Our prayer for you in this New Year. . .

Dear Friends, Our prayer for you in this New Year... To live in the unforced rhythms of grace to know God in prayer as the One who knows and loves you deeply to experience the One who can set the course for a year filled with Divine purpose to enjoy God and the people God has given to love you to show compassion on those God has given you to care for... In returning no one evil for evil in forgiving as you have been forgiven in sharing what is freely given in giving away what you cannot keep... Holding all things loosely believing all things boldly kneeling at all times reverently enduring all circumstances bravely standing in faith on all days courageously... and when you fail... rise again! You will receive healing grace, divine ideas, innovative strategies, wisdom for decisions, promotion and position into God's will and ways ... the keys to His Kingdom (Matt 16:19) in this New Year. In Jesus precious and holy name. Amen With Deep Love and Anticipation, Join us this January for: There's an App for that... ...if you are in a ditch and need help to get out, there' an app for that... if you are happy and want to thank somebody, there's an app for that... if you wonder what to do and don't know which way to turn, there's an app for that, too. In fact, there's an app for everything but only on the iamPhone. Join us over the next six weeks and learn what apps are available to connect with God and how to use them. © 2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Holy New Year! Dear Tami, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift". (2nd Corinthians 9:15) May God's unspeakable gift of Jesus Himself fill your homes at Christmas and in the New Year. We thank God for your friendship and partnership in the Good News of the Gospel. O Come let us Adore Him, Scott & Clare Join Our Mailing List!

You are in the Story

Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Crossroads Calendar Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving View Messages You are in the Story But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you... The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God." ..."I serve the Lord," Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you said it would." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:31 NIRV) Our morning prayer in this season has a whole different flavor for us... and we don't mean eggnog (although Scott LOVES Detroit's own Calder's Eggnog)! Every Scripture is inviting us into the story of God becoming man.We are captivated, challenged and envisioned! We have been studying the story of Christmas for about 3 decades now (yes, we're officially old pastors) and we can't get over it! In the past 3 weeks we've been hanging over scriptures about prophets that foretold the event hundreds of years before Christ, we've been humbled in the "His-story" of God using places like Bethlehem and people like shepherds (click here to view those messages)... but this week we are BLOWN AWAY by the majesty of the angels in the story! What's got us flying is not just the story itself but the fact that we are being invited to be in the story. That's right, God never intended for us to read the spectacular work He accomplished, as an outsider. He wants us and you in the story. The words and acts of God have been recorded to bring the miraculous into our lives not just our ears.These stories are not for our information they are for our formation... our transformation. So this week we'll be teaching about angels visiting people. Real people like Mary, you, and us. We'll be uncorking stories from scripture and stories of people you may know! When we understand that God wants us in the story, we'll start to experience the life we were meant to live. So, if you're reading this and something is stirring in you... IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Let the miracle of Christmas visit you this year.Join us LIVE... invite your family and friends (click here to send an evite). You don't want to miss this! If you absolutely can't be with us, watch the messages online and let the Christmas Story come alive in you! Maybe we'll even have the courage to say "May it happen to me just as you said it would." Thanking God we are in the Story,

Joy Happens!

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Joy Happens!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room...

Luke 2:8-18 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night... And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people... The shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."...And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. How does "joy happen"? This week in Advent we celebrate the Shepherds Candle on our Advent Wreath. The theme of the Shepherds Candle's is joy! Joy to the world, people! Think about it... these shepherds were minding their own business just doing what they did for a living and all of a sudden they look up and joy happened! Next, they followed the leading and the message they were given and joy shows up again. Then, they gave the message of the joy they encountered and the joy spread and people were in wonder!!! The shepherds were first to receive the joy message and the world has never been the same. So how does "joy happen"? Want to start a joy movement? · Do what God made you to do and "joy happens": What has God made you to do? Are you doing it? God shows up in our lives even when we think we are only doing the ordinary or what comes naturally. In those ordinary, natural places... prepare room for God! · Go where God shows you to go and joy increases: Where has God prompted you to go? Have you gone yet? Have you prepared room in your schedule for entering the place of joy? · Share the joy with other people and watch how joy spreads: Have you prepared room in your schedule to tell someone about Jesus? Joy happens when we prepare room for Him to a) move in our lives, b) move our lives and c) move others with our life message! Check your calendar... have you prepared room? Let "joy happen" in you today! Joy!

scott & clare loughrige Ways to grow... ·Sunday You're Invited · Purchase the series Just Be It in the Word of Life Bookstore · New Mid-Week Experience Classes begin January 13th

How small are you?

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Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the Lord will choose one of your people to rule the nation... Micah 5:2 NLT

Why did God choose one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah for the birth of a Savior? Could it be to make the small significant? How small does your life feel? Do you know why God has chosen you? Your place in God's grand scheme has meaning. We become powerful when we accept our place in this world as small but significant. We begin to diminish our fears, insecurities and disappointments when we feel the difference we make in this world. Yesterday, we saw so many small things happening... copies being made, office supplies being ordered, coordinating of room usage... all kinds of small, seemingly meaningless and insignificant things. Then it all happened...in a matter of a few hours: someone called the church and Julie Sunderman, working reception, was shedding tears on the phone, leading someone to faith in Christ; Brian Robbins was playing basketball with a group of young people; we heard the sound of kids in Awana being taught by a band of faithful, God-filled teachers; joyful kids thrilled about being in church, totally pumped about their Bible memory verse; we saw Scott Whitesell and Stacey Livingston videotaping people who were willing to tell their story of how God has used Crossroads' Midweek classes to change their lives. It was like Hebrews 11, where time would get away from us if we named every teacher of both children and adults... not to mention the amazing adults who are themselves students of God's Word and God's ways, hungry to learn about their Savior and their place in His plan. Yesterday seemed small. It was... but it was significant. It was full of small things that mattered to God. The small things, the small places, the small people matter.... our lives matter. Bethlehem became a place from which The Ruler came... can God get into your small stuff and change the world? "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."--Mother Teresa "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much...." (Luke 16:10) Living Small,

scott & clare loughrige Ways to grow... · Sunday You're Invited ·Personality Power Seminar · Purchase the series Just Be It in the Word of Life Bookstore