This is an article that I have sent to many of you before, but I wanted to get it out here on our blog so that you will have a place to refer back to it. This article is written from a pastor in Georgia, so “transpose” the details to CRossroads. Thanks. Kent                                                     (click the READ MORE button for the full article)

by Michael Lukaszewski

Here’s a practical list for inviting people to experience your church.

During the Make Your Mark series, we’re refocusing our church on one of the primary reasons were here – to share and live the Gospel and invite people to join His kingdom.  Since the church is the display of God’s glory on earth, and since Jesus said HE would build His church, we believe the church should be central to our lives and faith.  So inviting people to our church is part of our core mission.  Here’s forty great ways you can invite people to our church.  You don’t need to organize it…you and your small group, class or friends can just do it.

• Grill out for the employees of a company or business.
• Set up our party trailer, which comes with a grill, moonwalk, helium tank and balloons, video games, chairs, etc. at any community events.
• Dress up like a Star Wars character wherever there are people and take pictures with kids and families.  Give them a special invite card with the location they can download the picture.  You will have a blast and invite a bunch of people to church.
• Tailgate at high school football games.  Give away hot dogs and invite people.
• Set up a moonwalk at a local park while events are happening.
• Volunteer at community runs and bike races
• Hand out coffee or hot chocolate at the First Friday events in downtown Cartersville
• Give out hand warmers with the church logo at winter events like the Christmas parade
• Do a free oil change or car inspection in the House of Rock parking lot
• Show UFC fights on Saturday night at the House of Rock
• Host a block party for your neighborhood.  Again, the party trailer is available.
• Provide “full service” at a local gas station – wash windows and leave a car freshener
• Show free family movies at the House of Rock on Friday nights
• Help local schools with their fall festivals.  Instead of re-creating the wheel, just help a school make their event better.
• Take professional pictures at local school talent shows
• Visit a nursing home
• Take a couple of hours and put out door hangers in your neighborhood or apartment complex.
• Go put invite cards on car windshields.  Try not to get arrested…that keeps it fun.
• Be intentional about coaching a kids sports team.
• You and your kids set up a lemonade stand.
• Have a free garage sale…give away things and invite people to church
• Do a free car wash
• Walk around a neighborhood and collect canned food.  Invite people to church while asking for food.
• Hand out helium balloons at special events
• Get a truck, ladder and a bunch of light bulbs and walk around and ask people if they need light bulbs changed.
• Set up a bounce house at the movie theater when a big kids movie premiers.  Or in front of another store.  Managers are often open to anything that draws attention to their store.
• Put out road signs on the weekend (did you know about 15% of people who attend our church for the first time do so because they saw a road sign?)
• Put a giant leaf sign in the back of your truck.  Politicians do it – our cause is way more important!
• Give away Oak Leaf silly bandz anywhere there are kids.
• Enter a float in one of the parades.  Walk along side it and give away candy and invites.
• Take breakfast to school teachers.  Simply email the principal and ask if you can do it, set a day, and make it happen.
• Get a giant backpack sprayer and offer to spray for bugs in people’s homes.  It might seem strange, but what a great way to talk to someone and invite them to church.
• Salt driveways when it ices during the winter.
• Help with field days at a local elementary school.  What school wouldn’t appreciate volunteers?
• Take food to fire stations.  Let them know you appreciate them and that they are always welcome at your church.
• Valet cars when a school has an open house.
• Provide childcare for high school graduations.
• Cook team meals before home games at local sporting events
• Pass out candy and invites at your own house on Halloween, or downtown where hundreds of children come to trick or treat every year.
• Enter a team in the Georgia BBQ classic

Better yet…come up with your own idea, get your friends or group involved, and make it happen.  Let us know how we can help.

Michael is the Lead Pastor of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Georgia. In 2005, he stepped out to start a brand new church in Cartersville. At its grand opening service, there were about 280 people that showed up. In 13 months, the church had grown to 900 people.

More from Michael Lukaszewski or visit Michael at www.heretolead.com/

Why many members find growth difficult.

Luke 15:25-32; Revelation 3:15-18

Most longtime members find it more comfortable to attend a church plateaued in size, or one experiencing gradual numerical decline, than to participate in a fast-growing congregation. Why?

1. Stability. The first, and for many the most powerful, reason for this attitude is that the worshiping community can be a comforting and affirming stability zone. For people who find that every other facet of their life is complicated by unwanted change, they want their congregation to be stable and predictable.

2. Continuity. In a church shrinking in size, there is much continuity in familiar faces, in traditions, customs, and events, in the denominational affiliation, in the music, in the organizational life, and in those trusted and long-tenured volunteer leaders and officers.

3. Giving cycles. For those responsible for paying the bills, a common pattern makes numerical decline more comfortable than growth. The typical pattern in rapidly growing congregations is a two-year lag between the membership or attendance curve and the income curve. In the numerically shrinking congregation, that lag disappears. Frequently the decline in dollar receipts lags about two years behind the decline in average worship attendance. Those longtime members may attend less frequently, but a combination of institutional loyalty, guilt, habit, and stewardship often means their financial contributions may increase rather than diminish.

4. Complexity. Growth almost invariably is accompanied by an increase in the level of complexity. The vast majority of people prefer simplicity. Life in the numerically shrinking parish usually is less complex than in the rapidly growing congregation.

5. Neglect. A substantial proportion of the pastor's time and energy must be allocated to potential future members. Since the increase in staff frequently lags behind the increase in membership, this often causes longtime members to believe they are being neglected. Gradual numerical decline is one way to offset this perception of neglect.

6. Commitment. Numerical growth tends to be more common in congregations moving toward the high-commitment end of a spectrum. Frequently, numerically shrinking congregations are drifting toward the low-commitment or low-expectation end of that spectrum. A decrease in the level of expectations for members can raise the comfort level.

 

from Building Church Leaders

Believe it or not Ctrl-Alt-Del works in ministry, as well.  Todd Elliot

This was an article that ran on www.smallgroups.com and I thought it was very timely for us at the Crossroads, so here you go, of course you will want to click on the READ MORE button for the entire article.

Many groups take a break from their normal pattern of meeting over the summer, either by design or simply because of people's hectic schedules. And that's fine. Some groups (and leaders) do need a break. However, many leaders have found that it can be harder to re-start after one of these breaks than they realize. If you're in that situation, you need to do some intentional things to get your group back on track.

Think of it like a re-boot on your computer. You know what three keys you press in succession to re-start your computer, right? CTRL + ALT + DEL. So I am encouraging you to CTRL + ALT + DEL your small group. Here's how.

CTRL—Take Control of Your Group

If your group is going to get back together, it will happen because you, the group leader, took control of things and decided it was time to get back in the groove again. Don't wait for others to let you know the group should get back together, or to manufacture the excitement and enthusiasm for re-starting. You are the leader; it has to come from you.

The first thing to do is set a definite date for when the group will resume its normal pattern of meetings. You might be tempted to try and contact the group and see when they want to get back together. Don't do it! It can be close to impossible to get in touch with everyone, and you can't expect people to call you or e-mail you back.

So take control. Set a date. And unless you discover that you'll be the only one there, don't change it.

ALT—Have an Alternative Meeting for Your First Time Back

Don't have just your normal meeting the first time you gather back. Do something different and fun that will catch people's interest and have them looking forward to being back together. Here are some suggestions:

• Have a game night in your usual meeting place.
• Go out and play some games—putt-putt golf, go karts, laser tag, bowling, etc.
• Have a picnic.
• Dinner and a movie.
• Set up a game of kickball, whiffle ball, or volleyball.
• Go to a minor or major league baseball game.
• Eat at a restaurant.
• Set up a potluck dinner.
• Have a video-game competition.
• Set up a ping-pong or corn-hole tournament.

Get the idea? Use one of these ideas or do something else. Just do something!

Once you are past this initial re-gathering time, you will probably want to re-visit your expectations for the group—and allow group members to do the same. Ask the group how they would like things to be different and what some goals for the upcoming year might be.

DEL—Don't Be Afraid to Delete Members from the Group

Life happens. We go through seasons where things change. Just because someone was in your group before doesn't mean they'll continue on. Groups can be held hostage because they keep waiting for one person or one couple to re-engage. It may never happen and the group fizzles.

Groups in that situation are much better off letting those people go and recruiting someone new. And that's really okay. It's healthy. Maybe one day the original person will come back, or maybe they'll join another group. Either way, don't take it personally. Just invest in the people you have before you.

So there you have it: CTRL + ALT + DEL your group and get off to a great "re-start!"

—Todd Elliot is Life Groups Pastor at Beach Church in Myrtle Beach, SC. Copyright 2010 by the author and Christianity Today International.

As I continue to age, I have some very  interesting conversations with myself comparing the experiences that I HAVE had, and the experiences that CURRENTLY come at me each and every day. By the way, these conversations are not the kind that Jim Carrey had with himself as Ace Venture posing as a lunatic football player in the movie by the same name. No, these are the conversations that a man would have with his younger self in determining whether he has lived up to the dreams and hopes that we all have in our youth.          MORE….

One of my recent conversations was reflecting on the time that I spend in the car. Throughout my life I have spent much time behind the wheel of a car. There have been jobs that required me to operate a vehicle (I used to work as a courier for FedEx) and several of my daily commutes were rather lengthy. Road trips, moves, out of town conferences, church retreats, camps, etc., have all been the source of large amounts of windshield time. The conversation centered on the stuff that I have spent my time listening to while driving, and how that has progressed through the years. Here is the progression and the correlation that I noticed.

As a youth pastor my car radio was constantly blaring out the latest and greatest Christian music that was available. I have always valued music and my tastes trend to the louder more upbeat stuff and as a student minister that was welcomed stuff with my youth groups. Relating to the sound of the student culture was one of the easier aspects of ministry in those days.

As a church planter my car radio was tuned to a different sound, talk radio. As a church planter I worked with a wide variety of folks. This was a challenge to stay relevant to all that is going on in the world, so I sought a source to keep me informed and aware of the current events and the perspective that various folks had. I found this readily available in the “callers” that would call in and share their thoughts with the various host on my local station. I would often think to myself, how would caller so-and-so feel about the sermon that I am planning on sharing this week, or how would they feel about the discussion at the small group we had last night.

Currently as pastor of a growing church, when I’m in my car the only thing I listen for is my phone ringing…

So the correlation looks something like this, as a young man not far removed from those that I was ministering to I related to them through the music that mattered to them, as a young pastor trying to reach folks for a new church plant I tried to be relevant to a wide variety of people by considering the wide variety of opinions that were out there. Now as pastor of a growing community oriented church, I am listening to the people, not only through the phone calls, but also through email, texts, tweets, (even this blog) etc. These folks are looking for ways to communicate the needs that they are facing and I want to be available to hear.

So there you go, you have just been privy to just one of the conversations I have with myself. Now what kind of conversations do you have?       -Kent

The Barna Group recently released results of a study on what types of people are most active in “group” expressions of faith, including small groups, Sunday School classes, and house churches. The report found that women and older adults drive most faith participation in small groups and Sunday Schools. Women make up the majority of attenders of these groups, and a majority of church volunteers are female. Religious activities tend to have fewer single adults (especially never-marrieds), and Catholics, although they make up a quarter of U.S. worshippers, only one-tenth of them participate in small groups, Sunday School classes, or volunteer activities. Not surprisingly, many religiously active Americans tend toward conservative political views, but attenders of house churches are the most likely to call themselves “political liberals,” and nearly half are registered Democrats.

Barna Group 6/28/10

Perhaps you have seen this little gem in your email already (I don’t know the original author), but if not, there is quite a lot of wisdom in the words of a random cab driver…click the “read more” button for the full story.

Law of the Garbage Truck
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.
My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'
This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks.

They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.
As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right... Pray for the ones who don't.

Remember Jesus taught us to love others as we love ourselves, so love yourself and others by not taking on the garbage.

I got this in an email from Derek Emmons (our drummer) and I really enjoyed it, so I thought I should send it on…

Why go to Church?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!

If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.

If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

I’ve gotten this in my email a couple of times lately, this is great, take a moment to read it, it will make your day!

The ending will surprise you.

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art…

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. (click READ MORE)

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.... He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'

The father hung the portrait over his mantle…Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected…

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence...

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.' But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

'We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel.. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will... I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

I know many of you are a bit sore that Alabama beat Texas in the BCS Championship game, I too was saddened that the game was a bit awkward with Colt McCoy getting hurt, but I still enjoyed the game and especially the outcome. (sorry Texas fans) I was born in Alabama and have been a fan of the University of Alabama every since I can remember, but really it all started with me being a fan of their coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Who incidentally was the first and only football coach at the college I graduated from, Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. So with that bit of background I wanted to share this story that Coach Bryant loved to tell. Keep reading...

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant told the following story: I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was havin' trouble finding the place.
Getting hungry I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said "Restaurant." I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I'm the only white fella in the place.. But the food smelled good so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, "What do you need?" I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, "You probably won't like it here, today we're having chitlins, collared greens and black eyed peas with cornbread. I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins
(small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the deep South) are, do you?" I looked him square in the eye and said, "I'm from Arkansas , I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place."
They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, "You ain't from around here then?" I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was and he says, yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good. And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.
As I'm paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay. The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one. I met the kid I was lookin' for later that afternoon and I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him.
I had wasted a day, or so I thought. When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, "Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had."
Now let's go a whole buncha years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y'all remember, (and I forget the name, but it's not important to the story), well anyway, he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I'm down there.
Two days later, I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it's this kid who just turned me down, and he says, "Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ?" And I said, "Yes I sure do." And he says OK, he'll come.
And I say, "Well son, what changed your mind?" And he said, "When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met." Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, "You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he's had hung in that place ever since.. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him."
"My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that's everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I'm going to." I was floored.
But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don't cost nuthin' to be nice. It don't cost nuthin' to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin ' your word to someone. When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he's still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn't have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland proud and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don't think I didn't leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football. I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they're out on the road. If you remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn't cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable. ~ Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

Editor's Note: Coach Bryant was in the presence of these few gentlemen for only minutes, and he defined himself for life. Regardless of our profession, we do define ourselves by how we treat others, and how we behave in the presence of others, and most of the time, we have only minutes or seconds to leave a lasting impression. We can be rude, crude, arrogant, cantankerous, or we can be nice. Nice is always a better choice.

I like what Stephen Grellet, French/American religious leader (1773-1855) said, "I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again." Let's take every chance we have to "be nice", because you never know when that may lead to an opportunity to "make Christ known"!

Education is so very important to the life of any organization. What’s coming up next? Why do we do what we do? What can I do to add to the life of the church? All very important questions that can be answered through the process of education. The challenge of educating a growing church is that there are new folks coming all the time who need to get up to speed. One of the “latest and greatest” ways to meet this challenge is to make the educational information easily accessed through the web. Our blog serves us well as a place to put information so people can get to it at their own pace. So with that in mind, this is the first entry in what will be an effort to educate the people of Crossroads Church and get some answers to those important questions.

Click on the "Read More" button for the rest of the post...

What’s coming up next? Now that’s a question that only our Lord can answer, but we should make our plans based on what we see Him doing now. This year we have seen our Sunday morning attendance increase substantially. How exciting to see our building filled with people enjoying the Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness that we enjoy as followers of Christ! But what are we going to do when there are no more empty seats? Should we close the doors when we reach a certain number of folks at the Crossroads? Of course not, but things are going to have to be different. One thing that has worked for many churches that have faced this challenge is to start a second service. This would allow us to double our seating capacity without the expense of a new building. Yes this approach comes with some drawbacks: we would not be able to ALL worship together as one body, we will need double the amount of workers in our children’s ministry, we will need more coffee and doughnuts, etc. But consider what happens if we don’t make changes, we will limit the extent of what God is doing at Crossroads.

As God continues to add to our church, each of us needs to consider the changes that God wants us to embrace. We will have to attend church with only half the members of our fellowship. We will have to step up and take on responsibilities that previously were handled by others. We will have to seek out ways to “connect” with folks in smaller more intimate settings so that the “smallness” that we enjoy now can remain (you spell that s-m-a-l-l-g-r-o-u-p-s). These changes will not be easy! But they will be worth it! God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Our future as a church is full of hope! Hope that more and more people will come to the Crossroads and find Christ as their Lord and Savior; hope that God will continue to use Crossroads as a place where people can “connect” with friends who are loved by God and seek to share that love with the people around them; and hope that we as a church will respond to the plans God has for us by giving our very best effort in His service.

Only God knows exactly when these changes will become necessary, but I am praying now that God will  prepare your heart for the role that He wants for you in the next step that we take as a church. I ask you to pray as well that God will supply His unfailing wisdom and direction as we seek to take that step exactly where and when He wants us to.

There’s more to share, but that will be coming in future posts. Do you have a question or comment about this post?, just click on the word comments below to bring up a comment box.

I read the blogs of several Christian leaders. Many of them are leaders of churches that are trying to do things a bit different than typical. When you try different stuff, you sometimes get burned. Sometimes the risks come back to bite you, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep trying new and different things, because sometimes the risks bring great rewards. One author that I read is Mark Batterson. Here is a post that he put on his blog that encourages those of us who are taking the risks to keep at it. I trust you will be encouraged by this as I am. The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto...

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.
Chase the lion.

When we say that we want to “make Christ known” we are not saying that we are experts at being Christians. What we are saying is that we are experts at needing Jesus ourselves. Click the “read more” button to see a poem that George Helleson sent me in an email. I think this poem says it really well. Thanks George!

WHEN I SAY, "I AM A CHRISTIAN"

When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost!  That's why I chose this way"
When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide
When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt
When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it
When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name
When I say, "I am a Christian,"  I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved
Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

Huh? I can hear the question marks in your mind as you read the title of this post. What do we have to improve? Why should we worry about our image? Do we even have an image, after all we’re a church right? Well let me assure you that we do indeed have an image in our community, and it is very important that we do all we can to keep improving our image as best we can. You see every time someone drives by our church campus and sees our building, campus, signage, playground, parking lot, etc. they make a small deposit in their memory about what they think about Crossroads Church, and since we are representing Jesus Christ as His followers here in Rowlett (and the surrounding areas) they are also making a deposit in their memory about what they think about Jesus! So as we move forward with our efforts to “make CHRIST known” we should keep in mind that it matters what “image” we put forward. In an effort to communicate with our community our plans for Easter, we have placed two banners (with cool images) out near our existing sign. These banners are really nice! They say to our neighbors that we are interested in what is going on in their family. We want their Easter to have meaning beyond just an egg hunt. We want them to get the most out of this special day and we are saying so with some quality signs (images). This statement to our community communicates that we care about them but does it with style. These banners are the result of our Leadership Team. The need for them, the acquisition of them, and the installation of them all came from the folks who serve on our Leadership Team. This team coordinates the planning and development of many aspects of our church. If you are curious or want to find out more about ministry teams at the Crossroads, let Kent know! Thank God for Crossroads and may He continue to develop us into His “image” of a church!

I trust that you have noticed a trend at Crossroads. We are having more people in our worship service. More folks are making the choice to attend the Sunday morning gatherings at our campus. This is very exciting, as well as a bit of a challenge (more on that in a later post). The Bible teaches us that as we do the things that God asks of us, “He will add to the church”. I believe that the people of Crossroads are practicing obedience to God in many ways, and therefore God is blessing. One very real truth that we must keep in mind is that God is going to use us only to the extent that we are effective. In other words, He is only going to give us more tasks if we are faithful in completing the originals. That’s one of the reasons small groups are so important in a growing church. In a small group people are reminded that “connecting” both with Jesus, and with people who are following Him is the most-best-thing. The small environment allows for folks to really know and be known. This exposes ones needs and gifts. It allows people to use their gifts and puts them in a place where their needs can truly be met by others. If we are going to continue to be a place where God can “add to the church”, we must be a place where those He is adding are being taken care of. This happens best in a small group. If you are not in a small group, begin to attend one this weekend. If you don’t have a great experience, call me and let’s talk about it. If you are in a small group, ask God to move you into leadership of the next small group. Let’s get smaller since we are getting larger. 

Perhaps you have seen this before, but the truth is always valuable, no matter how many times you hear/read it. I just received this in an email (thanks Kimberly) and wanted to get this on our blog so you can read it and I hope that you will agree with me and ask our Lord to answer this prayer on behalf of our country.

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare..  We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'

I got this story in an email, and I wanted for everyone to hear this wonderful story, so, here it is:

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

The web home of Crossroads Church is being renovated. We are doing an “Extreme Homepage Makeover” to our website. As the changes are developed and then implemented you might see a few small changes to text and fonts and colors on our existing website, this is just to get a feel for how the final edition is going to look. The new site will be a total change from the existing one. The fact is that more and more people are looking to the internet for information and instruction on how to make it in this world. Those folks who believe their answer could be found at church are using the internet to find churches that they might want to “visit” or “check out”. That’s why we need our website to be an accurate portrayal of what our church is like. It’s kind of like when you are deciding on a book or magazine, you look at the cover and if you see something that grabs your attention you investigate further. We want our church website to “grab the attention” of those folks who are out there surfing the web for a possible church home. Now once they get to visit the “real” Crossroads Church (that’s you) they will find out that the open, welcoming, atmosphere that they see represented on our website is the real deal! With all that in mind I wish you would take a minute or two to think about what you might like to see out at our website. What kind of information do you think those folks looking for a new church might want to know about Crossroads. Click here and send me your thoughts. Thanks for your input. May God use every means possible for the people of Crossroads Church to “make Christ known”.

Just as Paul, John, Ringo, and George once sang; I need some help from somebody! As you may have noticed we are having more and more folks catching the vision of the Crossroads. Thank you Lord for adding people to our church! With new people and larger numbers comes more places for folks to get involved. I want to ask you to consider finding a place where you can “ply your trade” at the Crossroads. If you have an area of interest or an area of experience that you would like to get involved in at the Crossroads, please contact me and let me know. If you are willing to just plug in where needed, PLEASE contact me and let me know.  No involvement is insignificant. Our dream is that everyone would have a place of purpose in our church family. What’s yours? You can send Kent an email by clicking here