One Way I Know God Loves Me...

Someone said the best way to know how God feels about you is to look at who He has surrounded you with. If that's true, God must love me a lot! Because I have some really great friends. Way up at the top of the list is a guy named David Baudoin. David and I have been friends for over thirty years. Really close friends. 

Most people know that one of David's primary roles at our church the past 16 years has been Pastoral Counseling. What you may not know is that one of the people he's counseled most is me! He has been my constant confidant. I've run pretty much every major decision - personal and ministerial - by him. He has prayed with me, walked with me and been an amazing support to me. 

A couple of months ago David let me know God is leading him to step off our Lead Team at Crossroads Church to start a Christian Counseling agency here in town. Today was David's last Sunday as a member of our Pastoral team. It is truly bitter-sweet. I'm excited for him and I know he's going to excel in this new ministry assignment, but I'm going to miss having one of my very best friends right down the hall. 

I'm thankful for all the people David has helped while working along side us at Crossroads. I'm thankful for the sounding board he's been for me on so many levels, through so many decisions. Mostly, I'm thankful that God loves me enough to give me a friend like David Baudoin! 

New Additions to Our Lead Team!

This past Sunday I had the privilege of announcing that Curvine and Candace Brewington have accepted my invitation to come off the road and give their full devotion and attention to leading our Student Ministry here at Crossroads Church.

Curvine has served as our Staff Evangelist for the past couple of years, basing out of Lafayette but traveling around the country promoting Crossroads Leadership College as he traveled. When Beau and Lauren Dore left late last year to take a new assignment in Oklahoma, we asked Curvine to serve as our Interim Student Pastor. He did a great job, but his consistent traveling really prevented him from giving the kind of attention to our students that he would have liked to have given. 

I felt from day one like the Brewingtons would end up being our Student Pastors but there were a lot of things that could have easily made it impossible. However, God opens and closes doors according to His plan and it has been an amazing thing to see how He set up this opportunity we now have to bring Curvine and Candace onto the team! We are so thankful and so excited! 

For eighteen years, we have had very little transition on our staff since I became the Lead Pastor here at Crossroads. However, over the past two years we have seen God move some of our dearest friends into new assignments and we have seen Him bring equally beloved friends on board to take up where they left off. Someone told me years ago, God doesn't create void - He fills it! That has certainly been our experience here at Crossroads Church! Here is a picture of Bud and Yo Plake, who have taken over our Pastoral Care department, Marshall and Apple Hunter who have taken over our Media Department and Paul and Michelle Jaqua who have taken over as directors of Crossroads Leadership College! 

We truly have an amazing Lead Team and I believe we are entering the greatest season of ministry we have ever known! We have a wonderful history, but our best days are just ahead! Welcome aboard to the Brewingtons, Plakes, Hunters and Jaquas!