The Crossings

Change

There is so much change going on right now. I really feel God's hand working through our church and I have never been more excited to call The Crossings home. We are now for the first time taking in our first members. I realize that is long overdue - However, it has created some of the best conversations and changes that we have experienced in our short life. This road is bumpy but it has God all over it.

I apologize for the blogging break... things have been so nuts. I am hoping to get back in a routine soon.

Katy, The Crossings

Suburban Christians

In the suburbs, which is not my favorite term, there are many interesting spiritual dynamics. One of these dynamics is a reality that those who are committed to following Christ are not being challenged to lead. I have seen this often. Individuals who are hungry for deeper things in their spiritual life are left hungry on Sundays and often times do not know how to prepare their own spiritual meals Monday thru Friday.

I believe one key to ministry within the exurbs, a word I find more accurate, is empowering leaders. I believe that people will grow in a context where they are mentored as leaders and given different contexts in which to lead. What about those who do not attend church? I knew you would ask that.... It is my belief that they would rather be somewhere that challenges them to a deeper spirituality and leadership than somewhere they can become comfortable. If God really grabs a person's life then it is usually almost impossible to restrain them.

Are you being challenged as a leader? Are you growing in your life as a spiritual leader in the many different contexts in which God has placed you? My prayer for The Crossings is that we can be a place focused on birthing and growing leaders in their pursuit of Jesus.

Culture, Katy, The Crossings

I love this book...

What if you could do a word cloud of the book of Ephesians? What if the most important words that were used the most were larger based on their frequency?

I am loving this book! We take a break this Sunday for July 4th but pick up in chapter 4 next week.

Ephesians, Katy, The Crossings

Discussion

Wow... Part of me feels like this should be the text and discussion that we have week after week. This is just a topic that must be recycled in our minds all the time. Why? Because it slips through the fingers of our life with every step that we take inside the culture that surrounds us. Here are some ideas and questions that will spark a conversation on Ephesians 3:1-13.

1. How well do you know the culture in which God has surrounded you? Where do people spend their time and money? What do they do during their free time? What music do they listen to? What do they read? What is their spirituality? What do they think about the gospel? What are the culturally prevalent sins that the gospel will first confront and then heal for them?
2. If you were to write a gospel for the people in your culture, where would you start?
   
3. How do you see the relationship of the church to reach people far from Christ in comparison to your mission to reach people far from Christ?
4. In this passage of scripture we see what could be described as God's means to declare His glory to the peoples of the world. We see God's desire to use ordinary people in partnership with one another to carry his message. As a Christ follower do you feel the weight of this role that has been given to each of us?
5. Is this reality of your individual role in God mission a new reality for you? If it is not a new idea, how well are you able to keep it in your realm of focus?

What if for the next 30 days you did life with a rubber band on your wrist as a reminder that God wants to radically transform the people and environments in which He has surrounded you? What if every time you grabbed your latte, shook hands with a co-worker, changed a diaper, picked up your order at Chick-Fil-A, or reached for your chair at a routine business meeting, you saw this rubber band as a reminder that God has commissioned you as His story teller within your culture?

Ephesians, Katy, The Crossings

My Family on Mother's Day

My wife put up some great pics of our new party of five. We are still getting used to playing this zone defense. Uh.. hem... "Powell party of five your table is ready!" There is just something about that I haven't become accustomed to yet.

Family, Katy

Discussion

Here are a few discussion questions from our time in Ephesians 2:1-10.

1. How would you describe your life after marriage? Were there things in your life that changed dramatically?
2. How would you describe your life after Christ?
3. How do you feel when you read texts such as Romans 7:14-20? Do you know yourself as well as Paul seems to know himself? Have you ever felt the frustration that Paul is feeling?
4. As in Ephesians 2:4, we have talked about the love of God a couple of times in this series (ex. 1:4). How can we truly know this love that brought us from death to life?
5. There is a joy and excitement about getting a new chance at life... second chances are a blessing. God made us alive - do you feel the happiness that should accompany this reality? Why?
6. Why is it that there are so many things that seem to bring us more joy than the reality of being made "alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:4)?

Paul is beginning this letter to his friends in Ephesus with some central truths regarding who God is and what He has done for His children. Paul begins there because these truths lay the foundation from which all of the other issues in the letter will be built. Therefore, these ideas must always be central to our way of life as Christ followers.

Finding Purpose, Gospel, Katy, Repentance, salvation, The Crossings

Finding Community in Suburbia

This has been one of the biggest struggles in pastoring a biblical church. There is this incredible phenomena here in suburbia... people love to live in nice neighborhoods with nice neighbors and a fun cull-de-sac for block parties, but in reality they have no idea who their neighbors are outside of a wave on trash day. Contrary to what many may think, suburbia is one of the most individualistic cultures in America. The garage door goes up for exactly enough time for the car to squeeze through and then it is clipping the bumper on the way down. Then, we move without a break to a child's sporting event or some church program. We rush to eat dinner with moments to spare before we must get the children to bed so that they can wake up the next morning rested for school.

We have created a lifestyle that fosters individuality instead of community. However, there is something inside of every suburbanite that longs for real relationships - the sort of relationships where the usual suburban facade is not necessary. There is a desire to find relationships that can serve as co-strugglers in this sport of parenting, marriage building, and professionalism. This seems to be the elephant in the room sometimes. The desire for community and the pressure to keep up with the suburban culture are waging a gruesome battle and the propagation of the suburban facade is devastating the opposition. The true life changing gospel of Jesus Christ found in the scriptures must be injected into the war.

Family, Finding Purpose, Gospel, Katy, The Crossings

Daddying Daughters

This is really more of a therapeutic confessional than anything else.... God has blessed us with a wonderful 7 year old daughter. We have really been intentional with the outside influences that she has been exposed to so far in her life. But, we realized something last year when she began Kindergarten, we can try all we want but the world is going to get to her.

The fact of the matter is that I don't want Hannah Montana for a daughter. She might be great and all... but I love my Bethany. It is really hard to straddle the continuum between appropriate and up tight with this stuff. She can actually come home imitating some TV show or movie character the she has never witnessed first hand. She can come home desiring to have something when she really has no idea what "it" is. Well, I feel like this is sort of a milestone in raising a daughter and I am not handling it well. Maybe the fact that I didn't grow up with a sister doesn't help but still - why does any 7 year old need any appearance additive even if it is only lip gloss?

I am beginning to think instead just not bringing this stuff into our home we really need to talk about the why's of it all. Because, as we have already see, she will get exposed to it all very soon anyway.

It will be interesting to see what these struggles translate into with my son. When he is 7 we will probably still be working on not kicking the dog.

Family, Katy

Discussion

Here a few discussion questions based on our time in Ephesians 1:15-23.

1. What is one word that you would use to describe your prayer life? Why did you pick that word?
2. What word would you use to describe Paul's prayer in verses 15-23? Why?
3. Do you have any type of prayer strategy? specific time of day? specific place? out loud or in a journal?
4. What do you usually pray?
5. Have you ever experienced times when it was hard to pray? How did you handle those times?
6. Have there been times that you really didn't understand why God didn't answer a prayer the way you thought He should?
7. Could you share a story from your life that communicates the power of prayer?

It might be good just to spend some time in prayer with each other after you discuss these topics and questions.

Ephesians, Finding Purpose, Katy, The Crossings

A Prayer...

I love this prayer and I prayed it this morning as I continue preparing for what God wants to do this Sunday.

I am desired to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;
Yet I long that people might be edified with divine truth,
that an honest testimony might be borne for thee;

Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,
with heart uplifted for grace and unction.
Present to my view things pertinent to my subject,
with fullness of matter and clarity of thought,
proper expressions, fluency, fervency,
a feeling sense of the things I preach,
and grace to apply them to men's consciences.

Keep me conscious all the while of my defects,
and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.

Help me to offer a testimony for thyself,
and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting thy mercy.

Give me freedom to open the sorrows of thy people,
and to set before them comforting considerations.
Attend with power the truth preached,
and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.
May thy people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted,
and help me to use the strongest arguments
drawn from Christ's incarnation and sufferings,
that men might be made holy.

I myself need thy support, comfort, strength, holiness,
that I might be a pure channel of thy grace,
and be able to do something for thee;
Give me then refreshment among thy people,
and help me not the treat excellent matter in a defective way,
or a broken testimony to so worthy a Redeemer,
or be harsh in treating of Christ's death, its design and end,
from lack of warmth and fervency.

And keep me in tune with thee as I do this work.

Gospel, Katy, Repentance, salvation, Sin, The Crossings