Who we Are

Do you remember life 20 years ago? In 1991, the Pirates won their division and Barry Bonds was playing left field. George H. Bush was the President and Cheers was the top rated show on television. There were no cell phones and the World Wide Web just became public. Personally I had just graduated from high school and was in my first year of college! A lot has changed in 20 years!

 

Well, 20 years ago a small group of people gathered together in a restaurant banquet room and dreamed about a church that would reach people far and wide with the message of Jesus Christ.

This weekend at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we are celebrating all that God has done in our Church over the last 20 years. Join us as we look back to some of the amazing moments that God has lead us through, the mission that He has challenged us to carry and look ahead to what He may have next for us! The story has just begun!

Awakening: “Walking in the Power of the Holy Spirit” (Day 12)

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  Luke 4:14

After Jesus prayed and fasted He returned empowered to do all that the Father called Him to do.  His power was not from His own strength but from the presence of the Holy Spirit.  When we spend time listening and receiving the word of God, His presence wells up from within us.  The Spirit confirms what we read, hear, and sing.  It is the internal conviction that guides us when we are walking away from God’s will and gives us the strength to do all that God has called us to accomplish.

It as Dwight Moody who once said, “Every movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.”  Great spiritual breakthrough moments in our lives don’t start with our effort and strength, but rather start when we slow down enough to hear the direction of God and follow Him through the strength of the Holy Spirit that calls from within. 

In Matthew 7, Jesus challenges us to ask God for direction and provision in our lives.  He says, “Knock and the door will be opened.”  What request are you knocking on God’s door with today?  How are you seeking Him?  Ask Him to fill you with His presence today, to guide you through the challenges and joys that you will face.  Listen to the voice of the Spirit that guides, corrects, teaches, empowers, and comforts in times of need.

Awakening: “Alignment with Heaven” (Day 11)

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.  Matthew 6:10

From time to time, my seven year-old daughter will challenge my authority in our house.  This usually happens when she wants something that I have decided is not in her best interest. 

It is in these moments of frustration that she will often spout off and I will have to remind her who is boss.  “Who is the boss, Elena?” I often ask.  She usually responds by stating that she is the boss and whatever she wants should be hers!  “Who is the boss, Elena?” I ask again calmly.  Eventually she knows the response.  “You are the boss, Dad.”  It is in that moment of submission that I assure her that I love her and I want what is best.  Sometimes I can even give an explanation as to why I have denied her request at that moment, but she can only see it when she decides to submit.

The purest motivation for our prayers is that God will be glorified and that His will would reign supreme in our lives, just as it does in heaven.

However, we can only see this when we recognize who the boss really is.  When we submit to His will and align ourselves with heaven, it changes our perspective.  In Genesis 15, Abram laments with God over the fact that he does not have a son to take over his kingdom. In that moment, he knows who the boss is. As God shares with him the blessings and challenges that will come to him and his family, he aligns himself with God’s will.

Who is your boss?  What is the most challenging part of your life to trust him with?  How can you submit that to him today?

Audio: Awakening "Sync Me"

"Awakening: Sync Me" is a weekend message I preached at Crossroads Church in Cranberry. A growing faith community in the north hills of Pittsburgh, PA.

Awakening: “Cultivating Spiritual Hunger” (Day 10)

Prayer is reaching out and after the unseen; fasting, letting go of all that is seen and temporal.  Fasting helps express, deepens, confirms the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain what we see for the kingdom of God. –Andrew Murray

One of the things I have noticed over the last 10 days is a reduction in my daily hunger.  As I have stepped away from my old eating habits there was an immediate and violent response from my physical body.  My body wanted the same food it was used to receiving; the same sugar, the same dairy, the same caffeine, in the same portions it was used to receiving.  However, over time my body has begun to loosen its grip and refocus on the new food I have been giving it.

The same principle is true when we want to cultivate spiritual hunger in our lives.  All day we are faced with a steady diet of physical issues.  Our jobs, our families, our worries and thoughts are almost always captivated by urgent physical needs.  If we continue to only “feed” this area of our life, it will inevitably deaden our spiritual appetite.

This is an important lesson for every follower of Jesus: the delicate balance between enjoying the blessings of this world while holding them with an open hand. 

Cultivating spiritual hunger starts by choosing to switch your diet from the things of this world to the things of eternity. 

Where is your heart today?  Take some time to look at Mathew 6 today and re-center your focus on a “food” that lasts.

Awakening: “Prayer and the Process” (Day 9)

Prayer is not just about the answer; it’s also about glorifying God in the process of waiting for the answer.

I believe it was Tom Petty who said: “The waiting is the hardest part” and this is most diffidently true when it comes to prayer. We live in a culture (America) that loves to see completion.  We set measurable goals and work hard to achieve them.  This is also true in the church.  (See my article 5 Measures of a Healthy Church)  But how does one measure the effectiveness of prayer in one’s personal life?

One of the reasons I think that prayer is difficult to measure is because it is a process not a task.  In 1 Kings 18, Elijah prayed 7 times before God answered his prayer.  For him, prayer was about trusting God in midst of waiting. 

Like a good Father, the Lord longs to be involved with those who call on His name.  At times, He may let us wrestle and wait just so He can enjoy our presence.  This time of waiting for us can be comforting if we learn to enjoy His presence as we wait.  Prayer is not always about the answer.  Many times, the most valuable part of prayer is the process that God takes us through as we wait for an answer.

What prayers are you waiting for God to answer?  While you wait, enjoy His presence and thank Him for the process that is at work in you.

Awakening: “Clean House” (Day 8)

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  (Romans 8:5-6)

For me, there are few things better than a clean car.  I truly enjoy the process of pulling out the hose and soap to make an old and dirty car look new.  There is a deep satisfaction that comes when I step back at the end of my work and look at my renewed ride. 

I believe the same is true for God.  When we make the time to focus more on Him through fasting and prayer, there is a type of deep cleaning that happens in our hearts.  The old pains and grime that has burdened us is washed away as we focus on the voice of our Creator.  Fasting is the deep cleaning that helps us take our mind off the things of this world and instead have a refreshed focus on the things of the Spirit.

In today’s reading (Genesis 12), I see the adventure that came when Abram decided to listen and follow the voice of God in his life.  Of course his story was filled with missteps, just like yours and mine but he never stopped listening and allowing God to clean out his heart. 

Today as you reflect on what God has been revealing to you in your life: What needs to be cleaned out?  What pain, hurt, thought, anger, or action in your life do you need to let God wash away?  Will you give it to him today? He is the only one that will make you clean.