by Marisa Cockrell

THE PLAN
In the spring of 2018, my husband and I decided to invest in our front flower beds. I measured them, drew diagrams of the shapes, went to the local garden center, and picked plants based on height and color. I drew the plants in on the diagram and decided how many I thought we would need of each. We took the entire day one Saturday and cleared everything out (besides the four bushes in the back that came with the house), filled the bed with fresh topsoil, arranged the plants according to my perfectly thought out plan, and planted all of them. It was award-winning, really, although the neighbor down the street still won "Yard of the Month" for the third year in a row!

I was so proud of my beautiful yard. This was the first time since being married that I could say we actually invested in our yard and made it look intentional and, in my humble opinion, simply amazing. I watered it, fertilized it, and took great care of it all spring and summer.

As it turned colder, the annuals died away as expected and the perennials thinned out.

THE GREAT FREEZE OF 2018
As anyone from Houston knows, big freezes are rare here. Maybe once or twice a year we have to cover plants or bring them inside. This particular spring, we had a biggie. The weathermen were excited to be the center of news attention as they announced that it would stay below freezing for several days. We even had snow and ice! I mentioned to my husband that we needed to cover the plants for the winter apocalypse, and he graciously volunteered, taking extra bed sheets outside to cover my precious plants while I stayed inside by the fire.

The next morning, my husband mentioned that he did not think the sheets covered the plants very well because they were not big enough. I thought that was a little odd since they were all pretty low to the ground, so I went to look. Instead of covering all the new plants we had just purchased that spring, my husband had attempted to cover the bushes that came with the house! All the sheets were literally hanging off of the bushes and on the ground. Not a single one of my prized plants was covered and protected from the freeze. All of them died. Everything was ruined. All that money we had invested in the yard had gone completely down the drain.

DEEP SORROW
I was beside myself with disappointment. Every day for months, I couldn't help staring at the flower beds as we pulled up to the house or drove away. My kids got very tired of my whining and complaining about the loss of my silly plants. "Mom, it is going to be okay," they would say. I knew I was overreacting, but I also knew how much effort and investment we had made, knowing that the plants we picked would be around for years to come. I know it sounds so trivial, and it was! I was throwing myself a massive pity party.

As winter began to fade away, one of my closest friends called me on the phone. Her voice faltered as she tried to make out words through her tears. My heart sank immediately as I panicked to know what was wrong. Through her tears, she was finally able to explain to me that the doctors had just discovered that her niece had a brain tumor and that they would need to operate within the week. I struggled to know how to support her during this phone call, knowing that there are no words that can take away the pain and fear she was experiencing. All I could say is that I was praying for hope. For each of them to sense the Lord's presence and for Him to fill them with hope.

My friend's sadness and fear stuck with me constantly over the next few days, and I continually prayed for hope to fill their hearts as I prayed for healing for her sweet niece.

HOPE IS EVERYWHERE
Praying continually for this hope gave me a new perspective to my dumb plant ordeal. During that week, I went outside and cut back all the dead parts of the plants, down to the soil, and I discovered something amazing! There were little green shoots under all of that dead stuff! Immediately, the Lord reminded me of my prayer that week. He was the source of hope; He was the giver of life. I yelled to my youngest son, "Come look at this! There is hope!" as I pointed to a little green shoot. He came up and looked at it and then his eyes grew wide in amazement. He glanced around the flower bed, noticing other green shoots all over where dead things had once been and yelled at his big brother, "Come look! There is hope everywhere!!!!"

What a tender lesson for God to teach me that day. Friend, there IS hope everywhere. God wants to intersect your life and show you that He is constantly at work. Sometimes it requires us to cut back the dead parts in our lives to see it. Sometimes it takes us looking through childlike eyes to recognize it. Sometimes we have to come to the end of ourselves to discover God's grace and mercy and patience.
Look for hope today! It is everywhere!

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

We are excited to welcome Marisa Cockrell, MA, LPC-Intern, to our 1016 FM 1463 campus for marriage, individual and adolescent counseling. She holds a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and is certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. Marisa is currently under the supervision of Joy Sumrall, MA, LPCS at Graceview Counseling Center. Our church is serving as a satellite campus for Graceview in Katy. Marisa is currently taking appointments on Mondays at Crossings. To learn more about her practice, and to schedule an appointment, visit her website.

by Marisa Cockrell, LPC-Intern

“You just really can’t doubt God anymore,” my 15-year-old says with a look of awe on his face. To him, this is obvious. We have seen God show up in miraculous ways over and over again. Personally, I long for our lives to be more consistent and reliable. Six years ago, we ventured out in faith to plant a church. I never wanted this adventure. I like security, a steady pay check, and steady attendance. Why risk these things? I didn’t fully understand the "why’s," but I chose to trust God’s call on our lives. Believe me, this “trust” I had at that point, has only hung on by a small thread at times. I have often doubted that God called us; doubted that he would see it through; doubted we really heard him correctly. When I doubted, I tried to take those doubts to the Lord in prayer.

We decided years ago to welcome our kids into our God-sized prayers. It started with our prayer to pay off all of our debt except for our home. Other prayers we have shared with them have been things like God providing all the funds necessary for us to buy and renovate property without incurring any debt as a church, finding a house our family could afford close to our new church home, the salvation of our three boys and their hearts belonging to the Lord. We started sharing these God-sized prayers with them, telling them that only God could make these things happen. It was true! We had no power on our own to make any of these things a reality. Our boys have seen God show up time and time again through these prayers; He has provided when we thought we were out of options. Our boys’ faith has grown as a result.
Most recently, our church had a financial shortfall of over 60,000 dollars and the year was coming to a close. My husband believed that again, God was going to provide. He led our church to pray for this and to have faith. A family stepped up and said they wanted to give 70,000 towards the shortfall. Two other families gave 10,000 each. Our shortfall became a surplus. This news is what had caused Kaleb, our 15-year-old, to say, “You just really can’t doubt God anymore.”

This statement really challenged me because I CAN doubt God. Even when he shows up over and over and over. I focus on the hard things; on the places in life where I still need him to show up.

I think we need to make ourselves celebrate the victories! We need to write down all the ways He has shown up and come through. That will build our faith in ways nothing else can. In the Old Testament, they constantly set up reminders for the next generation to see, hear, and remember what the Lord had done. The stones that Joshua had the Israelites pull out of the Jordan as they crossed on dry ground, the elements of the ark of the covenant (Ten commandments, Moses’ staff), the feasts they celebrated; all these things to remember God’s faithfulness. We need to remember. We need to find a place where we write down the things God has done and we look at it every day and remember; where we can look when all hope seems lost and we can remember God’s faithfulness.

I’m so grateful for a journey that teaches our boys about the faithfulness of God. A journey that is filled with situations that are not accomplished with man’s power, knowledge, or ability. Even though I hate unpredictability, the Lord has chosen to use it in our lives to teach our boys about HIS predictability. He is always faithful. He is always present. He is always trustworthy. We just can’t doubt God anymore!

We are excited to welcome Marisa Cockrell, MA, LPC-Intern, to our 1016 FM 1463 campus for marriage, individual and adolescent counseling. She holds a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and is certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. Marisa is currently under the supervision of Joy Sumrall, MA, LPCS at Graceview Counseling Center. Our church is serving as a satellite campus for Graceview in Katy. Marisa is currently taking appointments on Mondays at Crossings. To learn more about her practice, and to schedule an appointment, visit her website.

by Melinda Viergever Inman

                                                        There is a time for everything,
                                       and a season for every activity under the heavens:
                                                    a time to be born and a time to die,
                                                    a time to plant and a time to uproot”
                                                              (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NIV).

Graduation season is upon us. Landmark achievements are noted and celebrated. Years of schooling are recognized. Children grow up—another year older, another grade in school. Whether preschool or college, movement occurs, shifting the structure of our families. Time marches on.

These are bittersweet times, for the growth of children is delightful and full of joy; yet looming ahead is the day when they fly the nest, and then, they’re gone. People who have already raised their families tell younger parents to enjoy these crazy, busy, exhausting days of raising children, for they will fly by. And then, one day we discover that this is true. They do.

This year, we mark a grandchild graduating from high school, another moving up to middle school, one a fledgling newly licensed pilot, and our youngest child marrying then wrapping up her master’s degree. Transitions all. The days did indeed fly by. Yesterday, they were infants in arms. Those were “the good ol’ days.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize “the good ol’ days” when they’re happening. We may be right in the middle of them, even though they feel chaotic and our lives out of kilter.

But isn’t wherever God currently has us beautiful? Aren’t these all “the good ol’ days”?

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 NIV).

Each season is beautiful in its time—the raising of children, the launching of children. The joy of laughing with your baby as he/she learns to walk, the delight of smiling into the eyes of your new graduate or your newly married child. All of these moments are beautiful.

And then, the quiet of your home—now empty when once full of noise, chaos, bickering, and soccer balls knocking pictures off walls—leaves you feeling uprooted and not quite sure what to do with yourself next. But, all are beautiful, the noise, the uprooting, and now the quiet as well.

Each occurs during a different season. There is a time for every activity, a season for delighting in our infants, a season for rejoicing with our young adults, a season for two of us alone together, and even the coming season when one may survive the other, leaving one widowed.

Can we rejoice in the season God has given at this moment? Can we delight in what is occurring right now? Can we give thanks whether we’ve been uprooted, or we’ve been planted, whether we celebrate birth or mourn a home-going? Can we bask in the current season? This moment is the time we’ve been given. This, right here, right now, is the gift of God.

None of us can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. It’s often not until it’s all over that we even begin to understand it the slightest bit. In the meantime, the Lord wants us to be happy and to do good while we still have days on this earth. There is nothing better.

Find satisfaction in your hard work. Eat, drink, and give thanks to God for what you have, what you’ve lost, and whatever the future holds. Thank him for who you have with you, who departs, and who has gone on ahead of you. The Lord is with you now and on the other side. Give thanks!

Melinda Inman—wife of Tim, matriarch of a multitude, and a member of Crossings Community Church—writes fiction and has published a weekly blog since 2011. Find it all here.  

by Devin Dabney

I have attended church for my entire life.  As a child I sang in the children’s choir and as a teenager I started leading worship. Now, 22 years after I started leading services, I have had the opportunity to serve as worship leader at Crossings Katy for 2 months. It has been a wonderful experience so far and it’s one that is made better by the people I get to worship with.

While exploring topics for a blog post, I was encouraged by my wife to consider worship and then I decided to share seven ways to help your worship leader:

1.  Prepare
The team at Crossings does a great job of sending out communications to the church body.  In most of the weekly Facebook messages, there is a list of songs we’ll be singing on the upcoming Sunday.  If you have a chance, listen to a few of the songs to prepare your heart for singing them during the weekend service.  Perhaps the words will resonate more.

2.  Sing 
There's no requirement that a worship leader sound like a recording artist or professional singer. I am certain that I don’t. Of course the sound is important, but of most importance is the heart to lead others into God’s presence.  Just as the worship leader doesn’t have to have a professional singing voice, you don’t either, so join in.  It is so refreshing to look out and see people joining their voices together to honor our God.

3.  Smile
Whether intentional or not, the expressions of the congregation can have an effect on the worship leader’s experience from the stage. It’s hard to focus when it looks like everyone would rather be somewhere else. Who wouldn’t want to see a room full of smiling faces who are delighted to sing about Jesus?

4.  Come on Time
Even if he/she is nervous, I guarantee you that your worship leader would rather sing to a room filled with the church members than a mostly empty one.  If you can be ready to sing, shout, and dance as soon as the first drum beat starts, that’s great.  We can lift our voices together from the beginning of the service and it doesn’t feel like the first song or two don’t matter.  

5.  Show Interest
Worship leaders are real people who have jobs, families, hobbies, projects, etc.  Strike up a conversation and let it be known that you care. I’m very encouraged when someone asks about a song, my job, or about how they can best pray for me or my family.  It is also just as important when people ask my wife or kids about themselves, too.  The sacrifices that they make to allow for successful worship leading should be acknowledged as well.  

6.  Offer Positive Feedback
When worship leaders make a mistake, it’s usually painfully obvious to them.  They know they didn’t quite hit the note or they played a wrong key.  You probably don’t need to bring these to their attention again.  When they do something right, it’s good to be encouraged by your positive feedback.  I appreciate it very much.

7.  Share Testimonies
There is often a lot of time devoted to preparing for leading a worship service.  Prayer, choosing songs, practicing music, meetings, rehearsals, etc.  It’s so rewarding when someone shares testimony of how a song or worship set provided encouragement in a time when it was needed.

Whether you participate in one or all seven of the ways to help your worship leader, your efforts are welcomed.  We are better together!


Devin Dabney and his wife, Shayla, have been married for 14 years and have seven children.   They have been members at Crossings for 5 years.  You can connect with Devin on social media and via his irregularly updated blog. 

by Melinda Viergever Inman

Deep hurt can shape our lives for decades, producing trauma and harm. Sometimes we pay dearly for others’ mistakes. Human history is filled with injustice—from the first murder to modern warfare, from slavery and human trafficking to mistreatment of the poor, the sick, and the young, harming generations.

We’re sinners, raised and surrounded by other broken people. We all hurt others. Simeon Zahl  wrote: “Understanding sin as a universal human condition makes it possible to have both compassion on people and no easy expectation of change, without having to pretend that bad things are in fact good things.”

Thankfully, God is just, and he sees everything. When we trust him, this knowledge enables us to let offenses go. It also assures us that God will bring every wrong to account.

“The Bible is God’s book of justice. The whole thing is about God’s justice — about his ultimately making every wrong right and exhaustively settling every account of every moral agent, visible and invisible to us, that has ever perpetrated even the smallest injustice. Nothing will be missed” (Jon Bloom).

When we’re wronged, unless we remember God’s justice, letting go feels inherently unfair, niggling at our personal sense of rightness. Yet, we want others to forgive us. Forgiveness is contrary to human nature. It requires us to trust God with our whole heart, not leaning on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

In Christ, forgiveness has been granted to us. Therefore, we must reflect that forgiveness, forgiving as we’ve been forgiven. As we’re transformed into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:16-18), we reflect his forbearance and forgiveness. We ask the Lord for the grace to forgive, and he gives it.

Because Jesus came to carry our sins and to redeem us, horrific wrongs were committed against him. He knew the challenges beforehand, yet still, he came. Jesus was tortured and died for sins he didn’t commit, taking on our sin. He was falsely accused while being entirely innocent, yet Jesus entrusted himself to God. He provides our example and our healing, enabling us to forgive.

“For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:19-24 ESV).

So, like Jesus, how do we continue entrusting ourselves to him who judges justly?
 
Pray for faith, if it’s lacking. Lord, we believe. Help us in our unbelief. God will accomplish justice—he said he would (Revelation 20:11-15 ESV), so we can act in faith, choosing not to hold onto the offense. Knowing this truth helps: The Lord “is working with a timetable toward this end that is long—and our lives are short. We may not see the justice needle move much during our time under the sun. That doesn’t at all mean God is not relentlessly moving toward the terrible, unfathomable destruction of evil” (Jon Bloom).

Cry out to the Lord for enablement to obey this. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).

With God’s help, stop rehearsing the offense. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV).

Follow in Jesus’ steps by offering grace and forgiveness. Real and lasting justice is in God’s hands alone. Give it to the Lord. Let it go. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7b-8a ESV). Trust him to help you to forgive.

Melinda Inman and her husband Tim are Crossings Community Church members. Melinda is a novelist blogging at melindainman.com.

by Melinda Viergever Inman

The problem is universal. We’ve all experienced this. Someone hurts us deeply, and we allow the wound to fester in our hearts and minds. Rehearsing each unkind word or action, we mull over the offense, unable to let it go. Rather than putting it behind us, we engrave it onto our thought processes and emotions, thus impacting our actions and attitudes.

This results in resentment and bitterness crippling our spiritual growth and damaging our human relationships and our communion with God. Resentment and bitterness are virulent and lethal. Adopting these harmful habits of thought stunts our spiritual growth and hurts our relationships. These actions and their results are not Christian or Christ-like. Yet, we all do this.

To offset this human tendency, the Lord built forgiveness and grace into the very essence of Christianity and Christian practice. Not only does he instruct us to forgive others and to extend them grace, but he modeled this from before time began. Before he had completed even one act of creation, he had already formulated the plan of salvation—he would create us, knowing we would sin, and then he would redeem us by his own death on a cross, extending us grace and mercy.

The Lord’s actions are beautifully revealed here in Ephesians 1:3-14. This is who he is.
Therefore, he built the necessities of forgiveness and grace into the daily practice of our faith, embedded into how we approach God in prayer. We are to forgive as we’ve been forgiven.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9b-13 ESV).

This prohibits resentment and bitterness, requiring us to forgive as thoroughly as the Lord, who removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. That’s a straight east-to-west line, not one that circles around, so we can stew over it yet again.

The desire to mull over affronts is embedded within our sinful natures. To offset this, the Lord instructed believers to handle offenses in this manner:

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV). 

When “forgive” is used three times in a passage, it’s important. In the Christian life, forgiveness is enmeshed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love. They’re inseparable. Believers, we are to clothe ourselves in these qualities, starting now. Put on love.

God’s Word enlightens us to the harm of allowing bitterness to take root: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:14-15 ESV).

This passage comes right in the middle of the application, detailing how to live the Christian life. It’s written immediately after the beneficial effects of discipline—from parents and from the Lord—and right before a discussion of rejection of belief, morality, and a godly heritage. Bitterness impacts all.

For this reason, Jesus made clear the necessity of forgiving others. Peter asked: “‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21-22 ESV). In other words, as many times as necessary.

Because we seek loopholes to avoid having to forgive, Jesus followed that instruction with a terrifying parable illustrating why we are to forgive and describing the consequences if we don’t. Read Matthew 18:23-35.

Forgiveness can only be extended by the grace of God and with the help of his Holy Spirit. The struggle to forgive puts us on our knees, begging the Lord for the ability to stop mulling over the offense and the grace to let the offense go. As with all of Christian life, without Christ’s work in our hearts and minds, it’s utterly impossible. Thank God for his helping Spirit within.

In Part 2, I’ll examine more application. See you then.

Melinda Inman and her husband Tim are members at Crossings Community Church. They married in 1977, raised six kids, and delight in their grandkids. Melinda is a novelist who blogs at melindainman.com.

by Tracy Maness

As Crossings Community Church transitions into its new space over the next few months, its ability to provide a warm, welcoming environment where visitors want to come back will become even more important.

Some people may think greeting guests and being friendly is the job of the welcome team, but it is really the whole church’s responsibility.

Sure, greeters hold the doors open and welcome people with a smile, but all members should be aware of visitors and look for opportunities to say hello to them, even beyond the usual meet and greet time a few minutes into the service. This helps them feel like they are wanted and welcomed.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ­­(1 Corinthians 12:12)

“The church, when functioning properly, needs every part of the body to contribute,” said Crossings Elder, Joel Skaggs. “All the members are one body. If only a few of our people were friendly and outwardly focused to minister to new people, we wouldn’t be true to the call God has for His Church.”

According to Skaggs, most guests decide whether they will come back to a church within 10 minutes of first walking in the door. Those early interactions play a pivotal role in getting them to engage on a deeper level.

“In the big picture, creating a good first impression is really just an initial step in the discipleship process that our church values so much,” Skaggs said. “On a practical level, people will be more inclined to return to a place where they feel welcomed and valued.”

Skaggs offered three main actions church members can easily take to create a more inviting environment.




As Crossing prepares to move to its new property, Skaggs hopes to expand the welcome team so that each Sunday morning more team members are there to welcome everybody and also have the time to focus on those folks that are new.

While he encourages people to serve on the welcome team because “they have a desire to see people start a path towards a closer walk with Jesus” just like they would with any other ministry in the church, he really wants them to be meeting people in their lives where they’re at and to be intentional in those interactions.

“Even more than joining the welcome team, I hope our people will engage their neighborhoods and community organizations they are involved in,” Skaggs said. “I hope they would be purposeful about building relationships with the people they are coming into contact with in the normal course of their lives.”

Building those meaningful relationships and bonds with people should become engrained in the daily life of a Christian and a Crossings Community Church member.

“It can’t be a box checked on Sunday morning. Hopefully, it’s motivated by the mission of our church: ‘to engage, equip and empower homes for gospel transformation'.”


 Tracy has been married to her husband Alan for 12 years. They have two dogs. They have been members at Crossings for a year.  Tracy is writer for the Houston Chronicle. 

by Aaron Bradford


I work in the construction industry and for the last five years or more, my title has been “Preconstruction Services Manager.” When I tell anyone outside of this niche industry my title, I typically get a blank “what the heck does that mean?” stare. My wife, Kristen, tells people she thinks I’m a professional interviewer, and it does often feel like I spend the majority of my time anticipating, preparing for, or presenting for an upcoming work endeavor. I won’t bore you with the details of the job description of a Preconstruction Services Manager actually entails, but I will tell you the most rewarding and energizing part of my work is connecting with people in a meaningful way. This is highlighted by the opportunity I am given to help teach and facilitate a week-long training a few times throughout the year to new employees at my company.

The curriculum and week-long training is intended to help employees connect with the company culture, learn some tools to assist in their leadership of the company and their families, and to get to know themselves a little bit more through the use of a few different character profiles. By design, the program encourages self-reflection and focus, to think about how each member might apply the learning. Each time, there are a few participants who really seem to have an “aha” moment when they realize how they are uniquely wired, and then look forward to implementing something in their personal and/or work life.

I too, even after assisting with the teaching and hearing the same curriculum for years, find a sense of clarity and renewed belief in what the I am teaching, and I look forward to applying that information to my work. And yet, what I find during the program’s regularly scheduled follow ups, many past participants seem to report implementing the things they learned as “not so good” or “it’s been much harder than I thought.”

As I gear up for another session later this spring and think about this reality, I am constantly reminded that despite our best wishes and intents, it is so difficult to make changes in our personal habits, thought patterns and beliefs, too.  

I can read a book, hear a podcast, or be stirred during a Sunday morning message, convinced that God is wisely and directly speaking truth into a life circumstance I’m going through, but yet a few days later, I find myself hardly able to remember the subject matter that moved me just three days prior.

Sometimes I relate to John Nash, the main character in the 2001 biographical drama "A Beautiful Mind."  The movie is set in the 1940’s, where the main character John Nash arrives at Princeton University. As a co-recipient of a scholarship for mathematics, Nash is under extreme pressure to publish his own original idea and eventually develops a new groundbreaking economic concept. On the strength of this concept and a published article, Nash is offered an appointment at MIT, and a few years later, is summoned to the Pentagon to crack encrypted telecommunication that has national security implications. Throughout the movie, the viewer learns that despite his brilliance, the Nash character has paranoid schizophrenia and that many of the characters introduced throughout the movie existed only in his imagination.

Nash's wife, Alicia, through patient and courageous action, finally helps Nash accept his hallucinations. He returns to Princeton and over the next two decades, with the help of his wife and friends, Nash learns to ignore his hallucinations. The movie culminates in 1994, finding Nash winning the Nobel Award in Economics where he gives this speech.

I’m far from being a brilliant mathematician, and I’m the last person you want trying crack any kind of code (as I seem to hate Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and word searches), but I relate to Nash’s struggle with truth and reality. After being awakened to the truth of his schizophrenia, Nash continues to be confronted by his delusions. By simply ‘believing’ the truth of his condition, Nash couldn't make the hallucinations stop. It was only through the constant meditation of what he knew to be true and the persistence of others around him could Nash proceed with a healthy life.

Many times I find myself in a struggle to believe what I know to be true. I know I am an exceedingly blessed man (Ephesians 1:3) and yet I must constantly remind myself to choose gratefulness. I know through Christ I am fully loved & forgiven (Psalm 103:11-12), uniquely gifted (Ephesians 2:10), and created to show the world how deeply satisfying God is (I Corinthians 10:31) and yet I relentlessly battle resting in who God says I am. I know through a relationship with my creator, I have access to complete, unshakeable joy (John15:11) and hope of any inheritance in eternity (Ephesian 1:18), and yet I continually find myself derailed by the tyranny of life’s circumstances and storms of emotions.  

And just like those training participants I mentioned earlier, who can be stirred and compelled to change in the midst of support, but find it problematic to implement on their own, I need other Christian men, families, and mentors to remind me the truth of God’s Word. I need accountability to help cement my identity as a believer, challenge improper thoughts and actions, and teach me to apply the principle of grace to my own life.

Simply put, without the assistance of other believers in my life, the perseverance required in faith is nearly impossible.

I was explaining to a friend a few days ago my reluctance, after months of mulling it over, to go see a counselor. His response graciously reminded me how we were made to seek counsel from other believers and how it was an investment in my faith. And he’s right, this truth is littered over Scripture. Perhaps the verses that illustrate this most clearly to me, that Christian fellowship is a means of perseverance in faith, is Hebrews 3:12–14:

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."
 
As we all have bouts of doubt and inner turmoil, I find myself resolute in the conviction that the people of His church is the means by which God intends to complete the work of salvation. I desperately need other friends and believers to come along side my life and remind me of who God is and who I am. And through this process, I am assured that I, too, am called likewise to dynamically do the same for the people He has uniquely placed me in contact with.

Father, teach us to courageously seek and desire authentic relationships in our churches. Help awaken us your intended purpose of your church, to bring restoration through the truth of your Word. Embolden us to faithful action, and to compassionately walk with those you’ve positioned us in front of for the purpose of Gospel transformation.

Aaron Bradford and his wife, Kristen, have been married for 13 years and have 3 girls, Aubrey, Taylor and Livi.  They have been members at Crossings for 5 years. 

by  Jenny Isaminger

A few weeks ago, I ran a half marathon. It was the second time I've done this, but the first time in 4 years. There's a photo of me, crossing the finish line, about 40 minutes later than I wanted to. The photo shows the woman next to me with her arms in the air above her head, chin up, beaming, and victorious. Next to her was me, hands bracing my back, head down, and grimacing.

After you cross the finish line, you walk into the convention center where they give you a medal, take your picture, and you get your Finisher t-shirt. The whole time I was in that room was some of the most intense pain I had ever felt. My legs pulsed and throbbed and I couldn't stop shaking. I replayed Mile 11 in my mind, where I felt like concrete blocks were on my ankles. I just. couldn't. do it. I was so mad at myself and embarrassed at how poorly I had done. Of the 917 females in my age group, I finished in 758th place.  When I finally sat down, I burst into tears. I didn't feel strong at all. I felt incredibly defeated and weak.

I've never been an athlete, which never really bothered me. Growing up I was always voted "Most Musical." I was the singer, the actress, the writer, the storyteller, the comedian.... but never the athlete. I knew my role, and that was okay. I did minimal effort to get through PE class at school and called it a day. Not much was expected of me, and I ran the laps I needed to run before heading back to choir.

As an adult, I've had to force myself to do the work. As the years speed by, the metabolism slows down. I've had to make a conscious effort to make some positive changes. When I say it doesn't come naturally to me, that would be the world's greatest understatement. It's hard. Every single minute of it is hard.

At the gym, I'll be working my shoulder muscles on the lowest setting possible, and I am shaking so hard I can barely muster the strength to do even one exercise. I put the bar down, hang my head, and beat myself up. "I'm so weak." I look around at the other people in the gym. Women doing pull-ups or lifting weights, toned and chiseled and STRONG. I drive way from the gym, and the self-talk floods my mind as the tears flood out of my eyes.

I'm not strong.

Physically, I'm not strong. My arms and shoulders are incredibly weak. I've had 2 children, the delivery of both of which required that my entire abdomen be cut wide open, through the muscles, getting rid of any thread of core strength I had previously had. My body is weak.

Mentally, I'm not strong. Discipline is not my strong suit. I'll wake up and declare "No sodas this week!" and by Tuesday I'm pulling over to get a Diet Coke because "I need one." I have a hard time saying no to food, a hard time saying no to comforts. A hard time getting myself up and out of bed early. A hard time tackling the laundry monster. I'm mentally weak.

I'm even weak in my stances. I see all the public debating on social media and I generally stay out of it. One, because I hate conflict, but also because God has given me this unique ability to see both sides to every argument. Well, almost every argument. Most of the time, I could adequately argue both sides to any issue. So many things that we fight over, I genuinely don't know what my stance is. It changes every day.

I wrote all these things down recently. I cried and told God that I wanted to be stronger. Had I ever asked for that before? Had I ever asked him for strength? I've asked for strength as I weather some sort of trial or storm. But have I ever asked the Lord to make me physically strong? Mentally strong?

As I wrote this, all the verses I've memorized since childhood rushed in:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power" - Ephesians 6:10

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me." - Psalm 28:7

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." - Isaiah 40:29

and of course the old standard,

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

I took a deep breath as I wrote them all down. Such a key element I'm missing here. Could it really be that simple?

I am not strong. I'm not. But He is. HE is my strength, my super power, the lifter of my head, the lifter of my arms, the lifter of my mind.

I've never called on Him for that strength. I've not asked him to make me strong. To make me strong in my decisions and my beliefs. To make me strong in my ability to withstand the temptation of comforts and food. To make me strong in my self-control and discipline. To make me strong in my physical body. Strengthen this body, Lord, that I may be Your instrument! Your vessel!

I am weak, but He is strong.

Jenny Isaminger is married to Grant Isaminger and has 2 children, Ellie (6) and Jack (4).  They have been members at Crossings Community Church for 4 years. 

by Mark Merrell

“Alright, kids, y’all listen up, everyone’s eyes on me … what is the f-word we learned about this morning?”

As soon as I said it, I immediately tensed up and glanced over at the other four volunteers in the room. A couple were smirking; one was really confused; and one looked like she genuinely wanted to kill me. As I was popping out of my trance, I heard the entire room of little kids yell, “FAITH!”

Faith. Almost every lesson I teach in children’s ministry seems to come back to faith in some form or fashion. “So and so had great faith in the promises of God … What’s one attribute that sticks out about so and so? Faith … We trust Jesus through what? Faith.”

Faith. It is stating the obvious but faith truly is the foundation of the Christian life. After all, as believers, we place our trust and hope in a man that walked the earth two centuries ago. If that doesn’t require a level of faith, I don’t know what does. Despite that truth, I often wonder, is there evidence of genuine faith in my life? Does my life reflect an actual hope in Christ? I have no doubt that if someone took a snapshot of my life (how I spend my money; how I spend my time; beliefs I espouse; hopefully, how I treat others) that they would say, “He’s a Christian.” I wonder if they would say, “He has a deep and abiding faith in Christ.” Don’t get me wrong. I’ll take the former. But, I like the sound of the latter a bit better.

Faith. It’s a word that conjures up a level of dependence on outside forces that is foreign in our culture. Believing in something we can’t see. Having hope in something that is beyond ourselves. And, I think, if we are being honest, the word faith (in its true form) elicits a certain mystical/spiritual element that can often feel uncomfortable to 21st century American evangelicals. It’s not as concrete as certain facets of Christianity. It’s not as simple as following a set of clearly defined rules. It has an element of risk and uncertainty associated with it. Having a deep and abiding faith could mean we radically change the way we think about money? It could mean that instead of giving a traditional tithe that we give 20 or 30 or 50% of our income away. It could mean we take a job that offers less “opportunity” and less pay so that we can pursue God’s calling on our life. It could mean that we stop letting our kids do that one thing that “everyone else” is doing so that our family can reorient ourselves to God’s desires for our family. Conversely, a deep and abiding faith could also mean that (despite our previous objections) we actually let our kids do that one thing that “everyone else” is doing so that they can God’s best for their lives.

Faith. A deep and abiding faith is evidenced by a willingness to set aside our own thoughts and desires in submission to those of Christ. It’s not a calling for the faint of heart. This time of year is an opportunity for a lot of us to sit back and reflect about what we got right (and wrong) last year and what we want to change in the upcoming year. Resolutions are great and, often, very Godly. But, what if this year, we made a resolution to make room for faith. In whatever capacity that might look like for us. Marriage. Job. Money. Addictions. Anxieties. Church. To look for ways to evidence the hope that we have. To set aside our own desires and make them captive to Christ. To aspire that at the end of this year, a stranger might look at our lives and not just say that we are Christians but that we are a people with a deep and abiding faith in Christ. It’s certainly not a desire for the faint of heart but, what a glorious testimony that would be!

Mark Merrell and his wife, Allison, have been married for 15 years.  They have four children Brooklynn, Drew, Adaline, and Mason.  Mark is an elder at Crossings Community Church where he and his family have been members for 11 years.

by Laura Hartley

When I was thinking about starting a new diet, I wanted to know with absolute certainty that if I gave up carbs at dinner that I would lose weight. If I couldn’t lose weight, then it was not worth the trouble of giving up carbs. I recognized that to achieve the results I wanted, I would have to sacrifice something. I couldn’t have my cake and eat it to, so to speak.

When my kids were itty bitty and I was home a lot the thought of going out in public with three kids under the age of 4 was risk enough, but I was thinking of starting my own business. I loved to craft and crochet (still do), I hated to spend $20 on something at Hobby Lobby that I could make myself with the hundreds of dollars worth of craft supplies I had accrued over the years. I decided that I could make crochet hats and sell them on Etsy. When I spoke with my husband about it he asked me a few questions.

“How long does it take to make one of those hats?”

“I don’t know a few hours.”

“How much do you think you could charge for that hat?”

“Maybe $30, but probably more like $15.”

“So if you sold it for $15 how much would you make for an hour of your time?”

“Yuck, that’s only $5 an hour, not including packaging and shipping items.”

“Still think it’s a good idea?”

We do this all the time. We weigh the costs, time, money, energy, family. We all want the rewards but we know we have to put forth the effort. We balance the scales in our favor. How much will this hurt vs. How much will I gain?

Do you ever find yourself doing this with God?

Take something as simple as quiet time.

Are you regularly spending time meditating and studying God’s word in a way that penetrates your heart?

Quiet Time: Risk vs. RewardI am busy mom, I know that quiet time is a nearly impossible feat, or at least it may seem that way. If you’re a believer, then you know that spending time with God is important and maybe you realize it is vital to carrying out the activities in your day, but still you don’t do it. Like diet and exercise, quiet time just becomes one more thing we know is good for us, but we fail to do. Why?

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” - Romans 7:18-19

Friends,

I want to tell you something, even though you already know it. When it comes to quiet time, the rewards out weigh the risks every single time. I just want to give you a little glimpse of how quiet time changes you.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” -2 Timothy 1:7

Power.

This is why daily Quiet Time is so important to your own physical health. God gives you power. He gives you power to do the tasks you don’t want to do.....like laundry.

Can I get an Amen?

He gives you power to have difficult conversations. He gives you power to stand firm in face of temptations. He gives you the power to see Him at work around you. He gives you power to point others to that work. And this is where you will begin to enjoy your quiet time and maybe even look forward to it. When you see the power of God at work everyday, it will give you a desire to see it more and more.

Love.

God gives us love. During quiet time, as you begin to pray for people, your love for them will grow. God does that. Maybe I am the very worst mother on the planet, or maybe it’s normal, but I even struggle to love my kids, even though they walk around like tiny versions of me and my husband and say funny things and wear goofy clothes, I still struggle to love them because I am a sinner and I am selfish and only through the power of the Holy Spirit can I love them. I need that quiet time everyday so that I can love my people and love them well. And when I pray for my enemies (or just people that frustrate me) the Holy Spirit works in my heart to give me an eternal perspective and shows me that we are all image bearers loved by God and though we don’t see eye to eye, there will always be a way for me to love that person. God changes our heart and our hearts need daily reminders.

Self-Discipline.

Your alarm goes off and you hit snooze. You know that if only you could drag yourself out of bed that you could have a good fifteen minutes of quiet time, reading your Bible and praying before the rest of the house wakes up, but instead you hit snooze, again.

-or- You come home from work and eat your dinner and clean the kitchen and all you want to do after a long day is to sit down and watch your favorite tv show. Daily quiet time requires self-discipline, but instead of powering through as a way to check this task off your list, ask God to search your heart. Ask Him to show you when your ways are not pure. Ask Him to give you a joy in this time. And when you ask for something that lines up with God’s desire for you, He will always, always give it to you. You don’t have to pray, “God, if it’s your will, will you please give me joy in learning more about you.” He will always want you to know more about Him and wants you to delight in Him. That is the purpose of our lives, to know Him, love Him, enjoy Him and glorify Him.

You may find that God is fiercely protective over this time with you, He may just shut off your tv, or wake you up with the dog barking for no reason (speaking from experience). Will you recognize this nudge from the Lord or will you stubbornly choose your own way?

Friends, your quiet time with God, is not just for comfort or your own sanity, or strength to just get through the day. In your quiet time with God, He is inviting you to witness the work that He is doing in and through you. Don’t be scared or timid, but come to Him in humble boldness, with eager expectationto see God at work in your everyday moments.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy & peace as you trust in him that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.” Romans 15:13

Side Note (behind the scenes): I started writing this blog post on Friday, December 7th. I was sitting at my kitchen table and praying about what to write about when I began to think over my quiet times the last few months and how meaningful they have become to me. And though I was not sure how 2 Timothy 1:7 could speak about quiet time, I followed those nudges and somehow it seemed to work. I still was not confident in my writing, still not positive this was the verse that God wanted me to share with my church, so I set it aside and prayed over it when it came to mind. A few days later, I was sitting in church. When it came time to read the scripture for that morning’s sermon, a sermon that was also proceeding a big announcement, I turned to my Bible to the passage 2 Timothy 1:3-10. The message felt like it was written just for me, but the icing on the cake was the verse that I used to write this blog was being used during this sermon about the gifts God gives us and our responsibility to fan them into flame. I just keep thinking, if I had not spent that time in prayer, if I had not been sensitive to the spirit nudging me to that verse, would I have missed this message of hope?

Laura Hartley and her husband Jared have been married almost 15 years. They have 3 children, Nolan (7), Lily (4) and Hazel (3). They have been members at Crossings for a year. You can follow Laura's writing on her website and you can find her published work HERE.

by Devin Dabney

With this being the last month of 2018, I’ve noticed that many people are taking time to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of this past year and looking forward to the possibilities of the upcoming year.

Evaluation and goal setting has become the topic of blog posts, podcast episodes, speeches, workshops, conferences, and even sermons.

Around this time each year, I usually make a list of things I’d like to accomplish as well.  My problem, as is the case with many others, is typically in the area of execution.

Spiritual Goals for a New Year

Helping others set and accomplish goals has become an area of big business for those “experts” who seem to have figured it out and want us to have our “best year ever” (Michael Hyatt fans will get that reference).

Optimistic and S.M.A.R.T. goals for the coming year are often set in areas such as career, health, travel, personal development, relationships, and finances, but I believe it’s important to consider spiritual goals as well.

In addition to the most popular goal-setting areas, here are seven areas of spiritual goals that I’m examining and you may want to consider if you’re so inclined to plan out goals for 2019.

Prayer

Can you ever pray too much?  One thing I’ve enjoyed lately is using a prayer app called Echo.  It allows me to track prayer requests and set reminders. I believe it is effective because these reminders can prompt you to not only pray for the issues, but to follow up with people about their prayer requests.  Isn’t it good to know that someone is praying for you?

Devotion

Sadly, the busyness of life can crowd out these rich times together in my family.  I plan to be more consistent in the coming year. Maybe you will consider having personal and/or family times of reading God’s word, listening to worship music, singing together, and dancing.  Listen to audio books or watch videos that encourage your faith.

Giving

I heard it said not long ago that contributions to nonprofits is generally higher in recent years, but contributions to churches is trending downward. Maybe our goal can be to increase local church giving AND gifts to nonprofits and charities.

Fellowship

Being an introvert, I often desire to keep to myself and avoid groups of people.  I’ve recognized, however, that often the real opportunities of getting to know people happen outside of the church, in the “real world”.  Hanging out together, doing a game night, enjoying outdoor fun, etc. can help develop deeper relationships and find out more about people we worship with.

Evangelism

I’m not sure of the percentage, but studies have shown that there are a high percentage of people who will come to church with you if you invite them.  Join me in looking for opportunities to share who God is and what he has done.

Serving

Who wouldn’t want to spend time sharing the Gospel with the little ones in kids ministry?  Ok, maybe it’s not the easiest thing every time, but it’s needed. There are also areas such as greeting and set up that can always use a hand.

Events

Houston is a vibrant city with lots of events happening all the time.  There are Christian plays, concerts, conferences, comedy shows, and festivals throughout the year.  This year I hope to actually plan well enough to make it to some of these events. Add some to your calendar to get out of the house a bit more as well.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of the types of spiritual goals you can set for the upcoming year, but hopefully it sparks some ideas of ways to intentionally build your faith and that of others.  God is faithful and He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above what we could ask or think!

Devin Dabney and his wife, Shayla, have been married for nearly 14 years and have seven children.   They have been members at Crossings for 4.5 years. You can connect with Devin on social media and via his irregularly updated blog.

by Melinda Inman

In 1995 we went bankrupt. That year Christmas was a dark and discouraging time. We had just come through a “five-hundred year” flood and numerous catastrophes. I had quit praying. I didn’t think these things happened to Christians. Back then, we believed that if we tithed and loved the Lord, disasters would never come. The financial gurus had promised.

I had a works mentality: If I do this, God will do that. But God had other plans for us, good plans. Turns out, he’ll go right through our pocketbooks to get at our hearts.

God’s idea of what we need is usually not what we think we need. His priority is our refinement and spiritual growth. From an eternal perspective, that’s our greatest need. If he has to take away our stuff to accomplish that, he will. He has the eternal view.

In 1995, I didn’t know this yet, so I was mad at him. I shook my fist in his face. Then I quit speaking to him, certain he didn’t care. It was a lovers’ spat.

Our attempt to avoid going over the fiscal cliff had prompted my husband to take a better job, moving our family away from the city we’d lived in for our first seventeen years. In a new town, we faced bankruptcy alone. The dark hole of my grief was a chasm.

That year Christmas gifts for our kids consisted of bed sheets, socks, a Bible, and cheap plastic toys for the younger ones. We decorated the tree, went through the celebration, and contemplated the Christ child. But in my heart, anger over God’s betrayal sat like a lump of hard coal.

I hated poverty. I hated the food pantry. I hated not being able to travel to see our extended family. All of this embarrassed me. I saw every evidence of poverty as yet another reminder that God most certainly did not love me.

That was a lie. It worked in the Garden, and it worked on me. It’s Satan’s fallback lie. If you’re going through a similar trial, recognize The Lie in all its deceptive forms.

In reality, no matter how you feel, God does love you. Because he loves us, he’s always refining his children. In 1995 we didn’t know he was eradicating hypocrisy and legalism from our lives, but he was. It was a Job-like remaking of the sham of our Christian lives.

Now, twenty-three years in the future, I believe those events were the best thing God ever did for us. Before those trials, my Christianity was all about appearances and rule-keeping. I thought I was a good Christian.

Meanwhile, I was not the same person at home as I was in public. I was angry and embittered. I yelled at my kids. I lost my temper. I judged others. I thought I could bullet-point my way to spiritual maturity.

For the Lord to bring me face to face with my mess, I needed to be pulverized through trial. Because God is passionately in love with me, he initiated and undertook the task. Having put on flesh to die a gruesome death, thus proving his love, he now remakes me into a new woman. Therefore, it was impossible that he would leave me like that.

The Lord orchestrated our circumstances to refine me. Love compelled him.

He wasn’t content with my mediocrity. He loves me so much that he won’t ever sit idly by while I live a destructive and hypocritical life. His purpose was and is to transform me into the woman he has intended all along.

The same is true for you.

In the middle of my angry mess, a new neighbor invited me to a Bible study. They “just happened” to be studying: Lord, Where are You When Bad Things Happen? by Kay Arthur. God had placed me right where I could receive this invitation. Though I threw that book across the room numerous times, it was the beginning of the restoration.

I was changed. The Lord is still changing me. Refinement takes a lifetime. No matter how the refining occurs, God loves us fiercely. That’s why he works to cause us to grow.

When we moved to Houston in January, we knew many people here were suffering in similar manner. You may be right in the middle of this. I’m calling out to you now from the other side of the chasm:

“Hold on! God is good, and he loves you.”

Ask him for the faith to believe it. It’s true. No matter what you’re going through, God really is working this together for your good. You’re not alone. If you need to talk to someone, we’re here and available. So are others.

 
Melinda Inman and her husband Tim are new members at Crossings Community Church. They married in 1977, raised six kids, and delight in six grandkids so far. Melinda is a novelist who blogs at melindainman.com.

by Emily Skaggs

The alarm buzzed and I hit snooze, yet again, because the warmth of my bed was too hard to deny.  A few minutes later, I emerged to little boys bounding down the stairs, ready for breakfast and already making plans for the day ahead.

I’m a stay at home mom, and part of my job description is to get our four sweet children fed, clothed, packed up and out the door every morning by 8 a.m.  Like most people, there is a lot of activity in our house during the morning, and often times poor attitudes can get in the way. However, if I am to have a chance at starting the day off on the right foot, my saving grace is waking a few minutes before the kids to savor a hot cup of coffee and a few minutes with the Lord before the rush begins.

This particular morning, however, I chose to enjoy my bed over a cup of coffee and Scripture.  Yet somehow, I made lunches and breakfast faster than usual and grabbed a few minutes in my favorite chair before we left for school drop-offs.  I opened one of my favorite devotionals and quickly read Micah 6:8:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

I sat and meditated on that verse for a few minutes, reading it again and again to myself.  I’ve read this verse many times over the years, but this time my heart settled on “love kindness.”  The weight of those two words started to convict my heart. Do I love to be kind, or am I just kind because it's the right thing to do?

One of my kids is a mess maker.  He is a blissful hurricane wherever he goes, tearing into this or that, dumping things in curiosity, sloshing the milk out of the cup as it slams on the table….you know the type.  As I was just about to head out the door, he called me from the bathroom, “Moooooooooom!!!! I made a mess.”

I am a neat freak.  I realize this about myself and it makes life with four children, well, challenging most days. However, I love things to be neat and tidy, and “making messes” is at the top of my list of things I hate, if I am being completely honest.

As I trudged into the bathroom, I found a little fella in a vulnerable state with toilet paper strung all over and yet another mess to be cleaned up.  My usual frame of mind is exasperation, frustration and giving him all the directives about how NOT to make such a big mess next time. But this time, I took a deep breath and said, “It’s okay, buddy.  Now let’s get this cleaned up.”

What happened next stopped me in my tracks.  He looked up at me with a wide smile and big blue eyes and said, “Thanks for saying kind words to me mommy.”

Kind words.  Love kindness.  I wish I could tell you that I went into the bathroom with that verse on my mind, but I didn’t.  I went in a bit annoyed, yet through God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, I approached the situation differently because of the seeds of truth He had planted in my heart earlier that morning.

As I walked out the door for the day and in the hours to follow, “love kindness” rolled around in my head and I continued to ask myself, “do I love kindness?”  This particular Scripture didn’t say “be kind because it’s the right thing to do.”  Rather, the Lord clearly says in Micah 6:8 that I should love kindness.  Meaning, I should delight in extending kindness to others!

No doubt the Lord gave me a few extra minutes that morning to read His Word, and then to go and clearly see an example in one of my parenting biggest struggles that I should love kindness.  

I should love being kind to my son as I help clean up yet another mess.  

I should love being kind to my children at all times, no matter the inconvenience, frustration or disappointment.  

I should love being kind to my husband.  

I should love being kind to my neighbor.

 I should love showing kindness to the world around me, not just doing it for the sake of the golden rule.

Thank you Lord, that your powerful Word is living and active.  Thank you for seeing my faults, my shortcomings and my failures, and giving me promises in your Word that I can cling to every day.  Thank you Lord that your mercies are new every morning, your faithfulness is great. Thank you that with the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus Christ, I can LOVE kindness, and show that to a lost world.

Emily Skaggs has been married to Joel Skaggs for 17 years.  They have four children Ella (12), Seth (10), Kyle (8) and Jackson(5).  They have been members at Crossings Community Church for 6 years.

by Aaron Bradford

 Ever heard this question?  Or do you live in the shadow of its suggestion?

Professionally, one of my core responsibilities revolves around juggling client relationships. Whether I’m trying to persuade some client that our company offers the best value for an upcoming work venture, making sure we are meeting expectations, repairing past mistakes, or meeting current commitments, my undertone is always convincing others (and probably more myself) that what I do is relevant.

In our home the struggle is different, but plays out the in a similar way. Every day is unique, and yet I constantly feel the weight of the to-do list that ever mounts like I-10, 5PM west-bound traffic. Whether it’s the lawn needing to be mowed, delivery of one of our children to the next activity, carving out time to exercise, attempting to fix the garage door opener that is broken (again), spending quality time with my wife and kids, playing nurse to one or all of the kids that have the latest bug going around, or even just figuring out how to eat together, it seems with every accomplishment, two more “opportunities” fill the void.

The lie that “I am only worth what I accomplish" creeps in subtly, but spreads to all I do like lice in a kindergarten class (yeah, we’ve done that too). With that propaganda fully rooted in my mind, I become overwhelmed with each week’s to-do’s and discount any areas of growth or accomplishment.  I then grow increasingly restless of my attempts to stay on top of it all, and justify whatever sinful reaction spews out as a result of the stress. That’s when Satan begins to whisper, “How could such a mess please God? How does this chaos and constant struggle demonstrate to others that I do life any differently with knowledge of the gospel?”

I am often reminded, or perhaps haunted, by the final scene that plays out in the 1998 blockbuster Saving Private Ryan.

What have you done for me lately?

After returning to the grave of the captain who sacrificed his life to save him from the World War II, the elder private Ryan has this dialogue:

     Old James Ryan: [addressing Capt. Miller's grave] “My family is with me today. They wanted to come with me.       To be honest with you, I wasn't sure how I'd feel coming back here. Every day I think about what you said to me           that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that, at least in           your eyes, I've earned what all of you have done for me.”

     Ryan's Wife: “James?...”

     Old James Ryan: “Tell me I have led a good life”.

     Ryan's Wife [in a state of disbelief]: “What!?”

     Old James Ryan: “Tell me I'm a good man.”

     Ryan's Wife: You are.

Just before this scene, Capt. Miller with his final dying words tells Private Ryan to “earn this.”  By this, he meant “earn the right to live, knowing that six of the eight men who went in search of Ryan to remove him from the battlefield died in combat.”  ( You can watch this clip HERE).

This scene always seems to put me on edge.  It highlights in my mind the areas of life that I’ve failed as a husband, parent, sibling and employee.  It reminds me of all the ways I’ve not met my own or other’s expectations. Immediately, I adopt the notion that God has told me the same thing:

Deserve your place in life. Produce as if your life depends on it. Earn my gifts. Try harder to fit it all in: time with me, leading your family, loving your wife, excelling at work, ministering to all.

I live as though I have a ledger that no matter how many credits are applied, there’s an outstanding debt owed. And just like with any other thought that creeps into the corners of my mind, I’m faced with a decision: do I continue to embrace the tide that sweeps over me telling me I only deserve what I earn or do I chose to believe who God’s word tells me I am as a follower of Christ?

Adopted Romans 8:15b – But you have received the Spirit of adoptions as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Chosen Ephesians 1:4 – Even as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Forgiven Colossians 2:13 – God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.

Seen as Righteous Philippians 3:8-9 – In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.

Uniquely Equipped Ephesians 2:10 – We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Divinely Appointed Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

A New Creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Fully Justified Romans 5:31 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.

I know what you’re thinking “chose door #2, dummy” and I agree!  It hardly seems like a choice, yet far too often I trade the truth of my identity in Christ for a slice of seeking my own backwards, exhausting, unfulfilling version of control.  I attempt to EARN what Christ has proclaimed was freely given to me. As I wrestle with why this is true, I’m confronted and convicted with what surfaces: I habitually love the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God (see John 13:15).

The irony of this is that I know where both patterns of thinking lead me, and I still find myself struggling moment by moment to choose the freedom he intends for me and you— the freedom to live by faith in his gospel promises to us. In this struggle, I grasp how I systematically miss communion with my heavenly Father as I try to keep all the proverbial balls in the air, as if it were somehow really up to me.

So, those of you whose plates continue to pile up, those who struggle to relinquish control, those who are people-pleasers and over-committers— pray with me through the power of the Holy Spirit to filter the craziness of life through our Father’s words that we are loved, known, created with purpose, continually changed, forgiven and FREE as we repetitively yield to his design for our lives.  Father, wake us from our efforts to try earn your grace, make clear to us the ways we seek glory outside of you, and teach us to choose joy in the hope of your promise to conform us in the image Christ.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11-12


Aaron Bradford and his wife, Kristen, have 3 girls, Aubrey (10), Taylor (7) and Livi (1).  They have been members at Crossings Community Church for 5 years.

by Jenny Isaminger

Thanks to the wonders of technology, you can “have church” anywhere you want - you can watch sermons online, you can blast worship music in your car, you can do a Bible study that you bought at Lifeway, you can carry your Bible in your pocket thanks to Bible apps - and I’m thankful for all of these things. You really can spend quality time in the presence of Jesus wherever you are. You don’t have to wait for Sunday.

I’ve read that this generation - who takes advantage of sermons on TV and podcasts (neither of which is bad by the way!) are attending church less and less. They’re getting teaching in other formats, and hey - that’s one of the amazing blessings of technology!

But what are we missing?

We forget that when God created the Church, when He created a body of believers, one of the key things He created us for is for each other. He created us for fellowship, community, support, encouragement, and not just fellowship and community -  but authentic fellowship and community.

There have been seasons of life where it was hard for us to attend church. Newborns and sick toddlers and seasons of travel - sometimes it felt like it was going to take an act of congress for me to get to church consistently. And I’d fill in the blanks with all the glorious ways technology allows us to fill in the blanks - but I was missing something huge. I felt like I was drowning. I needed my people. I needed God’s people.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

In Acts 2:42 we read, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Eating together and praying together cannot be emphasized enough in my life. I need to commune, to gather, to be with the body of believers.

We are the hands and feet of Christ, we are His vessels! He uses YOU to share and show His love to others - and being in an authentic community is where you will find those opportunities.

I have seen such beautiful love from my brothers and sisters in Christ. One of my favorite examples of this was the night that our community was flooding in the days of Hurricane Harvey. None of us could get to one another due to flooded streets, and we were all texting and calling, checking in to make sure everyone was okay. We started getting reports that people had water in their homes while others were saying the water was creeping up to the door.

So, what did we do? We hopped on a conference call and prayed. If we couldn’t gather in someone’s home and if we couldn’t drive over and rescue each other physically, we knew we could gather in a different way (there’s that technology again!) and pray together. It was the sweetest blessing.

We visit each other in hospitals, we bring food, we watch each other’s kids, we loan out cars, we give financially, we drive people to rehab and we help people move. We do life together and we do it authentically. God created us for community.

Jenny Isaminger is married to Grant and has been married for 12 years.  They have two kids, Ellie (6) and Jack (2).  They have been members at Crossings Community Church for 4 years.

by Mark Merrell

It can be easy to view other churches as competitors. Especially other church plants. It’s not fun to admit, but it’s true. Drive around Katy on Sunday morning and you’ll see signs in front of nearly every school “advertising” a church. The natural inclination is to view those churches as “competing” for the people we are “chasing.” The unchurched. The de-churched. Or, heaven help me, those Christians that really desire to walk in community (as if we somehow have a patent on that or have completely figured it out).

I have to fight those sinful thoughts. I have to remind myself that our God is bigger than my sinful ways of thinking. That our God isn’t in the zero-sum game. That for Crossings Community Church to thrive as a part of the body of Christ does NOT mean that others have to fail or that we have to measure up to some manufactured barometer of the “proper” size of a church. That our goal should never be about growing the “kingdom of Crossings Community Church” but rather the kingdom of God.

It’s one of the main reasons I’m so excited about the leap of faith our church is taking to help plant Renaissance Church. We all understand the implications of this decision. We know that we are losing some of our “best” folks – faithful members who have put in massive amounts of sweat equity to see the gospel proclaimed at our little corner of Katy. We know that the rest of our workloads will increase. And, maybe most difficult of all, we know how greatly we will miss what they have meant to our body of believers. But (and this is a big but), we also know the story of the gospel of Jesus is immeasurably (IMMEASURABLY) bigger than us and our individual circumstances.  

Our Kingdom vs. God’s Kingdom: What Are We Striving For?And, here’s the deal. No one is pretending that this will be easy. If you’ve been at Crossings for more than a day, you know that planting a church (even a decade in) isn’t for the faint of heart. It can be a little scary. The mountain of “what if” questions could drive a person crazy. What if people don’t show up? What if we lose people to burn out? What if we can’t make the budget? What if, for whatever reason, this doesn’t work out?

I think those “what ifs” are what make this leap of faith so encouraging to me. I’m encouraged that we have talented, servant-minded leaders ready, willing, and able to lead a gospel-centered church in a neighboring city. I’m encouraged that we have members in our body—who have lived and breathed the often difficult and messy parts of church planting—who are so inspired by the call to make disciples that they’re willing to buckle up their chinstraps and do it all over again.  And, I’m encouraged by those who will remain at Crossings Community Church – I’m encouraged by their willingness to step out of their comfort zones in the hope and belief that God has amazing things in store for those that we are sending…and for those that are staying behind.

So, my hope for all of us at Crossings Community Church is that we are deeply encouraged by what God is doing with Renaissance Church. Despite the unknowns, despite the uncertainties, despite our own personal pain at seeing them go—that we are encouraged. Yes, there are a mountain of “what ifs.” But, what if our God is bigger than we give Him credit for? What if our God has great things in store for Renaissance Church and the people that walk through its doors? What if we get to look back in 5, 10, 20, 50 years and marvel at the works that God has done through the simple faith of His people at Crossings Community Church? Will you join me in praying toward that end?

 
Mark Merrell and his wife, Allison, have been married for 15 years.  They have four children Brooklynn, Drew, Adaline, and Mason.  Mark is an elder at Crossings Community Church where he and his family have been members for 11 years.

by Laura Hartley

I have always been the kind of person that compares myself with others. Sometimes it's something as simple as not wanting to stand out, a tendency to blend in to my surroundings and not attract too much attention. Even within my family, this was my tactic as a child, if I didn’t attract attention I could fly under the radar and not get into trouble. Or when I am driving down the road and it’s raining, I look at how fast the windshield wipers are going on the cars around me, I don’t want to be the car that’s over zealous with my windshield wiper usage. Even as I started writing this blog, I had to look back at what others had already written.

In worship, this means my hands are clasped in front of me or in my pockets but never in the air. Even though I look at the carefree ones in front of me, the ones who have let go of those comparisons and surrendered completely to God, in awe. I still have the thoughts: What would people think of me?

Are you getting a clear picture of the kind of person I am? Good.

This is something that I struggle with daily, but I know that there are probably several others that are like me in this way. Maybe you don’t go as far as comparing your windshield wiper speed, but maybe you can relate on some level and if you do, then you’re probably already measuring your level of "comparisoness" (not a word) with mine.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

"There are always going to be people who are better at some things."

"It’s not whether you win or lose that counts, its how you play the game."

"It doesn’t matter what others are doing it matters what you are doing."

We know these sayings and old adages. We tell them to our kids when they start a new sport, or they want the latest gadget, but do we practice this in ministry?

Here are a few examples of ways we do this, maybe not out loud, but certainly in our minds:

“They will give more money because they have more to give.”

“They’re better with kids so I’ll just sit back and let them do the teaching.”

“I’m not so great with words he prays so much better than I do.”

“I don’t have enough bible knowledge.”

“I have young kids, so I have less time.”

“I already have a full time job.”

We can think of a million reasons why not. But God has made you as you are and yet still calls you to go out and make disciples, to serve others.

… even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

He has given you spiritual gifts, not just areas that you are comfortable in but areas where you are supremely gifted by the Holy Spirit that empower you for service.

Based on each gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

Beyond spiritual gifts God has also given you personal experiences that are uniquely your own, that mold who you are. Take a look at Joshua, for example. Joshua was Moses’ assistant, trained in leading God’s people. He watched as the Israelites, time and time again, chose to go their own way and suffered miserably. But he also saw God give them signs and wonders when they turned toward the Lord. So when Moses died and God called Joshua to lead His people, he trusted and obeyed God and led His people into the promised land.

Take a look back at your life as if it were a timeline in a history book. What are some markers you would place for events in your life that have shaped who you are today?

Maybe it was when you met your spouse, the birth of a child, or the start of a new job, a loss of a loved one, or the ending of an old job or an illness. How is God using those experiences for serving others right now? What did you learn from those experiences that you can use to serve God and His people?

He has entrusted you with a gift, a life, an experience with the purpose of sharing it and not comparing it. Even as I look back on my failures, like dropping out of community college because I was unable to write a paper on my own, I can see how that experience shows God’s glory through my story now as a published author.

Or when I told God that I was not good with kids, and He called me to work in the Children’s Ministry at church and at Bible Study Fellowship. It doesn’t take a special person to work with kids, it takes a special God!!!

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Whether you believe you are good at something or not, He is calling you. Not my way. Not even your way, but His way. He is using every experience you’ve had to unfold His story in your life for His glory.

I vividly remember a time when I was sitting in church and contemplating whether or not I should serve with Bible Study Fellowship. I was almost sick to my stomach worrying about it. Our Pastor, Matt Powell, was teaching in the book of John, I can’t remember exactly in which order he said these two things, but they changed the way I respond in every way.

He said and I am paraphrasing from memory, “God does not invite you to join Him in His work simply to give you the opportunity to say no.”

Gut check.

And he read this passage, that coincidentally we had also been studying in BSF:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

After that, I could no longer deny that God was indeed calling me to serve. And over that summer He continued to train me and prepare me for the job He had for me to do and the people He was calling me to serve. He challenged me with this verse:

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:14)

He has entrusted it to you. Will you be strong and courageous like Joshua? Or will you keep telling Him no and stay in the wilderness?

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)


Laura Hartley and her husband Jared have been married almost 15 years. They have 3 children, Nolan (7), Lily (4) and Hazel (3). They have been members at Crossings for a year. You can follow Laura's writing on her website and you can find her published work HERE.

by Devin Dabney

Please tell me that I’m not the only one that this happened to...

Somewhere along this journey of life, you woke up and you had turned 30 years old and, in addition to your body letting you know, your brain also appeared to lose some of its ability to remember things.  

Show of hands?  Okay.  I see all those hands waving in agreement.

It seems that in today's society, if you talk to nearly anyone, he or she will share about jam-packed calendars with activities of every sort.  Work and social activities, church services and small groups, educational endeavors, appointments, and meetings. Somehow, in addition to all of that, we find time for social media, family gatherings and dates, and more.  If you're anything like me (yes, I’m in the 35+ club), the best way to keep track of these things is to have reminders. Sometimes, not just a single reminder, but reminders to make sure I don’t forget about the reminders. Just looking at a week on my Google Calendar makes my wife cringe. Whether you use electronic methods like me or you incorporate sticky notes, physical calendars and planners, or dry erase boards, you are aware of the importance of reminders.  

Though we set reminders for all sorts of activities, events, and occurrences, there is one type of important reminder that I believe gets neglected too often by us as Christians.  We need reminders to give regular testimonies about our God. Not only do others around us need to hear what God has done or is doing, but we need to recount these experiences ourselves.

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul” - Psalm 66:16 ESV

I have kept a journal off and on for years in which I detailed activities of the day, prayer requests, weather, and how I was feeling at the time.

Every so often, I look back at some of those journal entries and I reflect on all of the ways God has proven himself faithful during the course of my life.  These are reminders, as one of my favorite songs states, “I’ve seen you move, come move the mountains, and I believe, I’ll see you do it again. You made a way, where there was no way, and I believe I’ll see you do it again”.

One of my favorite stories to share is about an experience I had in 2010 shortly after buying our first minivan.  We had traveled 3 hours from our home to buy a van and then after a week, it starting having problems. I took off from work and took it back to the dealer. After a little back and forth talk with service manager, he agreed to fix the issue. The challenge was it would take 13 hours and there were only 2 or 3 hours left in their work day.  I had little money, no clothes, and seemingly nowhere to go, but overhearing my situation was a gentleman who was there buying a car for his wife. He turned out to be a pastor and attorney. Long story short, he took me to get a few essentials at the store, let me stay at his home, paid me after I fixed a printer at his law firm, and made sure I got to the dealership when my van repair was complete . I couldn’t have scripted the situation any better if I wanted to.

A more recent story involves a work trip to Orlando a couple months ago. I took my wife and youngest child with me and the first two rooms that we were assigned to had issues that required attention. As a result of the problems with the rooms, a housekeeper called the front desk to complain on our behalf. This led to us being able to get room service, purchase items from the gift shop, and eat dinner at one of the resort's fancy restaurants.  Because of all the extras that we were able to experience, the trip was amazing.

At times, because of our forgetfulness, we can get discouraged or depressed about our life circumstances, but the testimony of what God has done for others and what he has done for us in the past is enough to reinforce our trust in a God who never fails.

I encourage all who may read this, as I encourage myself, to share what God has done and what he is doing right now.  It is much more valuable than any product or service recommendation we can make. You never know who can benefit from your reminder of what God is able to do.

“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.” - Romans 1:12 ESV


Devin Dabney and his wife, Shayla, have been married for nearly 14 years and have seven children.   They have been members at Crossings for 4.5 years. You can connect with Devin on social media and via his irregularly updated blog.

by Melinda Viergever Inman

“But I said, ‘I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength on nothing and vanity’” (Isaiah 49:4a ESV).

 You’ve embarked on an important mission, a praiseworthy project, or a lifestyle of service. And then, you’ve seen it all crumble, your work amounting to nothing.

Projects are cancelled, friends bail, prodigals flee, houses flood, money is lost, bankruptcy is filed. Perhaps you’re the one struck down, your health and vigor taken.

At these moments, we feel as if we’ve labored in vain and spent our strength on nothing. Our work feels futile, our gifts and calling wasted, because seemingly nothing came of it.

This is the wounded place, the broken spot that aches. We wonder what might have been. This wakes us in the night. We can’t seem to let go, no matter how hard we try.

Jesus knows exactly how we feel. He felt it, too.

The opening verse from Isaiah occurs right in the middle of a conversation before time began. In this passage, God the Father and Jesus the Son, the foretold Servant, talk together. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah reveals their words, thus preparing the Jewish people for what had been hidden in plain sight - their coming Messiah, the prophesied One who would crush the serpent’s head.

They expected a king. But, they were to receive a Servant, One whose goal was to meet their deepest unknown need, the need for a right relationship with God.

The speaker in the opening verse is Jesus pre-incarnate, God the Son before his human birth. This section of Isaiah reveals the foundation for our understanding of the Trinity.

When the Father detailed his mission, the Son revealed how he would feel as a human man carrying this burden. Being God, the Son foreknew that the Jewish nation would reject him as their Messiah. Before he was even incarnate on this earth, he predetermined how he would handle the emotional turmoil of living in a human body during their rejection and during the broken intimacy with the Father that he would experience while on the cross.

The entire verse reads:

“But I said, ‘I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength on nothing and vanity; YET surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God’” (Isaiah 49:4 ESV).

When I read these words during my Bible study, I wept. Jesus’ words pierced my heart, capturing exactly how I feel in my own struggle and how I should react. He sympathizes with us in all of our weaknesses. He’s been tempted in all things as we, but without ever sinning. As an eyewitness, Peter tells us how it looked as Jesus lived this out:

“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, BUT continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22-23 ESV).

No matter what happened, the Lord Jesus committed himself, his rights, and his reward into God’s hands, knowing all were secure there. Here is his “not my will but yours be done,” the knowledge of God's all-seeing eye and flawless justice removing any temptation to retort, fight, fear, or answer in kind.

To Jesus, only God’s opinion matters.

Do we feel the same?

Jesus’ actions are our provision and our example for managing heartache and loss. Jesus’ obedience puts within our grasp the power to resist sin in whatever trial or injury. How?

Entrust yourself, your rights, your reward, and your situation entirely to God.

The Son set this course from before time, so that he could fulfill his task of bringing us to God. As a result, God answered him:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6 ESV).

Because of Jesus’ servant heart, his trust in God, his willingness to spend his earthly life in what felt like vanity, and his yielded commitment to allow himself to be killed to expunge our sins, the gospel went out from the Jewish people into the wider world, and even to us.

We are the happy recipients of his selflessness. By his kind empathy and grace, with his own Spirit indwelling us, Jesus enables us to respond rightly and sees us through every trial. What a wonderful Savior!

“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted” (Isaiah 49:13b ESV).


Melinda Viergever Inman and her husband Tim have been married forty-one years, parented six children to adulthood, and so far, enjoy six grandchildren. Currently, they are in the membership process at Crossings.  You can follow Melinda's writing on her BLOG and you can find her published Christian Fiction HERE.

by Dr. Matt Powell

There are many churches here in our Houston area and even here in our immediate West Houston neighborhood. Although many, there are still not enough. There are two primary distinguishing factors among our churches, theological distinctions and ministry philosophy distinctions.

Where there is theological/doctrinal unity amidst churches, distinctions then exist within the way each church approaches its unique pursuit of making disciples. One phrase that has emerged in recent years to describe this pursuit among churches is the phrase “One Church, Multiple Locations”.

This is a tag line used to communicate a church’s commitment to remain unified in vision, mission, and values while gathering in multiple locations (sometimes referred to as campuses). Sometimes these churches are all led by one preaching pastor via video, while other times the majority of the sermons are given by a unique campus pastor. These churches are making disciples and changing lives in amazing ways. My goal is not to critique that strategy for ministry but rather to define our distinctive difference from them so that we, as a body, can grow in unity in this journey together.

We at Crossings have committed ourselves to a simple approach to ministry. Being a “Simple Church” is a category written about broadly in ministry. Sometimes this terminology is only used to speak of a value for small group ministry. It is a term used to describe churches that have committed themselves toward a singular path of discipleship, like small groups, in comparison to the shotgun style approach to ministry events. Although it does that for us, it also goes much farther. Our simple ministry strategy leads to a laser focus in everything that we do whether we are talking about small group ministry, men’s or women’s ministry, children’s and family ministry, or global and local missions.

Our vision statement always expressed our desire to see the growth of God’s kingdom through church multiplication. Since day one, that vision statement proclaimed: “we see a missional church that announces the kingdom of God through church multiplication. We dream of churches being planted and supported locally, nationally, and internationally.” This means that with the resources that God provides His church at Crossings we will simply pursue church planting above any other strategy of multiplication.

This vision is for a singular and unique church body called Crossings Community Church striving to multiply other unique church bodies locally, nationally, and internationally. This is a hefty vision God has given because it demands the equipping of leaders to preach and shepherd those unique churches. It is a hefty vision because it demands a specific strategy of financial stewardship to support the planting of these unique and autonomous churches. Yet amidst that hefty vision is the culmination of our excitement as His church called to plant churches.

We are not looking to celebrate various meeting locations of people under the name, preaching, and shepherding of Crossings Community Church. However, we do strive continuously to celebrate seeing contextual expressions of faith birthed locally, nationally, and internationally that bear the unique flavor of the called leaders and cultures they are called to gospelize.

Where growth today has come to be understood as not only how many people but also how many locations a church may establish, we are committed to a different kind of growth: the birth of hundreds if not thousands of unique, autonomous churches who will have no obvious affiliation with Crossings aside from (often behind the scenes) strenuous and focused equipping and support.

Therefore, instead of being “One Church of Multiple Locations” it is our dream to be “One Church of One Location Planting Thousands of Churches.” That may not follow the exact tide of ministry we see developing in our western context, but it is the vision that God has given us and we are committed to walking in it faithfully and sacrificially.

We continue to celebrate being a part of training church planters in regions across the globe. We have celebrated being a supporting and equipping church to new plants in our own city. We are celebrating now sending out our first church plant from within Crossings and loving every moment of equipping and supporting as that journey leading to launch will culminate in the coming months.

A biblical vision for ministry can manifest in many different ways. Amidst that diversity this is the vision that God has given Crossings and this is the vision we have been committed to for our twelve year history.

ONE CHURCH PLANTING THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES! May it be for His great glory…

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX. You can read more on his blog.