TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada MO
Hello, Crossroads Family!
We had good worship Sunday around God’s Word, the Communion Meal, and music that refreshed our spirit. I think our Worship Team is doing a great job, and I’m thankful for their hard work. It’s not an easy task to put together a thoughtful worship service that hopefully draws the entire congregation into worship. Thanks to our Set-Up Team, too, for faithfully coming early and giving attention to all the little things necessary to welcome a group of people to worship. Thanks to everyone who helps tear down the gym, and to all of you who participate in worship. Worship is not, first of all, about coming to get something; worship is something we give to God. We offer him our worship, our lives. Crossroads has grown as a worshiping church. I love to hear the music ring out through the YMCA both during the rehearsal time ahead of worship, and during the service itself. I hope it’s blessing some who are now sharing the building with us on Sunday mornings!
Here are an assortment of thoughts as we start a new week:
Thanks!
Thanks for helping with the parking and traffic situation Sunday. We are being asked to park on the east or north sides of the parking lot so extra space can be created for traffic coming through for the food pick-up.
Helping
If you can be a part of the Crossroads Team helping to pack groceries and hand them out, please let Heather know. The dates when our help is needed are the following:
Saturday, October 24 1-4 pm packing
Sunday, October 25 11 am – 1 pm handing out
Saturday, November 17 1-4 pm packing
Sunday, November 18 11 am – 1 pm handing out
They are counting on 6-7 people from Crossroads on each of those four days. Let Heather know what dates work for you.
Hayride
The fall hayride at the Reedys will take place Saturday, October 17, at the Reedy Farm in Moundville. Come for a cookout and fellowship at 5:00 ; hayride will follow. Hot dogs and buns will be provided. Please bring a side, a drink, and/or a dessert … and a friend!
Discipleship
Jesus commanded his followers to make disciples. Most of us need some training and ideas in how to do that. The Four Chair discipleship training will be given at The Springs Church in Springfield on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30-12:30. This will be an excellent training, led by some of our E-Free Central District staff, including Jerry Carlin who you know from his visits to Crossroads. Please consider giving a morning of your time to being encouraged as a disciple and a disciplemaker. Cost is $20 and includes a manual. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll send you the sign-up information.
More thoughts…
Are there people in your life who need a connection with a vibrant church community? Prayerfully consider inviting them to a worship service or other activity at Crossroads. Most people connect with a church through a personal invitation.
This coming Sunday’s sermon in the “You Asked For It” series will be “Raising Great Kids.” What a challenging subject! We’ll look at some great kids in the Bible, too! Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, or even if you don’t have children, our ministry to young people is one that the Lord considers particularly important. Young people in America need a strong spiritual foundation. How can we do a better job providing that?
We’re putting together a Nominating Committee at Crossroads to select an Elder for next year. Shane is finishing his first term on the Elder Board and is eligible to be re-elected.
Sermons are available on the Crossroads Facebook page, usually sometime Saturday afternoon prior to the service on Sunday morning. You can also watch my sermons on my YouTube channel. We have a lot of people watching ! The sermon on “Donald Trump or Joe Biden?” has 112 views on YouTube.
What are you reading these days? I have a handful of books that I’m reading or starting to read. One of my struggles since losing Diana is that I go through periods when I find it hard to focus on reading. Then, at other times, the current changes, and I can’t get enough of reading. So it seems to be kind of feast or famine. Here are four books I’m working on now:
- Giving Outside the Box, a book on generosity in giving by my good friend Dale Losch. Dale’s heart for generous giving has had an impact in my life. There are concepts in Dale’s book we’re likely to come back to as a church.
- A Gentle Answer: Our Secret Weapon in An Age of Us Against Them, by Scott Sauls, a book on gentleness, based on Proverbs 13:3, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
- Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, by Ellen Vaughn, a biography of Elisabeth Elliot’s early years.
- 40 Days Through Revelation: Uncovering the Mystery of the End Times, by Ron Rhodes, a sort of daily devotional that works its way verse by verse through the book of Revelation.
Many of you know that my niece’s husband passed away from the Coronavirus last week. Thank you for praying for her and for our extended family. Alan was only 36 years old. He was a big man with a big bushy beard. He wore a t-shirt that said, “Big Foot saw me but no one believed him.” He was a gentle man and is greatly missed by my niece and her two boys, ages 7 and 4. Please pray that the Lord will minister to them in a powerful and unique way.
There are other needs in our Crossroads family. Let’s remember to pray regularly for each other. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16).
This week is when the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated by Jews, a joyful time of remembering God’s faithfulness in leading the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. (This year, however, the nation of Israel is under a lockdown due to the pandemic, so celebrations will be more subdued than usual.) In the coming kingdom of the Lord Jesus, all nations will go up to Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles to celebrate. (See Zechariah 14:16.) Won’t that be amazing? There will be worldwide unity and joy under the reign of Jesus Christ! He is the Prince of Peace! I look forward to that day!
I hope you have a great week! See you on Facebook or next Sunday at the Y!
— Tom
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