Livin' Large

We kick off a new 3-week series this Sunday called, "Livin' Large." We will talk about Big Prayers, Big Sacrifice & Big Vision. This weekend is prayer. I'm excited about this series...I think it contains a lot of stuff we need to hear from God on. We've had some good weekends lately so let's keep the momentum going...bring a friend Sunday.

Sunday

Mother's Day was a great day at Crossroads. We had 139 people in attendance and most of them left with teary eyes. Hannah, mother of Samuel, was the focus of the message Sunday. What a great Mother! I was thinking the other day...women have it tough...you have the Proverbs 31 woman...Hannah...Moses's mother (Jochebed)...and countless other examples of women who raised the bar of Motherhood. But I'll have to say, we have a lot of great mother's in our church. Two of those mother's were honored in a special way on Sunday. We gave two of our members, who are single moms, a special gift. We gave them each a money tree with a gas card, Chili's card & Wal-mart card totalling $300.00. It was pretty sweet...they didn't have a clue...it rocked! Hope you guys called your mom...sent her a card...something. If you didn't you can always call today...no you can't it's too late! You're in trouble. Have a nice day!

Instructions

On a Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping.
On a bag of Fritos: ..You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
On a bar of Dial soap: "Directions: Use like regular soap."
On some Swanson frozen dinners: "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom): "Do not turn upside down."
On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: "Product will be hot after heating."
On packaging for a Rowenta iron: "Do not iron clothes on body."
On Boot's Children Cough Medicine: "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
On Nytol Sleep Aid: "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
On most brands of Christmas lights: "For indoor or outdoor use only."
On Sunsbury's peanuts: "Warning: contains nuts."
On an American Airlines packet of nuts: "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
On a child's superman costume: "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."

I remember one time I had to put a bouncing horse together for the girls. I didn't read the instructions. I saw instructions as a waste of time. However, after the horse was finished I still had a leftover part. I threw it to the side thinking it was unimportant or just an extra. After closer investigation of the horse I noticed it was leaning a little. The leftover part was needed but I would have to take it all apart and start from the beginning...which I wasn't willing to do. So, the girls rode a crooked horse for the next couple years. Reading the instructions takes time, but one thing is for sure...you'll get it done right by taking that time. It works the same way for us as believers. Reading our instructions (Bible) takes time, but it will keep our lives on the right track. So, if you feel like you're riding a crooked horse in your walk with Christ, check your manual...you probably need to make some adjustments.

Tuesday Thoughts

The service Sunday was great! The band sounded awesome and I tag-teamed with James for the message. The challenge of the message was pretty simple...take your next step. Every Sunday we walk into the church and stand at a crossroad. It doesn't matter where you're at in your walk with Christ, you are still standing at a crossroad. You will choose to pursue Christ more in your life or back away. The decision is yours.
We came back Sunday night for the Gathering. We looked at Acts 5 and focused on the leadership of the 1st church. The way those guys lived is unbelievable. Their lives were forever changed after Jesus ascended to heaven and growth for their church became a natural thing. I'm convinced we will never have any problems with church growth, if we will live our lives as they did.
Next Sunday is Mother's Day. Call your mom and bring her to church. You don't want to miss this Sunday, I promise. We are going to do something I've never heard of and it's going to rock. Don't miss it!

Men's Retreat

Today, we head out for the Men's Retreat. This is one of those events I always look forward to...where a man can be a man...this is where we all grunt and beat our chest. Seriously, the retreats are always fun and Chris does a great job with the teaching & activities. This year we will be playing golf on Saturday which is something we don't normally do. I don't think we have too many golfers at our church but that will make it even better. I've got a feeling "fore" will be a popular word tomorrow. We'll try and be in bed by 9:00 tonight. Have a great Friday!

Humbled

I was very reluctant to write this post but here it goes. Last Saturday, I entered a Singles Table Tennis Tournament here in Jonesboro along with P. Weese. Shooters Pool Hall got the tournament together to raise money for MDA and I thought it would be fun to check out the local Ping Pong talent and donate to a good cause. Honestly, I thought I was a fairly good pinger...nothing on ESPN or anything...but I figured I could hold my own with most people around this area. We have a lot of guys that play table tennis at the church and our tournaments are pretty competitive. So going in...I felt pretty good. However, that all changed upon arrival. There were only 8 guys (counting the two of us) in the tournament. Out of those 6 other guys, I could see at least 4 that were going to be tough to beat. After warming up, some dude comes out with a single-elimination bracket that he had just drawn up. I was up first against a guy from City Water & Light. The games were a race to 11 points and a race to 5 games. I played 5 games. He beat me 5 in a row. One time, he served 3 in a row that never touched my paddle. It hit me in the knuckle every time. I vowed I would keep this a secret, but there were certain people in attendance that I know can't keep a secret...so it might as well come from me. Phillip won his first match but got the same results I got in round 2 from a kid about 16 yrs. old. He had a brother about 13 yrs. old in the tournament and I thank the good Lord I didn't have to play him. The guy I played actually won the tournament and beat the older kid 5 to 1 so that's the only thing that made my inner wounds feel better. I walked away last Saturday a very humbled ping pong player. Any ability I thought I had was removed on that day. There were two guys from City Water & Light in the tournament and they said they play ping pong every single day. I thought...that's pretty stinkin' obvious. Those dudes were good. First, I was mad...I hate getting beat...Second, I was depressed...I hate getting beat...Lastly, I was humbled and realized I'm not really that great at ping pong. Being humbled is tough but it's good for us. Just when I think I'm really giving God something...sacrificing for Him...or using my time for Him...I read about what he does for me. In group last night we talked about 1 John 4...real love. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. If that doesn't humble you, I'm not sure what will.

Leadership

Leadership is huge in the church. I read a story in Exodus 32 today where the Israelites made a golden calf to worship. Moses was on the mountain receiving the commandments that they were in the middle of breaking. Aaron was apparently the guy they turned to for leadership since Moses was with God. The people told Aaron to make them a god since Moses was no where in sight. Aaron did as they asked and the people were worshipping the idol when Moses came down from the mountain. 3,000 men died that day. Because Moses was away, they turned to Aaron for leadership and he made a mistake. He did what most people would do in that situation. He gave the people what they asked for, an idol. The problem was, God wanted to be their idol...their only idol. Aaron messed up because he listened to the people rather than listening to God. If you are a leader in any area of the church, it's easy to just do what the people say. That's the easy way out...even though it never works out. God is looking for people who will please Him...even if it goes against the popular vote. Who will you please? God or man?