Staying Married

In January my (Lynn Buckles) parents will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary. They have taught me a lot about faithfulness, perseverance, and commitment. Three years ago my dad had a major stroke and last year was diagnosed with terminal cancer. My mom has been his primary care taker and that has not been easy. The phrase “for better or for worse” takes on new meaning as I watch her care for him without any expectation that he can reciprocate. In his message on staying married Glen said “staying married is about commitment and dogged determination to fight for the marriage, not each other. It is finishing what you started. The success doesn’t rely on everybody’s being compatible or happy or a champ in the sack. The people who stay married are the people who won’t consider divorce.”

Those are great words to live by and I am thankful my parents have been a good model of that to me as I continually learn to faithfully love my wife, Janene (27 years)!

Think about this question: How secure would it make you feel to know that your partner was committed to you no matter what?

NO Debt Whatsoever

Some of my fondest memories come from when I was growing up. Two of the greatest influences in my life were my grandad and my grandmother. They lived on a little farm in Ensor, KY (never heard of it have you?) where they had their own garden, grew tobacco, and raised a small amount of cattle. It seemed so simple to me. I'm sure there were a lot of struggles, but as a kid, I just wasn't aware of many of them.

One of the best things I learned from them was the discipline of saving money. They built their own house with the help of neighbors and family, paid for their cars with cash, and had absolutely NO debt whatsoever. I understand that times are different now, but I learned a lot from them and how they managed their time and money.

This weekend we will look at the subject of thriftiness. What would our grandparents say about the way that we handle money - credit card debt, student loans, wants vs. needs, instant gratification, home equity lines of credit? If you get a chance, read Matthew 6:25-34 and Proverbs 22:7. If there is some financial wisdom that you remember from your grandparents or an example of their thriftiness, talk about it in the comment section.

Let's Stay In Touch...

"It feels kind of surreal."

That's what I've been saying for the last week or so and it still rings true.

Although my time at Crossroads is officially over, I'll always count myself a part of this family.

Thanks again for allowing us to call this community home. You have truly blessed us. In my 15 years of working for churches, I've never been around better leadership, staff and people. Crossroads is the healthiest church I've ever been a part of. Now, my job is to replicate that health in Raleigh.

I appreciate all of you who took the time to say goodbye this past weekend. Many of you asked how to keep up with us in the future. Here are a few ideas:

You can email Fred at: fredsturner@gmail.com
I will check my church address for a little while longer, but go ahead and switch over now.

Although this Teaching Blog will continue, this will be my last post here.
You can find my personal blog HERE. (www.justanotherfred.blogspot.com) You can subscribe and receive updates via email when I post if you'd like.

I'll be serving with Connections Church in Raleigh. Find them online HERE.
Drop by to see what's happening in the days ahead with our new community.

Once again, thanks for letting us into your lives for the last four years. We are definitely the better for it!

Weekend Prep

This weekend we'll bring the "Yeah YOU" series to a close with a teaching conversation around the theme that "Yeah YOU Can Keep Moving".


We'll be looking at a couple of stories from Mark 6:1-13. Check them out before then if you get the chance. You may want to give them a read in the Message paraphrase for a fresh take. Find it HERE.

Front Porch Wisdom...

Have you ever marveled at the stuff people could do a couple of generations ago? For the most part, our grandparents knew how to build houses, fix cars, grow food, live within their means, be neighborly, stay married, raise kids- and a hundred other things that seem so challenging today.

We live with more information and conveniences than ever- but is life really better today? Are we any better at living it? While we can’t recreate the “good old days”, we could stand to grab some of the timeless wisdom that blessed and sustained those who came before us. Our next teaching series will focus on some of the biblical values and life skills that seemed more widespread a couple of generations ago.

To get the ball rolling, we'd love to hear from you about the "front porch wisdom" you've gotten from your grandparents, older relatives, mentors, etc.

Are there any pieces of advice you refer back to time and again?

Any character traits you've tried to emulate?

Any fond memories or stories of the wise sages in your life that you reach back to for inspiration?

How Was Your Experience...

...this past weekend with Pastor Felix Williams and the rest of the folks from Mt. Calvary leading our weekend services?

How do you feel about being a part of a church that is willing to raise the topic of and begin to engage in racial reconciliation?