faith only to walk away from following Jesus Christ soon thereafter.  Jesus described this kind of faith as the seed that falls on shallow, rocky or thorny ground and soon fades away.  It is sad to see someone so "on-fire" for God and then slowly fall away.  My friend, hold fast to Christ and seek Him first and foremost in your life.    

Beware the aliens!  :)

Walking in grace, George

Giving a Gift

It was one of the best moments I have ever had as a dad when I gave a 1984 Camaro to my son last month.  He couldn't believe it and I was just so happy to give it to him.  It was a moment that continues to teach me the value of giving a gift that means something.  As you can see from the picture, this car is not a toy (but boy is it fun to drive!).  It would have been entirely inappropriate to give him this car at the age of 10 years old or even 15 when he was learning how to drive.  No, the time was right, the car was right and most of all for dad, the price was right!
Now, ride with me down the road with this thought...It got me to thinking about how we try to force the things we want from our heavenly Father when we are clearly not ready for whatever reason.  I sometimes get in the mode of wanting God to move on MY time, with MY agenda, and at MY price!  I know it is an old cliche but it works here--"good things come to those who wait."  Well, the truth is, the Lord brings us His good in His time at the price of His blood poured out on the cross.  Makes me think of how good the Lord is and how impatient and rushed we are.  If only my heart would wait on the Lord and trust in His gracious hand to provide for me exactly what I need.  After all, His love is extravagant toward His children! (1 John 3:1).  Just like Jesus said, "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asksfor a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Not sure about you but I'm kinda hoping maybe there's a camaro with my name on it!!!  ;)

Walking in grace, George

God is not into visiting us ; He wants to invade our lives!

Hey guys, it's Malene here again. I thought I'd just bless you guys with a lil post I wrote earlier

‘’ These glasses are for the visitors, no one touches them!’’ sounds familiar?

Y’all know what it’s like when you have visitors. I mean you clean up the whole house; you get rid of the sand paper and put real toilet paper in the bathroom

Because the visitors are coming, you buy biscuits and if the kids dare to touch it they’re dead because it’s for the visitors. You tell the kids to put on their best behaviors and all that for the visitors. Once the visitors are gone it’s back to world war 3 again in the house!!

Well maybe my introduction was a bit too much or i was exaggerating but you ,guys ,all know when you receive or you parents are expecting important visitors: you suddenly turn into an Angel of the Lord!! Hallelujah can I get a witness... just one??

The thing about visitors is that you know exactly when they are coming, you are expecting them and they always call before visiting. They also never stay for too long before you know it they are gone.

Let’s take a look at this verse in John 1: 14 (msg) : The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

The bible says that the word moved into the neighborhood,

You see when someone is coming to invade your life they don’t call and let you know ,they just come and take full control.

Some of us Christians are like: “God, you take control of my life on Sunday I take care of my life from Monday to Saturday; God, you take control of my spiritual life I take control of my secular life! You take care of my kids during Sunday school I do the parenting the rest of the week!

My friend, God wants to have full control of your life. He is not a visiting God; He is a life filling, invading, hope giving, and life transforming God!

Some of us have been Christians for quite a long time and still feel like our lives haven’t changed much since we were born again and saved.

You see this is because we do not want to totally surrender our lives to Him, not For God to control us but for Him to transform us.

John continues in this verse describing Jesus as being Generous inside and out true from start to finish! Just by reading this I am already captivating by this One-of-a-Kind God’s son. I want someone like Him to not just visit but to invade my life so that I can be made just like Him: generous, true from start to finish…

I am writing this just to tell you how I once was thinking that God only was visiting my life and never really wanted to stay for long, oh how I was wrong!

As a result of that whilst being a Christian I settled only for a once a week God encounter every Sunday I’ll go to church and the rest of the week I’ll be doing my own thing, ruling my own life, I was my own Boss well at least I thought I was,

But I was wrong, for sin was in fact the boss of me!

Something in me, you see, was still empty I wanted to encounter God for myself and have a deep relationship with Him but I didn’t know how to formulate my desire into a prayer. How I really wanted to experience the Jesus that I have heard so many other Christians testify about every Sunday. I also wanted to have a testimony.

But praise be to God, as I couldn’t reach out to him and cry out, He instead stretched His hand towards me and reached out to me. Instead of giving me a testimony He made my life a living testimony.

Now as I lay my life down daily as a living sacrifice to Him not only has He invaded my entire life, He has transformed me into a new being.

My friend today God is knocking at the door of your hearts for some of you wanting you to let him in so He can invade you,

For others you might have let Him in but only gave him a portion of your life. For example, someone gives you a house. The person says I give you complete ownership of the house but you realize that he only has given you the keys to the living room and locked every other room in the house!! This is exactly how God feels in your life. He feels left out. He wants to be part of your daily life; He wants to be your partner in this life and why not in eternity!

God doesn’t want to visit your life my friend, He wants to invade your life 24/7 and come bring change and transformation and that only happens in a special place.

It is a place where you are willing to lay down your life as a living sacrifice, where you lay everything at the altar

Where you recognize that on your own you can do nothing but with God you can do all things!

Some of us are in a certain place where there is hurt, pain, discomfort, challenge, and unforgiveness let me tell you that nothing is ever too big for our God. Impossible is not in His vocabulary.

Let God get into that dark place and bring healing, restoration, life and liberty.

That place is where you are now, in your church in you house in your university in your circle of friends in your ministry and we often don’t like that place cause it’s uncomfortable. We wish our lives were different but you have to understand that the pathway to your destiny is often paved with discomfort, inconvenience, obstacles, challenges and hurdles and in order to fulfill what God has for us there are obstacles, challenges that we need to face but we do not need to get stressed out about them because Jesus said He has overcome the world!

Don’t walk out on that place; don’t leave the place where God has planted you.

Allow God to be God in your life. Don’t detest that place and turn around and acknowledge Him in that place. In your darkest, driest hour He is there.

We serve a God of incredible love, incredible mercy the One who says that He has a place in His kingdom for you and me.. Stop thinking ‘man I am not good enough for God,” you know what none of us are’.  It’s about Him and how amazing He is, how he wants to invade your life.

And I believe that for some of us, the first place we have to take it’s the place where we put Jesus first in our life. Not where you have a religious encounter once a week on a Sunday but where you put Him in the right place in your life and everything else will fall into place in your life.

Sound Familiar?

"Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple...So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:25-27

Well...this is different! I thought you could believe anything or do anything and be a disciple of Jesus! Wait a second Jesus, this isn't what I expected. Are you saying that I can't live my life for my kids or my family? Does this mean that You want me to follow You first above and beyond all other relationships? But Lord, "hate" is such a strong word! I'm not sure about this teaching Jesus--it sounds like You are calling me to lay down my life in order to follow You..."bear his cross"--that sounds like death to me! They say that You are the Messiah and the Christ but all I really need You for is some more bread and fish. Hey, Hey, Hey--easy does it Jesus--Your sermons are getting a little too tough and harsh--who do You think you are--God! I've got lots of people in my life and lots of OTHER priorities besides You...What do you expect me to do, spend all my time with YOU? Listen Jesus, You are a great teacher and we really like You but my family is just not "feeling it" You know what I mean? Oh, we'll be back when the fish and bread come around. Thanks but no thanks Jesus.

Sound familiar?

Walking in grace, Pastor George

Getting Over Your Ex & Heartbreak

 

Hey girls, it's Malene here :D 

Malene- Public Relations Officer

This is just a post based on our last video called " getting over your ex and heart break"

and without further ado I’m going straight to the point( sounded like a teacher, lol)

Firstly, I want to tell you ladies that you were created by God and for God and only Him can fill any need in you. 

you were created for a purpose that is to  'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence'(mat 22:37-40 msg bible)

Sometimes as humans we get into some situations and things don’t  always go our way so we try to get out of them. We fight with our own strength and find it difficult to come out.

So I’m going to go through two main reasons why we girls sometimes find it really hard to get over our ex and heart break even when we know for sure that the other sex has wronged us; yet we still find ourselves going back to the same place.

1. Unforgiveness : this a very dangerous thing that can hold us captive and slowly kills us if we do not deal with it. Our sister Nickella used a god example to portrait unforgiveness she said it is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die instead.  It is a spiritual poison that enemy often uses to softly kill us and without even us knowing it!!

Whatever grudge that you are holding on to,  please release it my friend and Forgive. I know it is not easy to.
 I'll give you another example the Bible tells that we should be like children in a way such as when you upset a kid they cry, weep, moan but they do not hold grudge against the person who offended them. The next minute they come running back to them even after all the crying and drama they did. This how we should also be, like a child; try to forgive and to love our neighbours even our enemies. 

Be careful not to try to do this on your own, as good as our intentions are , our human nature will always fail us for it can not forgive. We need to ask God to help us forgive and break any stronghold that we may have. that's why it is good sister to have a relationship with the Lord; for you see when you are in Christ you become a new person and you bare the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control... forgiveness opens doors for you to get closer to the father. 

2. Breaking attachments: how many of you know how painful it is to break up with someone? I mean you literally cry your heart out. Can someone please testify with me here lol

We might be willing to move on, what if we have forgiven the person but we find ourselves attached to them and can not let go of them because we are scared, thinking we have so much to lose?

Let me tell you something; everything happens for a reason, if God takes a person away from you it is because it has a better one in store for you.

Our sister Benedicte said something that really spoke to my heart and which I never thought of whilst being a Christian and that is : to plead the blood of Jesus Christ and break the attachment. 

I can not emphasise enough on how important it is for you to have a relationship with the Lord which is far more worth than having every man bowing at your feet.( literally)

After you have broken the attachment, the string that was holding you back on your journey is broken. Now my friend you can carry on, in your walk. another step closer to the Lord, He is waiting for you start moving forward before it reveals his grace, love, glory, and power in and through you.

Now, I'm going to give you some practical tips to help during this season of your life.

The first thing is if you find yourself attached to the person maybe you should consider to stop being  on the phone with him till like 4am in the morning. Sounds silly, but it’s a trap many of us fall into.

Things like Facebook stalking will not help you to get over him, it will just push you to do the opposite.

Texting him things like “I still miss you" when what you really want is a way to not feel the same toward the person. All these things are things that we overlook, but in fact it’s the small steps you take that bring you that step closer to totally getting over him!

One thing I wanted to remind us of is to use wisdom,  to ask the Lord to help in our decision

again the Bible says lean not on your own understanding, but trust the Lord .

He created you so He knows what is best for you, I believe the Lord has so much in store for us ladies. We are the apple of His eyes, and He desires to protect us.

He wants our attention turn towards Him and Him alone.

So if you feel like the Lord is taking people away from you or like no one understands you it is because He desires to be your everything.

We serve a God who will only work through once you surrender and give everything unto Him. He has plans to prosper us and trust your Daddy in heaven to bring to you the present and that is a man worthy enough to deserve the princess you are.

As I am bringing this to an end, I would like to use this opportunity to tell you sister that if you haven't already made the Lord Jesus Christ you everything then what are you waiting for? I know one thing that He is sitting at the edge of His seat waiting for you to invite Him, to spend life with and for you to know Him personally. And that is sister the best decision you can ever make in your entire life!!

God bless you. If you ever need to talk or some advice: email us at christianchickz@hotmail.co.uk or call our advice line: 07949988078 

Discipleship Strategy 2012

Dear Members of Crossroads Christian Church,

Crossroads is being transformed by God into a more effective tool for His Kingdom. This process is going to require significant changes to the way we do things and how we define membership. We have determined that we need to better clarify our mission and align our discipleship strategy with it.

We need a simpler and more direct strategy for making fully developed disciples. Every member and every convert should know HOW Crossroads does discipleship. For example if you had a friend or family member accept Jesus Christ, what would you tell them to do FIRST after being baptized?

To that end, it has been decided that after Sunday, February 26th, Crossroads will no longer have traditional Sunday school. This decision was not made lightly. Back in 2006, the leadership team formed a group tasked with doing an in-depth study of small groups. It was the unanimous recommendation of that group that we transition to small groups. It is time to make that transition complete.

Beginning with the first Sunday in March we will be concentrating all our efforts on making our worship experience awesomely inspiring to believers and compelling the lost. It will begin with what we are calling "Open Connection" at 9:30am. This will be a time of open fellowship. There will be pastries and coffee. Our children's area will be open to provide fun childcare while their parents mingle and talk.

During the month of March, we will be retooling our small group structure and recruiting facilitators and/or host locations. Our intention is to launch our new groups on Easter Sunday. They will meet on a weekly basis. It will be important for every member to be a part of a small group. The curriculum will be carefully selected to challenge each of us to be transformed more like Christ.

Joining a small group will be the NEXT step in our discipleship strategy. When someone comes to Christ, they will be encouraged to commit to a small group. The group curriculum will help them grow in their spiritual walk. The relationships they develop will encourage them to remain strong.

One of the main objectives of each group will be to challenge members to serve. This is the NEXT step in our strategy. We want everyone to be involved in ministry. Our ministry teams are the critical element at this point in the process. It is through serving that we begin to find our purpose in the body of Christ.

The FINAL step in our discipleship strategy will be to develop a greater personal sense of God's Great Commission. Each of us is called to making disciples in our own way. Our intention is to facilitate members being involved in a variety of mission opportunities locally, nationally, and cross-culturally. This will hopefully sensitize their hearts for the lost and lead them to guide others to Jesus Christ.

There are many details yet to be worked out. However, we wanted to keep everyone informed as these changes develop. As always, your input is greatly appreciated, as is your prayers.

The leadership Team
Ron Holladay, Fred Townsend, Troy Yeoman, Dave Nance, Michael Duff