TMG
Hello, Crossroads Family!
A friend of mine sent me a beautiful photo he had taken along with a caption he had added that said this:
“Time spent with God is the greatest investment of time there is and the greatest source of lasting peace and joy.”
I hope you’ll let that sink in for a minute. Are you spending time with God? If this statement is true (which I believe it is), we should really desire and prioritize time like that — some every day; some longer periods of time, as we’re able; other smaller snippets (instead of watching TV or eating or checking our phones) ; time alone and time with others. I look forward to spending time with God with you this coming Sunday morning at 10! We’re having good times of worship in our new location! I’m enjoying new people attending, and I know you are too!
Another good friend reminded me this week that great benefits are promised to those who spend time in God’s Word. (Read Psalm 1, for example.) Even if we don’t understand everything we read or hear — or even if we think, “I didn’t get anything out of that” — God’s Word does its work in us, changing us in wonderful, positive ways.
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Here are some other quotes from things I’ve been reading and listening to lately. I hope they might spur some thinking and praying in your life too!
— “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm” (Psalm 40:1-2).
— A quote from Elisabeth Elliot on the subject of prayer: “God doesn’t do all the work on His battlefields. He can open a door; but He expects us to do our part in keeping it open.”
— Also from Elisabeth Elliot: “Everything can be misunderstood. Pray God will give words and prevent misunderstanding.” Think about that for a minute! It’s true, isn’t it? Everything can be misunderstood. May God give us grace toward each other.
— From a chapter in a book, the subject of which was Denial: “Many of us live in places that allow a relative measure of freedom in professing Jesus. But some Christians live in a culture where mentioning the name of Jesus might cost their lives. What would you do in such a situation? What if Peter’s denial of Jesus had been simply to not answer his questioners at all? What if he had simply remained silent when asked if he knew the Lord? Would that also have been a denial of Jesus? We can easily imagine Peter later hemming and hawing over the technicalities: ‘Now, look, I never said I didn’t know him.’ How often do we deny our faith in Jesus Christ by remaining silent?”
— From another friend, on the subject of conflict in a church: “A lot of division we see in church life is not about doctrine nor issues regarding salvation, but with people’s preferences. A church that puts the teaching of the Word into practice will powerfully display the wonder of the Gospel which unites people in Jesus Christ and in love for one another. This is the kind of church the world needs and is looking for, without realizing it.”
— More on conflict in the church (from Sinclair Ferguson) : “The source of conflict according to James 4:1-6 is ‘the passions at war within you.’ The word ‘passion’ has the basic meaning of pleasure (the Greek word ‘hedone’). It refers to the spirit of putting your pleasure — what satisfies your own senses — above every other consideration. It is the insistence on ‘my way’ which in turn is a dangerous symptom of a not-too-well disguised narcissism, a love of self that is the antithesis of the love of God.”
Looking ahead…
We have a lot of good things to look forward to at Crossroads!
Immerse every Wednesday night at 7 pm. I’m enjoying this midweek connection with you (and Dean) each week! What a blessing for all of us! Don’t be discouraged if you fall behind some in your reading. Keeping up as well as you can means time spent with God!
Ministry Teams Meeting, March 3, following worship. I’ve been wanting to get ministry team leaders together so we can communicate to each other, share dreams and needs, and also put in place some mission statements and goals for our ministries. Why would a mission statement be necessary for a team of God’s servants? Well, it helps keep us on task; it reminds us of what we want to do and what we’ve chosen not to do; and it helps us communicate well with newcomers to the church about what we’ve agreed this area of ministry is about. At the March 3 meeting, I want us to spend some time praying together, too, and also planning for Easter. Thank you for making time for this!
Gospel Night at Bushwhacker Days is coming up on June 13 — always a fun opportunity to serve and to rub shoulders with people in our community!
Fellowship:I look forward, Lord willing, to us organizing some fellowship opportunities for the whole church this coming spring and summer, much as we did last year!
Please pray…
Please pray for Matt Servos and family, as Matt has undergone some unexpected and challenging heart issues this week. He is in for an important procedure this afternoon to help determine what’s going on. Thank you for praying!
Continue to pray for Heather Vestal and for the Vestal family as Heather heals and also awaits the doctors’ reports following her recent surgery. We do love the Vestals and pray for God’s strong and loving hand to meet their physical and spiritual needs.
Thank you to all who are taking a turn cleaning our new church building! What a blessing you are!
I hope to see you Sunday!
— Tom
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