Audio: Our Walk with God

Our Walk with God is a weekend message I preached at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, PA. A great community of people seeking to follow Jesus and share Him with others.

Our Walk with God from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

Read James 1:22-25.

·      James 1:22 says “listen to the word.” What does that mean? What are some ways to do that? 

·      If I already know quite a bit about the Bible, and if I have read the Bible a lot, why is it important that I still read it every day, or at least most days, of every week?

·      How often and how clearly are you hearing from God through the Bible? Would you share with us something that you are hearing?

·      How might God be prompting you to learn more about the Bible, or about how to read the Bible with more understanding?

·      Sometimes we can be reading the Bible and praying and going to worship regularly, but it seems like we are just “going through the motions.” How can we increase our passion for God and His Word?

·      Re-read James 1:22. What results in our lives when we obey what God says? What happens when we do not?

·      In what areas of your life are you obeying God’s Word? In what ways are you not? How can we help you to be accountable?

He'll get You Through

Have you ever felt stuck?  Or maybe like you cannot get ahead in life?  It is often in the moments when we feel stuck that God shows up in the biggest ways.  Those moments when we are at the end of ourselves, when we have nowhere else to go that God steps in and gets us through.

In Exodus 14, Moses found himself in one of those situations.  He was stuck.  Stuck in a very real way, between and ocean and an army.  It was in this moment that God showed up.  “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”

This week we will have guest speaker and author, David Browning at Crossroads Church.  David be sharing with us on how it is often in the most difficult moments of life that God gets us through.  This is a weekend you won’t want to miss!

What Leaders Do

David Browning will be the Keynote speaker at this weekend’s Ignite Conference at Crossroads Church in Cranberry.  This morning at our staff meeting we discussed some thoughts from his book What Leaders Do.   Here are a couple of quick thoughts on what leaders are and do.

Are                                                      Do

1.  Honest                                           1.  Define Reality (What is going on?)    

2.  Forward Looking                            2.  Envision the Future (See Opportunities)

3.  Inspiring                                         3.  Recruit others (Share, Inspire, Empower)

4.  Competent                                     4.  Follow Through (Execute, Persist, Applaud)

Easter 2011: Crossroads Church

There is a reason to hope.

We hope we find a better job.  We hope it won’t rain.  We hope we can find true love.  We hope the pain will stop.  Hope is that knowledge that something better is out there.  

Join us this Easter, April 24th at Crossroads Church in Cranberry as we start a new series: 4 Reasons to Hope.  You are never alone, there is a power beyond yourself, you can be forgiven, and heaven is real. 

Where is your hope? 

Audio: Our Need For Others

Our Need for Others is a weekend message I preached at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, PA. A great community of people seeking to follow Jesus and share Him with others.

Our Need For Others from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

Read Matthew 22:34-40. These verses say that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love other people. … Therefore, the two most important things that we can do are to develop strong, healthy relationships with God and people!

Why do you think Jesus emphasized loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind? What are some indicators that our relationship with God is healthy and strong, and what are some indicators that it is not?

What are some reasons that our relationship with God sometimes seems close and good, but sometimes it does not? What are some things we can do when God seems distant, or when the Christian life seems dry?

* What is good about your own relationship with God? How might God be prompting you to grow in your relationship with Him?

God Himself is a relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created us in His image, so we are created for relationship with one another. But what are some of the ways that humanity’s fallen sinful nature has made us cautious about developing close relationships? What can we do about that?

How are relationships with Christ followers different than relationships with people who do not yet know Christ? Under what circumstances is it good, or not good, to develop close relationships with pre-Christians?

From Acts 2:42-47, and from your own experience, why are close relationships with other Christ followers essential for personal health and godly impact in His Kingdom?

Some people in our lives are VDPs (very draining people), and some are VBPs (very building people). Sometimes the VDPs are people we love, but because of their current life circumstance, are nevertheless more draining than building. Of course, Jesus wants us to minister to VDPs. But it is essential for our own long-term health that we intentionally develop relationships with VBPs.

* Who are the VBPs in your life, and how do they lift you up? How could those relationships be even stronger? … If you have very few or no VBPs, how can that situation be remedied?

Ignite: Mult-Site Church

Are you thinking about going multi-site or already a multi-site church facing new challenges? Come explore some of the exciting challenges and benefits to serving in a multi-site church.   

Pastor Mike Arnold and Pastor Jonathan Fehl have over 12 years experience serving in multi-site churches in Akron, Ohio, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Pittsburgh, PA.  In this breakout they will share their top 10 reasons for going multi-site as well as their top 10 sticking points to avoid.  This will be an interactive time that will help your team answer the question: Are we ready for this new challenge?

To learn more about the Ignite Conference Check out their page here:  http://ignite.crossroadsumc.org/

Thriving in Your Walk with God

Maybe you have seen the TV Show Survivor.  You know the show where they put 20 people on a deserted island with no food or comfort to see who can survive the longest.  During this show people are often pushed to the brink of breaking.  Wet, cold, and hungry people sometimes expose their worse side. 

When it comes to life, none of us want to simply survive.  It is not pleasant. It doesn’t bring out the best in us!  We all want to thrive.

This weekend we are continuing our series entitled, Thrive by looking at how we can move from surviving to thriving in our walk with God.  Just like in the TV show, we are not at our best when we simply survive spiritually.  God wants us to do better, to thrive in our connection with Him.

Join us this week as we learn about how we can do this better as individuals and as a community.  I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

God Bless,

Pastor Mike

One Shining Moment

I love March madness.  I love the drama, the games, the stories, and the moments of the greatest tournament in sports.  At the end of the national championship game the tournament annually concludes with a highlight video set to a song entitled, “One Shining Moment.”

Yesterday at Crossroads Church in Cranberry we had “One Shining Moment!” 

Sunday March 20^th was the culmination of a lot of work and prayers from many people.  Over the past few months we have been preparing for this day.  We painted, built, prepared teams, prayed, invited friends, dreamed, sent out thousands of invites and waited for this day. 

 

There are few things more exciting than opening a new church and yesterday we opened.  It was one amazing moment.  I’ll never forget the faces of so many new people as the walked into this new church.  I’ll never forget the comments of our launch team as they watch God work.

It was “One Shining Moment!”  But the moment was not ours.  It was His.  Only Jesus could do this.  For our community, this is just the beginning.  There are moments in life to morn, moments to grieve, moments to work, moments to rest, moments to rejoice, moments to cheer, moments to worship, and moments to stand in awe.  This was a moment to rejoice! And this moment was all His. God is good.

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for this day.  I have been touched by your emails and messages.  It has been so good to have friends from all over the country cheering us on and praying for this day.  For Crossroads Church in Cranberry the journey starts now.  Great things ahead. 

Audio: 3:16

3:16 from Mike Arnold on Vimeo.

3:16 is a weekend message I preached at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, PA. A great community of people seeking to follow Jesus and share him with others.

Thoughts on Galatians 5:13-6:10

·      We are free from rules.  Free from the “have to” of religion in Jesus. (Galatians 5)

·      You have a choice in freedom.  Use it to love others. (Galatians 5)

·      “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5)

·      If you keep hurting others you may win today but it will eventually destroy everything. (Galatians 5)

·      Live in relationship with God.  Enjoy his presence.  Follow him daily he will take you away from destruction.  He will take you to places where you thrive.  (Galatians 6)

·      There is conflict between good and evil, sin and spirit, and we live in this conflict everyday. (Galatians 6)

·      Sin leads us to destruction.  We may survive for a while but it eventually destroys us. (Galatians 6)

·      Relationship with God leads us to a life.  It is here where we thrive. (Galatians 6)

·      Those who follow Jesus do not have to choose to survive they can choose to Thrive.  (Galatians 6)

·      Keep Following Jesus.  Keep in step with his Spirit.  Keep Close to him.  This is the most important thing we do.  (Galatians 6)

·      If you stay close to Him it will spill over into your relationships with others. (Galatians 6)

·      Seek to restore not destroy. (Galatians 6)

·      Carry each others burdens (Galatians 6)

·      Guard your heart against pride.  It is a snake.  Do not compare yourself to others. (Galatians 6)

·      You cannot fool God.  He will not be mocked (Galatians 6)

·      We reap what we sow.  (Galatians 6)

·      You will get a return on your investment.  We all choose where to invest.  (Galatians 6)

·      We choose to either survive or thrive. (Galatians 6)

·      Do what is right today. (Galatians 6)

Thrive: Our Need for Others

For many of us today the thought of thriving seems unrealistic and even daunting.  Most of us spend our days in survival mode so thriving seems like a fairytale. 

For the next four weeks at Crossroads Church in Cranberry, we are studying what Scripture says about true growth.  We’ll investigate what we need to truly thrive.

In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  God’s plan is not for basic survival.  God’s plan for each of us is that we truly thrive.

Join us this weekend as we look at our need for others on this journey to truly thrive. 

Uncharted Waters

There are times in our lives when God moves us into the unknown.  There are seasons when he breaks up the ordinary to move us into the new. 

These times can be invigorating or terrifying, but is often in these moments that we know that God is near.  It is also in these moments that we can get a glimpse of His power. 

In Mark 8:35-41 Jesus and his disciples are traveling into uncharted waters.  To be honest, they knew those waters well.  But when a storm hit, it changed everything.

This wasn’t a passing rain shower.  It was a storm so strong that seasoned fishermen feared for their lives.  But where was Jesus?  He was sleeping.  Resting on a cushion on the front of the boat. 

When the disciples woke him they asked: “Teacher don’t you care if we die?”  It was at this moment that Jesus got up and said: “Quiet! Be still!” and the ocean responded with immediate calm.

“Why are you so afraid?” said Jesus.  “Do you have no faith?” 

Currently, I am floating in a time of uncharted waters.  Many of my close friends are struggling through great storms in life.  Erik just found out two weeks ago that his 12-year-old daughter is terminally ill.  Jim is praying as his mother struggles through stage-four pancreatic cancer.  Steve, my senior pastor, is recovering from an emergency double bi-pass surgery and a heart condition that almost took his life on Saturday.

And this week we float into uncharted waters as a church with our first public service at Crossroads Church in Cranberry.

It is in these moments of the unknown that I find comfort in the words of Jesus: “Quiet.  Be Still.  Why are you afraid, Mike?  The one who calmed the ocean is by your side.  Move courageously into those uncharted waters.”

Heart Conditions: A Ready Heart

I love the introductions at sporting events and rock concerts.  I love the hype!  There is always energy in the air the moments just before a big event.  “Are you ready Pittsburgh!”  It is in these moments before something great that we wait anxiously.  We sit on the edge of our seats or stand up and yell.  Something great is about to happen! 

This weekend at Crossroads Cranberry we are finishing our series on Heart Conditions by looking at what it means to live with a Ready Heart.  In Luke 12:35-48 Jesus tells us to be ready!  That one day He will return and we should live in a way that anxiously waits for his arrival. 

Take some time this week to read Luke 12:34-48 and join us this weekend as we gather to learn about what is means to live with a Ready Heart.

God Bless,

Pastor Mike

Heart Conditions: A Trusting Heart

There is nothing that can infect our hearts like worry.  Worry about our health.  Worry about our finances.  Worry about our appearance.  Worry about our future.  Worry is that thing that can keep us up at night, it is that thing that clutters our mind; it is that thing that can infect our heart.

This week at Crossroads Cranberry week we are continuing our series entitled: Heart Conditions by looking at what it looks like to live with a Trusting heart.  I would encourage you to take some time this week to read Luke 12:22-34 and join us Sunday at 10:30 as we gather together.  See you Sunday.

God Bless,

Pastor Mike