Some Kind of Wonderful

This morning as I am going through my to do list and browsing Facebook updates I came across one from a friend that said, "I would like something wonderful to happen today."  I hear people say this all the time.  Now Theologically speaking, God does not promise that our lives are going to be wonderful. But, he does bless those that are following His commandments and ask for blessing in their lives, such as Jabez.  Jabez prayed a prayer.  A simple prayer.  "Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory!  Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!"
(1 Chronicles 4:10 NLT)  That's a bold prayer to pray and it wasn't a quiet little prayer it was a shout out to God kind of prayer because of the exclamation point at the end of it!  Hundreds of other names are mentioned in this passage but only one person was mentioned as someone who prayed that prayer. And he believed that if he prayed that God would do what he asked.  And the coolest part is that we aren't left hanging.  It simply says, "And God answered his prayer."  Can we pray those kind of prayers today?  Absolutely.  He is waiting to hear from us!

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

from the Rogers family

 

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  a little over a year now at our 1915 Charles Street home.   We have an amazing volunteer staff that has been doing an incredible job getting to the church early and setting up. God has truly blessed us and I am truly thankful for each person on the team!  And God has added to our numbers.  I can't wait to see what the Lord does next! 

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!

Last week we had the privelege to spend time with our neighbors at the hotel next door. Many weren't able to come to sit down with us at the table so we ended up bringing plates to their rooms. It was awesome watching Xroads people serve our friends. 

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


Be Thankful!

What Can I Do Today To Make A Difference In Someone's Life?

Last Spring I had the privilege of being in Kingston Jamaica's most impoverished sides of town participating in a week long soccer camp. While most people are going on vacays and visiting pristine beaches, this amazing group of coaches and pastors got together and sacrificed their time and did something that will forever change the lives of 85 kids.  I will never forget the kids faces as we spent time sharing the love of Christ and our love of football (soccer).   Every morning we got up with the sun and downed some great Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee, did our devos and then headed off to a high school soccer field which was more dirt than grass.  Each day we were on the field for 8 hours.  We'd sing songs and then we'd share a story about the love of Jesus.  And then we got to work on soccer skills with premier soccer coaches from all over Jamaica.  It was a soccer players dream to be a part of this and it was something never dreamed of by these kids. We fed them lunch every day and as we did we realized that for most of these kids, that this was their only real meal of the day. Many of us shed tears as we saw  groups of kids going through the trash collecting the leftovers from the lunches we just served.. 

 

You see, we could only do so much.  We could only help the 85 kids we were ministering to.  We came away from that camp asking the question, "Can we do more?"  This trip started as a dream in my friend Doug's head.  He prayed first and asked for God's help.  He saw this trip in his mind's eye.  But he didn't stop there.  He put feet to this dream.  He made this dream a goal.  He started asking for support from local businesses and he asked for help from those that know how to coordinate these trips.  Because of Doug's willingness to make a difference, all of us on the team experienced God's grace and love for a week in Jamaica.  We were given the ability to share Christ's love with 85 kids who's lives where forever changed by that week. 

 

What are you doing today to make a difference in someone's life? 

God is a Generous God

Last year, we started this church with Missy and I  going and transferring a $100.00 from savings to start a church account last year.  $100.00 may not seem like much but we've seen God do a lot with a little.  We've had no outside support other than those who were the pioneering families that gave well over and above.  God's taken our church account and blessed it.  Over the past year we've watched people answer the call in their lives to give and God's provided for our church as we have stepped out in faith.  http://www.crossroadschurchva.com is still in it's infancy stages and we are believing God for the resources to do what He wants us to do in Fredericksburg and beyond.  Pray that God uses us to give generously to this area and see Jesus name glorified. We tithe 10% of what we bring in to help local missions as well as global missions.  Yesterday I had the privilege to write the tithe checks that go to help our community and our church family in S.E. Asia.  What a privilege it is to be able to give and see it be given back to us over and over.  A pastor, former boss and mentor, Eric Watt had a great message in my inbox this morning that I wanted to share with you this afternoon.  


The Measure of Your Own Generosity Defines God's Return in Your Life


Scripture:  "Give and it shall be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38)


Truth:  God promises to reward those who give.  The habitual giver will be the habitual receiver in God's kingdom.  The greater your generosity the greater your provision will be.  Generous giving is the great anti-does to greed.  Do you struggle with always needing the newest gadget, the best clothes, the new CD, or latest toy?  Learning to be content with what you have (Philippians 4:12) is the secret that opens the door to God's flow of generosity.  Give what you have away with a generous heart and watch God proportionately give it back to you, but this time He will use others to overwhelm you with his generosity.


Prayer: God, You have a plan that I know is best for me.  In at least one small way today, I will be a giver to someone in need.  I now know that my own heart's attitude about giving will determine the pattern of Your blessing in my life.  To show my dependence on You I will become a generous person, and then watch with joy Your generosity flow back into my life.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

It's been a while since I posted an entry

Adam Cates, a VA Beach Pastor and worshiper said on a Facebook update this afternoon that "If you tend to see a persons problems before you see their potential then you are looking with the wrong set of eyes...Lord, give us eyes to see."  

This statement reminded me of my brother.  In High School my brother was not known as an intellectual giant and neither was I for that matter.  We got decent grades but my brother had what they called back then LD, a learning disability.  He got the help he needed and did very well and he eventually tested out of the program and graduated.  His dream was to become a firefighter/paramedic.

Along the way he had a teacher that saw his "problem" more than his potential. She basically told him that he'd never be able to do that job because of his LD problem. There were too many medicines and procedures to memorize and he'd never be able to do that.  He came home that day devastated. 

Fortunately my family was encouraging and saw potential in my brother.  Plus God gave him a determined heart.  He started volunteering his senior year of high school and then made it to the academy, went to George Washington University for his paramedic training and graduated at the top of his class. He's been serving Fairfax County for many years and has saved many lives in the process. Proud of you, bro.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank God for people that see potential.  I pray that God would help me to be that man of God that can look at another and encourage them in the gifts that He has given them.  Thanks, Adam for the reminder that we need to see others as the Lord sees them.  

-Andy

Tick Tock!

Recently a friend of mine in California had a friend that tragically passed away way before her time.  It really caused her to think about the brevity of life and how we need to make each day, each hour, each minute, and even each second count.

This has become more apparent to me in recent months.  Last month I spoke on the topic of the 11th hour church.  We talked about how in God's economy the last hour of the day is just as important as all the other hours of the day that preceded it.    Does it seem like I'm obsessed with time?  I am.    We need to be ever watchful ever waiting on God to direct us on how to spend our time, like it's our last day.  What are you doing with your 86,400 seconds?

-Pastor Andy
http://www.crossroadschurchva.com

Beautiful Things Thread

Today was a crazy morning.  I spent time trying to get ready after the kids got out of the house but I got phone call after phone call and then next thing I knew it was time to get to my first appointment.  Got half way to my appointment and realized I left my wallet at home.  Turned around, got my wallet and headed back down to Fredericksburg.  Beautiful thing?  Seeing the clouds break through after being a cloudy morning.

By this time I normally would have been getting really frustrated, but not today.  I don't know.  I was in a good mood?  There was an amazing song that someone was listening to and I got inspired and miraculously my set list materialized before my eyes after struggling with it for the past three days.  Beautiful Things.

Even though I had to make some tough choices in the past month, I did it willingly because I knew it was the right thing to do.  It hurt though.  Some things are harder to give up than others.  Are you willing to give up everything for the sake of the Call on your life?  Beautiful Things.

I'm at a place in my life where I am becoming totally dependent on God.  I did my taxes a few weeks ago and looked at what God did with that Adjusted Gross Income that was so little in my eyes!  Beautiful Things.

Final picture:  I was listening to, you guessed it Beautiful Things by Michael Gungor.  I just sat down waiting for my appointment  to arrive and right then and there I saw a young man walk in and I realized he didn't have any legs.  He had running prosthetics and you would never know it by how smoothly he was walking.  Beautiful Things.

When we see things with the Father's eyes, you find the beautiful things in life.

What Are You Going To Do Today?

Today I'm headed off to Elementary School.  Subbing in a Kindergarten class.  I have to get my teaching on!  As much as I want to get my message polished up and my set list together for worship, I know for the next 8 hours I need to be a Jesus follower at Margaret Brent Elementary School.  What are you going to do today?  Are you bringing your "A" game today?  You never know what impact you can make for the kingdom if you set your mind and affections on God.  

Subbing today.  Sure.  Jesus follower? Yes.  Wanting to make an impact for Christ in all that I do? Absolutely!!!

I spent some time today reminiscing (that's what I do when I do yard work) over the past few months.  They have been months of hope and promise until I got news yesterday that something I have been praying and fasting for is not going to happen now.  Talk about a punch in the gut.  The best way to describe how I feel is that I'm down on the ground trying to breathe but can't.  I'm gasping for air but none comes.  I've had this happen in reality a few times in my life and you want your world to end right then and there!  In this case it's called "death of a vision."  It came out of nowhere. But the same news that can send you into depression is something that can be your finest hour, if you will reach your hand up to God and ask him to help you back up.

Missy and I have been on this roller coaster ride ever since August of 2010.  We have fasted, prayed, and listened and walked out in obedience what we felt God was speaking to us.  Patience,  patience is the name of the game.  If God gave you what you asked for at the wrong time it wouldn't be His best.

What happens when you are on the ground, out of breath, and struggling for air?  A tiny bit of breath comes back.  Slowly you get back to a normal breathing rhythm and life starts to look better.  Most of us want the easy way out.  We want the shot of adrenaline that propels us upward into the stratosphere.  But, if you are like me, I'm still lying on the ground.  Waiting to get my breath back and believing that God will lift me up.  It takes longer than I think, longer than my wife thinks but God is reaching down, and he is sending words of comfort.  Words of encouragement.

Finally I turned the mower off and all this was going through my head my thoughts turned toward my Savior.  How this past week 2000 years ago, he was flogged, tortured, ridiculed, and even died.  And all this he did because of you and me.  Good Friday was terrible and bloody, and Saturday must have been a long day for those who loved him and missed Him, but Sunday came bringing life once again!  That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in You and it will quicken our mortal body, if that Spirit dwells in you.

Thank you God that your Spirit dwells in those who believe in You.  God loves you and wants to breathe life into you today!

-Andy

I've Got Something To Say

There's something to be said when the body of Christ comes together to do something greater than themselves.  Yesterday the Crossroads Church of Fredericksburg family spent the day with the Common Ground church family and worshiped together in the morning and then we spent our afternoon serving the community right in our back yard!  The only way that this would work is if we had plenty of volunteers.  We had hotdogs, hamburgers, and plenty of caring people that reached out to share a meal with our community in downtown Fredericksburg.

We had Volleyball games, corn hole, horseshoes and face painting for the kids.  People stopped by and were blessed with free food and a chance to hang out with our churches.  

Our purpose as believers should be to share the love of Jesus with those who are truly in need of hearing about the hope that is in each one of us.  Our mission is to see Jesus' name proclaimed in the Fredericksburg area and beyond.  Thanks to all those who made this afternoon possible.

Luke 19:10 (NLT)

"For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”  

The Battle for Our Broken Lives

Stories about redemption get me.  And I don't mean like it just gives me the warm fuzzies.  It gets me and I weep and cry and rejoice when I see a story of redemption.  Especially when all odds are against a situation and then at the 11th hour the tide changes and the good guy ends up winning.  Why do redemption stories tug at our hearts?  Because the very one that created us also created a way for us to be redeemed. 

I was watching a tv show the other day and really started to question my watching it until I got to the end.  Like many network tv dramas there are four or five plot lines and everyone of them are riddled with people making wrong choices and hurting one another and making their lives miserable.  But the cool thing about this show is that even though mistakes are made they are trying and striving to do the right thing.  Unfortunately they don't acknowledge that Jesus is one thing they need to redeem their lives but this particular episode had some real redemptive threads.  One of the main characters in the story is kinda a happy go lucky guy that tries to please everyone.  He and his fiance' broke off their engagement because the guy messed up and made some seriously bad decisons.  And then after that his fiance wanted nothing to do with him even though they have a son together.  But today this story took a turn for the best.

In spite of their differences they decided to get married and make it work because they truly loved each other.  It was a powerful moment.  It was a moment that had implications not only for their own lives but the life of their son.  The look on the little boys face when the mom and dad called him over to tell them that they were going to try and work things out was priceless.  It got me.

Wow, why do I get so crazy emotional when I hear redemption stories?  Because, it's my heart's desire  to see people give Jesus permission to come in and change their lives, to give Him permission to repair them, take away their sins and make them into the creation that they were meant to be.  Have you given the creator permission to come in and redeem your life?  If you do, it not only will impact your life but it will impact the lives of others around you!

One of my all time favorite stories in the New Testament is in Mark chapter 2. Four guys went to great lengths for this man to meet Jesus. How many of us are willing to partner today with other believers so that the one who needs a healing touch can meet Jesus? Verse five says that seeing their faith he forgave him of his sins and then in verse 11 he healed him! Your relationship with God not only has a dramatic effect in your own life but your relationship and faith in God has an amazing effect on the lives of those around you!!!

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!