Words From The Cross Devotional...

It's hard to celebrate the joy of Easter without revisitng the suffering of Jesus' final moments. That's why this weekend's (3/31 & 4/1) gatherings will focus on the words that Jesus said from the cross.

Those final sentences remind us that as Jesus bore the agony of our sins, he very much understood our experience as humans.

We want to invite the Crossroads community to meditate on the words Jesus spoke from the cross all next week in preparation for Easter. Below you'll find a link to an oustanding devotional guide that provides both a text and a visual representation of each saying. If we tackle one each day, we'll cover them all by next Sunday.

Visit the devotional.

Sharpie Prayers

A few months back, Sharpie had a run of commercials that showed some unexpected things you could do with a their markers. For example- scratch someone's car door in the parking lot? Choose the matching color Sharpie and cover over your indiscretions.

At Crossroads we've discovered a use for the Sharpie that its inventors probably never intended- PRAYER. A year and a half ago we used markers to write the names of our seeking friends on our new stage. Last weekend we were at it again- this time marking up some acoustic panels.

This week alone I have heard of two people who wrote their own names on the stage and have given their lives to Christ. Dang, those Sharpies are powerful!

How about you? Did you write any names on the stage or the panels? Seen God at work in those lives since then?

Stories from this past weekend...

Want to revisit the stories Glen shared this past weekend?

You can find them by clicking the "comment" feature on this post.

Our Stories Cont.

This past weekend we celebrated the end of a 3 year journey of faith called "Above & Beyond". Glen shared a bunch of stories from people in our community about what God has done in their lives and/or what it meant to them to be a part of the Above & Beyond campaign. Here's another one.

An envelope was placed in the offering bags this weekend. Inside was this letter:

"As we do not have a great deal of money right now, we wanted to express our thanks to God and his church for working through the ministry here at Crossroads. In the Old Testament we read that the people brought their gold and silver to rebuild the temple. Please accept our offering, first given to me by children, now given to God by one of His."

In the envelope with the letter was a gold ring.

Wow! Talk about generous giving.

It is fun to hear how God is moving, isn't it? Over the course of this week I'll post some more of the stories we've received lately.

Feel free to add your own as well.
What has God been up to in your life?
What do you want to thank Him for?

New To Blogging?

Some of us have been blogging for years now. If so, just skip this brief tutorial. Others of us may still be trying to figure out what in the world a blog is and how it works.

A blog (short for weblog) is a spot where an author (aka blogger) can write (post) their thoughts and others can respond (comment) and share theirs.

The posts appear in chronological order, with the most recent one at the top of the page.

For example, just below is a post about generosity. Read it and you'll find a story about a simple act of generosity propagated by my two year old daughter.

At the bottom of the post, you'll see the word "comments" with a number by it. Click on "comments" and you'll be able to read another story that was shared by someone else.

Some posts may ask directly for feedback, others may be more informational. Either way, view this blog as a chance to share your perspective. To comment:
1. Click on the word "comment"
2. Scroll to the bottom of the pop up window to where it says "Leave a Comment"
3. Jot down your thoughts
4. Choose an identity
5. Type the letters you see in the word verification section
6. Hit "Publish Your Comment"

We'll be updating this blog at least every other day, so stop by regularly and contribute your thoughts too. We want to hear your stories!

Being Generous

This past weekend Glen suggested that God gives us stuff not only to bless us, but so that we can be generous and bless others. He challenged us to take some cash, put it in our pocket, and look for a chance to give it away.

My 2 year old doesn't carry cash (or much of anything for that matter) in her front pocket, but had a chance to practice being generous in another way. Here's the story: We're at Joe Bologna's (our favorite pizza spot in Lexington) and have just finished eating. On the way out the door our daughter spots every parents' worst nightmare- the vending machines. By now we've learned that we need to bring in a quarter or two so that we can grant her request to engage these child magnets. (We've also learned that we can use this as leverage throughout the meal!)

So, we give her a quarter and she heads for the bouncy ball machine. After settling the coin in the right slot, she rachets the handle to the right and POP- out comes not one- but two bouncy balls. With a little coaching from us, she turns to the little girl behind her and gives her the extra toy that the vending machine gods had graciously provided.

Her new found friend's eyes lit up, as did her folks- since they didn't have to run back out to the car to get change now. Not too shabby for a toddler.

So, how about the rest of us? Have you taken Glen's challenge literally and carried some money around with you? If you gave it away, who got it and why? Have been generous to someone else in another way? Experienced someone ele's kindess unexpectedly?