Have You Connected?
I was visiting with a CrossPointer last night who tells me she wears her CrossPoint name tag to work periodically instead of the one issued by her employer. (Since her father is a CrossPointer and her employer, I do not think he objects).She said it is fun watching customers respond her name tag. Last week a customer noticed her name tag and asked, “Are you connected?”
That is a great question, isn’t it? I think we should start using that same question at CrossPoint each time we meet to help others connect with God, with God’s people, and with God’s plan.
After reading through your post from the previous blogs this week, I am convinced of this: people will only connect with CrossPoint as much as they want to. It does not matter how many phone calls we make or cards we write or letters we send or contacts we report (and, do not get me wrong, those are all important) a person is only going to connect when they want to.
I agree with Gay who posted this comment:
Gay’s comment reminds me of the time a friend confided in me I to quit playing preacher and Holy Spirit in my messages. He related his thought to me this way:
I needed to hear what my good friend had to say. He was right. At that time in my ministry I was good at making strong comments, and then softening them with the next sentence that came out of my mouth. Thank the Lord I do not that (much) any more.
One final thought.
Wednesday I gave the staff a 47 page list of all the families who call CrossPoint home. The master list included 550 family groups. I asked the staff to join me in praying for a different group of CrossPointers by name every day of the week. I challenged them to pray over so many families per day until they prayed for each member by name within one week. I asked them to pray for each individual, by name, out loud and to record any impressions of how to pray for them beside their name.
You have no idea what kind of pastoral prayer intimacy I experienced this morning praying for you. I started with Rick, Wendy, Morgan and Luke Aaron on page one and I ended with Mike, Mitzi, Josh and Brianna Chaffin on page seven. Tomorrow I begin with Matt, Kathy, Matthew, Brandon, and Alex Chandler on page eight and I will end with Jay, Pam, Stevie and David Foster on page fourteen. I will pray for seven pages of church members each day of this week until I end with Glenn, Connie and Christopher Zinder. Next week I will pray through the names in reverse order.
I know what praying for your church members by name, out loud, one at a time will do for a pastor. I have experienced this kind of intense prayer before, and I tasted it again early this morning. It humbles the man praying for them. It reminds the pastor of the immense, innumerable and insurmountable needs of his flock. And, it will remind the pastor that these are God’s people that God has asked the pastor to feed and lead.
I also know what praying for your church members by name, out loud, one at a time, will do for a church. It will cause God to move. It will give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to respond. Praying for each individual CrossPointer will send revival to CrossPoint. It will cause an awakening in the church. It will stir the hearts of the people praying, and it still the hearts of the people we pray for.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your pastor. Thank you for entrusting me to feed you, lead you and pray for you. I love you as if you were my own family…and you are!
After reading through your post from the previous blogs this week, I am convinced of this: people will only connect with CrossPoint as much as they want to. It does not matter how many phone calls we make or cards we write or letters we send or contacts we report (and, do not get me wrong, those are all important) a person is only going to connect when they want to.
I agree with Gay who posted this comment:
“We try to play the Holy Spirit. He does a great job on his own without our help. A pastor that loves his people and prays for them will see God do great things.”Touché, well said Gay. You are correct.
Gay’s comment reminds me of the time a friend confided in me I to quit playing preacher and Holy Spirit in my messages. He related his thought to me this way:
There are time(s) you will say something that is true, yet hard to accept. And before that truth can settle into my heart you run out into the audience and tell me "but that’s okay, God still loves you and so do I.” Ryan, either quit throwing me fast balls or quit running out into the audience and catching it for me. Say what God placed on your heart and let me decide what to do with it. If God tells you to throw a fast ball, throw it. Let me decide whether or not I will catch it, drop it or dodge it.
I needed to hear what my good friend had to say. He was right. At that time in my ministry I was good at making strong comments, and then softening them with the next sentence that came out of my mouth. Thank the Lord I do not that (much) any more.
One final thought.
Wednesday I gave the staff a 47 page list of all the families who call CrossPoint home. The master list included 550 family groups. I asked the staff to join me in praying for a different group of CrossPointers by name every day of the week. I challenged them to pray over so many families per day until they prayed for each member by name within one week. I asked them to pray for each individual, by name, out loud and to record any impressions of how to pray for them beside their name.
You have no idea what kind of pastoral prayer intimacy I experienced this morning praying for you. I started with Rick, Wendy, Morgan and Luke Aaron on page one and I ended with Mike, Mitzi, Josh and Brianna Chaffin on page seven. Tomorrow I begin with Matt, Kathy, Matthew, Brandon, and Alex Chandler on page eight and I will end with Jay, Pam, Stevie and David Foster on page fourteen. I will pray for seven pages of church members each day of this week until I end with Glenn, Connie and Christopher Zinder. Next week I will pray through the names in reverse order.
I know what praying for your church members by name, out loud, one at a time will do for a pastor. I have experienced this kind of intense prayer before, and I tasted it again early this morning. It humbles the man praying for them. It reminds the pastor of the immense, innumerable and insurmountable needs of his flock. And, it will remind the pastor that these are God’s people that God has asked the pastor to feed and lead.
I also know what praying for your church members by name, out loud, one at a time, will do for a church. It will cause God to move. It will give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to respond. Praying for each individual CrossPointer will send revival to CrossPoint. It will cause an awakening in the church. It will stir the hearts of the people praying, and it still the hearts of the people we pray for.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your pastor. Thank you for entrusting me to feed you, lead you and pray for you. I love you as if you were my own family…and you are!
1 comment:
Let me first tell you how much inspiration I get from reading your blog everyday. Eventhough I am not a member at Crosspoint I feel that I am spiritually connected. While I attend a smaller church than crosspoint, I get so aggrevated at the laziness of people! They don't seem to have any desire to attend church, yet claim to be true Christians. Shouldn't true christians WANT to come to worship?!?!?!?! And Gay definitley nailed it, people do what the want and all we can do is pray for them and let Him deal with their heart.
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