TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

Why does it seem that every time it rains in Nevada the power goes out?  I had just awakened this morning around 3:45 when I noticed the fan in my bedroom stopped running and the neighbor’s light across the street had gone out.  Fully awake by then, I decided I’d go on downstairs and have my Quiet Time by candlelight.  (Not easy to read by candlelight, especially when you have old eyes.)

My reading this morning was in Psalms 50 and 51.

Psalm 50:14 — “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving.”

Psalm 50:23 — “He who offers to Me a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.”

How important thankfulness is to us and to our relationship with God!  Sometimes making a note of small things I’m thankful for during the day is all that keeps me going.  This is an actual sacrifice we can offer to God, and one that pleases Him.  He knows what He’s about when He instructs us to be thankful — He knows we need it!

Psalm 51 is, of course, David’s great confession of sin.  In it, David also makes a list of powerful requests of God:

• Purify me.  (v. 7)
• Wash me.  (v. 7)
• Make me … to hear joy and gladness.  (v. 8)
• Hide your face … from my sins.  (v. 9)
• Create in me … a clean heart.  (v. 10)
• Renew … a steadfast spirit within me.  (v. 10)
• Don’t cast me away.   (v. 11)
• Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.  (v. 11)
• Restore … joy to me.  (v. 12)
• Sustain me.  (v. 12)
• Deliver me.  (v. 14)
• Open my lips … to declare your praise.  (v. 15)
• Do good.  (v. 18)
• Build the walls … of Jerusalem (v. 18)

David was bold in his praying, wasn’t he, … and not ashamed or afraid to ask!  Those are wonderful prayer requests you and I can use today!  Even if it sometimes seems to us that God isn’t answering our prayers (although we know He is), we never run out of meaningful things we can ask of Him.  He is so good to us, and completely trustworthy!

I thank God that He has shown me so much of His faithfulness and goodness through the ways He has worked in your lives!  That has been a blessing!  

Our Crossroads elders will meet this Sunday.  (Last Sunday’s meeting had to be postponed at the last minute.)  I’m looking forward to fall plans at Crossroads, now that we’re almost through the busy month of September.  I hope we can have one or more small groups going this fall; also times of fellowship and outreach.  Would you pray with me and with our elders for God’s vision, unity, spiritual power, and thankfulness!  What would you like to study in a small group?  Let me know your ideas!

Having finished my time with the Lord, and since it was still dark at 5:00, I decided to go back to bed for a few minutes of shut-eye.  I prayed for some of you who I knew would be getting up about that time and probably trying to shower and prepare for the day in the dark!  Just as I lay my head back down on the pillow, the power came back on (of course)!

I look forward to our worship service this Sunday morning at 10:00 at the Community Center!  Hope to see you there!  

If you have a chance this week, take a look at the ministry opportunities and encouragement offered by our Evangelical Free Church Central District leadership and churches.  The website is efcacentral.org.  You can sign up there to receive their weekly email if you’d like!  

— Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I hope you’re not growing weary of the stories of Elisha we’ve been studying on Sunday mornings!  I continue to be amazed and encouraged by the picture God worked out, 850 years before Christ, through the life of Elisha, of the coming of the Lord and the joys of His kingdom.  Just as the fiery Elijah is a sort of picture of John the Baptist, so Elisha, who came after Elijah, pictures the Lord who came after John —  His many miracles, His feeding of crowds, the raising of the dead, the invitation to Naaman to “Wash and be clean” (2 Kings 5:13).

Elisha ministered during at least one famine in Israel.  We talked two Sundays ago about two of his food-related miracles in 2 Kings 4 — the removal of poison from a soup prepared for the school of prophets ; and the feeding of a large crowd from just a few loaves of bread and a few ears of grain.  God, through Elisha, provided for the physical and spiritual needs of His people.  It caused me to think of the vision (also food-related!) provided elsewhere in the Old Testament about the Lord’s coming kingdom:

The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;

A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.

And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,

Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

He will swallow up death for all time,

And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces,

And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;

for the Lord has spoken.

And it will be said in that day,

“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.

This is the Lord for whom we have waited;

Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”                Isaiah 25:6-9

I hope you’ll take heart in God’s promises — spelled out in words, and painted in pictures in the stories of Elisha and others who trusted God.  Even if you’re going through a “famine” period in your life right now, we look forward with certainty to the day of the Lord’s coming, the establishing of His kingdom, and the joy of a banquet at which we will say, “This is the One we were waiting for!”

Going on at Crossroads :

We’ll worship this Sunday morning at 10:00 at the Community Center.  The sermon will cover a large part of 2 Kings 6 and 7 if you’d like to read ahead.

Our elders will meet following the worship service.  Please pray for our Crossroads elders as they seek God’s will for the church family and our ministry together.

There are many good things happening in the lives of our missionaries.  If you would like to receive regular communication from the McCallisters (serving in Berlin), Colin Welch (serving in Paris), or the Shoemakers (serving in Chicago), please contact Heather Hall or Erlinda Reichard.  Also, we rejoice that Lawson and Shay Albey have arrived in Turkey, and another missionary that our Missions Team has prayed for — Sandy Dicus — has received all the support pledges she needs to leave for Greece with ReachGlobal, the missions arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America.  God is showing us His faithfulness!  Isn’t it amazing that He continues to send missionaries throughout the world!  You and I are also His missionaries where we are!  

A friend of mine called looking for ideas for small-group praying in his church in Florida.  It was a good reminder to me that we need to continually stoke the fire of prayer at Crossroads.  Be sure to pray for the needs of our church and other needs God lays on your heart.  As we pray for earthquake survivors in Morocco, flood survivors in Libya, wildfire survivors in Hawaii, and more, we have a small part in God’s work in those places.  Take time on Sundays, and throughout the week, to read the bulletin insert provided, and to share any requests with Heather Hall that you would like included in the bulletin prayer insert.  Perhaps you would like to gather with three or four others from Crossroads for a short time of fellowship and prayer this week.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

— Tom  

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

I’m looking forward to our worship this coming Sunday morning at 10:00 at the Community Center!  I’m grateful for the special group of people God has brought together at Crossroads … and for the newcomers we’ve been seeing in recent Sundays.  I especially appreciate the range of ages we have within our church family.  I’m glad that our church family is actively involved in our community.  I often like to remind myself during the week of the many places, in Nevada and beyond, where you work and are having an impact as a child of God.  We have a lot of young people who have graduated from high school in recent years and who are now in various places working out God’s plans for their lives.  Let’s keep them in our prayers!  It’s great to be part of an active, growing church!

The sermon this Sunday will be from 2 Kings 5:1-14, the story of Naaman, a captain of the army in Syria (just to the north of Israel) who was healed of leprosy in a simple yet powerful way.  I would go so far as to say it’s one of the most important stories in the Bible in terms of what God wants to communicate to us.  I hope you’ll join us Sunday.  Maybe you would like to read ahead!

I’m always grateful when, in my personal reading of the Bible, I come across some encouragement from God.  Sometimes it seems that He speaks a very personal word — words like these:

Psalm 35:27

The Lord be magnified who delights in the prosperity of HIs servant.

Psalm 33:20-21

Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart rejoices in Him because we trust in His holy name.  Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage.  Yes, wait for the Lord.

Psalm 18:19

He brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

I know that if the Lord “delights” in me, it’s not because of anything I’ve done; rather, it’s an outflow of who He is — loving, generous, forgiving, powerful.

Also, this word from God from the middle of Jeremiah, a difficult and somewhat ominous book:

Jeremiah 31:25

“For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.”

I’m sure there have been many times when you’ve felt weary.  Have you ever described your situation — or the state of your spirit — as “languishing”?  It’s not a word we use often, but it’s an apt description of what we feel sometimes, physically, spiritually, and otherwise.  What a gracious God to know about our weariness, What a good God to promise to come to the aid of those who are weary and languishing.

While I wouldn’t say I’ve been languishing, the past couple of weeks have been very busy ones.  I’ve been enjoying working with the Nevada High School girls tennis team.  It’s a learning experience for me and a wonderful opportunity to interact with a new group of students, staff, and parents!  Last weekend, as some of you know, I had six of my children and spouses, and five of my grandchildren in town to meet up with Sam and a friend of his from Texas.  Today is the 38th anniversary of my marriage to Diana Decker, so my mind has inevitably filled up with many memories of a special day and special person … and all that has happened since then!

Life happens quickly and with sudden impacts.  We need the Lord, and we need the special fellowship that comes from being together in worship.  I hope to see you this Sunday!

Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

Psalms 30 and 31 are real encouragements if you need some at the beginning of a new work week!

Specifically, in Psalm 31, verses 7-8, are four lines telling what God has done (and continues to do):

• You have seen my affliction.  (v. 7)
• You have known the troubles of my soul.  (v. 7)
• You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy.   (v. 8)
• You have set my feet in a large place.   (v. 8)

You have seen, you have known, you have not given me over, you have set me in a large place.  How true!  What an awesome God!

Later, two more lines tell what God continues to do for those who believe in Him:

• You hide them in the secret place of your presence from the conspiracies of man (31:20).
• You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues (31:20).

These are good truths to take with us into a new week.  We tend to be anxious about lots of things; these verses remind us that God is taking good care of us at all times!  Not only does He meet out outward needs, but He’s always meeting the needs of our soul!

Yesterday

I enjoyed making a visit after yesterday’s worship service, along with our Crossroads elders, to a building for sale on Locust Street.  It was fun to imagine what a Crossroads worship service — or other activity — would look like in a building like that.  It would be great to have extra space, room to invite people, a continual presence in town during the week, and a bright cheerful room in which to worship.  Not all was positive about the building, but there were some nice aspects to, it and it gave scope for the imagination.  While we were looking at the building, we learned that someone else had just made an offer on it.  Let’s continue to pray for God’s direction and provision concerning that building or another.

Concerning the rental possibility on Highland Avenue, we’ll be talking with the owner of the building again this week about the rental price and cost of utilities.  The building is shared with other tenants, so there has been some difficulty in finding out what our portion of the utilities would be.  A second challenge in renting this space is that the owner would like for us to act as something of a “superintendent” for the whole building — i.e., be responsible for lawncare, snow removal, and for making calls when repairs are needed (at her expense).  In return, she would be willing to lower the rent.  We’ve been working through all those details and will hopefully know more this week.  Thanks for your prayers.

Grateful

I’m grateful for our Children’s Church workers who provide interesting and uplifting lessons for the youngest of our church family at Crossroads.  Thanks especially to Cris, Emily, and Forrest who have recently taken on the task of the older children’s class.  Please keep all these hard workers in your prayers!  Thank you!

Wouldn’t it be awful if we didn’t have Christian friends and loved ones in our lives?  We shouldn’t take those relationships for granted.  Even if we may be different from each other in personality, temperament, or background, it’s a blessing to know other people who share the joy of the Lord and a love for God and the Bible.  When brothers and sisters in Christ find themselves in conflict (as they sometimes do), there is an opportunity to exercise the love Jesus has poured into our lives, as someone has said:

“The choice to practice love happens at the intersection of your way and my way.”

We meet many people at that intersection, don’t we?  Notice that the love which can (and hopefully does) happen at that intersection is a choice on our part.

Prayer

In addition to prayers for a future home, I’m so grateful for visitors at Crossroads, including several yesterday.  A few of these newcomers are becoming regular attenders.  Let’s be sure to pray for them and welcome them into our lives.

I’m praying for small group ministry at Crossroads this fall.  It would be great to see one or two or three small groups meeting for fellowship, prayer, study, and ministry.  Some of you are involved in personal discipleship and small groups outside of Crossroads.  That connection during the week is important!  Would you pray with me?  How is God leading you in this area?

Birthday

Today is the birthday of my third oldest daughter, Betsy — now Betsy Jackson.  She was born in France in 1994 on the evening of the 50th anniversary of the Allied liberation of our town from Nazi forces.  It was quite a celebration, including fireworks on the night of her birth!  Hard to forget!  And, as was often the case with our children’s births, it happened on a Saturday night which meant I preached the next morning.  Special times.  If I remember correctly, my parents arrived that Sunday afternoon on a train from Geneva, Switzerland, although late due to connections not happening as scheduled.

We have so much for which to be thankful — families, our Christian family, freedom, good memories, and a future which God holds in His loving hands.

Have a great week!

— Tom

TMG

Hello, Crossroads Family!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to such a beautiful and delicious fellowship time last Sunday following worship and our congregational meeting!  Thanks especially to the Sisseck family for their generosity and planning on our behalf!  

If you missed the congregational meeting and would like a copy of the financial report, please let Stacey or myself know.  

As was reported at the meeting, we’re still waiting on information concerning utilities before we proceed further on the rental possibility on Highland Avenue.  We hope to hear soon from the building’s owner about those numbers.  We don’t want to move forward without a clear understanding of all the costs involved.  Thank you for your prayers!  Please pray for the building’s owner who has been through illness and the recent unexpected loss of a close friend.

We’ll worship this Sunday morning at the Community Center at 10:00.  We’ll continue our study in the life and ministry of Elisha.  If you’d like to read ahead, the sermon will be from 2 Kings 4:8-37 and 2 Kings 8:1-6.  Very exciting story!  Elisha is a unique, unusual, and also caring prophet of God.  His miracles remind us of the Lord Jesus.  The gospel story is all over the passages we’ll read Sunday!  I look forward to being with you for worship, study, and fellowship!

Missionary News

Thanks for your prayers for “our” missionaries — Jesse and Erica McCallister & family in Berlin (Greater Europe Mission); Tyrell and Rachel Shoemaker & family in Chicago (Legacy Disciple); and Colin Welch in France (ReachGlobal).  If you need contact information for any of these missionaries, please ask Heather Hall or Erlinda or myself.

Let’s also be praying for Lawson and Shay Albey and their girls, recently arrived to serve God in Turkey with ReachGlobal.  You’ll remember Lawson and Shay from their visit to Crossroads earlier this year.

Another missionary candidate our missions team has become acquainted with is Sandy Dicus who is raising support to serve with ReachGlobal in Greece.  Sandy recently emailed that she is at 93% of her required support to leave for Greece!  Why don’t you mention this need to the Lord today when you have a chance.  Thank you!

Here’s a link to a new publication from ReachGlobal describing its work all around the world.  (ReachGlobal is the missions arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America.)

https://helps.efca.org/resources/reachglobal-booklet

Prayers for Young People

I was looking yesterday in some of my books for some prayers for the first day of school (today in Nevada).  While I didn’t find any prayers specifically for the first day of school, I did come across some prayers for young people and children which I like very much.  Actually, they may be better seen as prayers from young people.  I hope these will help you to pray and to develop compassion for the young people all around us. 

I hope to see you Sunday !    

— Tom

Lord, I know I’ve done things wrong.

I don’t want to admit to it;

neither to my friends nor family nor you.

Lord, it’s hard to live with myself.

I want to ask for your forgiveness

but I feel I don’t deserve it.

But thanks to you I know it’s still there for the taking,

so I ask that I may be given a fresh start

and be directed again on the right path.            — Nick Aiken

It’s strange, but I feel as if

I can stop talking to you

and simply be with you.

I want to be quite empty,

quite still,

and then you can come

slowly, gently,

filling me with yourself.

Come then, now —

the words end here.                — Simon Bailey

Alleluia!  He is risen!

Alleluia!  He is light!

Alleluia!  He is joy!

Alleluia!  He is strength!

Alleluia!  He is love!

Alleluia!  Jesus!                    — A.A.