Meet My New Friend

Last Sunday night three of my dearest pastor friends—Buddy Gray, Ron Ethridge, John Thweatt—and I befriended a new companion in the ministry. His name is Ray Pritchard, and you can read more about him on his daily blog at http://www.keepbelieving.com/. When you click there you will note on Ray’s Tuesday entry he mentions my blog. Ray is a gracious man.

Ray is a man God is using in a mighty way. The three of us have been interested in Ray’s ministry for several years. I read his blog and peak at his sermons almost on a daily basis. When we heard he was coming to Birmingham for a scheduled event, we asked if we would arrive a day early so we could spend some time in true biblical fellowship with him. Thankfully, Ray agreed.

We met with Ray last Sunday evening for about five hours. We spent part of the evening sharing a meal at a local restaurant in Hoover. Then, the other part of the evening was spent at my mother’s house, as we devoured the chocolate pie she made for us.

There is so much I learned from my encounter with Ray. He reminded me of some tried and true principles I should never forsake, and he taught me many new insights about life and ministry I will always cherish.

Ray told us his life story. His journey inspired me. His insights challenged me. And, his authenticity encouraged me. Here it is Wednesday, three days later, and I am still savoring much of what he said.
Perhaps the one kernel of truth that touched me the deepest centered on the Sovereignty of God. In almost every subject we addressed, Ray returned to the Sovereign nature of God. From his personal testimony to his accounts of past pastorates to his present day ministry, Ray kept reminding us of God’s sovereign ways.

That is a good reminder for all of us. We should remember daily that God is Sovereign. To say God is Sovereign is to say He is in control of everything. Nothing happens without passing through the permissible hands of Almighty God. To say God is Sovereign is to say nothing ever surprises Him. To say God is Sovereign is to say He is God and I am not.

One of the clearest testimonies to God’s Sovereign way is found in Jeremiah’s prophecy, where God’s Word recounts:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
Jeremiah 18:1-10

Isaiah 29:16 reinforces God’s Sovereignty the following way:

You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"?
Isaiah 29:16

The Bible is replete with examples of God’s Sovereign control:

God directs the course of nature:

He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a
mighty downpour.' …The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.
Job 37:6, 10 & 11

God has providential control of human affairs:

He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
Job 12:23

God influences rulers in decisions:

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
Proverbs 21:1

God brings about various events in our lives:

I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to
direct his steps.
Jeremiah 10:23

Success and failure comes from God:

No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.
But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
Psalm 75:6-7

Our talents and abilities are from the Lord:

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
1 Corinthians 4:7

God plans our days before we are born:

…your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:16

On and on and on I could go with example after example after example of the Sovereignty of God. After befriending Ray Pritchard last Sunday night I am remind of this one categorical reality—GOD IS SOVEREIGN!

What Makes You Happy?

During the Thanksgiving weekend my mother and I conducted a simple, random (and I might add, non-scientific) survey of family and friends. We asked each person the same question when they arrived at my house. We asked them, “What makes you happy?”

Their answers were remarkably consistent especially when you consider not a single respondent knew what the other respondents said prior to their arrival.

The number one answer to the question “What makes you happy?” was, generally speaking, “Spending time with family and friends.” A few other answers included going to the beach, playing in the sun, reading a good book by the fireplace in the winter, sleeping late on a Saturday morning and so on. Yet by far, the number one answer focused on family and friends.

Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world (net worth at $42 billion) in a November 23 interview with CNBC (“The Billionaire Next Door”) was asked to define success. Buffet responded, “Do what you love and do it well. That is success.” Then, Mr. Buffet added, “Happiness is not $1000 in the bank or $1 billion, but having those you want to love you, love you.”

Now isn’t that interesting? The second richest man in the world does not define success or happiness in dollars and cents. He defines success and happiness by doing what you love and having people love you.

I know what makes me happy. I am happiest when I am around the people I love and who love me. I enjoy being around my family. I enjoy being with friends. I enjoy the times of fellowship and worship I share with my larger family known as CrossPoint. I am happiest when I spend time laughing, loving, and fellowshipping with the people I love the most.

What makes you happy?

I think the reason some people are so unhappy is that they are simply pursuing those things that will never provide true happiness. Money cannot make you happy. Possessions do not provide happiness. Happiness is best defined by relationships.

Give Thanks for Your Thorns

I receive hundreds of emails each week from CrossPointers and guests sharing their stories. You would be amazed at the things I am privileged to read. There are so many stories of struggle and success, victory and defeat. Each week I am challenged by what I read.

Just before Thanksgiving I received the following email from a CrossPoint mother of a special needs child. Wow, I think you will be amazed at the depth of her words.

Read the following carefully and prayerfully:

Hi Ryan, how are you? I just wanted to share some things that the Lord has been teaching me here lately and this story was such a good synopsis of it.

When I was younger, I remember people saying that when you were unhappy with how God created you, you were basically telling God that He had made a mistake. In a recent Sunday School lesson we were talking about how we deal with it when our dreams aren't God's dreams for us. I realized that to tell God that I am unhappy with my life is to tell God he made a mistake with my life. Suddenly I became so thankful for so many things. Matthew is one of the most precious, patient and unconditionally loving person I have ever known. I wouldn't want my life not to have him in it. Mike is a man who wants to be what God wants him to be. He, too, has a very different life than the one he thought he would have. I am so grateful for him. Jeremy is my mission of hope. He has improved so much over the last year and I see the love of God in each of his smiles. CrossPoint has become our family. We moved to Alabama to be closer to family (blood relations) and have discovered that our true family is right here in this fellowship. We are so thankful for the acceptance of our family, the honesty of our friends in our Sunday School classes. When James says to "count it all joy" the message is that if you fight against the "thorns" than you miss God's blessings. God is the closest to you in the hard times. My life is full and abundant. How can I not want God's dream for me? Thank you so much for teaching us straight from the word. May God continue to bless you.

Pamela K. Miller RN, BSN
Sedation Coordinator
Pediatric Imaging

Wow, give thanks for your thorns.

Try Thanksgiving

Tonight my mother and Vonda’s parents will be spending the night with us. Even though our parents live in the Birmingham area, we wanted to enhance the holiday occasion by asking them to spend the night with us. Don’t you know that “out of town” company always makes the holiday more festive. We have also asked the kids not to make any plans for tonight. We want to reserve the evening specifically for family.

Thanksgiving takes on a different meaning for my family this year. It will be the first Thanksgiving we celebrate without my stepfather, Rick, or Vonda’s grandmother, Granny, being present. Yes, we will shed a few tears as we think of them. But we will also rejoice knowing they are celebrating their first Thanksgiving in heaven.

While thinking of our families’ loss this year, I was reminded of a story from Henry Frost. Henry Frost served for many years as a missionary to China. In his journal he wrote of a very difficult time in his life. He says, "I had received sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed but the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, but the darkness only deepened. Then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: ’TRY THANKSGIVING.’ I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return.”

My family will “TRY THANKSGIVING” this year. Sure there will be times we will want to cry; and cry we will. But we will prevail over our grief by giving thanks.

In “TRYING THANKSGIVING” this year I will…
…Wake up early and build a fire in the fireplace
…Run with Steve Parr in the Jewish Community Center 10K Race
…Savor my time with our parents
…Enjoy the holiday with my children
…Eat my favorite dish—sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and pecans
...Take at least two naps during the day
…Give thanks for the many ways the Lord has blessed my family
…Watch plenty of football games
…Laugh a lot

What about you? What will you do to “TRY THANKSGIVING” this year?

Resisting the Devil

While preparing last week’s message from James 4:1-10, I came across some old jokes and anecdotes about resisting the devil that I had to share with you in today’s blog.

There was this one about Satan coming to a worship service:

I read the story of how during a worship service the devil walked in and marched down to the front of the Church. Everyone started screaming and running for the doors. Soon the building was empty except for one elderly gentleman. He sat calmly in his pew; seemingly oblivious to the fact the ultimate enemy was in his presence. Satan looked at him and said, “Do you know who I am?”

The old man replied, “Yep, sure do.”

Satan then asked, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Nope, sure ain’t,” said the man.

The devil then said, “Don’t you know that I could cause you profound, horrifying, physical agony for all eternity?”

“Yep,” replied the man.

“Then why aren’t you afraid,” asked the devil.

The old man calmly replied, “Been married to your sister for over 48 years.”

Then I read this little piece about resisting the devil:

We must resist the devil in everything and in everyway and there can be no compromise. I think about a hunter that was bear hunting. He came upon this bear, raised his gun, and was about to pull the trigger when the bear said “Is it not better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let’s negotiate.”

Lowering his rifle, the hunter said, “I want a fur coat.”

“Good,” said the bear, “that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise.”

They sat down to negotiate, and after a while the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach and the hunter had his fur coat.

Finally, there is this story:

There was a little old lady who never spoke ill of anyone. If she said anything about anybody, it was always good. A friend said to her one day, “I believe you would say something good even about the devil.”

“Well,” she said, “you certainly do have to admire his persistence.”

Welcome to Lowes…and CrossPoint!

I called one of our recent guests the other night. The purpose of my call was to introduce myself and then to discover how they found our family of faith.

When I inquired as to how they discovered CrossPoint the guest responded, “We were invited to your church at Lowes.” Now she has my attention. “Lowes is advertising for CrossPoint?” I asked. “Tell me more!”

The she added, “Yes, my husband and I were standing in line at Lowes when a man in the line started talking to us and others about his church. As the conversation continued he told us about CrossPoint and where it was located. My husband and I decided we would visit your church the very next Sunday and we are glad we did. We loved it and we will be back next weekend.”

Our guest did not know the name of the man who invited her. Neither could she remember much of what he looked like. But she did remember the man being super excited about his church, and that prompted her and her husband to worship with us last weekend.

The genius of fulfilling the vision of JUST ONE MORE is that anyone can do it. You do not need a degree from seminary. Neither do you need training in a specialized class. All you need is a willingness to talk to someone in order to invite them to CrossPoint.

If we can learn anything from our Lowes guest it would be this: if you invite them they will come.

A Concrete Truck & Just One More

The vision of CrossPoint is JUST ONE MORE. To be more specific, CrossPoint exists to reach JUST ONE MORE to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

The vision of CrossPoint becomes more of a reality when each CrossPointer accepts the divine responsibility to introduce JUST ONE MORE to Jesus Christ.

Below is an email I received from a CrossPointer last week who shared Christ with JUST ONE MORE in a most opportune setting:

This morning as I was sitting (full stop) at a red light in Trussville, the large commercial diesel concrete truck in front of me decides to back up for whatever reason. I was late to a meeting and couldn’t get backed up fast enough to avoid him so he hit me (ran over the front of my car). I was not upset because I was not injured and did not have my kids with me. I was not sure of who would emerge from that large construction type truck so I prayed a quick prayer that the Lord would help me and protect me from any adverse things and that I would handle the situation appropriately. I have never been in any sort of accident. This young man (late 20’s) emerged with a horrified look on his face, totally unaware that I had ever been there.

I immediately assured him that I was ok and not distraught over a silly car. He calmed down and said he didn’t see me, his boss was going to be mad, he was going to be fired. I said, “Well, it was an accident and I would hope he would understand that.” My car needed to be towed and he felt so bad so he was helping me get my car seats, computer, purse… when I told him to look in the console for a nametag with CrossPoint. He asked if it was my work tag and I told him no- I didn’t need my work tag but I would be going to church tonight and I needed my tag. Of course that opened the door for a conversation of:“do you go to church?” “No but on a day like today I wish I did,” he said.

WOW- I told him that this would be a perfect day to start and I’d be happy to meet him there. He gave me an excuse for tonight but said he might come Sunday. I shared my testimony with him.

He ended the conversation by shaking my hand and again apologizing for the accident and didn’t understand why I didn’t “go off” on him. I told him that if my life had ended in that accident today that I would have immediately been in my dream home! He just looked at me funny and I explained that I know my eternity is in Heaven because I have Jesus as my Savior and that a car being totaled, being late for a meeting or having anyone mad at me just pales in comparison to what my life will be. Anyway, I hope he comes or I at least hope he thinks about our conversation.

It is exhilarating when the Lord puts an opportunity in your lap!

The vision of JUST ONE MORE is so easy to realize-even on the day of an accident. I would be curious to hear of your J1M stories.

I Have Been Looking For This God?

I traveled to India Tuesday morning; not in person, but by phone.

I called a technical support phone number provided with my wireless internet router. As soon as the technician answered the phone I knew I was entering the new world Thomas Friedman writes about in The World is Flat. The female technician’s name was Sukihr, and she was on the other side of the globe in India—12 hours ahead of our Central Standard Time Zone.

In fifteen minutes she was able to solve my router problems. While we were working through the computer jargon and language barrier, I knew at some point I must share the good news of Jesus Christ with her.

Before ending the conversation I asked Sukihr, “Has anyone every talked to you about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?”She said, “Yes, I have heard of Him?”

“What do you know about Him,” I inquired.

“I know very little,” said Sukihr.
That opened the door for me to present the gospel. I stuttered and stammered my way through the good news of Jesus Christ, often clarifying everything I said thanks to the language difficulty I had to overcome.

After sharing the truth I asked, “Does this make sense to you?”

Sukihr’s response shocked me. She asked, “Is this the God known as Father, Son and Holy Ghost?”I said, “Yes, indeed, it is.”

Then she said, “I have been looking for this God. I heard about him years ago when I was in grade school. Our principal talked about him.”

Can I get a “wow” from somebody? This is the God she has been looking for! Now that is amazing.

The conversation continued another 15 minutes. I was frustrated with all the church jargon I use to witness to people. Again, I was clarifying every statement in order to keep it simple.

Sukihr did not make a commitment to Christ, although she did tell me she would shop for the Christian holy book I described to her. She said they sell them in a store near her house. She was not allowed to give me her email address or land address.

I told Sukihr that when she got her hands on our holy book that I wanted her to get on her knees every night and ask God to show himself to her as she read one chapter of John each night. She promised me she would get a holy book, ask the God she was seeking to reveal Himself to her and read one chapter of John each night.

I am totally fascinated about this experience. It was an energizing way to begin my day.
I speculate how the Lord will use that encounter in her life. Is someone else from the US calling her today, and while she solves their computer problems will the Holy Spirit compel them to share Christ? Will a missionary be placed in path the next few days? Is one of her co-workers a believer, and will they help answer her questions? Whichever is the case, I have made it a priority to pray for Sukihr each morning. Will you pray with me for her salvation?

Monday Morning Quarterbacking!

Sunday was a very long day for me. As a result I woke up a bit irritable on Monday morning, and that irritability gave way to questioning the effectiveness of Sunday’s message. I tend to do a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking on the previous Sunday’s message. There was a time this morning I felt like my message was preached to the wrong crowd. Don’t get me wrong. I love preaching for you every weekend. I just felt like my message of salvation was better suited for non-churched crowd rather than for regular Sunday morning people. In short, I felt like I was preaching to the choir.
My Monday morning blues continued until I read this little ditty on the web. No wonder the Episcopal Church is in major decline.

(AP) -- The woman who'll be installed this weekend as the first female presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church doesn't consider Jesus Christ the only way to God.

In an Associated Press interview, Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori (SHOHR'-ee) said, "If we insist that we know the one way to God, we've put God in a very small box."

The Bible declares that "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

But Jefferts-Schori says she doesn't believe that "one person can have the fullness of truth in him or herself." Instead, she says, "Truth is, like God, more than any one person can encompass."

Eight Episcopal dioceses have asked Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who heads the world Anglican Communion, to put them under a leader other than Bishop Jefferts-Schori.

WOW! After reading that, I am so thankful I preached a purely Jesus-only message. Indeed, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no under name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (see Acts 4:12). Perhaps someone might want to suggest for Bishop Jefferts-Schori to return to seminary. This time, however, I would recommend she attend a seminary that uses the Word of God as its foundation for training.

I Baptize You…

Just when you think you have seen it all, you see a video like this one. Something tells me this church is a WHOSOEVER church. I love it!

The Weekend in Review

Yesterday was an incredible day for the CrossPoint family of faith. Once again, worship was over the top. Your participation in worship is growing. Keep worshipping.

We had a great group of new members participate in Discovery 101. It is my understanding we have another large number of new members participating in the Wednesday night version this week. I am beginning to think offering the Membership Class on both Sunday and Wednesday once a quarter is a good thing.

The incredible day concluded with Leadership Community. Last night’s LC may have been the strongest LC we have had all year. The topic for this month’s LC centered on the opening of the Education Building of Phase II. We announced last night that if the Lord is willing we will open that building on February 18, 2007. When we open the new wing we automatically increase our Bible study space by 700 seats. Instead of space for 500 in one hour, we will now be able to accommodate 1200. That will certainly raise the potential for greater growth.

On another front, Bryan brought Charma home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Of course, she wanted to return to the hospital last night to check on Lyric. We are not sure when Lyric will make it home. Yet it is safe to say Lyric and his mother are both doing well.

Jamey Curlee will be missed as our Children’s Minister at CrossPoint. He’s done an excellent job the last two years teaching our children how to love God and love others. As Steve announced yesterday morning, we will express our gratitude to Jamey, Jeanette and their children on Wednesday, November 15.

What did you think about the 5K & Fall Festival video? Jeremy Luno created and edited that video. Jeremy is working closely with Bryan to enhance our media ministry, and Jeremy’s expertise in that area is an answer to prayer. I am thankful for volunteers like Jeremy who make the media side of our ministry so effective.

We should be thankful for the many ways in which the Lord continues to pour out his favor on us. Every weekend is another opportunity to experience His grace. Here it is only Monday and I am already looking forward to next Sunday. What about you?

The New Kid on the Block & His Team!

I want to commend Jason Motte for pulling together an amazing Fall Festival last weekend. With only two months notice, Jason exceeded every expectation. We are still trying to estimate the number of people who showed up for an evening of fun. Whether we crossed the 3,000 mark is still to be determined. What we do know, however, is that the night was a huge accomplishment thanks to Jason’s leadership.

I am impressed with Jason’s ability to organize and delegate. His reputation for leadership precedes him. That is what attracted the Personnel Team to Jason. Now that we have seen him work on the frontlines with a cross-section of CrossPointers, we affirm that assessment.

Jason has a heart for ministry, and it shows. He also has the unique ability to remain calm and steady in the midst of multiple decisions and limits. Throughout the evening he kept a smile on his face, and provided a careful answer to every inquiry. That shows us just how strong of a leader is Jason.

It would be foolish for me to commend Jason, without also commending his team of servant leaders. Although the final number of people present is still not in, we do know that more than 300 CrossPointers served the community that evening. I commend you for your effort as well.

You arrived early and stayed late. You parked cars and greeted people. You hosted games and provided refreshments. You shared Christ and administered His love. You worked overtime to make everyone feel welcomed. You were a great witness for Jesus Christ and for one of his outposts of ministry, CrossPoint.

Jason and his team’s efforts were not without result. Today, at lunch, someone asked if we (staff) were from CrossPoint. I think it was our name tags that gave us away. When we responded positively, the questioner said she heard about the success of our Fall Festival. Others have called or emailed to thank us for our effort.

Let me relate two other stories from the night and I am done.

Late in the evening on Sunday, it appeared that we would have more than enough candy left over from the festival. While trying to decide what to do with all those sweets, we met a family from St. Luke’s Missionary Baptist Church in Graysville. They told us how they were trying to host a festival for tonight, but were afraid they would not have enough candy. Imagine their surprise when we showed them our stash of leftover candy. Early Monday morning, a member and his wife showed up at CrossPoint to load their van with candy. It was pleasurable sharing the candy with this most deserving church. They both hugged me and thanked us profusely for our generosity.

Now isn’t that just like God to add to our candy – like the fishes and the loaves – so that we could provide for TWO fall festivals.

Finally, Monday morning I was greeted with true acts of servant leadership. As I drove up the front driveway of the campus I observed Tom Brown picking up trash. I witnessed Tom doing the same thing the night before, and here he was back the next day doing the same thing. I waved at Tom and thanked him for helping Israel Harris and Ricky Owen.

Then, as I entered the building a retired couple greeted me at the front door. I recognized their faces, but could not remember their names. We commented about the events from the night before, and then they went their way as went mine.

A few minutes later I recalled their names as I looked out the window in amazement, watching them assist Tom, Israel and Ricky in the cleanup effort. The couple is Jim and Barbara Rogers, and what makes their effort so special is that are not yet CrossPointers. You read the previous line correctly—they are not yet members of CrossPoint. Two of the people who cleaned our campus the morning following the festival were guests, not members!

Now that is remarkable, isn’t it? I learned later in the day they are registered for this Sunday’s D101 membership class.

Wow, don’t you love it? Here is a family that has already figured out the CrossPoint spirit—INAM, It’s Not About Me! And the great thing about their act of service is that they have not yet heard us preach the INAM message. They will next Sunday! And when they do hear the It’s Not About Me message, I plan to use them as an example for the remainder of the class.

Once again, Sunday night was over the top. I commend the new kid on the block and his team of volunteers. I also commend Tom Brown, Jim and Barbara Rogers, Israel Harris and Ricky Owen. Additionally, I commend you. I commend everyone. Well done, CrossPoint, well done!