Love Hurts

Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving Love Hurts! Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (NASB) Dear Friend, People say "love hurts".  While that may be true, we must not hesitate to love completely... to love deeply.  If we do we will miss the greatest gifts of life.  Today we would like to share a few of the thoughts that have formed our hearts over the last 3 decades in matters of love... "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."  --CS Lewis "You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you." --Henri Nouwen "Beloved let us love one another."  Saint John the Apostle Still learning to love completely, To watch last week's message click here. Purchase a One Month to Live (hardcover book) and/or Participant's Guide online or at the CCM Bookstore. (Supplies purchased online will be available for pick up in the Bookstore.)  Browse the CCM calendar to find a One Month to Live Group in your area. Register for a One Month to Live Group here.  ©2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige

Tear it Up!

Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving Tear it Up! Click here for Haiti update "Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor ..." Romans 12:1 Dear Friend, You and I were made for adventure! Sure we could play it safe and sit on the sidelines, but you have a divine destiny.  Jesus invites us from mere existing into passionate living.  This last week we talked about the friends in Luke 5 (click here to listen) who ripped open the roof and lowered their friend to get him to Jesus.  This friend had a need and these passionate zealous friends TORE IT UP to get to this friend's answer... Jesus! Here's the clarifying question we're asking ourselves everyday:  "If you knew you had one month to live how would you live your life?"  Is there a friend who needs you to rip a roof off for them? Remember: Jesus lived that clarifying question every day He lived on earth.  He stopped his teaching, forgave the "lowered through the roof" man's sins and healed His body.  Jesus tells the crazy roof rippin' friends that it was because of their tear it up faith (Luke 5:20) that this friend was healed.  Jesus will do His part to reach your friend... will you do yours? Do you have a friend that needs Jesus?  TEAR IT UP this week and lead your friend to Jesus!  Live like your leaving... because you are! Continuing over the next 4 Sundays leading to Easter, Crossroads is going to be reading the "One Month to Live" devotional and coming together in groups to share the journey.  We will learn the truths of how Jesus lived His final days.  We will look into the power of Jesus' final moments and see how those moments can shape the way we live now! We are taking the 30 day challenge to a no regrets life. We hope you will join us! To watch last week's message click here. Purchase a One Month to Live (hardcover book) and/or Participant's Guide online or at the CCM Bookstore. (Supplies purchased online will be available for pick up in the Bookstore.)  Browse the CCM calendar to find a One Month to Live Group in your area. Register for a One Month to Live Group here.  ©2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige

One Month to Live

Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving One Month to Live "Show me, O LORD, my life's end        and the number of my days;        let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth;        the span of my years is as nothing before you.        Each man's life is but a breath." Psalm 39:4-5 Dear Friends, What if you only had one month to live? What changes would you make in your life? Kerry and Chris Shook's New York Times best-seller, One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life, encourages readers to face their own mortality and live life to the absolute fullest. Over the next 5 Sundays leading to Easter, Crossroads is going to be reading the "One Month to Live" devotional and coming together in groups to share the journey.  We will learn the truths of how Jesus lived His final days.  We will look into the power of Jesus' final moments and see how those moments can shape the way we live now! We are taking the 30 day challenge to a no regrets life. We hope you will join us! To watch last week's message click here. Purchase a One Month to Live (hardcover book) and/or Participant's Guide online or at the CCM Bookstore. (Supplies purchased online will be available for pick up in the Bookstore.)  Prepare for beginning this 30 day challenge by reading the introduction here. Browse the CCM calendar to find a One Month to Live Group in your area. Register for a One Month to Live Group here.  Tap into the free resources from One Month to Live. For more info visit the One Month to Live website ©2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige

Happy Valentines Day

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Happy Valentines Day! My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 Dear Friends, Maybe you would expect that on Valentines week we would talk about how to have a "romantic" marriage. Let us tell you about romance... it waxes and wanes! We have an amazing marriage and romance is sweet but what really lasts is covenant. Covenant with God is the center of every relationship we have. A covenant, very simply put, is an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people. Covenant is why friendships and marriages can last a lifetime and into eternity. There can be something bigger than the people involved in a relationship and it is God, Himself! When we discovered that Jesus died for our sins and made an eternal covenant with us to join Him for all eternity, we started to live beyond today's feelings: i.e. just momentary romance and good vibrations. When our son Paul went to heaven we had a physical representative of our family waiting for us in heaven. Eternity was set in our hearts. We are convinced that nothing else matters but to live knowing that Jesus and all of Heaven are watching and cheering us on. This eternal covenant made us passionate for people and for eternity with God! We don't know how many days on this earth we have. Whether it be many or few, we are going to live life like our passions are out of this world. We're going to leave a passionate mark of love on the people God has given us. Has this always made life easy? No, but it has made it full of meaning and off the charts -- amazing. Beginning February 21 we are taking our church on a journey called One Month to Live as we head toward Easter. (click here) We'll discover how Jesus lived the last 30 days of His Life. The strategy he laid out with His last 30 days can guide us into the kind of passionate living we deeply desire. Don't miss it! Invite your friends who are seeking answers about life and eternity. Purchase One Month to Live (hardcover book) and/or Participant's Guide online or at the CCM Bookstore and sign up for a Life Group. For more info visit the One Month to Live website. Living with passion for people and eternity with God, P.S. This Sunday: "What Would Jesus say to Tiger Woods?" ©2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige

Freedom!

Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving Freedom! From Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. You have been commissioned by God to be the bearer of this Good News! This week you have not only brought help to Haiti but to Calhoun County. A woman with 3 children came forward to tell her story of domestic violence and received direction for safety. This is part of the mission of Crossroads Church. This woman has lived through abuse for years while attending another church. Upon coming to Crossroads, she discovered a faith community that would support the safety and freedom of her family. This is a family that Jesus died for... a family Jesus wants the church to provide Good News to! Studies show that 1 out of every 3 people have been directly affected by issues of domestic violence and sexual assault. A new survey in Calhoun County is showing results that there are about 18% of people who would not seek counsel from their faith leader, and 22% who are unsure, mostly because they either have someone else they can talk to, feel discomfort talking to their faith leader about these issues, or think their faith leader would not understand. On a positive note, 33% indicated they would feel comfortable talking with their faith leader! (To participate in the survey click here.) We are grateful to be creating a community of support at Crossroads. Crossroads is hosting The 2010 Interpersonal Violence Summit for Calhoun County on Wednesday 2/24. This is a great educational opportunity for professionals that work with interpersonal violence issues and those interested in learning more about issues that impact the lives of those who have experienced violence. If you are interested in attending click here or to volunteer contact Gail. Sexual Assault Services and Safe Place serve our community in heroic ways in their times of deep distress (to get help click here). They are there to support in the legal and therapeutic aspects of sexual assault and domestic violence. Our church is a place for people to find the love of God and heal spiritually. Crossroads is living the mission to bind up the broken and proclaim freedom to the captive! To attend services and classes to grow in faith click here. God placed Crossroads in this region to be His hands and feet to those who are broken... who sit next to us in church and live next door... all the way to Haiti (click here for Haiti updates). Who is next to you that needs to hear the good news today? His spirit is upon us and you!

But now... through...

Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving But now... through... "But now, this is what the LORD says he who created you: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and...when you pass through the rivers,they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.." From Isaiah 43:1-4 We love these words from God! The words God spoke through Isaiah are words we have been meditating and conversing with God about for years. God has spoken specifically to us through different words and phrases in this passage countless times. Same scripture, fresh understanding... every time we listen. While spending time with this scripture over the last few days I (Clare) am hearing the phrase "But now", and I (Scott) am hearing the word "through". We are continuing to listen and savor what God is speaking through this passage and these "small" words particularly. What we have learned is that the smallest word from God can change things... even your life! We are deeply encouraged and challenged to do something with what God has spoken... we are even more importantly deeply invited to experience connection with God in the process. If you remember, the word God gave us for the church in 2010 is year of connections. Connecting with God and people in ways that will bring eternity into the hearts of people that will lead them into eternity with God. One of the primary ways to connect with God is to listen for His word to us personally through His words in scripture. How about you... do you have time in your schedule to listen? Time to hear the words of the One who loves you and can give faithful direction to your life? Time to have a conversation with the One who listens to you? Here is a way to connect with God and His words today. Take about 15 minutes to 20 minutes... Silence: Begin in silence.Take a few moments to quiet yourself in God's presence turning your heart and mind toward Him. Use this moment to slow down... breathe in the truth that God wants to connect with you and breathe out the busyness and complexity of your life. (1 or 2 minutes) Read: Read a short passage of scripture aloud, slowly twice. Listen for a word that warms you, alarms you or invites you to pay attention to it. Stay with that word. Gently repeating and hearing it in your heart and mind. (4 minutes) Meditate: Sit in silence with your word. Allow the word to ruminate within you. Savor the word like a delicious piece of food in your mouth. Consider how this word connects with what's going on in your life today... what area of your life does this word touch...? (3 or 4 minutes) Pray: Talk to God honestly about your feelings. Does this word bring gratitude? confession? excitement? tears? trepidation? Fall deeply into prayer. Let all of your emotions and anxieties be played out without holding back. Journaling or drawing may assist you in this moment. (3 or 4 minutes) Contemplate: Now, rest silently in God's presence. Trust God that the words that have been shared between you are blessed. Trust the understanding, the working out of this conversation... and yourself into the hands of a faithful God who loves you. (2 minutes) Live it out! Is there anything God might want you to do in response to what you have heard? Look for the ways the Word of God will become flesh to your world... through you. Journal or tell a friend what you have heard and plan to do. Connecting with God and you through His Word, P.S. Learn more about connecting through our series There's an App for That. This week the app... faithbook

Throwing one back (spinach) for Haiti

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving Last week in our series "There's an App for That: hisLight"  we talked about having a "Popeye" moment.  That's the moment when you look at some deeply disturbing issue and you say 'I've had all I can stands and I can stands no more!" Then, you pop open your can of spinach and throw one back to gain heroic power. (A much better way to get courage in a can). Bill Hybels teaches this principle in his book "Holy Discontent" and encourages us to all become "Popeye People."  Guess what Crossroads?  Some of you are Popeye People!  You already raised over 13,000 dollars last Sunday for Haiti!  Since Sunday, we have been in continual contact with Pr. Carlo and the needs of his people. We have secured a plane and pilot, purchased the supplies to fill the plane and it leaves Sunday morning!  The team that worked on these efforts... Popeye People!  Families have designed t-shirts, a teenage girl set up 50-50 raffles that are bringing in amazing amounts in desperately needed funds...  Popeye People!  Some churches in other parts of the country have heard what we are doing and have sent generous funds... Popeye People!  Family Bible in Marshall sent an over the top bounteous check... Kindhearted online donations (give online)... Dr's and a pharmacy contributing medical supplies... Uhaul and ground troops donated time and truck packing.  All totaled our efforts since Sunday: well over $20,000!! POPEYE PEOPLE! The needs are overwhelming... the generosity is rising to meet the need.  We have people who have promised that their funds are coming.  We have people who are praying and working to bring relief.  Truly Popeye People! To keep up to date on Haiti Relief through Crossroads go to our website.  We are doing our best to post comments from Pr. Carlo and give updates on needs and ways you are relieving the precious people of Haiti.  Pastor Carlo says he knows he has a family in the United States who love him and the precious children and families he serves!  Throwing one back (spinach) In Jesus Name!

Word for the Week: Haiti Update

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund Click to view messages Invite a Friend Forward to a Friend Midweek Experience Online Registrations Online Giving

Haiti Update Pastor Carlo is safe! Praise God! As you know, the earthquake in Haiti has had a catastrophic impact. Yet, in the midst of the most desperate circumstances God shows his most amazing activity. Three days after the earthquake, we heard the miraculous news that our precious friend and ministry partner Pr. Carlo Thomas is safe. He has been a part of the search and rescue mission... no surprises there! Some of the churches have been damaged. He lost a wall at his house. He will need a lot of help in rebuilding and helping the victims in his areas. Like the Apostle Paul, Carlo continues to live a life of deliverance through many dangers toils and snares. Many of you want to know what you can do to help the Haitian people. At the same time you want to make sure that your assistance doesn't fall in to a black hole of good intention. From before the time Crossroads began, we have partnered with Pr. Carlo and New World Mission, serving the schools and churches in Haiti. At no time has that partnership been more critical. Our connections with Haiti are already proven and ready to address this devastation. Our partners on the ground in Haiti are already doing the heroic work on their end, now we are called to do our part. The most important resource we can give now is money. With it we will purchase desperately needed items (antiseptics, bandages, water, blankets etc...) to be flown to Haiti through our faithful carrier, Agape Flights. Donations can be given online at ccmonline.org, in Sunday's offering or mailed to Crossroads. All donations should be designated to Haiti Relief. You can rest assured that 100% of your donation will go directly to meet the Haitian people in their time of need. In our devotion time this morning, we read of the friends that lowered their friend through the roof so Jesus could do what only Jesus can do!! (Mark 2:1-12) Now it's our turn. Instead of lowering our friends through the roof, it's time to pull our friends from the rubble. The pictures you see are some of the pastors and children... our friends in Haiti. Please pray for them all to be found and rescued! Please give with a generous heart.. our friends need to be pulled out of the rubble. With thanks, hope, and continued prayer,