This summer I had the priveldge of going to the Dominican Republic to serve with an incredible ministry called, “Go Ministries.” I was blown away by the amount of work that they are doing for the kingdom of God. I loved the hearts of the staff more than any missions organization that I have ever been a part of. This weekend, two of the staff came and stayed at our house. Their names are Jeff and Vicki Rogers and they have become very good friends of ours. Cross Point has committed to helping support Jeff and Vicki in their fundraising and I find it an honor to serve beside such incredible people. We had some very life-giving late night talks this weekend and I was reminded of how brilliant Jeff’s mind really is. His vision for where God is going to take this ministry is mind-blowing. His heart for God and his desire to have maximum impact while he is here on earth made me feel like I am hardly even doing anything for God. Iraneaus said that, “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” I can’t think of anyone that I see more alive than the passion that I see in Jeff and Vicki. Vicki’s dependancy on God to provide for her families well-being, health, food, and housing…always encourages me to trust more. Their kids are absolutely precious and they are pregnant with their third…so, I just wanted to take some time to introduce you to some of the finest people on earth.
In order to be fair, I could have written the same amount of incredible things about every one of the staff that I encountered with “GO”, and in fact, I just might do that in the days ahead. We had a informational meeting at the church this weekend for people that are interested in going there in March and I am excited to see how God is going to use this trip to change the lives of all who go, just like it did mine!
What sort of missions are you involved with and how did it affect you?
The story here is in her face. You can see it…disgust or maybe violation! This is my daughter Mercy and she was recently pooped on by my dog. My wife was driving the car and Mercy was holding “Bently” in her lap. Then she was exploded on! Everyone in the car immediately wanted to vomit. Ally could not drive fast enough to get home!
Today, I am reminded of times that I am not even aware of the crap that is on me. There have been times in my life that I was living in sin and really enjoying it. I know that I had a horrible stench about my life, but I was really “living it up”! I was not aware of what I might have been doing to my family, closest friends, and not to mention how I was breaking the heart of God. I am glad that the older that I get, the more that sin in my life gives me a look much like Mercy’s, where I am very quick to repent before God and find cleansing.
Even though I’m a pastor, I need to confess that there is still poop in my life. There are things about my character that I hate and they continue to make there way to the surface. Craig Groeschel used to challenge our staff to make sure,
…that the from the time of our sin, to the time of repentance — gets shorter and shorter.
I think this is a sign of maturing in my walk with God. I want to feel violated by my flesh and more and more disgusted by my own sin. My prayer for you and for me is that we would continue to become clean and pure before our glorious God!!
..any thoughts? Does this remind you of a story?
Anne Jackson is a close friend of our family and she recently used this clip while doing some traveling and speaking about burn-out in ministry. Anne and Chris walked our family through one of the toughest seasons of our life and she also was a key player in why we moved to Nashville to serve at Cross Point. Here is the quote that she said,
My friends Blake and Ally have seen it all in ministry. Being fired, being hurt, being burned out …. but most importantly being restored and passionate about serving!
This video represents God’s provision in a time of brokenness for my family. We have been wounded very bad by church leaders. However, this is the way that I view this now, “if God is working on my character and He is doing a redemptive discipline in my life…then who cares how bad the circumstances are.” Seriously…if the God of the Universe is taking the time to work on my heart…then why would it matter how uncomfortable it might be. It’s kind of like going to the dentist…in order to remove the plaque…he is going to have to drill…and nobody likes to have drills in their mouths!!
I hope that you enjoy this video that is a chapter from our pasts. Sometimes I feel like God is not a good author and I want to take the pen from him to write my own story. I wouldn’t want to leave that chapter out of our story, because it is such an important part of God shaping us into the people we are today. I am not going to lie though…it is hard to watch this…to go back there…however, it is also nice to know that God has turned the page and has begun a new chapter. We are now having more fun in ministry than we ever have.
Have you ever been through a season that was undeniably God working on your heart?
There really is no greater joy in my life than the love I find from my family. It is magical at our home…I like to say that it is “illegally fun”. I am not saying it is perfect…we certainly have our struggles, but for the most part…we have a stinkin’ blast. My wife is the one that gets the credit for raising angels. (bear with me here..its fixing to be a little sappy..) I am married to the best mom on the planet. She is the most gentle-patient-selfless-righteous lady that I have ever met. There is none like her…she is in a class of her own. She owns every part of my heart, and the only one that has the exclusive rights. Ally has helped shape me as a man more than any person on earth. My children are a direct representation of her character. The crazy thing about my bride is that I will inevitably find more beauty tomorrow. I don’t deserve her and I can’t imagine ever living without her.
I think you’ll enjoy this little video that will give you a picture of the contagious love we have.Are you taking yourself to seriously? What are some practical things you could do to make your life more fun?
This week we are gearing up for a huge celebration for all the people around Cross 
Point that serve on a regular basis. We are having a Volunteer Appreciation for every campus this Friday night at 6:30 PM, so if you have served in any capacity this past year, then please come and join us! I am really excited to honor all the hard work, love, and dedication that makes CP the special place that it is. It is only because of the continual sacrifice and warmth of hundreds of people every week, that all of us experience the love that our church offers.
Today, I thought that I would wet your whilstle just a bit, because Ryan Bult and I will be throwing down a crazy-sick rap! Not just that, but this weekend I was on my phone way too much and wasn’t very present for my girls. I came up with this rap on the fly with my girls around the table out of guilt!
So, I have 2 questions for you today:
1. Will you be there Friday..if so, please email rsvp@crosspoint.tv ASAP!
2. Do you struggle at not being present because of your stupid phone?
I recently had the privilege of hearing Francis Chan speak at “Catalyst” and I simply love the authenticity of his heart. He just kept talking about his own relationship with God and where he was at with Him right now. It was like he was simply modeling for a bunch of pastors how to continue to enjoy, laugh, and love Jesus. I just bought his new book, “Forgotten God“, because I love the way that he challenges me. Here is the quote that he said over and over…
Tonight, I am overwhelmed with Joy…I just can’t explain it…I am filled with joy and I am so Happy!! God is in the house right now! That’s intense! Lets not just have a happy meeting or conference without inviting Jesus. He is here. I am not going to give a new teaching…better understanding of the Word…just Jesus.
He challenged us to stop trying to put a new spin on God. He said that, “we as church leaders are guilty every Easter of trying to make the Resurrection of Christ better than the year before!” Hilarious!! He also sent us to 1 Peter 5:6-11 and he challenged us to not allow the enemy to rob us of our joy. He simply reminded us that we are to cast our anxieties on Christ and allow Him to establish us.
I am so convicted about this right now. I have been guilty of trying to establish, build, grow, and create on my own strength, which always leads to stress, burdens, and a popularity contest. Lets not try and manipulate or convince people that God is great…lets just show them by the evidence of our own JOY.
Have you allowed the enemy to rob you of your joy of simply loving and knowing God?
Last week, my wife about freaked out when she realized that our baby girl is only 2 inches shorter than her. My baby girls are getting huge! I am blown away by how fast the time has gone. I remember putting Madison in my guitar case as a baby like it was yesterday and now she’s really turning into a beautiful young lady. We just went to one of my favorite places in the Smokey Mtn. Nat’l Park and we did some hiking at one of my favorite trails called, “Abrams Falls.” The last time we hiked this trail was 9 years ago and Moriah (1) was in a backpack, and Madison was only 4 walking alongside us. We used to go into Townsend and Cade’s Cove as much as possible while attending JBC in Knoxville. So, it was almost surreal to get to go back there all these years later. It was much more of a joy to see the amazement through their eyes than even seeing it again with my own. I love watching my own kids develop…it is truly the joy of my life. Here’s a picture of all of us on a rail along the trail. Aren’t they getting big??
What memories do you have as a child that you think about often?
Today I am struggling with relationships. I struggle to want things to go back to “normal”. But you know, today, I realized that “normal needs to be redefined.” We will never go back to the way things used to be. Normal would only ask us to “conform with an accepted standard; natural; or usual. Well…let me tell you…I am DONE with that!
“Normal re-defined:” –transformed love which requires zero expectations on relational performance!
For example, I shouldn’t expect them to try harder, to make the phone call, and ask how I’m doing. My desire for those things to happen tend to mess everything up.
Here’s the problem with that:
I need. I’m vulnerable and insecure–I hate that. It would make everything easier if I didn’t expect to have a safe place in some relationships. Maybe my expectations can’t be a reality because other peoples hearts are incapable of my unrealistic expectations of what a relationship should look like! Here is something that Justin Davis reminded me of today, he said, “Broken people don’t see their brokeness and they attach you to that brokeness.” So, while I might be right, and my friends/family should be able to love me the way that I want them to…Will I be able to love them anyway?
After all, Jesus continually demonstrated his love for us “while we were still sinners.” He also taught us that there is no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. (not because they are worthy of it…but simply because they are your friend.) Here is a very tough reality: When I place my expectations on other people, then I need to be willing to look into the Fathers eyes and expect what I deserve from Him. Do you know what I deserve…HELL! I need to face that truth today. I want my friends/family to be embraced by me, no matter how they respond. I am not responsible for their response…I am only responsible to continually give irrational-uncontrollable LOVE! I hate expectations put on me and really get ticked when I am given a guilt trip for how badly I am performing as a brother, friend, or co-worker–so why would I do that to them??? It is easy to stay bitter. It is expected to stay distant. It is usual and natural to treat those that you are the closest with the very worst. If you look at our world today and the families that compile our country…that is the picture that you normally see.
So…lets redefine normal!! See, love is VERY powerful and vulnerable at the same time. Love is not afraid…it causes you to crawl down into the river with the crocodile and slowly and cautiously start over on building trust. So, today is a new day, I want to allow my NORMAL life to be so GRACE FILLED that all my friends and family will experience is ridiculously stupid grace and love! This hasn’t been demonstrated for me, so I am in unchartered waters…but I am willing to try.
After all, who doesn’t love a story that is filled with forgiveness–the wife who takes her husband back, the father who rejoices with the sons arrival, the tribesman who embraces the murderer of his family…
Jesus…thank you for centering my heart today. Thank you for teaching me that I have as many flaws as all those around me and that I need as much grace as anyone.
Do you have some relationships that could use some work today?
What are you going to do about it???
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I love that our youth pastor George is going to be tackling a HUGE subject for our students here at “Charge” tonight!! He is going to remind our students that the message of “Sex” belongs to the church and not the world! It is God’s design and the enemy has simply distorted that truth in such a way that we no longer believe that we are pure, holy, beautiful people that reflect the image of God. Our spirituality is often very closely connected to our sexuality and we carry guilt into our relationship with God because of our guilt of falling into the desires of our flesh. This often creates a horrible self-image as teenagers start to develop their identities, so I am really praying that God uses our student ministry to start a restoration and healing process in their lives.
Parents — Exposed Series Announcement!
This Wednesday evening our student ministry will be launching a new series called, Exposed! This is a monthly/bi-monthly event where we address current issues facing our students “going-deep” into the “world” they live in everyday. For this series…we went directly to our students to find out what things were on their hearts and minds for us to address in this series. We asked them to give us some things they felt we didn’t talk about enough in church. Here is a few of the frequently mentioned topics:
• Pornography
• Homosexuality
• Sexuality – Why is sex wrong before marriage?Unfortunately, when students are asked where they learn the most about sexuality, the church consistently comes in last [the home is not at the top of the list either]. As a community of faith that believes that God created sexuality as a beautiful, good gift, it should anger us that what our students are exposed to, in regard to sexuality, has been “hijacked” by other competing voices. God’s voice seems absent altogether at worst or faintly heard for a large majority of our students at best. We fully realize how sensitive these kinds of topics can be, and want to make sure we are communicating with you as parents. This monthly/bi-monthly series is being created so we can make sure God’s word and voice are heard by our students in the hope they can better discern a “counterfeit” from the “real” sexuality offered by God—the originator!
For this months Exposed series we’ll be hearing the stories of 3 individuals who have been impacted by the exposure of pornography. We feel that our students hearing real life stories, and the direct impact that pornography has had on real people will get their attention and make them stop and think.
Of course, our plan is to let the light of Christ shine brightest in each of these stories without minimizing the profound negative consequences that pornography has played out it peoples lives.
Here’s what we hope that your student will take home with them Wednesday evening:
• When it comes to sexuality, our culture doesn’t always give us the whole picture or fully “get it!” They consistently of us a “very limited” version of true sexuality.
• Pornography can seem so easy to access and turn off-and-on, but the truth is it’s more destructive, costly, and enslaving then we can ever imagine.
• What’s wrong with pornography? Not naked bodies but rather it depicts sexuality as casual, meaningless, often violent and degrading, objectifying and exploiting others to sell products or draw viewers—all of which reduce the kind of sexual wholeness God created us for.
• Sex should not be wasted as a commodity.
• True sexuality is a sacred and beautiful thing; it’s also vast and mysterious and not to be tampered with as casual.
• God offers us a more compelling and complete version of true sexuality. We need to trust God’s version!Furthermore, our prayer is that it might give you another opportunity as a parent to engage your students in honest conversation about sexuality. To be respectful to you as a parent, we’ll be sending out updates for each series event to share with you generally what we hope to cover and accomplish regarding a particular subject.
These are not easy subjects to address and we are completely relying on God’s Spirit for direction and empowerment. Please join our entire student leadership team in prayer for our students, and these Exposed events, for God’s Spirit to reveal truth and guide them in real freedom and life!
If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by phone or email. george@crosspoint.tv 298-4422 X-221
George
So, please be in prayer for our student ministry as they tackle such an important subject here at Cross Point!
Do you wish that your youth ministry had taught you an appropriate view of our sexuality?
Today I wanted to give a blessing to all those that read this blog. This is my favorite Franciscan Benediction! (and trust me…I have a lot!)
“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.”
So…that wasn’t really the blessing of prosperity that is popular today, but instead a blessing of discomfort, anger, tears and foolishness!
What is God asking you to do that others claim can’t be done?
