Hello, Crossroads Family,

I hope everyone is well and that this will be a blessed week wherever you are and whatever you’ll be doing.  I look forward to being with as many of you as possible this coming Sunday morning at 10:00 !  

This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent which is a period of preparing ourselves spiritually for celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus.  We’ll light the first of the candles on the Advent wreath this Sunday morning, and we’ll do it in just a little different way :  I’m asking various groups that have met together during the year to take turns lighting the candles and sharing a bit about what they learned in their study group.  This Sunday, I’m asking those men who attended Recharge during 2025 to share something very short and to light the candle.  Usually, the candles on the Advent wreath have names like Hope, Love, Faith, Joy, but I think we’ll name each week’s candle according to whatever is shared by those who come up front.  Men, be ready to share something !  Thank you !

Our Crossroads elders will meet this Sunday following the worship service.  Thank you for praying for the elders.  We have some important items on our agenda, including discussing the nominations given to us by the Nominating Committee ; hammering out a final budget proposal for 2026 ; and preparing the agenda for the congregational meeting December 14.  

More …

You’re already aware of most of these dates, but please double-check your calendar ; we’d love to have you be a part of what’s going on !  These are great ways to serve and also to grow deeper in relationships with others at Crossroads.

— Sunday, December 7 :  8-13 year-old Bible Class during the sermon.  You’ll be painting some Christmas decorations, so please dress appropriately.

— Sunday, December 7 :  Caroling and gift distribution at Nathan Richard Care Center.  Please plan to meet at the church at 3:30 pm.  This is an opportunity to build a bridge with residents and staff at Nathan Richard.  We’ll come back to the church afterwards and enjoy some snacks, warm drinks, and fellowship.  Can you bring some snacks to share ?  Please let Jenny Rives know.  Thank you !

— Sunday, December 14 :  Congregational meeting following the worship service.  Everyone is welcome to stay for the meeting.  If you are a voting member at Crossroads, we’ll vote on three things :  (1)  a 2026 church budget proposal ; (2) the nominations for Elder Board ; (3) some proposed changes in the church by-laws that will allow for people to vote at a congregational meeting even if they’re unable to attend.  We’ll also have a financial report, some ministry updates, and we’ll pray together.  Thanks for making time for this important meeting.  Please be praying that God will prepare all of us for a blessed and growing time.

— Sunday, December 14 :  Women’s Christmas party and soup/sandwich dinner at the church at 5 pm.  There are sign-up sheets at the church if you can a part of the meal, or feel free to contact Erin Townsend.

— Wednesday, December 24 :  Christmas Eve service at the church at 6:30 pm.  Please feel free to invite family members or a neighbor or friend !  The service will last an hour or less.  We’re not planning on refreshments — just keeping it simple and focused on Christ !  A quiet moment to reflect on the importance of what happened so long ago.

I’ll be taking some vacation time December 28 – January 4.  Mark Tice will preach in my place on Sunday, January 4.  

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness ;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the Lord Himself is God ;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves ;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the Lord is good ;

His lovingkindess is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

Hello, Crossroads Family !

The week is speeding along, isn’t it ?  Thank you to Bryan Townsend and to everyone who filled in and led our worship service last Sunday.  I’ve heard lots of good things about how God was at work !  

I had a wonderful weekend with the people of The Springs Church in Springfield helping to mark their annual World Missions Sunday.  I look forward to sharing some parts of that special weekend with you this coming Sunday !

For the sermon this Sunday, we’re going to finish the short series of church-related messages we began earlier this month.  We’ve taken a look at church eldership ; we’ve considered the importance of hospitality both in the church and as a requirement for elders ; and this Sunday we’ll consider some principles for generous giving in the Body of Christ.  I appreciate the regular, faithful, and sometimes sacrificial giving that takes place at Crossroads.  As we consider a significant increase in our church budget for next year (growing the pastor’s salary to a full-time level starting next September), it’s good for us to study again God’s instructions for the use of our money and material blessings.  “Happily and Faithfully Handling God’s Money” will be the title of the sermon.  I hope it will be, for you, a happy and helpful message.  I look forward to being back with you !

Some prayer needs :

• David and Midge Prickett ask for prayers for their missionary friend Lawrence Doyle who serves, along with his wife.  Lawrence is suffering from illness and desires healing so as to return to his work.  Praise God that the Doyles’ support needs have been met !

• We rejoice that Catherine Moss’s surgery has gone well and that she is back home.  Thank you for continuing to pray for Catherine.

• My granddaughter in Portland, Oregon, is not entirely out of the woods yet.  She continues her stay in the NICU there.  Thank you for your prayers for Jazzlyn, Dan & Betsy.

Coming up :

• Worship this Sunday at 10:00.  Children’s Church during the sermon for 0-7 year-olds.

• Immerse tonight, 7 pm, at the church !  Everyone is invited !

• Men’s Recharge tomorrow night, 6:30-8:00, also at the church.  All men are invited !

• Sunday, November 30 :  Elders meeting immediately following worship.  Thanks for praying.

In December :

• Sunday, December 7 :  Bible Class for 8-13 year-olds.  We will be decorating and painting ornaments, so please wear appropriate clothing.  Thank you !

• Sunday, December 7 :  Caroling and gift distribution at Nathan Richard Care Center.  Let’s build a bridge to the residents and staff at Nathan Richard !  Please meet at the church at 3:30.  All ages are invited !  We’ll have some food and fellowship at the church following the caroling.  If you are  able to bring some finger foods, please let Jenny Rives know.  Thank you !   

• Sunday, December 14 :  Congregational Meeting following the worship service.  The main agenda items will be (1) financial report ; (2) vote on 2026 church budget ; (3) vote on elder nominations (4) vote on changes in by-laws ; (5) prayer.

• Sunday, December 14 :  Women’s Christmas dinner, 5 pm.  There are sign-up sheets posted at the church.  Please contact Erin Townsend if you have any questions.

• Wednesday, December 24 :  Christmas Eve service at the church at 6:30 pm.  Everyone is invited.  Please be sure to invite family or friends who need worship and fellowship that evening.  The service will last not more than an hour.

Finally …

Among the many things I’m thankful for is your openness to God’s Word and to His leading of us as a church.  It’s a beautiful thing to belong to a Bible-based, loving church family that wants to grow in faith and in number.  I’m thankful for you !

This has been a busy fall and a busy year !  As a part of my job at Nevada High School, I’ve been preparing and rehearsing for our fall musical called “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”  We’ve been rehearsing all fall and pretty much every night for the past two weeks (plus a 4-hour rehearsal last Saturday morning).  Please join us at the Performing Arts Center Thursday and Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm.  

Thanks for your prayers for me during this busy time of juggling both areas of responsibility.  For me, it’s a clear reminder of why we are desiring to make the pastor’s position a full-time one starting next year, both for myself and for a pastor who will come after me and who will likely have a family.  Both jobs are full-time positions, and both are the types of jobs that just keep on growing in terms of demands.  It’s becoming pretty difficult to do both well.  While I do enjoy the piano, my calling in life is to church-planting, preaching, and discipleship.  Thanks for understanding and for asking God to provide ! 

Paul concludes one of his passages on generous giving with this motivation for why we give :  “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift !” (2 Corinthians 9:15).  

I look forward to seeing you soon !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

I’m badly needing to finish preparations for my talks this weekend at The Springs church in Springfield where I am the featured missionary at their missions conference.  However, my thoughts and prayers keep coming back to Crossroads, so I want to take a few minutes to send some encouragements your way !  Bryan Townsend will preach in my place at Crossroads this Sunday.  Thank you for praying for Bryan as he prepares !  I know you will have a wonderful morning of worship !

I’ll be speaking Saturday evening at a dinner gathering of some of the leadership at The Springs, then preaching at their Sunday morning services at 9:00 and 10:30.  The Springs is an Evangelical Free Church you’ve probably seen on the west side of Highway 65 as you leave Springfield or come into Springfield from Branson.  Years ago, that building was home to James River Assembly of God before James River moved further south on 65.

Diana and I were among The Springs’ first supported missionaries back when we were preparing to serve God on the mission field in 1987-88.  In fact, I think we might have been their very first missionaries, as the church itself was just getting started.  I have to say I’m a little nervous about the weekend.  Why ?  No real need to be.  Just these thoughts (so would appreciate your prayers) :

• There are people there I’ve known for a long time, some who are quite important in my life.  This feels to me also kind of like “How did it all turn out ?”  Here’s a church that invested in a family years ago ; how did it turn out ?  Those are thoughts that come to my mind as I prepare.  I hope it was a good investment for the church.     

• I’ve been away from the mission field for 25+ years.  Maybe not the greatest speaker today on missions ?  And yet, is Southwest Missouri also a mission field ?  That’s a question we should all consider an answer to.  If it is a mission field, how are we doing as missionaries here ?  If it’s not a mission field — in other words, if it’s a place where everyone has already heard and/or accepted the Gospel — why are we hanging around ?  Shouldn’t we take the Gospel to other places in that case ?

• I have a slight fear of being put back up on the missionary “pedestal.”  I’m not a person who belongs on a pedestal anywhere, but there is a tendency in churches to hold missionaries up as truly exceptional Christians.  (Or is it that some missionaries — myself included — like to crawl back up on that pedestal themselves ?)  

So, thank you for praying for me !  I’m sure it’s going to be a great weekend, both here at Crossroads and at The Springs !  

I was reading through parts of the end of Isaiah this morning in my quiet time and had a Christmas album playing at the same time !  All of the second half of Isaiah is great reading in preparation for Christmas.  Our theme for Advent this year at Crossroads is going to be “Songs of Joy in Anticipation of Jesus,” looking at the handful of songs early in the Gospels that are sung (by Mary and others) as the arrival of baby Jesus becomes a reality.  Jenny is helping me prepare our Christmas Eve service, and we’ll make this the theme of our Advent too.  I look forward to these Songs of Joy & Anticipation, and I hope we can work in some of Isaiah too !

What struck me specifically this morning out of Isaiah was God bearing down on the Jews for their disobedience and idolatry, yet at the same time holding out tender promises of forgiveness and love.  At one point, God challenges the Jews to find in their idols the help they were looking for :  “Of whom were you worried and fearful when you lied and did not remember Me ?  I was silent for a long time so you did not fear Me.  Therefore, when you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you !”  (Isaiah 57:11-12, paraphased).  

But later, God says this about Judah :  

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him ; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners, creating praise on his lips.  ‘Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,’ says the Lord, and I will heal him” (Isaiah 57:17-19).

I hope you’ll find renewed strength and hope in knowing God is reaching out, ready to forgive and renew fellowship when we need it.  Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  In periods of disobedience, we can rely on the Holy Spirit’s inner witness that we belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ who said, “I know My sheep, and they follow Me, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28).  Then we can take steps to return to a close walk with Him.

God is doing so much in your lives and in our lives together.  Don’t be afraid of the hard things He may be doing in your life.  It’s a testimony of His love for you.  Open yourself up to whatever He chooses and needs to do.  Charles Stanley used to say, “Don’t miss out on the finished product !”  God is shaping our lives, and there is a finished product awaiting.  We’re not there yet ; we’re in process.

Similarly, I feel God is shaping us as a church and preparing us for a next step of life.  What it will be, I’m not sure, but let’s not resist His working and moving in us.  A church should always be changing and growing !  Ours is — let’s not be afraid !  One of the best things we can all do is take to heart the things we learned last Sunday about love and hospitality and building deep relationships both inside and outside the walls of the church.  What an impact that would have on us and on our world !  There’s no stopping us if we love the Lord and love each other well.

Not everyone who visits Crossroads Church stays ; and, from time to time, people move on to another church for various reasons.  I was encouraged by someone in the church who said to me last weekend that it’s okay to allow someone else to care for a sheep that previously had seemed to be in our care.  Please be aware that I don’t always know why someone hasn’t been attending church.  Sometimes people ask me, “Where’s so-and-so been ?”  I don’t always have the answer to that question (which is a good reason for you to exchange contact information among yourselves, as you’re able, so you can check on each other).  Sometimes I might know the answer to that question but am not in a position of being able to give out the answer.  All that to say, let’s really take to heart the need to share the burden of reaching out and caring for all the sheep God brings into the fold at Crossroads.  Thank you !  As we do so, these will be exciting times of walking together with the Lord !  I thank God for Judy Gossett and Elizabeth Scheib who joined Crossroads as new members this past Sunday !

I hope you have a great day and rest of the week !  Don’t forget Immerse this Wednesday at 7:00 !  The discussion will be on the second half of the book of Ezekiel !  Please come — you’ll be glad you did !  

Don’t forget, too, that this Sunday afternoon at 3:30 everyone is invited to the church for some fellowship and preparation of Christmas gifts for the staff and residents at Nathan Richard Care Center (right across the street from our church).  We’ll deliver these gifts on December 7.  If you could bring some snacks, that would make it even more fun !  Let Jenny know if you can bring some finger foods !  Thank you !

There are three Christmas cards on the back table at the church building.  They’re for our missionaries — Colin Welch, the McCallisters, and the Shoemakers.  Please take a minute when you’re at the church, or on Sunday, to sign those cards so we can send them and let these ones know how much we love them.  Thank you !

Please pray for Dave Ewing who continues to struggle with issues with his eyes.  Thank you for praying for Dave and Julie at this time !

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteous, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

Coming up at Crossroads :

• Tonight :  Immerse, 7pm.  Come join us for good fellowship and discussion.  The reading assignment is pp 311-355 in the Immerse Bible (Obadiah, and the first half of Ezekiel).

• Sunday morning :  Worship at 10 am.  Children’s Church for 0-7 year-olds, and Bible class for 8-13 year-olds during the sermon time.  

• Sunday evening :  Sunday Night Bible Study, 6 pm.  We’ll meet at Jenny’s home.  Come with a favorite psalm of yours to share with the group.

• Sunday, November 16 :  Crafts and gift basket preparation at the church at 3:30 pm.  We’ll be preparing small crafts and assembling Christmas gift baskets for the residents and staff at Nathan Richard Care Center.  Everyone is welcome !  We’ll deliver the gifts, and will carol the residents and staff, on Sunday, December 7.  If you have items that could be part of gift baskets for the staff (snack items, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, throat lozenges, etc), please bring them this Sunday and leave them in the basket at the back of the worship area.  Thank you !

• Next Men’s Recharge :  Thursday, November 20, 6:30 pm.  All men and your friends are invited !

• Next Elders Meeting :  Sunday, November 30, following worship.  Donna and Cris Rodriguez are preparing an initial 2026 church budget proposal for review by the elders before a congregational vote in December.  If you are a ministry team leader and would like to give some input to Donna and Cris for your line in the budget for next year, please reach out to them.  Thank you !

Needs at Community Outreach

With colder weather coming, and with some uncertainty for families due to the government shutdown, Community Outreach could use our help providing food to individuals and families in our area.  The soup kitchen at Community Outreach serves meals seven days a week and would welcome non-perishable food items you could bring them, especially Thanksgiving-related food items.  

For example, …

• canned green beans
• canned corn
• canned sweet potatoes
• cans of gravy
• instant mashed potatoes
• stuffing mixes

Thank you for helping with this need !  The soup kitchen served 104 people last Friday.  The address for Community Outreach is 229 N. Cedar Street.

Missionaries Update

Our missionaries are busy serving the Lord both in the U.S. and overseas.  Thank you for praying for them !

Jesse and Erica McCallister and family have been traveling a lot, visiting supporters and churches.  They’ve had the joy of a German friend coming to the U.S. who has shared his story of faith in Christ with some of those the McCallisters have met with.  Their team in Berlin has an opportunity to rent a cafe space in the heart of the city that could be used for Bible studies, discipleship, language cafe, and more.  Thank you for praying for these opportunities and for God’s blessing on the McCallister family.

Colin Welch’s team is making creative use of a gallery in Paris to build connections with artists and other Parisians.  Please pray for his team as they make decisions concerning the use of this space and that they would make great connections in the weeks and months to come.  Also, please pray for Colin and Angie as they pursue God’s will for their future marriage and ministry together.  Thank you !

Why all the fuss ?

One of the hard things a pastor (or elder or other teacher in the church) must do is to teach on sin.  Obedience to Christ in all things sometimes may seem like a legalistic type of thing.  Why all the fuss about sin ?  After all, we know that everyone sins.  Can’t we just leave well enough alone ?

Sin is actually a danger to ourselves, so to warn each other and to encourage each other to repent of sin and follow Christ obediently is actually a help to each other.  

A favorite Bible verse of mine is John 14:21 where Jesus says, “He who has my commands and keeps them, he is the one who loves Me.  He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”  

What a joy to walk closely with the Lord Jesus and to be in a position where He “discloses” Himself to us.  I look at this as Him guiding us, filling us with His joy, making His presence more closely felt — something we, of course, all desire !  But the condition is, “Keep my commands.”  Walk in obedience.

In John 15:10, Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”  Yes, we are loved by God ; but do we always abide / live in the Father’s love, enjoying it moment by moment throughout the day ?  Maybe not, and possibly because we’re not serious about His commands, or we make excuses for why it’s okay not to follow some of them.

It’s often said that all sins are the same, but are they really ?  Yes, all sins are the same in the sense that they separate us from fellowship with God ; any sin defines us as a lawbreaker.  But the consequences of all sins are not the same.  In addition, public sin brings a faster response from those watching than does private sin ; it dishonors God’s name more quickly and perhaps more severely than private sins.  (That’s not to say that private sins are okay either, however.)    

We must be careful.  The Apostle Peter wrote, “I urge you to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11).  The great danger of sin is that it wages war against our souls.  We may not even realize it.  Yet, we must believe it because God says it’s so.

Psalm 112 :  “How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.  His descendants will be mighty on earth” (vv 1-2).  That psalm goes on to speak of an obedient believer as being someone who is also gracious, compassionate, and righteous — someone who helps others, whose causes are just, and who will never be shaken.

As you pray for our church family, pray that God would make us sensitive to the danger of all sin, and that a love for God and desire for close communion with Him will keep us walking in all His ways.  

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

We now have a Nominating Committee made up of Mark Tice, Catherine Moss, Heather Vestal, Diane Ray, and Tommie Ray.  They may be reaching out to you about a nominations for next year’s Elder Board.  Or if you have thoughts or questions for them, please take time to bring those to them.  The nomination(s) for Elder Board must be approved by a 75% affirmative vote by church members voting at our December 14th congregational meeting.  Thanks to these five who are willing to serve on the Nominating Committee !  Let’s keep them in our prayers as they go about discerning God’s will for our church in this area.

I’ll be preaching this Sunday on the subject of church eldership and spiritual leadership in general.  I hope you’ll be present.  I believe God will renew and reinforce our vision for ministry together.  

I read the following passage this morning in the book of Ezekiel concerning “shepherds.”  How important it is that a group of God’s people have good shepherds.  This passage reminds us of that in a rather painful way.  You may remember that Ezekiel, like Daniel, was with the Jewish exiles in Babylon at the time when God brought judgment on the people living in Jerusalem and Judah.

“Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves !  Should not the shepherds feed the flock ?  … Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost ; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.  They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered … all over the face of the earth” (Ezekiel 34:2-6).

Wow !  Powerful, sobering words !  Thanks for praying for Crossroads’ elders … and for the selection of someone to fill the position that’s coming open at the beginning of next year. 

Needs & Prayers

Our Crossroads elders spent time last Sunday discussing needs that may exist in our congregation or in the community because of the likely upcoming suspension of SNAP benefits.  We’re seeking to help those in our own congregation who may be affected, and also ways we might assist Community Outreach at this time.  I’ve also been made aware today of some of our other Ministerial Alliance churches who are organizing meal kits.  I’ll bring that idea and their request to the church family Sunday.

We’re collecting items for Christmas gift baskets for the staff at Nathan Richard Care Center (located right across the street from our church building).  Don’t forget to bring items to the church and place them in the basket at the back of the worship area.  If you have questions, please touch base with Jenny Rives.  Thank you !  We look forward to preparing some handmade crafts and assembling the gift baskets on Sunday, November 16, at 3:30 at the church.  We’ll distribute these gifts, and will carol to the residents and staff, on Sunday, December, at 4 pm.

There are many prayer needs and praise reports in our church family all week long !  Thanks for sharing what God has done in your life !  Thanks for bearing each other’s burdens through prayer.  Here are two or three to remember as we finish the week :

• Dominick Goodwin and Kylee Vestal will be married this coming Saturday.  Let’s keep them and their families in our prayers.  Don’t forget you are invited to the wedding reception Saturday, 5:30-10:00 pm, at Enchanted Prairie Farm, 17557 East Stockade Road.
• Mark Tice’s son, Bradley, will be married next weekend in Michigan.  Let’s be in prayer for Bradley and his fiancée, Kate, as well as for Mark and his entire family.
• Dave Ewing underwent emergency eye surgery yesterday.  We’re thankful that the procedure went well and Dave is recovering.

Reminders

Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study, this Saturday morning at 8:00.  This is the final session for the fall.  We give thanks to God for all women at Crossroads Church, and we’re thrilled for what He has done in the lives of those who were part of the study series this fall !  

Worship this Sunday morning, 10:00.  Children’s Church for ages 0-7 during the sermon.  Bring your gift items for the staff at Nathan Richard.  We’ll worship around the Lord’s Table at the conclusion of the service. 

Sunday Night Bible Study, 6 pm.  We’ll meet this Sunday night at the home of Marvin and Diane Knoche.  We’ll study the Psalms of Trust.  These are typically among our favorites — psalms such as 23, 121, etc.  I hope you can join us !

Immerse next Wednesday night, 7:00.  Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve missed some sessions.  The reading assignment in the Immerse Bible is pp 311-355 which is the equivalent in other Bibles of the book of Obadiah plus chapters 1-24 of the book of Ezekiel.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot to be said about Christ-filled relationships in a church.  We all crave healthy, deep relationships with people, especially those with whom we share the joy of knowing the Lord.  In a discussion I had with several other Evangelical Free Church pastors about 18 months ago, we kicked around a topic called “Crucial Conversations” (from a book by Joseph Grenny).  See what you think about this topic from the few notes I’ve included below.  Do we have good “crucial conversations” at Crossroads Church ?  How can we do better and develop deeper Christ-influenced relationships ?

1.  Anytime you find yourself stuck as an organization or team, ask, “What crucial conversation are we not having, or not having well ?”  If you don’t talk it out, you’ll act it out.

2.  What are the two or three crucial conversations that most affect the health of your organization (your church or ministry team) ?  Focus on crucial conversations ; make them a positive, elevating experience.  The Bible is a history of crucial conversations.  There are two choices always :  Talk it out or act it out.

3.  Some “crucial subjects” that are often overlooked by church members and/or church leaders :  (a) performance problems with volunteers or staff ; (b) members struggling with sin ; (c) concerns about the pastor(s).

4.  Crucial Moments :  There are some moments in the life of a church or other organization that have a disproportionate influence on the church.  In other words, there are some crucial moments that matter more than others.  Oftentimes, these moments are when there are (a) opposing opinions ; (b) high emotions ; and (c) high stakes involved.

As we discuss church eldership this Sunday (and some again on the following Sunday), I believe the Lord will speak to us about relationships in the church.  Growing deeper in genuine relationship allows us to speak candidly (the truth) in love.  There may be a myth we buy into that says you have to choose between telling the truth and keeping a friend.  That myth can be at the heart of some church dysfunction.  

“But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:32).

Looking forward to seeing you Sunday !

— Tom