Last night as I was brainstorming for a message my daughter Maggie walked in the door from a Young Life meeting.  She was telling me about someone that came to the meeting who was totally fired up about Jesus.  It got Maggie fired up hanging out with this person.  The fire was catching! 

After Maggie ran off to the kitchen and grabbed some leftovers from dinner, I began thinking about my message I asked God, "Can you give me a pill that would make me fired up about you like that?"  God showed me that we are either in the race or not. If anyone has ever done cross country or ran long distance you know that the race is long and there are amazing times in a race where you are euphoric and excited and there are times where you are just trying to push through.  What can we do to get fired up?

1.  Engage!  Get in the race! 

2.  Be in fellowship with other believers that are encouraging you in your daily walk with God.  (Think of how    Maggie was fired up because she came in contact with someone who was fired up at the meeting!)

3.  Spend time with God.  (The kid that was fired up just came back from a retreat.)

4.  Share with others what God is revealing to you!

This weekend at Crossroads we are beginning a series called "Thrive Not Just Survive".  Come Sunday morning and get in the game!


-Pastor Andy

God did some miraculous things in our midst during the Christmas season here at Crossroads.  We were so blessed to be able to share the Good News with many people that needed to know that there is Hope, and that God has not forgotten them and neither has the church.  

I can hardly believe that 2012 is here!  It seems like just yesterday our launch team was praying and fasting in my basement in North Stafford seeking God to see if it was His will to launch a new ministry.  I look back and marvel at how God put together a team that has stood by in good times and bad to see this church become a reality. God has blessed this ministry and we have seen God provide to get us to where we are.  My encouragement to you today is to pray that God will continue to provide resources so that we can make a big deal about Jesus this year.

We've had ten services and already we have seen God's hand in touching people's lives.  We answered the call to start a church and He provided for us a place to meet right in downtown Fredericksburg.  Thank you Jesus!  God was looking for a place that His Spirit can reside and His impact is already being felt in our neighborhood, the surrounding area and beyond!  Since October we have identified local and global missions to seed into financially.  I am most excited however for all those that have started attending Crossroads on a regular basis.  God is growing the church in a lot of different ways but mostly through the common bond we all share through Jesus Christ.  It is my heart that we continue to reach out to those who are in need so that they can see the salvation of the Lord.  Micah 6:8 says:

"...The LORD has told you what is good,and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." What is our mission at Crossroads?  To be an authentic community of Christ Followers.  We are sinners saved by God's grace and we are desiring to show people that the church can be real, relavant and relational.  Our desire is to provide a place for God's presence to reside and that we go for God with everything we have and bring as many people alongside us as possibile.  

Keep us in your prayers as we continue to answer the call that God has on our lives!  

Twitter Insight

This morning I had my cup of coffee and read through my devotions.  I read a couple of meaningful verses so I decided to share them on Twitter and put #comforting at the end of both tweets.  It got me thinking so I did a search on #comforting.  Here's some of the responses I found.

"Mrs. Smith is the best counselor ever." #comforting
"Sometimes a hug is all you need." #comforting
"Can somebody vox me I want to hear a familiar voice." #comforting
"I really miss what I used to have with my dad, but it was nice talking to him today when I was stressed out." #comforting  
And the picture above was a photo that was tagged, you guessed it, #comforting
And I especially loved this one, "Just checking in real quick" http://tinyurl.com/bltdg3j  ...okay good." #comforting

People are looking to be comforted.  And people will go to great lengths to feel comforted.  They want to know that there is something constant in their life and even when things do change they long for the constant to return.

There is only one constant in this world.  "The Lord your God goes with you; he will NEVER leave you nor FORSAKE you" (Deuteronomy 31:5 NIV).  #comforting

Some of us look to counselors, a physical touch, a phone call, a reuniting of what was a good relationship with your father, and even checking in to see that the blog that boasts the same picture day after day is still up and running.  It's good to feel comfort in the midst of struggle.  My prayer for you this morning is that you will turn to God in your time of need and receive from Him the love that you are craving today.  He's truly a comfort in our time of need.

"The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life" (Psalm 121:7 NLT). #comforting

Thankful? Yes, Yes I Am

"Let us genuinely give thanks to the one continues to give and bless." -Derrel Emmerson


Pastor Derrel was and is a major influence in my life.  I grew up listening to his sermons, sometimes more attentively than others!  He is a faithful man of God and is always reminding me of God's blessings in our lives.  


This is Thanksgiving week and many of us are rushing around trying to get last minute items for the big feast!  I saved the day for our big feast.  We were so busy with things that we almost forgot to take the bird out to thaw!  I can't take complete credit for that because my sister in law, Maria put a Facebook update that she took her bird out yesterday!  Thanks, Maria!  


This morning I thought of all the amazing things that God has done to show me his faithfulness in my family and the Crossroads church family.  Crossroads has now been holding Sunday services for four weeks. We have an amazing volunteer staff that has been doing an incredible job getting to the church at 8:30am and setting up.  God has truly blessed us and I am truly thankful for each person on the team!


There is a moment right before the service starts.  We all get together to pray for those coming to the service that day.  It's a short prayer usually.  But what that prayer does for me is amazing.  We all have been running around setting up and making sure that things are ready. The prayer is that pause before the start of the service, nursery, and children's church.  That moment is a constant reminder why we are here every Sunday morning.  It's that time that I invite Him to come.  It's the point when I recognize we are here to worship Him!  It's the time that I let everything else go and pray that our human preparation plus the presence of the Holy Spirit will come together and we will see God's salvation that morning!  


"He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer" (Psalm 102:17 KJV).


Be Thankful!

Thankful Heart

Last week was a beautiful weekend in spite of the rain, sleet and snow!  Our fall festival was a success, not because we got our name out in our little neighborhood, but because we were faithful in the little things.  God says in his word that if we are faithful in the little things he will give us bigger things. (my paraphrase)  I've been around churches all my life and I love the stage that Crossroads Church of Fredericksburg is at.  After our fall festival was over and we had washed the last pan and cleaned up the last crumb on the floor, we all got together in a circle and prayed. We prayed that the seeds that were sown and we prayed for people to come to Jesus in our generation.  Afterward, we looked at each other and realized that we'd never forget this day! What happened on Saturday spilled over into Sunday morning at our first service and here it is Friday and I'm still marveling!

Have you lost that joy?  Do you wish you could be a part of what God is up to where he's planted you?  Look around!  Be thankful and ask God to use you right where you are at.  Join in where God is at work!  And if you want to join a church where God is at work, come visit us at CCF this Sunday morning @ 1915 Charles Street  @ 10AM in Old Town Fredericksburg!  

-Pastor Andy

Conversation

"Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone"(Colossians 4:6 NLT).

Have you ever been around someone who seems to say just the right thing at just the right time?  And when they do talk they attract people when they start talking?

Knowing God has been so gracious in our lives we should show grace in our conversations with others.  If our conversations are sprinkled with grace it's hard to be critical.  It's hard to be unpleasant.  And what does it mean to be attractive?  Do I use a lot of big words with people to make my conversation attractive?  I looked up attractive in the Greek and in this case it means, "seasoned with salt". We should choose to work grace into all of our conversations and we should choose our words carefully asking God for wisdom so that we can respond in a Godly way to every situation.  

Prayer:  Lord let us be led by your spirit, speaking the truth in such a way that is going to promote life change in us and the people around us. 

Amazing Grace

October 18, 2011

16 This is what the LORD says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

During my devotional time this afternoon,  God reminded me not to forget that assurance I received so many years ago.  My relationship with Christ began at a tender age of 7.  Yes, 7.  I learned about the work of the cross when an evangelist was speaking at our little Baptist Church one Sunday night.  He shared the story of the cross and he said, "And he did all this for you!"  As a 7 year old I immediately understood the sacrifice that was made for me and I was compelled by that.  I went home and couldn't stop thinking about it and I asked Christ into my life in my room that night.  I remember the feeling of complete peace that surrounded me.  

Fast forward a few years later when I entered High School.  I was trying to walk down a path that didn't include Christ.  I was the one that was saying, "No, that's not the road I want!"  I won't lie to you.  I had some great times when I wasn't following Christ.  But there was always this constant battle that was going on in my life.  I was riding the fence so to speak and definitely was being torn in two directions, until that moment I stopped and took stock of what I was doing and decided I was going to jump in with both feet.  No more riding the fence, I was going to follow the path that God had laid out for me.  

40 years later I still need to be reminded not to forget His amazing power to save.  I need to take a moment and remember the peace that flooded my room that night so long ago.  

Take a moment today and thank God for His Amazing Grace.

-Pastor Andy