TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I’m looking forward to being with as many of you as possible this coming Sunday morning!  For the sermon, we’ll be in Revelation 8-9 — we continue our journey through a period of time at the end of the world known as the Tribulation, the end-time judgments of God.  These judgments are described in Revelation as the breaking of seals on a scroll, the blowing of trumpets, and the pouring out of God’s wrath from bowls in heaven.  The intensity increases, one judgment after the next, until we may finally be tempted to ask, “What’s the point of such horrific events?”  What possible positive work does God intend to accomplish through this Tribulation?  You may be surprised at the answers!

Thanks to all who set up, lead in worship, greet, bring refreshments, teach children, tear down, and more on Sunday mornings!  Come early this Sunday for some fellowship and time to prepare your mind for worship.

Thanks for remembering needs in prayer — Misha and family in Ukraine; Kaleb Vestal, recovering from an appendicitis; Michelle Mooneyham’s son, Adam, who was injured this week at work.  Also our missionaries — Tyrell & Rachel Shoemaker and family in Chicago; Jesse & Erica McCallister and family in Berlin; Colin Welch, preparing to serve with ReachGlobal (Ev. Free Church) in France.  Lawson and Shay Albey — preparing for Turkey with ReachGlobal — are now at 86% of their needed financial support and are beginning some initial steps toward learning Turkish!  Let’s remember them, too, in prayer!

Reminders

Youth Group This Sunday

I’m excited that our youth group (high school age and beyond) will start up again this Sunday right after the worship service!  Lunch will be served, and a new video study series called “The Power of Knowing God,” will begin.  Meet at Jessica’s.

Easter Breakfast

We’re planning breakfast together on Easter Sunday, April 9, at 9 a.m. at the Community Center.  This is always a fun time and an opportunity to invite family and friends.  We need some volunteers who will bring parts of the breakfast meal — things like biscuits, gravy, bacon, sausage, cinnamon rolls, eggs, tortilla shells, shredded cheese, butter, jelly, and hash browns are needed.  There will be a sign-up list at church on Sunday, or you can contact Heather V. or Julie K.  Thank you!

Church Directory

If you haven’t signed up for the new church directory, be sure to fill out one of the information forms in the back at worship on Sunday, or connect with Heather Hall.

Good Friday Worship Service

Everyone is invited to a community-wide Good Friday service sponsored by the Nevada Ministerial Alliance, April 7, at 7 pm, at First Presbyterian Church, 500 N. Olive Street.

Is It True?

Every year, as Easter approaches, I feel like there rises up within me a need to answer the question, “Is it true?”  Is the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection — and new life through faith in Him — true?  Can we trust the Bible’s message?

We’ve spent time at Crossroads in the past studying evidences for the Bible’s reliability — things like:

• Its remarkable unity — a book written over the course of 1500 years by 40 different authors, yet it contains a single, consistent message.
• Its prophecies. Between 1/4 and 1/3 of the Bible contains predictions of future events.  Many of those predictions have been fulfilled exactly as promised.  Others are waiting to be fulfilled.  So far, all have been correct.  No other religious book contains these kinds of historically accurate prophecies.
• Its survivability.  Rulers and influencers have attacked the Bible and attempted to remove it from the hands of ordinary people throughout history, yet it has survived and continues to be the #1 bestseller of all time.  Why?
• The testimony of archeology.  Archeological discovers in the Middle East have continually confirmed the truthfulness of the Bible accounts.
• The fact that Jesus believed the Bible of His day (what we call the Old Testament).  Jesus quoted and taught from the Old Testament writings.  If Jesus believed it was reliable, so can we!

Another indicator of the truthfulness of the Bible is the continued existence of the Jewish people, and their remarkable return to their land as a nation in 1948.  This gives added importance to what we’re studying on Sunday mornings in Revelation because Bible prophecies about the end-times can’t be fulfilled unless Israel is back in their land … and they are!  

God said to Abraham long ago:  “I am making an everlasting covenant with you, that through you and your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (primarily because through Abraham’s descendants would come the Savior of the world, Jesus).  God repeated this promise to Abraham’s children — Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, and the kings of Israel — over and over through the centuries.

God also told the people of Israel that if they disobeyed Him and worshiped other gods (which they did), He would send them out of their land and disperse them among all the nations of the earth (which He did).  But He did not forget His covenant; He reaffirmed it over and over.  One day, as He said to King David, He will set another king on David’s throne, one who will reign righteously forever.  

One of the purposes of the Tribulation judgments is to break the hardness of heart among the Jewish people concerning their Messiah so that some in Israel will receive Jesus, the Savior of Jews and Gentiles alike.  So, we’re watching history be fulfilled, and we’re being reminded — in Revelation and in current events — that the Bible, and therefore the Good News of new life in Christ — is true!

Personal

Just a few lines about what’s going on in my life:

Show choir season at NHS is almost over.  The final performance of our three shows will take place Monday, April 3, at 6 pm at the Performing Arts Center at the high school.  Would love to have you join us, especially if you didn’t see our shows earlier this year.  

I’m currently involved in rehearsals for the spring musical production of “Bye-Bye, Birdie” which will run May 4-6, at the high school.

I’ll be attending a pastor’s retreat in Springfield April 18 for our Evangelical Free Church pastors in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas.  I’m looking forward to that connection time.  I continue to enjoy my Thursday morning times of accountability and prayer with Jeff Robinson (First Christian Church) and Steve Russ (LifeWalk).  They (we) pray for you, too!  I hope you’ll pray for us!

As for my family…

• Emma and Jason and family are planning a spring move from Tampa to Albert City, Iowa, where Jason has been called as Senior Pastor at the Evangelical Free Church of Albert City (Northwest Iowa, about 6 1/2 hours from Nevada.)
• Annie is preparing organ and piano music for her church’s Easter services and is busy giving piano lessons to a growing number of children.  Her little Fiona just got new (pink!) glasses.
• Andrew and Molly are doing well in Sherwood, Oregon (about a half-hour outside of Portland), each one growing personally and professionally.
• Betsy and Dan are settling into married life and have had special opportunities recently to be a blessing to some extended members of Dan’s family.
• Billy will graduate from med school in May and has been placed at KU Hospital in Wichita for his residency.  He and Hannah will move to Wichita later this spring.
• Sam has been accepted to stay on for an additional two years at Sky Ranch in Texas and, as part of the program, will have his Masters of Divinity degree studies paid for through Dallas Baptist University.  I enjoyed some time with Sam over Spring Break.  We had fun playing tennis, eating out, and visiting Dallas.  
• I had time with Esther and Evan over Spring Break as well.  They are growing in life and making plans for the summer.

Have a good end of the week!  I hope to see you Sunday morning!

— Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

Just a few quick reminders and answers to prayer!

If you’re in town this Sunday morning, join the family for worship at 10:00 at the Community Center.  We’re going to take a special look at God’s plan for families and children.  God has blessed some of us with children and grandchildren of our own; others among us will one day have children; and all of us in the Body of Christ are spiritual moms and dads, aunts and uncles, and cousins!  How does God help us grow happy, healthy families!  What an important part that is of our journey with the Lord!  We’ll have a good time this Sunday!  Hope you can join us!  

If you’ve missed these two Sundays on either side of Spring Break, please be sure to catch up on sermons on the Crossroads Facebook page!

We give praise to God for guiding Kaleb Vestal and family through these difficult days of a burst appendix, surgery, and recovery.  Thank you for your prayers.  Thanks to God for protecting Kaleb, thus far, from infection, and for renewing strength in his body!  Lord willing, he will go home from the hospital in the next couple of days!

Good news from one of our new missionaries!  Colin Smith, missionary candidate to France with ReachGlobal (Evangelical Free Church Mission) has reached 100% of his financial support!  Here are some ways Colin asks us to pray for him:

• Please pray for my visa application and interview next week to be approved.
• Please pray for God to give me wisdom and guidance throughout the final steps of preparing and saying goodbyes.
• Please continue to pray for my grandmother’s battle with cancer. She continues to respond well to her treatment, but her fight is still not over.

If you would like to stay in closer touch with Colin and/or receive his email updates, you can reach him at colin.welch@efca.org.  Be sure to let him know you’re from Crossroads Church in Nevada MO!

Don’t forget our Crossroads youth group is starting back up on March 26, right after worship, with a new video study series called “The Power of Knowing God.”  Meet at Jessica’s house, 402 S. Washington Street.  Lunch will be provided!

We’re making a new church directory!  Forms to fill out are available Sunday, or please reach out to Heather Hall so you can be included with all your correct contact information!

A community-wide Good Friday service, sponsored by the Nevada Ministerial Alliance, will be held at 7 pm on April 7 at First Presbyterian Church in Nevada.  All are welcome to attend.

Our previous hometown of Hermann, Missouri, was hit hard last week by the shooting of two police officers, one fatally.  As you think of it, please pray for the community and those closely affected.  A good friend of mine and member of Emmanuel Ev. Free Church is currently police chief in Hermann.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation” (Psalm 68:19).

— Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

Just a few notes before we come together this Sunday morning for worship at 10:00.  Don’t forget that our clocks move forward one hour Saturday night!  I hope to see you on time (or a little early!) at the Community Center this Sunday morning.  The sermon will be from Revelation 6-7 which is the beginning of the judgments of God upon the earth.  Find out what the plan is as announced in Revelation; how should we respond to a God who judges?

Spring Break

I’ll be taking time off next week (March 13-18), although I’ll be back and will preach on Sunday, the 19th.  If you’ll be missing one or both of the next two Sundays, I hope you’ll keep up with the sermons on the Crossroads Facebook page.  You’ll especially want to listen to the Revelation 6-7 sermon from this coming Sunday in order not to miss an important part of the book of Revelation.

Our other elders will also be in and out of town next week.  If you have an emergency need, feel free to call one of us.  Pray for all at Crossroads next week as schedules change and some travel.  Pray that we can be a fragrance of Christ wherever we go.

Prayer Needed

Please pray for Alex and Emily L. who have been sick with the sinus congestion and fever that has gone around so much this winter.  Pray for restoration in body and spirit and that, if God wills, he would spare Dean from catching the bug.

As you may know, Duane M.’s car is broken down and stranded in Cape Girardeau.  Pray for Duane to have wisdom to know what to do.  Duane is on foot now; if you would like to reach out to him with a ride, I’m sure he would greatly appreciate that.

Congratulations to Hannah Cameron who is getting married this coming Saturday in Idaho!  If you don’t know Hannah, she was a student at Cottey College and an important part of our church family a few years ago.  Congratulations to Hannah and John!

Youth Group

Youth Group is starting back up with a new video study series beginning Sunday, March 26, right after the morning worship service.  The study is called “The Power of Knowing God,” by Tony Evans.  Meet at Jessica’s house, *contact us for location*.  Lunch will be provided!

A Note from the McCallisters in Berlin

We received a hand-written note from Jesse and Erica McCallister and their children, one of the new missionary families we’re supporting as a church.  A hand-written note like this is a special blessing!  As you remember, Jesse and Erica serve in evangelism and church-planting ministry with Greater Europe Mission.  I’ll bring the card Sunday, but here is their message to us:

Dear Friends at Crossroads,

Our family wanted to take a moment to say Thank You for your prayers, partnership and support of our ministry here in Berlin, Germany.  You all have already been an encouragement to us in your decision to partner with us, and we hope to be an encouragement to you all as well.  It is a joy as brothers and sisters in Christ to stand together, pray for one another, and serve the Lord in seeing the hope of the good news of Jesus Christ go forth.  While we may be far away, know that we are thanking God for you and praying for you as a church.  May the light of Christ shine in you, in your homes, in your church, and upon the lives of others in the community through you !  (2 Cor. 4:16)

Together in Christ,

The McCallisters

Jesse & Erica

Aubrey, Chilton & Eliana

That’s a special note.  What a wonderful thing to connect with Gospel ministry in Europe and to know that our missionaries pray also for us!  These are some of the blessings that come when we obey the Lord’s command to go into all the world.

Hope to see you Sunday !

— Tom

Trust in the Lord at all times, O people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

Psalm 62:8

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I received the following email message this week from my friend Bart Larson who is a photographer, author, and hospice chaplain.  I feel like it connects with what we’ve been considering on Sunday mornings from the book of Revelation.  

In a world that seems to be going crazy, I find it helpful to take a step back and look at the eternal perspective. It’s a rather sobering thought, but within a few short years 100% of us will have died (or been raptured) and stepped into eternity. When I was in my 50’s, I had a hospice patient who was dying of cancer. Back when I became a Christian in high school, he became a hippie and got into drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Weeks before he died, he gave his life to Christ. One day he was lamenting all the wasted years of his life. I tried to make him feel better and I said, “Well, it is a whole lot better late than never.” I still recall his response, “But Bart!! I can’t bring back my wasted years!”  And I said, “No, you can’t!”

Take it from one who knows, the older you get, the faster the years seem to go. It feels now like I’m having a birthday every six months. In the only psalm in the book of Psalms written by Moses, he prayed: “Teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).  Amen!

I hope this Sunday’s worship and study of God’s Word will help us gain additional wisdom for moving forward in life … and into eternity!  See you Sunday morning at 10:00 at the Community Center!

Elders Meeting Notes

Thanks for praying for our church elders — Dave, Shane, Forrest, and myself — as we seek God in shepherding the church.  Below are a few brief notes from last Sunday’s meeting.  I appreciate these guys and their heart for you.

Ministry Team Leaders

In our effort to meet with ministry team leaders at the beginning of this year, this Sunday we met and had good conversation with Mark Mooneyham (Greeter Team), Michelle Mooneyham (Martha’s And Mary’s Group), and Heather Hall (bulletin and website).  Michelle is formulating a plan to make the MAMS group more of a creative, relationship-building and outreach ministry rather than study.  We discussed with Heather the need for an updated church directory.  She is putting together a form for Crossroads attenders to fill out if they wish to be included in the directory.

Easter

We’re looking for a person, or team of people, to organize Easter breakfast, Sunday morning, April 9.

Fellowship Sundays

Our hope is to have a fellowship / meal event on the third Sunday of each month from April through October.  We’re looking for people who would like to organize those meals and fellowship each month.  It could be as simple as a carry-in meal, or more creative if you would like.  The idea is to enjoy some time together once a month during the warm months.  If you, or your family, or a team of people, want to take one of those Sundays, please let one of the elders know.  I’ll have a sign-up list at church starting this Sunday.

Church Home

Options for purchase or rent seem limited at this time.  We discussed one rental possibility near the square.

Larry Osborne “Sticky Teams”

We discussed the first few sessions of a video series called “Sticky Teams,” by Larry Osborne.  I’ve included some of the highlights below.  The “Sticky Teams” idea is good not only for our Elder Board but also for all of us as a church.

Needs

We discussed needs in the church family and among the elders and their families.  We concluded with prayer.

Sticky Teams

Larry Osborne is an Evangelical Free Church pastor on the West Coast who has a great sense of humor and has written a number of good books about team-building.  I’ve heard him speak in person more than once.  His video teaching series, Sticky Teams, gives helps on building strong leadership teams and a strong church.  Here are some of the main points from the first two sessions:

What Makes a Good Team?

Strong, stick-together teams are built by people who know what the mission is.  Most fights in a ministry team (or in a church, for that matter) are not about goals; rather, the fights come over the choice of methods and priorities for reaching the goals.  People who build strong teams are not sidetracked by a desire for power, prestige, or personal preferences.  Beware:  Our natural self fights against stickiness.  As human beings, we’re prone to tear apart rather than stick together.

Why Leadership Boards Go Bad

Larry shared five reasons why leadership boards (or other teams) become unhealthy or fall apart:

1.  Where you meet.

A church board that meets in the church building can sometimes take on a business-only approach.  By meeting in a home, meetings become less formal and there’s more opportunity to build strong relationships among team members.

2.  Ignoring relationships.

When people share a common mission (as is the case in a church like ours), sometimes it’s assumed that everyone will get along well together.  That might not be the case if we don’t make intentional efforts to grow relationships with each other.  What are we doing in the church to foster relationships rather than presuming upon them?

3.  Not meeting often enough.

When a team doesn’t meet all that often, there’s pressure at meetings to make immediate decisions (since the group won’t be meeting again for a while).  Osborne recommends scheduling in some extra team meetings where no decisions are made but instead dreams are shared, relationships are grown, and more time is given to prayer.

4.  Constant turnover.

Many church leadership boards have a term-limit structure built in that essentially causes about 1/3 of the board to turnover each year.  As a result, just about the time a new board has learned to work well together, a significant portion of the board is replaced … and momentum has to be built again.  Osborne shared one possible solution to this frequent turnover problem that occurs on many church leadership boards.

5.  Complexity.

The larger an organization grows, the more complex it becomes.  How, in a church, or on a church ministry team, can we continue to add new people but keep decision-making simple?  Currently at Crossroads, your participation in fellowship events, relationship-building, and congregational meetings helps us facilitate communication and decision-making.  Thanks for all you do, and for your prayers for the people and ministry of Crossroads Church!

Relationship-building seems to be critical, doesn’t it.  God tells us in many ways in the Bible to learn to love each other!  As Larry Osborne says, that’s not always as easy as we think it should be.  We can’t assume that we will all just naturally get along.  As you pray for Crossroads, pray for genuine love to be a characteristic of our lives!

1 Corinthians 13, taken here from The Message version of the Bible, refreshes our vision for living out love for one another:

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies.

I hope to see you this Sunday morning!

— Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

A reminder and invitation to worship this Sunday morning February 26th, 10:00, at the Community Center, 200 N. Ash Street.  Our sermon will be from Revelation 2:12 – 4:2, the end of Jesus’ letters to the churches, and John’s appearance in the throne room of God!  Take time to read this passage before Sunday.  There’s a lot to learn from this exciting part of Revelation!  

If you’re not able to be with us in person, the sermon should be posted on the Crossroads Facebook page some time Friday or Saturday.  A student at the high school told me last week that she and her family had been watching my sermons online (like, several in a row, it sounded like.  Must have been a pretty boring day at their house!)    I’m thankful for our Crossroads Facebook page; I know many of you connect there when you’re unable to be with the church family on Sunday.

Congratulations to Forrest who took four guys and four girls from the high school wrestling team to the State tournament this week!
Congratulations to Donna on her retirement!  Thanks for your prayers for Andrew LaNear.  Andrew has been diagnosed with hypertension, but his white blood cell counts have come down some.  Let’s continue to keep Andrew in our prayers!

Please be in prayer for Misha and his family in Ukraine.  As you may know, they have received approval to leave the country, but Misha would like to stay on at his two jobs as long as he can in order to save up some money for their next step as a family.  Paperwork is in process for their coming to the U.S.  Please pray that God would be at work, leading them and being near to them through all they’re experiencing. Thank you.  (Most of you know that Misha is an exchange student who spent a school year with the Vestal family here in Nevada not many years ago.)

Our elders will meet this Sunday following the worship service.  We continue to meet with ministry team leaders and address needs of the church.  Thanks for keeping the church elders in your prayers.  Please pray for a profitable, Spirit-led meeting this Sunday.  Don’t forget that we’re looking for volunteers who will organize a monthly Sunday fellowship meal and/or activity during the months of April through October this year.  Let one of the elders know if you (or a team of people) are interested in organizing one of those Sundays.  Thank you!

Psalm 54 was a special help to me this week.  “God is my helper” is a wonderful, simple truth from verse 4 of that psalm.  Also in verse 4, this: “The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.”  Finally, this in verse 7:  “He has delivered me from all trouble.”  That’s not only a truth from the life of David, the author of this psalm, but it’s a great promise as well!  Ultimately, as we look back on our life, I believe we’ll be able to say, “The Lord delivered me from all trouble!”  Of course, we will! — no matter what happens in this life, our destiny (our inheritance) is heaven … and all of it thanks to God’s grace through His Son, Jesus Christ!

“All hail the power of Jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall!  Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all!  You chosen seed of Israel’s race, you ransomed from the fall, hail Him who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all!”  

As I think about God sustaining my soul, I’m mindful that God has sustained me over these past ten years since Diana’s passing, February 25, 2013.  Where have ten years gone?  February brings back a lot of good memories and bittersweet feelings. I don’t know which were the happiest years of our life together.  Probably the years of raising children and having babies, many of those spent in France as missionaries where Diana was really in her element.  

I recently read a short biography of missionaries to China in the 1930s who were martyred for their faith when the Communists began making inroads across China.  Their names were John and Betty Stam.  A missionary colleague wrote about spending a few days with Betty and her newborn baby shortly before Betty and John were killed.  She wrote, “It was lovely to have a few days with Betty again.  She was a sweet practical mother.  I liked to see her taking care of Baby Helen.  Dear, dear Betty, she was pure gold, perfectly lovely, gentle, and sweet.”

That line reminded me much of Diana — pure gold, lovely, gentle, and sweet; a sweet practical mother.  She had a heart for Christ, and she was a blessing to her husband and children.

May God be your helper and sustainer through the rest of this week!  I look forward to seeing you, Lord willing, this Sunday morning!

— Tom