The Slippery Slope

Question: What happens when you take God and prayer out of school?

I will give you a hint: the slope become very slippery.

I appreciate Peter LaBarbera’s comments in the following article. We need to pray for him and the parents of the Philadelphia School District. The next thing you know an enlightened educator in our state will think this is a great idea for Alabama. Do not laugh; it’s coming!

Philadelphia School District slates 'Gay & Lesbian History Month' for Oct.

Sep 28, 2006

By Michael Foust

Baptist Press

PHILADELPHIA (BP)--The Philadelphia School District has declared October "Gay and Lesbian History Month" on its 2006-07 school calendar, touching off a wave of protest from parents who say homosexuality conflicts with their religious beliefs.

The firestorm over the calendar was reported Sept. 28 by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which said the school district had received about 120 complaints, including one from a parent who said she was pulling her child out of school for the entire month of October.

Approximately 200,000 calendars were printed and sent to parents and others who have ties to the district. All of the calendars have October as being "Gay and Lesbian History Month."

"We knew that this would be controversial," Cecilia Cummings, a spokeswoman for the school district, told the newspaper. "When you deal with diversity, there are some hot-button issues that emerge.

"But conservative leaders and many parents say the school district went too far.

"This shows the whole problem with gay activism and so-called gay rights," Peter LaBarbera, president of the conservative group Americans for Truth, told Baptist Press. "If you promote so-called homosexual rights, by definition you have to undermine people's religious rights and religious beliefs.

"If you have a gay history month, you're basically saying, 'This is a wonderful part of American history -- homosexual history -- let's celebrate it and let's teach the kids that this is like civil rights. Are they going to teach the role that homosexual behavior had in the onset of HIV and AIDS? Is that going to be part of the history?"

One parent, Senita Watson, said she plans on homeschooling her second-grade daughter during October. She visited the school district offices Sept. 27 and has called on other parents to boycott as well.

"How can you celebrate gay and lesbian month? What are you going to teach my daughter?" Watson asked, according to The Inquirer. "They need to have a nonviolence month, not a gay and lesbian month.... Our children have enough to worry about with drugs."

The school district is not preparing any district-wide curriculum or holding any special events for October, Cummings said, although presumably individual teachers and schools can plan their own agenda.

"This is the first step," said LaBarbera, who added he has no doubt that district-wide curriculum eventually will follow. "The whole homosexual agenda is implemented incrementally.... First you have the legislation about hate crimes, and then you have sexual orientation laws, and then you have teaching it in schools -- and that's where they are now."

Cummings told The Inquirer three other special celebrations also are on the school calendar: Hispanic Heritage (September), African American (February) and Asian Pacific American (May). Some people complain about African American month, she said.

"'Why isn't there a white male history month?' we'll hear," she told The Inquirer.

LaBarbera, though, said there is no comparison between homosexuality and race.

"The schools are equating homosexuality with racial tolerance," LaBarbera said. "Obviously, racial tolerance is accepted by 99.99 percent of Americans. But there's a huge cultural divide on the issue of homosexuality, and the school district here is mimicking gay activists' platitudes in response to this. There's no respect for people who oppose homosexual behavior....

"They're promoting one side of the issue to vulnerable and impressionable children. This is all about celebrating homosexuality, and there's no consideration given for people from traditional faith households."

WOW!

Enjoying the Results of Running

For those of you who do not know, five years ago I started a crusade to get back into shape. My sole purpose in running was to ward off a heart attack and/or an early death. A secondary reason was to loose weight. As a result I started jogging about four or five days a week.

One morning, after a quick jog, a neighbor asked me, “Ryan, what are you running for?” Thinking his emphasis was on the “YOU” in that question, I quickly retorted, “To get in shape.” Again he asked the same question, only this time he said more emphatically, “No, I asked what are you running FOR? You don’t just run to get in shape. You must run FOR something.”

My neighbor was correct. You don’t just run, to run. You must run for something. As Paul said, “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
With that simple question from my neighbor I was soon training to compete in my initial 5K run. I had never run more than a mile without stopping. So to run 3.1 miles would be a major victory for me. My inaugural 5K was Birmingham’s Kudzu 5K Run. After competing in it, I focused my vision on the Maple Leaf 5K in Trussville. It was not long after that I began dreaming of competing in a marathon. My goal was to run 26.3 miles (all in one day, at one time, in one run) before I turned 40.

For the next three years I was consumed with running. My first marathon was Huntsville’s Rocket City Marathon, which I ran three months before I turned 40. A year later I ran in the Chicago Marathon, and the following year I competed in the New York City Marathon.

Training for the New York City Marathon I injured my left knee. After a year of rehabilitation, my doctor suggested surgery. For nearly three years I have waged the battle to get my knee back into shape, only to be disappointed about three or four weeks into each renewal to run again. Thankfully, since about mid-June of this year I have slowly rebuilt my stamina in the knee. And, if the Lord is willing, I will be running in the Maple Leaf 5K in four weeks, followed by CrossPoint’s 5K the very next weekend.

I know I do not look like a runner, but running is a passion of mine. While running the other morning I started thinking of reasons why I like to run:

1. I like the RESULT of running. Running improves my health. It helps me think more clearly. I sleep better when I run. And, I feel better about my physical health and well being.
2. I like to SWEAT. When I sweat I forget, and it is always good to have something to help you forget your most pressing issues.
3. I like to pursue GOALS. I have always been a goal oriented person. I like setting certain mileage or time goals in my training log each week, and meeting or exceeding those goals. Periodically, I do not reach my objective, and all that does is motivate me to press on.
4. I like ROUTINE. Even though I consider myself a creative and spontaneous person, I like the habit of certain routines in my day. Routine keeps me on target with the objectives God wants me to fulfill.
5. I like the DISCIPLINE of running. By beginning five out of seven days of each week with an early morning run, I am a more disciplined person during the remainder of the day.

I may never win a race. I may never qualify for the Boston Marathon (I think the qualifying time now is 3:20, which is too fast for me). However, the reason I run is not to compete against others as much as it is to compete against myself and the battle time is waging on my body.

I would be curious to hear your stories as to how and why you exercise. I am particularly interested in your training stories as we count down the weeks to the Fifth Annual CrossPoint 5K.

First Impressions Card

Every Monday my assistant and I send letters to our 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th time guests. The letter to our first time guests includes a “First Impression Card.” The purpose of the card is to receive instant feedback. We ask our first time guest to respond to three areas: what they noticed first, what they liked best, and what they liked least.

Provided below are two responses I received this week.

This is what I noticed first:

Response #1: “Everyone was very friendly & welcomed us.”
Response #2: “The choir; the energy of the environment when I entered the building.”

This is what I like best:

Responder #1: “The music and sermon was awesome!!”
Responder #2: “The lady sitting beside me introduced herself and her husband and made me feel welcome; among lots of other nice things like seeing the children being baptized; the screens make the service more interactive.”

This is what I liked least:

Responder#1: “Just afraid a big church wouldn’t give the personal attention like a smaller one does.”
Responder #2: “I can’t say anything I liked the least; everything was a positive experience.”

That’s good stuff, isn’t it?

I am particularly proud of the CrossPointer who introduced herself and her husband to our guest. CrossPoint can never be too friendly. Keep welcoming those around you. Who knows, you may be introducing yourself to the next CrossPointer.

As for the thought of a big church not giving the “personal attention like a smaller one does” I think we can dispel that myth by growing smaller as we grow larger. That is why we encourage everyone to get involved in a small group. It is through the small groups we remain interconnected and involved with each other. Besides, I have never thought of CrossPoint as being a big church, have you?

By the way, we are currently averaging 10 to 12 first time guests every weekend at CrossPoint. That trend will only continue to increase as we reach out to our community.

First impressions are very important. Keep giving your best, CrossPoint!

Technical Difficulties

Hello all!! This is Vaughn, the blog administrator. I know many are probably wondering what happened to www.justonemore.info. We have experienced some technical issues that have set us back from posting. Those issues have been ironed out so we shall resume blogging today!!

Giving To Sacrificially

Three years ago one of my special nieces (they are all special, by the way) asked me to support her as a staff member with Campus Crusade with Christ. Manda would serve on school year as a campus missionary on two college campuses in central Ohio. Manda did not realize it, but my family’s income was already stretched to the limit with our sacrificial giving to CrossPoint. However, after praying about it, we were convinced we were supposed to support Manda even if it meant more sacrifice on our part.

As a result of supporting Manda, another opportunity came our way. I remember the night very well. It was in the summer of 2004. On the other end of the phone line was the voice of a college student who said, “Uncle Ryan, you may not remember me by my name is Ryan Johnson and I Manda’s friend from Indiana. The purpose for my call is to see if you would support me financially while I serve with Campus Crusade in Spain next year.” You have to give the young man credit, he had me in his back pocket when he called me “Uncle Ryan” and reminded me of his connection with Manda. Of course I told Ryan my family would support him. Besides, we supported Manda for a year. Now that her service with Campus Crusade was ending, I could deposit that same amount of support over to Ryan’s account.

I offered to support Ryan from August of 2004 through August of 2005. As my year-long commitment was coming to a close, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that Ryan would be returning to Spain for another twelve-month stint. Again, he called and again, Vonda and I said we would support him.

By now I am headstrong into my commitment to Campus Crusade for Christ. I have always believed in Campus Crusade for Christ. But my gifts for Manda, and then for Ryan made my commitment that much stronger.

As if supporting Ryan were not enough, God decided to bless us more toward the end of 2005. Late that year I ate lunch with an old friend from Mississippi. His beautiful daughter, Joy, joined us for the lunch, and during the meal she disclosed her need for support to serve as a Campus Crusade for Christ missionary on the campus of Mississippi State University.

What was I to do? My family was already supporting one missionary in Spain. Now we had another one saying she needed our support in Mississippi. It did not take much prayer. I knew what we were supposed to do. We were challenged to support this missionary as well. So, I started sending Campus Crusade more money so we could have the honor of supporting two students on mission for Christ.

The Campus Crusade for Christ story is a great one. I have the joy of being a small part in that visionary plan by supporting three students. Manda’s request set our commitment to Campus Crusade into motion. Ryan’s service in Spain has concluded. Joy’s commitment at Mississippi State may be expanded to Italy in 2007. So, my family will now give Joy the full amount of our support through August 2007. Hopefully, by then the Lord will send us another missionary we can support.

My family gives sacrificially to CrossPoint and her ministries. Our tithe goes to the budget. We also give another tithe to our JUST ONE MORE capital campaign. Additionally we give an offering each week to our World Missions Offering. Some might say that is enough. But my family has discovered there is a greater reward when you give beyond what you think you are able to give and share your income with some deserving students like Manda, Ryan and Joy. My family is committed to supporting Joy through August, 2007. The years of giving to this ministry have been so rewarding that I pray we meet another missionary before Joy leaves the mission field.

Provided below is a copy of the last letter Ryan sent me this week thanking my family for our support. I believe when you read the letter you will see why we give sacrificially to missions.

Hasta luego from Madrid, Spain!
And hello from St. Louis, Missouri! One chapter of my life has come to an end, and the next chapter is just beginning. On August 31st, at 8 am, I will officially start classes at Covenant Theological Seminary. I plan to complete a Master of Divinity over the next four years, and then probably either return to Spain, or go to some other country in need of the Christian message, this time with the goal of planting churches. But I am excited for four years of theological education, life experience, and relationship with God to refine or confirm that initial goal.
Even as I begin this next stage, I want to thank each and every one of you one last time for your faithful support – financial, in prayer, and in friendly concern. Two years of college ministry in Spain, along with thousands and thousands of Spanish students hearing about the offer of relationship with God, would quite literally not have been possible without you. So I give you my sincere thanks. These two years have also been instrumental in my life as a chance to grow closer to God and to “test the waters” of overseas mission work. I love it, it seems to be a wonderful fit for me, and I would like overseas missions to be my life work. But may the Lord’s will be done. I mean that.
It would be fitting, wouldn’t it, to close with one last 30-second Power Prayer? Thanks again, really, and may God bless you all!

Sincerely,

Ryan Johnson

Lord God, we pray that many college students in Madrid would come to really know You, as well as many more people the world over, for the first time, or in a deeper way. In the name of Jesus, and for His glory, AMEN!

Theology of God

For those of you not participating in my CPU course on Wednesday nights, I thought I’d give you a sample of what we are discussing each week in Systematic Theology.

Last night’s topic was “How Do I know that God Exists?” Our discussion was broken down into four segments:

Part One: Humanity’s Inner Sense of God
Part Two: Believing the Evidence of Scripture & Nature
Part Three: Traditional “Proofs” for the Existence of God
Part Four: One Final Argument

The One Final Argument section is based on two great facts. One: God is found when we seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Two: God must be accepted by faith (Hebrews 11:6).

While preparing last night’s study I landed on an interesting survey about God.

Terri Jo Ryan staff writer for the Tribune-Herald writes, “We may be ‘one nation, under God’ but Americans actually worship at least four versions of the Lord, according to the Baylor Religion Survey released today.”

American Piety in the 21st Century: New Insights into the Depth and Complexity of Religion in the United States, conducted by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, leveled more than two dozen questions about God’s character and behavior at 1,721 Americans nationwide.

Americans perceived of God in one of four ways:

Authoritarian God (31.4%): Individuals who follow this model feel God is highly involved in their personal lives and world affairs, they give the Deity credit for their decision-making, and they feel God is angry and meting out punishment to the wicked.

Benevolent God (23%): These believers also think God is very active in their daily life, just not as wrathful. They believe benevolent God is mostly a force for positive influence in the world, and reluctant to condemn individuals.

Critical God (16%): The faithful of this subset believe God is not meddling in world affairs but is nonetheless looking on in disapproval. These people tend to believe that God’s displeasure will be felt in another life, and that divine justice is not of this world.

Distant God (24.4%): Individuals in this group think that Distant God is not active in humanities affairs, and is not especially angry, either. Believers consider the Deity more of a cosmic force who sets the laws of nature into motion.

“Which of the God models you follow is an accurate predictor of a number of factors, including race, political stances, even where you live,” said Paul Froese, a Baylor sociologist who worked on the BISR project headed by Rodney Stark and Byron Johnson.

What is your view of God?

I believe the Bible provides four fundamental truths about God.

1. He is a PERSONAL God: God is not an ideal or a philosophy of life or a metaphysical principle; He is a personal and spiritual Being who seeks a personal relationship with man.

But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
Psalm 34:14

2. He is a TRANSCENDANT God. When we worship we do not worship an equal; we worship our creator, the eternal, infinite God.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Isaiah 6:1-5

3. He is an EMMANENT God: God is constantly present in the life of man. As Giver of life, He is also the Sustainer of life. In numerous ways God makes Himself known to man.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16

4. He is a TRUSTWORTHY God. Man is never disappointed when he lifts his voice to God in praise or in petition.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5b

9/11: Are You Ready?

Wow, What a Sunday!
Just when you think it cannot get any better than what it already is at CrossPoint, God stirs us and does something new. Wow, worship last weekend was incredible.

I commend Bryan Haskins, the choir, praise band and media team for making the day so worshipful. The choir singing its first Sunday with Bryan was a fitting end to our series on worship.

Bryan’s impact on CrossPoint is already widespread. I am thankful for his sensitivity and flexibility. You may not see it like I do, but Bryan truly follows the Spirit’s leading, and that understanding is making a major impact in our worship. His understanding is also influencing my preaching.

I hope you know more about worship today than you did six weeks ago. Remember, “worship is the believer’s adoring response of all that he is—mind, emotions, will and body – to all that God is and says and does” (Warren Wiersbe).

5K Training
Where are you on your 5K training? I hear some of you have made so much progress that you have abandoned the walk/run plan we gave you a few weeks ago and are now running a full 5K each day. That is great!

I know my training schedule has intensified dramatically in the last three weeks. Beginning each day with a regimented exercise routine in addition to time alone worshipping the Lord is a great recipe for a meaningful day. I challenge you to begin your day with exercise and time alone with the Lord. You will be amazed at the difference it makes.

911—Are You Ready?
Do you remember where you were five years ago today?

I remember well where I was and what I was doing. I was leading a summer revival at Providence Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I had just returned from my morning run when Vonda called. She asked me if I was watching the news. Within a few seconds of turning on the television, I witnessed the second plane crashing into the other World Trade Center tower.

Vonda and I remained on the phone with one another for at least an hour. Like you, we watched the horrific events unfold, wondering what was going on.

I remember Vonda asking me if this was the end of time and if I should return home. My response was abrupt. I said, “If it is the end of time me driving home will not really matter. I will just see you in heaven.”

You do know that the return of Christ will be a dramatic and unexpected event, don’t you? Jesus said of His return,

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Matthew 24:42-44

If the memorial events of today remind me of anything, they remind me to be ready for Christ’s return. Are you ready?

Strongest Dad in the World

Several of you commented Sunday about the Dick & Rick Hoyt video we displayed to promote our Respite Care Ministry. The following day a CrossPointer sent me this article from Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated when he wrote about the father and son team. I thought you would benefit from reading more about their story.

For those of you training for the CrossPoint 5K on October 28, 2006, I trust this motivates you:

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I (stink).

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much—except save his
life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. “He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life,'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,'' Dick says he was told.

“There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. “I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. “Dad,'' he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

“No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? “No way,'' he says.

Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

“No question about it,'' Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. “If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, “you probably would've died 15 years ago.''

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. “The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, “is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once.''

Two Ouches

This past Sunday we celebrated the Lord’s Supper at CrossPoint. I was particularly moved by the response of all three worship crowds. It did not take long for each set of CrossPointers to recognize the serious nature of the ceremony. I commend you for your humble response to such a sacred meal.

Two items were sent to me last week pertaining to the church. One is a dead-serious observation about preaching, while the other is a quit-witted antidote about a dead church. Both have a certain “hit you in the solar plexus” truth to them.

John MacArthur writes,

When a man steps into the pulpit more interested in telling us about his week so that he can "relate" to his people - he is not preaching the Word. When a man seeks to be funny behind the sacred desk rather than faithful with the text - he is not preaching the Word. When a man claims to have a "word from the Lord" a part from the divine revelation of Scripture - he is deceived and is not preaching the Word. When a man designs his sermons to attract a target audience, appeal to the culture, and has as its primary goal a thirst to be relevent - he is not preaching the Word. When a man strives to change the world through politics, representing America as the new Israel, seeking to bring a societal morality through legislation, and honors the flag equally with the cross - he is not preaching the Word. When a man fails to tremble at God's Word privately before ever preaching it publicly - he is not preaching the Word. And when a man treats the pages of holy writ with a cavalier, seeker-friendly, watered down, cream of wheat irrevernce - he is not preaching the Word.

Better for that man to become a game show host, than represent himself as a "servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries God."

Someone else quipped,

A new Pastor in a small town spent the first four days making personal visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services.

The following Sabbath the church was all but empty.

Accordingly, the Pastor placed a notice in the local newspapers, stating that, because the church was dead, it was everyone's duty to give it a decent Christian burial.

The funeral would be held the following Sabbath afternoon, the notice said.

Morbidly curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin, smothered in flowers. After the Pastor delivered the eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay their final respects to their dead church.

Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a "dead church" all the people eagerly lined up to look in the coffin.

Each "mourner" peeped into the coffin then quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look. In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror.

Ouch!

OUR CORE VALUES

In yesterday’s blog I referred to CrossPoint’s Seven Core Values. For those of you who have never seen these values, I share them with you in today’s blog. I think these values say much about the contagious and vibrant attitude that permeates the CrossPoint community.

1. We value the purpose of RELATIONSHIPS.

Here is a trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.
1 Timothy 1:15

2. We value the pursuit of HEALTH.

Did you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

3. We value the promise of OPPORTUNITY.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8

4. We value the potential of LEADERSHIP.

It was he (God) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Ephesians 4:11-13

5. We value the priority of SERVICE.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.
Mark 10:45

6. We value the persuasiveness of CREATIVITY.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21

7. We value the power of CHANGE.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Getting in Shape

Today was a good day of exercise. I finally pushed through another level of training in order to compete in CrossPoint’s 5th Annual 5K on October 28. The last time I reached a specific milestone was nearly three weeks ago. So, I knew I was due to improve sometime soon. Thus, today’s milestone did not surprise me.

It did surprise me, however, in that I was not very enthusiastic about running this morning. After taking a much needed day of rest on Thursday, I almost indulged in another day off today. I am glad I did not. Three minutes into my first mile I could tell today’s run was going to be special.

I am hearing some great reports from many of you regarding your running and walking progress. Keep working toward your goal. We are eight weeks away from the race. Remember, some days will be better than others. Keep training. Don’t give up. You will be proud you kept training on race day.

Speaking of training did any of you read Cathleen Falsani’s web article, “Weighty matter: is religion making us fat?” If you have not read it, I suggest you do so immediately.

I was intrigued by Falsani’s report, and there are two or three sections that are worth repeat.
First, is a quote from Ken Ferraro:

"America is becoming known as a nation of gluttony and obesity, and churches are a feeding ground for this problem," says Ken Ferraro, a Purdue sociology professor who studied more than 2,500 adults over a span of eight years looking at the correlation between their religious behavior and their body mass index. "If religious leaders and organizations neglect this issue, they will contribute to an epidemic that will cost the health-care system millions of dollars and reduce the quality of life for many parishioners," he says.

The second section is an apt assessment from Falsani:

Ferraro's most recent study, published in the June issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, is a follow-up to a study he published in 1998, where he found there were more obese people in states with larger populations of folks claiming a religious affiliation than elsewhere -- particularly in states with the most Baptists.
So it's not surprising that Ferraro's latest study found that about 27 percent of Baptists, including Southern Baptists, North American Baptists, and Fundamentalist Baptist, were obese.
Surely there are several contributing factors to such a phenomenon, but when Ferraro accounted for geography (southern cooking is generally more high-caloric), race and even whether overweight folks were attracted to churches for moral support, the statistics still seem to indicate that some churches dispense love handles as well as the love of the Lord.

Third is Falsani’s conclusion that I agree with most heartily,

Perhaps, as Ferraro suggests, more churches might want to consider turning the fellowship hall into a gym, putting down the Krispy Kremes, and gathering instead around a plate of crudite before taking a brisk walk with the pastor after church.

Because, ya know, blessed are the weight watchers.

Let there be no mistake: CrossPointers love to eat. We also love to worship, fellowship, minister, evangelize and disciple. Let it also be said we love to exercise.

I am reminded our CrossPoint’s seven Core Values. The second core value reads as follows:

We value the pursuit of HEALTH.

Did you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20

After reading Falsani’s article I was pleased to think that CrossPoint is doing more to contribute to the health and well-being of its community than by just offering someone a casserole.

My charge to you today is keeping training!