Mile Markers

Dedications

2012-01-15T22:32:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday we held our dedication service for the new worship center. It was our opportunity to celebrate what God has blessed us with. We had a ribbon cutting ceremony that was aired in the main auditorium through video while Donna and I, with our Board of Directors and their wives, our Architects, Steve Oubre and his wife Sarah and Jeremy Durham with Architects Southwest, our Properties Manager, Rhett Wyatt and his wife Tiffany and our District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Doug Fulenwider pronounced the official dedication. Later in the service, we had the opportunity to recognize all these folks that were so instrumental in the building of this new expansion along with our Special Systems Venders: Gerald Broussard with Intermedia Technologies, Ray Zeigler with RZI Lighting and Paul McCasland with Show and Tell Productions. Our church was congratulated through a video greeting by our General Superintendent for the Assemblies of God, Dr. George Woods and our local City/Parish President Joey Durrell. Several of our district officials with the Louisiana Assemblies of God attended the dedication service and our Superintendent, Doug Fulenwider brought the message. It was a great day and everyone was really excited. Now that we've been in the auditorium for a couple of months, it's really beginning to feel like home!

On another note, the same day of the dedication (January 8th) was my daughter Robin's birthday. She turned twenty that day. Her mom and I are so proud of her. She has such a great heart for God and ministry. We dedicated her to God when she was just a baby. I couldn't help but think as we were dedicating the new worship center that she (and all who commit their lives to Christ) is the real temple of God. It is the act of dedicating our children to God that is the most important kind of dedication we could ever carry out!

MVP

2012-01-01T15:18:00.001-06:00

This guy set an all-time single season passing record, crushing the record held for 27 years by Dan Marino! He has more yards, more touch downs, more class and more talent than any other quarterback in the NFL! He should be the league MVP!

Seriously?

2011-12-22T18:33:00.001-06:00

We are facing what could potentially be the most consequential election of our lifetime and this is the best we can do? Seriously? Where are the truly great conservative leaders in this nation?

Here at Christmas time I recall what Isaiah prophesied concerning the coming of Christ, "...and the government shall be upon His shoulders." Two thoughts come to mind - 1) If we are the body of Christ then we are the shoulders of Christ. 2) The shoulder is a type of responsibility! It is our responsibility as the Body of Christ to shoulder the responsibility of government. We see plainly what happens when the godless rule. My prayer is that God will raise up righteous men and women to lead America again!

The Peanut Gallery

2011-12-19T10:48:00.001-06:00

When Charles Shultz started his comic strip Peanuts it was originally called The Peanut Gallery. A Peanut Gallery is a theatrical term for people you don't take seriously. That's exactly what Satan wants to make out of us - A Peanut Gallery that the world just laughs at. He wants to rob us of our credibility because he knows that God wants to make us the light of the world. One of the ways he puts us in the funny papers is by continuing to maintain strongholds in our lives even after we've been born again. By keeping us as pessimistic as Charlie Brown or a control freak like Lucy Van Pelt, Satan succeeds in making us look like a comic strip character in the minds of those we're supposed to be influencing in the world around us.

The truth is, the desire to control people and the practice of being habitually pessimistic isn't funny. It may be cute when Charlie Brown or Lucy acts this way in the comic strip, but if you struggle with these issues or love someone who does, you know there's nothing cute or funny about it!

These things can't be written off as merely a personality trait or even a character flaw - They are strongholds our enemy has placed upon us and that's not the will of God for our lives! God wants us free! Jesus said that if the Son sets us free, we are free indeed! God can liberate us from the Peanut Gallery by dealing with the Charlie Brown in us all.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

2011-12-17T15:24:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we hosted our first Christmas production in our new worship center. Crossroads is known for big, elaborate productions, so the pressure was on to ‘bring it’ in the new digs. We designed the new building for these kinds of events - A big stage with multiple curtains and fly tracks for bringing things on and off stage. It was so much fun having the facility we needed to accommodate the kind of production we wanted to share.

Early this year, while the building was still going up, we decided on a musical stage version of the beloved Peanuts television classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” I’ve always enjoyed the comic strip, and the television special has always been a family favorite this time of year. One of Broadway’s most successful shows a few years back was “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.” The combination of adult actors playing these characters in the costumes we remember, with over-sized sets to make them look more child-like has a magic all of it’s own and we knew it would work with the Christmas special as well as it had with the “Good Man” story line. We just needed to work in some original musical numbers, build on the spiritual message that already exists in the original script and we would have ourselves a terrific production for this Christmas season.

We began with a great director. We knew we needed someone who had experience with musical stage shows, so we asked Kathy Pooler to direct and I’m so glad we did. She did an incredible job filling our huge new stage!

Next we were on to casting. The actors we selected did an incredible job! Jason Rhoades played Charlie Brown. (Completely shaving his head for the role!) Daphne Gaspard played Lucy, Aaron Domegeaux played Linus, Coy Watson played Schroeder, Kari Campbell played Sally, Phil Bergeron played Snoopy, Michelle Sanchez played Frieda, Madelyn Roberts played Violet, Stephen Clark played Franklin and Stephanie Elmore played Peppermint Patty.

Coy Watson, Kari Campbell and I wrote original songs for the production. They came out great. Kari’s song, “Phobias” was performed by Daphne Gaspard as Lucy in the Psychiatrist scene. Kari, playing Sally Brown, performed a song written by Coy called “Tens and Twenties.” The song I wrote was called “This Little Tree” and it was performed by Jason Rhoades, as Charlie Brown. We also included a song originally performed by the Royal Guardsmen called “Snoopy’s Christmas.” The song featured a mechanical doghouse that ‘flew’ (thanks to Shane Thompson) in front of a 16x19 screen, with Jordy Davidson on vocals and Mariah Hebert, Ashley Boullion, Anna Hansen, Kriston Arceneaux, Gavin Kondo and Kevin Wold dancing as German soldiers. Michelle Sanchez choreographed the dance numbers. As always, Coy Watson did a marvelous job arranging and performing the music with his talented band consisting of Steve Melancon, Tom Lyles, Kari Campbell and Lance Morgan. The stage set designed by Rhett Wyatt and company was magnificent! Rhett also managed the XMC stage hands who beasted all the prop placements and scene changes! Holane Davidson was our costume designer. She and our hair and make up artists, Britney Bergeron and LaGwen Miller made all the Peanuts characters look legit!

We had over 4,800 in attendance, the largest service we’ve ever had, with 80 decisions for Christ which means Charlie Brown isn''t such a blockhead after all! Thanks to everyone who helped make this year's production such a tremendous success!

Nephew & Niece / Youth Pastors

2011-11-25T15:10:00.001-06:00

I was so blessed last Sunday evening to officiate the wedding of my nephew Jordy Davidson and his lovely bride, Lindsay Kiely. Jordy and his brother, Jeremy are my sister Holane's boys. They were raised here in Acadiana and were around Donna and I all the time as they were growing up - Giving us plenty of parenting practice before our own children were born. We've always been very close with the boys.

Lindsay came to us by means of Master's Commission. She hails from Canada. She is a wonderful girl who, although we didn't know her name, we have been praying for since 1988 (The year Jordy was born.) It was so good to get to know her family this past week leading up to the wedding.

I was so thrilled to bring Jordy on staff as our youth pastor here at Crossroads back in August of this year. He and Lindsay are loved by the students of our church and I can't wait to see how God will use this dynamic duo in the years to come as they reach the young people of Acadiana to the glory of God!

Their wedding was as unique as the bride and groom - An eclectic outdoor celebration with a vintage theme that was enjoyed by all!

A few of my favorite smells...

2011-11-14T14:02:00.001-06:00

#1 - Pipe Tobacco

My cousin Eddie was my best friend growing up as a kid. He was always at my house or I was at his. His dad was a pipe smoker. I can still remember the smell of that pipe tobacco. Any time I smell it today, the aroma takes me back to those days Eddie and I roamed the woods and creek banks of rural Ouachita Parish. Great memories indeed.

#2 - Saddle Leather

I know this will seem like a no-brainer to those who know me well. I love everything associated with horses. From the sense of smell perspective, saddle leather is one of my all time favorites. When I walk into a saddle shop I could stay there for hours just to take in the smells!

#3 - Coffee Beans

Last, but certainly not least - I LOVE the smell of coffee beans. I wasn't always a coffee drinker but my friend David Baudoin changed all that. Now I can't get enough of the stuff. I have a grinder and a French press that I use every Saturday and Monday mornings with great pleasure. But before the process starts, I take a deep whiff of the fresh beans from the bag.

So these are a few of my favorite smells. How about you?

Amy's Skylight (Sally) 1984-2011

2011-11-12T08:30:00.000-06:00

Sally came to us in 2002 - A beautiful 18 year old Sorrel AQHA mare. She was a gift from a wonderful friend and our first horse here at the farm. She was the horse our children learned to ride on. She was so patient with them: Gentle enough to be a teacher, with just enough spunk to keep it fun. In her earlier life she had been a barrel racer and even at 18 she could fly! Robin entered her in Western Pleasure and Trail the year after we got her. We worked for months at these disciplines that Robin or Sally had never participated in. She was smart and a fast learner, so before long she was flawlessly side-stepping on cue, changing leads on cue, backing up, crossing hazards, allowing Robin to enter through gates mounted and the other things Western Pleasure and Trail disciplines require. That is, until she got to the show ring. At that point everything we had been working on for months went out the window and Sally completely reverted to her Barrel Racing days. As far as she was concerned, she was there for one thing only - to run as fast as possible! We knew we were in trouble when, while Robin tried to pass though the gate mounted, Sally finally got frustrated enough to push the gate closed herself. The crowd got a big kick out of that one.

Sally loved children and was always our go-to mount when families would visit us with kids interested in their first horse back ride. Few things gives me more pleasure than that, but I think Sally enjoyed it even more. She also has given us some wonderful memories of family rides when the kids were young. I'm so thankful for those times.

A few weeks ago our precious 27 year old Sally (that's 81 in human years) called it quits. She'd been losing weight for months despite our best attempts to keep it on. A few weeks before she started losing her hair and she finally laid down and wouldn't get up. I went out and pet on her for a while and we had a good talk, like we have so many times before. She's been somewhat of a therapist for me these past few years. I could tell her anything and she'd always keep it to herself. That day I told her how blessed we were to have her as a part of our family. How many great memories she's left us with and how we'll never forget her. I called the vet and asked him to come put her down, but he didn't have enough medicine to do so. He encouraged me to let things happen naturally and assured me she wasn't suffering. The next morning she was back up! I laughed and told the kids she must have overheard my conversation with the vet! We were thankful she was back up and moving around, but we knew the writing was on the wall and it was just a matter of time.

Wednesday, while we were in Alabama at a conference, Sally laid down for good. I'm going to miss her greatly. Her registered name was Amy's skylight. I don't really know who Amy is, but if you're reading this I'd like you to know what an incredible blessing your skylight was to me!

Another New (Used) Car

2011-11-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today we blessed Chase with a new (used) 2006 Jeep Liberty. I found an incredible deal on one in Chicago (around $2,500.00 under Blue Book value!) and flew there Monday night and drove it back on Tuesday. He had been with Master's Commission in Mobile for over a week working at House of Horrors and had no idea I had made the purchase. He was aware I was looking at a couple of vehicles when he left and, although I spoke with him every day while he was away, he never asked me about it! (He is one laid back kid! I would have been bugging my dad every day about it!)

They arrived back yesterday and Donna and I arranged to have lunch with he and Robin. Afterward I told them I needed pick up my vehicle at the oil change place (where I had left his Jeep to be serviced) and when we arrived, I went inside and paid then drove his Jeep around where they were waiting. He was ecstatic!

As I wrote in a previous post, it has always been our desire to bless our children with their first vehicle for their senior year of high school. Since Chase graduated early to attend Master's Commission, we were so thankful to be able to provide him with a good vehicle. He is a wonderful young man and we are so proud of him!

Spooky

2011-10-25T16:40:00.002-05:00

Here's the latest Sermon series roll-in. The guys just keep cranking out great stuff! This is actually a two-parter and I'll post the second one next week!

Under Cover

2011-10-06T13:38:00.002-05:00

Our October series is called Under Cover. Here's the roll-in the guys came up with. Doug and Holly Palombo did a really great job as the featured couple who learns the importance of proper covering!

Thanks Steve!

2011-10-06T03:11:00.001-05:00

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple died today. When I first heard the news, I thought - The world has lost a true genius! He was the Edison of our time. His contributions to the world reshaped how we do life. My Mac, IPad and IPhone that I use every day to stay connected, creative and competitive are products of his drive, focus and vision. These virtues were a gift from God Himself. I'm not sure if Steve recognized that, or gave God credit for it - but I will. Thank God for Steve Jobs and the tools God inspired him to create that assist us in in so many ways.
God's Word predicts that in the last days knowledge will increase. We certainly have seen that in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries. It is important that we as Christ followers use that knowledge to advance the cause of Christ. Harnessing the technology that is available because of men like Jobs can help us to reach more people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can use these devices to send emails, build websites, offer podcasts and stream videos that can lead people all over the world into a relationship with God. I'm not sure that's what Steve had in mind when he imagined these inventions, but that's what I'll continue to use them for. Thanks Steve.

Enjoying The Sportsman's Paradise

2011-09-24T07:41:00.000-05:00

While in Colorado last year I discovered that my new friend, Pastor Troy Lewis - who grew up in Steamboat Springs, doesn't ski. That blew my mind! Here's a guy, living in a skiers paradise and he doesn't ski? It made no sense to me! Then I started thinking about where I live. Our State is called The Sportsman's Paradise. People from all over the world come here to hunt and to fish. Yet, although I live literally minutes away from some of the best fishing and hunting in the world, I rarely engage in either of those activities! I've decided that should change!

A couple weeks ago, I made my first alligator hunt! My good friend, Greg (Spanky) Arsement, invited me to go with him and supplied me with a tag. (Louisiana requires them to legally kill an alligator.) We went to a lease in a swamp northeast of Baton Rouge and I killed this 7 1/2-footer while our Media Director, Richard Gaspard captured it all on video. We felt like real 'Swamp People' and Spanky made sure I received the appropriate Troy Landry-like encouragement - "Choot 'em!" The next day, Spanky went out and killed an 11-footer! (That's a real tree-shaker there boy!)

This week I made a duck hunt with my good friend Dennis Clark. He is an incredibly accomplished hunter and I had a really great time! We hunted Teal, which are smaller ducks that are amazingly fast and hard to hit! My right shoulder has a huge bruise from all the shooting! Watching Dennis' dog Topper retrieve the ducks we shot was something to behold! He is so smart, and watching him work with Dennis was a reminder of why we need to get out and enjoy all that Louisiana life has to offer! I'm truly thankful for our little slice of paradise!

1st and 2nd Samuel

2011-09-13T07:05:00.000-05:00

Last year, when we brought Robin to Master's Commission on opening day, we told everyone we were dropping our little Samuel off at the temple. It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the wonderful Old Testament story of Samuel and his mother Hannah's promise to dedicate her child to God. This weekend we brought 2nd Samuel and dropped him off at the temple too. (There are two Samuels - go check your Old Testament!)

Chase, who would have been a Senior this year, finished his remaining credits this summer so he could go to Master's Commission early. (He will still participate in our local Home School Network Graduation ceremonies in May.) We are very proud of him and we can't wait to see what God will do both in and through him this year!

Robin is doing her second year at Master's and will earn her Bachelor's Degree in Missions from the West Coast Bible College. Afterward, she plans to spend a year in Kenya assisting with planting a Master's Commission program there. We plan to all go to Kenya in January on a missions trip to see where she'll be working. Just thought I'd catch you up on what's happening with 1st and 2nd Samuel!

Makes Sense!

2011-09-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

This weekend two of my great loves come together for what promises to be a wonderful time! I'll be kicking off a brand new message series at Crossroads that combines my love for preaching with my love for horses. The series is called Horse Sense.

The premise is simple: There are many similarities to what we do to train horses and the things God does to provide us with spiritual training. I figured, why not point out the comparisons and learn some things about what God wants to do in our lives? We'll be looking at the principals of trust and respect, harnessing the power we have in Christ, bridling our tongues and spurring one another on to good works!

Our media director, Richard Gaspard, filmed a wonderful local horse trainer named Dwayne Desormeaux giving us some interesting insights into training horses. These short tutorials, along with everyone dressed in boots and jeans, some preservice games and a few surprises throughout the series will make for a lot of fun at Crossroads in September! Saddle up and come join us!

Families Reach Cities

2011-08-29T11:34:00.002-05:00

A while back I attended a service where my friend Rich Wilkerson was preaching. He shared an incredible message about how families reach cities for God. His premise was that the Levitical Priesthood is a trans-covenant reality. Just like God chose a family in the Old Testament to serve as His priests, He also chooses families today, in this New Covenant hour to do His work upon the earth. He pointed out the many examples we see around us like Franklin Graham following in the footsteps of his famous father Billy, Joel Osteen taking over for his dad John, the list goes on and on. Rich pointed out that, growing up as a pastor's son, he was raised with the idea that you never attempt to persuade your children to follow you in the ministry. He confessed that he ignored that advice and told his four boys everyday of their lives that, although he wasn't sure what they would do for a living, he believed that they would preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth! Today, all four of his sons are involved in ministry. At the end of the service he invited all the pastors in attendance to come forward and dedicate their families to God. I was there by myself, but as I stood at the alter I took my iPhone and I held pictures of my children up to God and cried out to Him to use them in His service anyway He sees fit!

I am so proud of my kids and so thankful that both of them are in Master's Commission this year following the will of God for their lives! In addition, we just hired my nephew Jordy as our Youth Pastor here at Crossroads Church and it was one of the most thrilling moments of my life! Rich is right - Families reach cities!

The Help

2011-08-15T10:12:00.001-05:00

I will admit, I’m probably more inclined to be attracted to the subject matter of this film because of my upbringing. I was born in 1962. My formative years were spent watching the rise of the civil rights movement from the den of segregation. I was raised in the deep south of rural north Louisiana. Our family didn’t have a maid but we knew people who did. I remember what it looked like and it looked like this film. Our schools in Ouachita Parish were integrated the year I entered first grade. My parents pulled me out of school and sent me to a private Christian school that was all white. A year later I returned to public school and I remember well the struggles of desegregation first hand.

The Help is the best movie I’ve seen in a long, long time. I am a movie fanatic. I see a lot of films and I like all kinds - Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy... I enjoy them all. But once and a while a different kind of film comes out. A film that can change who you are. A film that makes you want to be a better person. A film that makes you evaluate yourself and the world around you. The Help is that kind of film.

Based on the best selling book by the same name, The Help takes us back to the turbulent 1960’s in the racially-divided city of Jackson, Mississippi and let’s us view the world through the eyes of the black women who cleaned the homes, cooked the suppers and raised the children of prominent white families in southern communities.

The story centers mainly around the character of a young Mississippi white woman named Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan, a journalist who plans to write a book from the perspective of the black maids she has grown up around. She attempts to enlist the help of Aibileen Clark, who works in the home of one of Skeeter’s close friends, but Aibileen initially declines. When she later agrees to tell her story, Skeeter asks her what changed her mind. Her response is “God.” Her Pastor’s sermon has reminded her that courage requires us to sometimes do things we’re not comfortable doing. Courage becomes the theme of the movie, as Skeeter’s mother, who is initially critical of her daughter’s view of the world, eventually expresses pride in her by telling her, “Courage sometimes skips a generation. I’m so glad you’ve brought it back to this family.”

The film brings laughs, the film brings tears, the film brings regrets and hopefully the film brings change. Because, as much progress as has been made in race relations since the 1960’s - We’ve still got so far to go! Those changes will require courage and our courage depends on a different kind of help - The help of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, we can bring lasting change and love one another as God has called us to! I can almost hear Him whispering now, “You is kind, You is smart, You is important.”

New Message Series Roll In

2011-08-12T21:33:00.000-05:00

Our new message series is called "Back to School." Here's the video roll in our Media Department came up with for the series. It features a couple of extremely cute kiddos from the Crossroads family! I think you'll enjoy it!

Converge

2011-07-30T15:25:00.000-05:00

con·verge

[kən-ˈvərj] - (of several people or things) come together from different directions so as eventually to meet.

This is a perfect description of what happened last Tuesday night in Romania at our very first Master's Commission Romania graduation. Seven young people - four Romanians and three Americans - received their diplomas as two distinct happenings in time converged.

You see, in 1989 a revolution took place in Romania as the people of that nation shook off the chains of Communist oppression and became a free country. The same year, Donna and I traveled to Phoenix, AZ where we were introduced to a program called Master's Commission. At that time there was just one program located there in Phoenix, but I knew it was the kind of program we wanted here in Lafayette, so I came home and launched the very first Master's Commission program outside of the original. Many more would follow and now Master's Commission programs exist all over the world! Thanks to one of the graduates of that first extension program here in Lafayette - Shawn Marcell (pictured here with Donna and I) - that list of nations with Master's Commission programs now includes Romania! The stage was set in 1989 by two events that would pull me in and allow me to experience their impact and last Tuesday, Donna, Shawn and I had the joy of watching those two worlds converge!

This is what it's going to take!

2011-07-15T13:45:00.002-05:00

Tying the Knot

2011-07-13T21:54:00.001-05:00

I recently conducted the wedding ceremony of my nephew Jeremy Davidson and his new bride, Stephanie Zmijewski. I am so excited for them, they make an awesome couple! Donna and I are very close to Jeremy and his brother Jordy. They grew up here in Acadiana and we have seen them almost every day of their entire lives! Before our own kids were born, Donna and I honed our parenting skills on them and it was kind of like seeing one of my own children get married.

When Jeremy was little, his eye teeth came in before the rest and we nicknamed him fangs. We used to tease him and say he was a little werewolf - then he grew up and has the thickest hair/beard I've ever seen! Coincidence? Watch out on the night on those full moons Stephanie! (LOL) At some point he realized people liked being complemented. He would tell me every time I saw him, "Uncle Jeff (in his thick North Louisiana Accent) - I like your shoes!" Last night I got to complement him on a very nice pair of shoes he wore with his handsome wedding suit.

Stephanie came to us through Master's Commission from Florida. She was a stand out among a lot of incredible young people in her class. When I learned that she and Jeremy were dating, I was so happy because I knew she was the answer to all of the prayers we've prayed for Jeremy since he was just a little boy - Prayers that God would send him a wonderful, godly wife one day.

It was a fine celebration with friends and family and I tied the knot as tight as I know how.

A Little Good News!

2011-07-11T11:48:00.001-05:00

Here's a great report concerning the movement Crossroads Church is affiliated with and I have my ordination through.

The Assemblies of God, one of the largest Pentecostal denominations, is growing faster than the U.S. population.

AG reported that its U.S. adherents increased four percent in 2010, which is several times higher than the U.S. population growth rate, which is about one percent a year. Adherents of the Assemblies of God USA have surpassed three million followers, 3,030,944 to be exact, in 2010.

This is the largest annual percentage increase since 1983, according to AG records.

In terms of official membership, AG reported a 2.5 percent increase, to 1.75 million members. Attendance at major worship service, water baptism, spirit baptism, and conversions were also up, according to statistics.

The largest decline was seen in the Sunday evening service, where attendance drastically fell 4.1 percent, to 399,728.

“This is a unique moment in the history of our movement,” said Assemblies of God General Superintendent George Wood in a video promoting the denomination’s annual General Council meeting next month in Phoenix.

The Montes Family

2011-06-30T19:44:00.001-05:00

It was so great to host some wonderful friends here at Crossroads this week. Hugo and Michelle Montes were our Junior High Pastors when we worked at Church On The Move in Tulsa, OK. We became close friends and have stayed connected though the years. They work at a school in the Dallas, TX area and travel weekends and summers doing Children's Crusades. They also do a lot of Public School Assemblies at elementary schools in the Dallas area. They conducted a special family night for us this past Wednesday that was a lot of fun. It was so great to get to spend some time with these dear friends that we love so much!

Their daughter Zoe was able to check three items off her 'Bucket List' (she is awfully young to have one of those already) by tasting some fried crawfish and alligator and by enjoying her first horseback ride on our always kid-friendly Paint Mare, Jessie. She loved it! I think Hugo better be prepared to find her access to a horse near their home. Shouldn't be hard - It's Texas for crying out loud!

Aye-aye Captain!

2011-06-24T07:18:00.003-05:00

My Rap Music Debut!

2011-06-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

May be my new favorite singer!

2011-06-15T21:07:00.001-05:00

The Next J.J. Abrams Movie

2011-06-13T16:09:00.001-05:00

Donna and I enjoyed the new summer blockbuster movie Super 8 yesterday with our good friends Bud and Yo Plake. The movie is the brainchild of director J.J. Abrams, known for his smash hit television series Lost and last years reboot of the Star Trek series. We loved it for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of the obvious homage it pays to Abrams' childhood hero Steven Spielberg. The movie is set in the late 1970's so it immediately has a similar look to movies in Spielberg's early career that put him on the map: Films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and of course ET. The main characters in the new movie are kids - once again bringing to mind movies like ET and The Goonies (another movie that was produced by Spielberg early in his career). Then there's the fact that the movie is about an alien trying to get back home - uh, yeah - sounds familiar right? I think it's supposed to because again - this is really a tribute film - A film to honor the genius who inspired, not only J.J. Abrams, but an entire generation of young film makers. And it's a worthy effort - The movie smacks of Spielberg right down to the John Williams-esque soundtrack, the secret military handling of the extra terrestrials and the inclusion of tense family drama woven within an effects-laden sci-fi flick!

It got me thinking of one of my life-long fantasies - I would love to produce a major motion picture - One with a Hollywood budget, cast and crew. Before you write me off as a goofball, studio mongol wanna-be, hear me out! My film would be the story of one of my true heros - Dave Roever. I believe the Dave Roever story is as powerful as any Hollywood has ever told and could be made into an Oscar winning film. It's got all the elements required for an Academy award winner: It's a war story, a love story, a story of redemption - It's got good guys and bad guys and most of all it has moral lessons this world desperately needs to be reminded of! I'm telling you, it could be a blockbuster in the tradition of Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List! All I need is a few million dollars and Steven Spielberg to agree to direct it. Or maybe J.J. Abrams!

Don't Be A Weiner

2011-06-10T08:29:00.000-05:00

By now you have all heard of the tweeting indiscretions of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner. Like me, I'm sure you have sat back in disbelief all week and wondered, "Why?" Why would anyone do that? I believe one word explains it all - PRIDE. If you have had any opportunity to see Weiner in action as a congressman you know it is obvious. This man has carried himself in a more egotistic fashion than almost anyone else in Washington - and that's saying a lot! Now the arrogance demonstrated in interviews and grandstanding sessions on the congressional floor has placed him center stage in one of the most embarrassing public scandals that's come around in a while. Only pride could convince someone they could get away with this kind of thing.

Pride wants to convince us of the same. Go on doing what you want! No one will ever know. God doesn't notice!

Galatians 6:7 says, Do not be deceived: God cannot be not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Don't be fooled. Don't listen to pride! Don't be a weiner!

Excited about Master's Commission

2011-06-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago, when we launched a program called Master's Commission here in Lafayette. I knew God would use it to lay a strong discipleship foundation for young men and women in our church as they moved from their teen years into being an adult. I knew it would help them discover the call that God has on their lives and prepare them for ministry in whatever capacity God had chosen. What I didn't know was that it would be my own children that this program would serve. This weekend, Robin graduated from our Master's Commission program and we are so proud of the way she has embraced everything this program was designed to accomplish in a young person's life. She is more mature, more Christ-like, more bold and confident in her faith than ever and has heard God's Holy Spirit calling her into the ministry He had in mind for her before the world began! Robin has always known she wanted to go through Master's Commission and it's been such a joy to see her dream realized. She'll be attending a second year to complete her degree with West Coast Bible Institute and prepare for work in Africa.

Chase has never really expressed an interest in attending the program. In fact, he went as far as to say he didn't think he would. However, a couple of weeks ago, XMC hosted their annual Experience week, where Juniors and Seniors can spend a week experiencing what it's like to be in the program. We let Chase know we wanted him to attend. He reluctantly agreed. By the end of the week, God had really got a hold of his heart and, to our surprise, he asked us to allow him to graduate early (he only lacks two credits to complete his High School education) because he wants to go through Master's Commission this year! We have decided to allow him to do that and he is very excited! As are we.

Is that egg on your face?

2011-05-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

May 21 has come and gone and the rapture did not take place! In case you were unaware, Harold Camping, California Bible teacher and owner of Family Radio International said that it would happen last Saturday at 5:59 PM. I blogged on this earlier this year, but I felt like I should write this follow-up piece to emphasize why this is so dangerous.

When these 'predictions' get this kind of publicity and then fail to happen, instead of just discrediting the false prophet who wrongly predicted it, it begins to discredit the idea of the rapture itself in the minds of people. Maybe that's why the Bible declares so few will be expecting Christ's return when He comes! The truth is, the rapture will one day take place and God's people will be caught away, ushering in a seven year period of great tribulation like this world has never experienced. As awful as the recent natural disasters have been, they are nothing compared with what the Bible says will happen when God's judgement is poured out on this world. We need to be ready, waiting and watching!

Today, Harold Camping has egg on his face because he ignorantly tried to predict what Jesus declared none of us can know (the exact time and day the rapture will happen), but there is a much worse case of egg on the face - and that will be found on the face of those who say the rapture will never happen!

Summer Movies

2011-05-16T09:30:00.001-05:00

It’s mid-May, we're all getting graduation invitations in the mail every day, and that can only mean one thing: Summer movie season is upon us! There are a lot of promising offerings on the docket as well. I realize there will be a lot of sequels and reboots, but I don’t mind. Many of their predecessors were HUGE! Take for instance the Pirates franchise. Johnny is back in the Caribbean on stranger tides. The original Pirates has found a place on my all-time favorites list. I didn’t care much for the two sequels that followed but this summer’s forth installment promises to be a reboot, ditching Orlando and Kiera’s characters and focusing primarily on the true star of the show - Captain Jack Sparrow!

Another reboot will be X-men: First Class. It’s more of a prequel than a sequel - demonstrating how the group of mutants got their start. The trailer reveals the setting is within the context of the 1960’s Kennedy era. It should make for a very interesting story line and James McAvoy (cast as Professor Charles Xavier) is one of my favorite actors. Can’t wait to see how the X-men deal with the Cuban missile crises. (Or start it?)

One movie on the summer line up I’m really looking forward to is J.J. Abrams’ Super 8. Abrams is one of the most brilliant young directors out there and the preview for his latest film looks like he’s taken his cues straight out of the Spielberg catalog of movie making: Serving up extra-terrestrial mayhem in a stereo-typical midwest town. Should be fun!

Superhero films will be out in full force with Green Lantern and Captan America making their debuts. I hope they are as entertaining as this month’s Thor. (I really like it!) Captan America was one of my favorite superheros when I was growing up and I’m really glad they are keeping the film within the context of World War II and the 1940’s.

Another original offering that I really liked that stumbled with it’s successor was the Transformers films. They’re back this summer with another effort and I sure hope it will be as well thought out as the first one and not just all eye candy.

Last but not least is a film I have mixed feelings about: Cowboys and Aliens. I know - The premise is ridiculous! (But intriguing!) One of the things that upset me most about last summer’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the way they tried to sneak the inclusion of aliens in. (I felt betrayed.) At least Cowboys and Aliens are letting you know up front what to expect - So I’ll give it a try!

I’d love to hear about the movies you’re looking forward to this summer and I hope to see you at the Theater!

What do our church services say to the unchurched?

2011-05-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when attempting to apply the Scripture to our lives, I think we miss the point. I'll give you an example.

1 Corinthians 14:22-25 says, Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

A lot of people will look at this passage of Scripture and see a discussion about spiritual gifts. I look at it and see God's heart for the unchurched!

First of all, I see that in the early church, as believers met together week-to-week they were bringing the unchurched to their services. They weren't having church as a Christian 'bless-me' club, they were using their services to reach the lost!

Secondly, it's clear that God wants us to conduct our services with the unchurched in mind! We have a tendency to think about how our services will be received by Christians, but obviously God is more concerned about those who have yet to receive Christ as their Savior. Instead of catering to the whims of those already secure in their salvation, we should structure our services to purposefully appeal to those who do not know Christ.

The motive of bringing unchurched people to our services should be to get them saved! I'm so glad our church understands that! At Crossroads, our people look at their role in our church as a partnership. They know if they will leverage their influence with the unchurched to get them to one of our services, that service will be designed to bring their friends to a decision about Christ. Every week, dozens of people receive Christ as their Savior at our services because of that partnership!

The next thing I see in this passage is that God wants to use everyone in the church to accomplish His goal of bringing the unchurched to Christ through weekly church services. Verse 24 talks about everybody prophesying. Now, I know what you're thinking: "How's that going to work? Will everyone take turns getting up on the platform and prophesying?" Our problem is with our concept of prophecy! We think that prophesying is pronouncing a word of warning or judgement. It certainly can come down to that, but the word 'prophesy' simply means to proclaim! A proclamation doesn't have to be words at all! Like the old saying goes, "Our actions speak louder than our words." God wants to use the actions of every member of the church to make a proclamation to the unchurched attending our services. What is that proclamation? Verse 25 makes it clear: The proclamation is, "God is here!" God is in our services. That fact will bring sinners to their knees in repentance and reverence saying, "God really is among you." How will they know? Because our actions will reveal it - The way we have treated them, the kindness we've shown. Remember, Romans 2:4 says it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Let's make godly kindness the proclamation we collectively make each weekend in our services to reach the lost!

The Year A Bunny, Indiana Jones, The Death Matrix and Ballet Dancers Told The Easter Story

2011-04-26T17:17:00.002-05:00

Imagine the most successful Easter Production ever put on by Crossroads Church. Wait! You don't have to use your imagination - It just happened! This past weekend we experienced unparalleled success with our Easter Production called "Imagine." Over 4200 people attended the five services we offered this Easter weekend with 70 people receiving Christ as their personal Savior!

The production gave us the opportunity to see the Easter story though the lens of a child's imagination. In our story that unfolds on video produced by our incredible production team, nine year old Joey (Played by Tom Wood) is curious about the Easter holiday. His mom (Played by Jennifer LaBerteau) explains the origin of Easter and how early pagan influences have all but taken over. Joey's imagination kicks in and provides us with an onstage performance of the old Veggie Tales classic The Bunny Song (performed by Richard Gaspard and rewritten to reflect the bunny's hostile takeover of Easter.) For the performance we used black light technology and full-bodied costumes to create a song and dance number that featured a puppet-version of Joey, his mom and dad, the bunny, evil minions and three singing peeps that you absolutely have to see! (I'll be posting the video here later this week.) Once the scene ended the band went into a lively Reliant K inspired version of Peter Cotton Tale arranged by the always masterful Coy Watson and performed by Jordy Davidson. Jordy was joined by the aforementioned "bunny" (brought to life by Luis Vasquez) and a host of candy-throwing teens from the youth group dressed in bunny attire! Jordy and the kids did a great job and the song was a lot of fun!

In the next scene, Joey is informed by his mom about the efforts that have been made by the scientific community for centuries to discredit the Easter story. She lets him know that there are many credible sources that point to scientific, historic and archeological evidence that supports the story of Easter. Yet, just like in the case of the lies the soldiers told in the first century, many choose to believe something other than the truth. When Joey asks about it, his mother explains what an archeologist does by referencing Indiana Jones. That's all it takes to send Joey's imagination into a onstage scene with he and Indy (Played by our magnificent set designer Rhett Wyatt) in a large cave where Nazi soldiers under the command of Professor Doubt (played by Jeff LaBerteau) try to steal the evidence for the Resurrection of Christ. Fight scenes, gunplay and the familiar Indian Jones theme music make for an exciting scene that everyone enjoyed! (It's always fun to see Nazi's get beat up by a nine year old kid!) When the scene ended the band (comprised of Coy Watson, Kari Campbell, Lance Morgan, Mark Conley, Bill LaLande and Beau Roy) kicked off an inspiring new arrangement of the old 4-Him hit Can't Get Past The Evidence. Jeremy Greene did a great job covering the song.

In our third act, Joey and his family are in church where the Pastor (played by Jason Rhoades) is sharing a sermon called "What Happened Those Three Days Jesus Was In The Grave." As the sermon unfolds, Joey's imagination transports him to an onstage portrayal of Sheol where Satan (played by Jared O'Kelly) and the Grave (played by Jordan Springer) are arguing over the body of Jesus (played by Chaz Jones). They are joined by ghoulish Voodoo dolls and Zombies (played by our Master's Commission students) who are all connected to what amounts to a death matrix - operated by the Grave. All of this played out to a sound track produced by Curvine Brewington that is a 21st Century remake of the old Carman song Sunday's on The Way. Both the track and the Human Video (written by Jared) were REMARKABLE - A definite highlight in the production! At the close of the scene the band covered Tree63's Sunday with Carter Berry providing lead vocals. It's a great song and Carter did an incredible job with it!

Lastly, Joey's dad explains the reason we celebrate Easter by pointing to our own resurrection from the grave. He tells the boy that because Jesus rose from the grave, we can too and makes the point personal by bringing up Joey's late grandfather. When asked what he thinks it will be like to see his grandfather again in heaven at the resurrection - Joey answers, "I can only Imagine." It's the perfect segue to a beautiful ballet arranged by Michelle Sanchez and performed by Michelle, Mariah Hebert, Brittany Alexander, Jasmine Chaisson, Natalie Myers and Skylar Courville. The ballet is set to the MercyMe classic I Can Only Imagine in an onstage heavenly setting. Jane Lantier breathed new life into the song that ended with Joey meeting up with his grandfather (played by Ken Lantier) and joined by Jesus Himself. The crowd loved it!

Once again this year, our team absolutely rocked! This was our last production in our current auditorium. We've achieved a lot in the old venue, but I'm really looking forward to what we will be able to accomplish in the new worship center!

Fine Arts Winner

2011-04-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, Chase competed in the 2011 Louisiana Fine Arts Festival - A talent competition put on by the Louisiana Assemblies of God Youth Department. He competed in two categories: First Person Essay and Short Sermon. He did an incredible job with his short sermon. The boy is a great presenter! The theme of this year's competition was "Compelled by Love." His message was from the story of Jonah and was very insightful and inspirational! I might have to start letting him fill in for me at Crossroads every once-and-a-while! He rated a Superior and advanced to nationals in this category! His First Person Essay won Merit, which means his essay was first in State. He scored a perfect 40 and of course advanced to nationals in this category as well! Nationals will be held in Phoenix, AZ in August and we can't wait to see how he will do on the national stage! For all my pastor friends - If you're interested he's available for weekend and Wednesday night preaching engagements! Here's the essay he wrote:

My dear friends,

I would like to tell you all something that God has put on my heart. There are certain things which I notice Christians have been largely neglecting for a long time. I believe the solution to these problems can be described in one word – misfit.

Misfit: a person poorly adjusted to his environment.

When taken at face value, most people would not want to be described by that word. However, Christians should not want to fit into the environment of this world. My dear friends, I see a vision of us choosing to forget the fears of our past and focusing on the call of God to reach into the world’s environment to create more and more misfits for Christ. Anyone who has the love of our Father in them will feel compelled to spread that love into the world. It is the strength He has placed in our hearts to break the bonds of fear of rejection and persecution. It is the Great Commission of Mark 16:15.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not suggesting we all become freaks or critics. Weird and judgmental people attract no one. If Christians only accomplish being awkward and untactful, we will just repel people. In being different, we should be showing a love, grace, and justice which this world is unfamiliar with.

No longer can we be content to fail once and give up, saying “I tried.” Until I have accomplished what my Lord has compelled me to do, I will continue to go beyond what I tell myself I can do. If we forgot all our excuses and charged this world for our God’s sake, nothing would be able to stop us.

When I look back on my life, I see that even when I felt He had utterly abandoned me, God has never left my side. His blessings have been on me even when I had failed him in the worst of ways. With so much evidence of His unfailing love for us surrounding our every move, how could we refuse when He compels us to be misfits for Him?

We need to get back to where we should be in our lives, especially in growing in our spiritual gifts. For some of us, this could mean discovering what our spiritual gifts are and how to use them. For others, it will mean breaking out of our shells and finding areas where our gifts are needed and using them to the glory of God.

We all need to remember that these gifts are to be used for God’s glory, and not our own. Trying to use them for our own ends with no regard for Christ, or taking selfish pride in our gifts is a sure way to lose them sooner or later, and usually sooner. Many people, even within the church, will scoff at us for embracing these gifts out of fear of something new and different. However, if we will take a step of faith and accept being misfits in this way, God will shine His love and glory through us and compel His lost children back to Him.

Most importantly, we must be compelled to pray for each other. In Mathew 18:19, Jesus tells us that “if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything they will ask, it will be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” Staying in prayer for each other and will give support to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and ensures victory in any matter, which is in accordance with the Word.

If we embrace being misfits, seek out God’s will for us, develop our spiritual gifts, pray for ourselves, each other, and our world, then this movement will not stop with us. It will affect our churches, jobs, schools, everywhere else that God has placed us, and far beyond. You are there for a reason, even if you cannot see it yet. Trust in God.

Sincerely,

C. Ables

Big Weekends

2011-04-16T10:23:00.003-05:00

When I went to work for Willie George at Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK in 1994 the church was already running over four thousand. Today it runs over ten thousand in weekly attendance and is steadily growing. I asked Pastor Willie not long after I arrived what he felt like the key to the growth of the church was. Without hesitation, he answered "Big Days." He told me that since the church began, they regularly host big days that attract large crowds, allowing them to add a percentage of those in attendance to their regularly weekly services.

When we moved back to Lafayette to pastor Crossroads Church, we immediately began to implement that strategy. We do several Big Weekends every year. Two of them are no brainers: Christmas and Easter are our greatest opportunity to get people to church so we pull out all the stops. We put on major productions that highlight the things we do best as a church and then partner with our people to get their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers here to the productions. We create tickets for them to pass out to everyone they come in contact with in the weeks leading up to the Big Weekend. This Easter, over twelve thousand tickets have been distributed so far. We are hoping for attendance in excess of five thousand Easter weekend and it's the distribution of these tickets and our people leveraging their influence with others that will make it happen. In addition to bringing in big crowds for the production, hosting these kind of events creates a partnership mentality within our church. Our people understand that if they get people to Crossroads, we will have effective ministry in place and God will move on their hearts!

This year's Easter production is called "Imagine." It is the Easter story as seen trough the imagination of a nine year old boy named Joey. It is going to be one of the best productions we have ever put on and I can't wait to see what God does!

Joie De Vivre 2011

2011-04-11T09:32:00.007-05:00

This past weekend we hosted our annual Joie De Vivre Women's Conference. Daphne Gaspard does a great job heading up our Women's Ministry and this annual conference is always one of the most highly anticipated events of the year here at Crossroads. This year the conference featured Meredith Andrews as our worship leader. Meredith has had some really great radio hits that we have covered in our services, but we were delighted to discover she is also the Worship Leader at her home church in Chicago. Her band included her husband Jacob on keyboards (he's originally from Alexandria!) and a group called Satellites and Sirens from Nashville. They did an incredible job leading our ladies in worship.

Nancy Alcorn was our featured speaker. Donna and I have known Nancy since the early 80's when we were all just getting started in ministry. Her outreach to young women with life-controlling problems is called Mercy Ministries. It it has grown to include several homes for girls in North America as well as Great Britain, New Zealand and Canada! Nancy shared a powerful message both at the conference and in our weekend services as well. It was so awesome to hear her stories of how God is transforming young women's lives! One of my favorite stories was about a young woman who was a 'cutter.' She came to Mercy with the word "Forgotten" literally carved into her arm. God set her free and several years after completing the program, Nancy ran into her at an event where she shared with her that God had not only healed her heart, He had healed her scars. She raised up her sleeve and showed her that the scars that once formed the word "forgotten" were gone!

Imagine

2011-04-02T20:47:00.003-05:00

Here's our latest Sermon Series Video Opener. The guys did a great job. The series is called Imagine and it will include our annual Easter Production. We wanted to do something that would allow us to get past the limitations we often feel when planning for Easter. The imagination of a nine year old little boy was the perfect vehicle to achieve that and man, are you in store for a treat this Easter! Don't miss it!

Casey Abrams gets saved!

2011-04-01T04:35:00.002-05:00

Last week on American Idol, an early-in-the-season favorite got canned! I think Casey Abrams began to believe he was invincible and started making dumb choices. The guy with all the promise had been replaced by someone who seemed to be prideful and taking things for granted. Consequently he was on his way out! That is - until he was saved. That's right, the judges saved Casey Abrams. Steven, J-Lo and Randy unanimously decided to cash in their one opportunity to save a contestant on giving the talented Abrams another chance.

As you know, the contestants are required to perform one last song in hopes that the judges will use the save. Casey was giving it his best when the judges stopped him in mid-verse. Apparently, he thought they were stopping him to say, "There's no need to go on, you're out of here." But the opposite was true. They were stopping him to say, "We don't need to hear any more, we know we want to save you." The guy almost passed out. You could see it all over him. What an emotional moment. I thought he was going to throw up!

Why don't we feel that way about being saved? Lets face it - We've blown much more important opportunities than a singing contest. We've taken what we've been given for granted and yet, the Ultimate Judge has chosen to save us! Why don't we grow faint at the thought that we've been given another chance? Why don't we stagger at the thought that Christ has seen worth in keeping us around? I don't know, but we should!

This week Casey Abrams was back to his earlier standard of excellence. I thought he was the best of the night. Gone was the arrogant "I've got this in the bag" persona. He seemed humble, glad to be there and giving it his best.

God help me to do the same!

Miracle Grow

2011-03-21T16:35:00.001-05:00

Chase planted his spring box garden today. Every year he plants a box garden as a 4-H project. We like harvesting the produce and enjoying some fresh veggies on our table through the summer. This year his box is filled with tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and eggplant. He also took over two of my old feed buckets and planted some herbs: parsley, basil and rosemary. (This is the first time he tries his hand at growing herbs.) He uses a half/half mix of top soil and miracle grow for his box garden. It always does well.

Speaking of miracle grow, it seems like God has used a bit of that on my boy himself. It's amazing how fast he's growing up!

My Take On The 2011 Oscars

2011-03-21T11:16:00.002-05:00

Best Supporting Actor- Christian Bale (The Fighter): Like last year, this was the best selection of the night. The way Bale transformed himself into the character of Dicky Eklund was nothing short of amazing!

Best Supporting Actress - Melissa Leo (The Fighter): Great performance as a part of a brilliant ensemble cast. I would have chosen Hailee Steinfeld for her performance in True Grit.

Best Actor - Colin Firth (The King's Speech): Well deserved.

Best Actress - Natalie Portman (The Black Swan): Haven't seen it and I'm not really interested but you have to admit she's come a long way since playing Padme Amidala in The Phantom Menace!

Best Director - Tom Hooper (The King's Speech): Hooper did a wonderful job but I would have given the Oscar to David Fincher for The Social Network.

Best Picture - The King's Speech: Wonderful movie - Great acting, directing, cinematography, well written, inspiring, entertaining - Everything you'd expect from an Oscar-winning film!

Best-selling Confusion

2011-03-16T09:02:00.001-05:00

There is a major buzz taking place in the Christian community (as well as the world at large - thanks to an appearance on GMA this week) over the new book by noted author and pastor of Mars Hill Church - Rob Bell. The book is called Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Many believe the book endorses Universalism (The theory that everyone will ultimately end up in heaven.) I haven't read the book and I probably won't line Bell's pockets with my money. I have read enough reviews and have heard enough of Bell's interviews and videos promoting the book to get a pretty good take on what he's doing. I have yet to hear him say that he doesn't believe hell exists or that he is a Universalist. What he does is raise questions and then leaves them unanswered. What he does is take scripture out of context and misapplies it. In fact it appears as though he takes great joy in doing so. And it is a morally reprehensible thing to do!

You see, this world is looking for answers! For me, that's what the Bible is - It's an answer book. I'm not saying it answers all my questions, but it answers the ones that truly matter. To undermine that and rob (no pun intended) people with serious questions about life, death and eternity of the certainties God has provided is inexcusable. It may sell books, and it may pack out auditoriums but it blatantly disregards many of God's direct commands!

Titus 3:9-11, But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

God's Word makes it clear that Satan is the author of confusion. It seems he has enlisted the help of one of the most gifted communicators of our time to write what promises to be one of the best sellers of confusion that's come along in quite a while!

A New Blog To Follow

2011-03-14T14:12:00.003-05:00

I want to encourage everyone to check out my dear friend Shawn Marcell's new blog over at www.crosstraininginternational.blogspot.com. Shawn is our Master's Commission director and also oversees all our missions efforts at Crossroads Church. He and his wife Nicole have a tremendous heart for world missions and other ministries of compassion. They served full time on the mission field in Romania for three years until we were fortunate enough to convince them to come back to Louisiana and raise up missionaries to send all over the world through Master's Commission! That's exactly what they're doing. We launched our first international Master's Commission last year in Romania and talks are underway for programs in Africa and Germany! God is moving! I'm so proud of Shawn and Nicole and strongly encourage you to become a follower of the blog and allow God to lead you in how you might connect with this powerful vision to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Creation Groans

2011-03-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

Romans 8:19-24 says:

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.

The closer to the end of time we get, the more intense the earth's groans become. I believe that's what we're seeing with earthquakes and tsunamis like Japan just experienced. I believe this verse not only suggests that natural catastrophes will increase as the end draws closer, but that the church will rise to the occasion. These disasters give us an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the hurting and the suffering. The world waits in eager expectation to see this happen. As we reach into the devastation caused by the curse of sin upon our broken world and see it's affect on the innocent, we cry out in earnest, "Even so Lord Jesus - Come quickly!"

Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and the 363 Days That Follow

2011-03-08T08:02:00.003-06:00

When I moved to South Louisiana back in the mid-eighties, I knew nothing of Catholic traditions. I grew up in the northern part of our state which is drastically different demographically. I only knew of one Catholic family in my entire High School growing up. Everyone else was Baptist or some other form of Protestantism. Much of south Louisiana is predominantly Catholic, so when I arrived here over twenty-five years ago I soon became familiar with the ways of the Catholic church. Up until that point of my life, I was clueless of the differences between north and south Louisiana, let alone Catholicism and what I knew as the Christian faith.

For instance, no one practiced Mardi Gras where I grew up (That has changed and there are some parades and whatnot in the Monroe area now). I knew nothing of Fat Tuesday, Krews or King Cakes and I sure didn't know anything about Ash Wednesday! I'll never forget walking into a bank the first year I was here in Lafayette on Ash Wednesday. I was just about ready to be a nice guy and let some lady know she had something on her forehead when I realized, everyone did - Except me!

For those who are unfamiliar with the tradition, Fat Tuesday is basically the party you throw in preparation for Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the initiation of forty days of fasting leading up to Easter. The sign of the cross is made on one's forehead with ash as a sign of consecration. The day before (Fat Tuesday) you do all the sinning you can possibly get in, because for the next forty days you intend to prove how devout you are. How ridiculous is that? I'm not bashing Catholics. We Protestants have our own rituals we go through that are nothing more than superficial ceremonialisms!

This is the problem with religion! It's all about the show. It's why Christianity doesn't wear well simply as another one of the world's religions. You see, true Christianity isn't a religion at all, it's a relationship with the God who created us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and He isn't interested in our religious practices - He wants our hearts! As C.S. Lewis once said, He is either Lord of all or He isn't Lord at all. He refuses to be acknowledged in superficial ways for forty days once a year or once a week for an hour on Sunday morning! He is Lord on Fat Tuesday and He is Lord on Ash Wednesday and He is Lord on the 363 days that follow or we are just wasting our time!

Colorado Connections

2011-03-06T11:14:00.002-06:00

We just returned from an awesome vacation in Steamboat Springs, CO. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, a wonderful family in our church blessed us with accommodations at one of Steamboat's premier properties: The Sheraton Steamboat Villas with ski-in, ski-out access and plush amenities. Several friends from the church joined our family and my sister Holane's family for a terrific time skiing, tubing, dog sledding, eating, hanging out and playing Spades!

After our dates had been scheduled, I discovered that Shawn was planning a midwest tour for Master's Commission that brought them as far as Denver - 3 1/2 hours from Steamboat Springs the very weekend we would arrive for vacation! (That had to be God!) I got on the internet and found a great Assembly of God church in Steamboat Springs and called to see if they would be interested in hosting the team at one of their services. I knew God was in it when the receptionist picked up and said, "Jeff Ables? I'm from Franklin!" (She is from my friend Brad Bullock's church and knows our church very well.) She put me in touch with the pastor and it turns out he is a Master's Commission alumni who loves the program and understands the whole touring/promotion process. He invited our students to perform their production at his Wednesday night youth service and it was incredible! They put the MC students up at the church for three days and let them enjoy the exciting attractions that Steamboat has to offer. The youth group at the church responded in mass the night XMC performed and I feel like I've made a life-long friend in Pastor Troy Lewis from Steamboat Christian Center! What a thrilling experience it was to get to introduce the XMC team to one of my favorite places on earth!

Another highlight on the trip was watching my nephew Jeremy propose to his girl friend Stephanie! He had arranged with the staff of one of the restaurants on the mountain to have their outdoor camera (which provides live steaming on the Steamboat website) to have it focused on the place he proposed, which allowed many of their friends and family to watch it happen live around the country! The good news is she said "yes!" Now that's a Colorado connection!

Our vacation reminded me of how wonderful the connections God gives us are! Our connection with the family in our church who blessed us with our condo, the connection with that family and others who accompanied us on the trip, the connection with Pastor Troy and our new friends at SCC, the connection made between Jeremy and Stephanie through their engagement: Thank God for the way He connects us! (Especially in Colorado!)

No excuses!

2011-02-21T08:35:00.003-06:00

Divine Connections

2011-02-17T08:01:00.002-06:00

One of the primary things I believe about God is He is a relational Creator. He proves that over and over in so many ways. The longer I live, the more I see a connection between my past and my present (and even my future) that demonstrates His relational nature.

This past week we attended the National Master's Commission Conference in Fort Worth, TX. It's the first national MC Conference we've attended since 1999, the year we moved back to Lafayette. Most of you know Robin is in our Master's Commission program this year and our team always attends the conference. The national director, Lloyd Zeigler is a good friend who has been after me for some time to attend the national conference again. After all, our program in Lafayette was the very first program launched outside of the original program that Lloyd led in Phoenix, AZ. Today there are hundreds of programs world-wide! Sunday, after our last service, Donna, Chase and I loaded up and headed to Texas! It was a great conference! It was so inspiring to worship with over eight hundred young people so on fire for God! John Bevere was the keynote speaker this year and man did he ever bring it! Our guys performed their Christian Commitment stomp routine and brought the house down!

One of the highlights of the trip was God once again proving His relational nature to me. The host church for the conference has a Master's Commission program led by a young lady named Crystal Bernard. She also serves on the the board of MCIN (Master's Commissional International Network). Crystal is the daughter of a man named Glen Johnson, who I worked with at the old Howard Brother's distribution center back in the early 1980's. (For those of you who don't know ancient history, Howard Brothers was the Walmart of it's day.) I worked their on their loading docks and Glen often checked in the merchandise I unloaded. I was a backslidden Pentecostal preacher's kid, Glen was a fiery young Christian who shared Christ with me every day until I finally committed my heart to Christ! Now, thirty years later, I meet his daughter serving on the board of a network of Master's Commission programs of which we were the very first! You've got to love those divine connections!

Just My Opinion

2011-02-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

Opinions are just that: Opinions. They exist because of our unique perspectives, likes and dislikes - But at the end of the day they're nothing more than a product of our own bias. That's why they should never be regarded higher than love. What difference does it make if we don't see eye-to-eye? We may not have the same opinion about something, but that doesn't make me right and you wrong - We just have differing opinions! I don't have to take that personally and act as though an opinion is more important than our friendship!

If this were a matter of principal, if there could be cited some chapter or verse, then I would be obligated to hold to my convictions and allow Christ to bring the sword that He promised would divide us. But for the sake of a mere opinion? Never!

We love to weigh in. We love to offer our opinion! Yet when we insist on our right to opine, we often forfeit the trust of so many we might otherwise influence for Christ. Is it worth that? Throw that up on the scales of justice and determine whether weighing in with your opinion is really the right thing to do! I say it is not! But of course, that's just my opinion.

An Ax and Two .38s!

2011-02-09T19:59:00.002-06:00

You gotta love this guy! Reminds me of the joke where the old lady tells the robber to repent according to Acts 2:38! He gives himself up and when the cops ask why he tells them she claimed to have an ax and two .38s! (Only this pastor was actually ready to cap 'em!)

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My Take On Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-07T09:03:00.002-06:00

I've always loved the Super Bowl. It's fun to get together with family and friends to eat junk and talk smack while America's two best teams slug it out on a world stage. I really enjoyed this year's match up: The Green Bay Packers verses The Pittsburgh Steelers. Two great teams, with great history - It was the perfect setting for a memorable game. There was only one problem: Once your home team has been to the big game, the Super Bowl is never the same without them in it! The Saints will be there again. Maybe even this next year! Until then you just have to make the best of it.

Super Bowl XLV definitely had it's highs and lows. I've already mentioned the actual football equation. I wasn't disappointed there. The team I was pulling for won! I wanted to see Aaron Rodgers come out from under Brett Farve's shadow once and for all - and he did! Although I once was a Farve fan, I've become increasingly disgusted with his behavior off the field and I am thankful to see him go away. After a Super Bowl win and a MVP to boot, Rodgers should never have to worry about comparisons to Brett again. On the contrary, it's Brett who should be worried.

For me, the Super Bowl is more than football. I also always look forward to the commercials and the halftime show as well. This time around, those were both a huge disappointment. I thought the best commercial was the Budweiser spot that featured the old west cast who break into a rousing version of Elton John's Tiny Dancer after the beer arrives. Pretty funny stuff. As to halftime, I thought the Black Eyed Peas had a spectacular show, but they didn't sound good at all. I know it's hard to mix live music for television, but it was pretty bad!

So that's my take on the big game. I'm hoping next year's post will include feedback on lots of funny commercials, a killer halftime show (John Mayer would be my vote) and a picture of Drew Brees holding up that Lombardi trophy again!

Tongue-Tied to the Miraculous In Very Practical Ways

2011-01-30T07:31:00.003-06:00

This weekend I wrapped up our sermon series called Tongue Tied with a study about a very controversial subject in the Bible: Speaking in unknown tongues. You have to realize, we have a very diverse audience at Crossroads, people from all kinds of denominational backgrounds. Many of our people were raised to believe that this Biblical doctrine is taboo.

The point we've made all through the series is that we are tied to the things we say. Our words are tied to both the success and the disfunction in our lives! If you think about it, the same could be said about the practice of speaking in tongues. In the New Testament tongues were tied to both the miraculous and the messy! The same is true in the church today.

Pretty much the entire fourteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is Paul's effort to clean up the mess associated with speaking in tongues there at the church in Corinth. What's interesting to me is that he took a very practical approach to the supernatural. He dealt with supernatural issues on very practical terms. He laid out in very practical ways how the gifts should and shouldn't operate. I believe he set a precedent there. You see, the issues that were tied to speaking in tongues or operating in other spiritual gifts in the first century may be different than those tied to these practices in the twenty-first century, but they still require us as leaders in the church to deal with supernatural things in very practical ways.

I'll give you an example. We have services in a 650 seat auditorium. If someone in our church felt led to give a word of prophecy or if there were a message in tongues and interpretation, at least half of those in attendance wouldn't even hear what was being spoken. We're about to move into a 1,500 seat auditorium where it will be even more impossible. So we require anyone who feels they have a message for the church to let our ushers know, so that one of our pastors can hear it and decide if it is something that should be shared. If so, we can do so over the sound system so everyone can benefit from it. That's what Paul was doing in Corinth. He applied practical guidelines to the supernatural things God was doing in the church.

Through the years, the practice of speaking in tongues has been tied to all kinds of weirdness and confusion that God is not the author of and I don't want our church to be connected with. But I refuse to throw the baby out with the bath water! The gift of speaking in unknown tongues is tied to some really great things too! Things like a more effective prayer life and deeper worship. (Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 14:1-5) Jude 20-21 says we build ourselves up to our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Ghost! I want my life (and our church) tied to these things, so we will encourage people to continue to seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and experience the supernatural. But we will do so in very practical ways!

What - No Welsh Springer Spaniels?

2011-01-29T08:51:00.001-06:00

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My little Missionary

2011-01-28T23:28:00.002-06:00

Robin just got back from an 11-day missions trip to Africa. She had an incredible time reaching out to the Masai people in the African Interior of Kenya. She and six other Master's Commission students were deep in the bush working with our life-long friends Mike and Marigold Cheshier. They led somewhere around 400 people to Christ! She came home with tons of pictures and a journal full of memories but she left a big piece of her heart behind with the children of that remote land.

We weren't able to hear from her the entire time she was gone and it was pretty tough on her mother and me. We knew God would protect her and bring her home safe and sound, but it sure would have been nice to hear from her every couple of days or so!

Robin's dear friend Lahti Arsement is in Australia on a missions trip as well. A few weeks ago our families got together for dinner before the girls left for their missions trips. Lahti's dad, my good friend Spanky said, "You know - We prayed all their lives that these girls would be world changers. We can't change our minds now and ask God to keep them at home!"

Medical Ministry

2011-01-24T09:30:00.005-06:00

We were so thrilled to introduce a great friend to Crossroads this weekend. Stephanie is involved in one of our newest ministries we have picked up in monthly support. Stephanie graduated our Master's Commission program in Atlanta in 1999. From there she went on to get her nursing degree and now feels God is calling her to use her skills as a nurse as a platform for ministry in Central Asia. She will work with a Christian medical team, providing health care in a war-torn region of the world that is so volatile and dangerous I can't even name the country she'll be in for risk of endangering her and her team. The country is 99.9 percent Muslim. I am so proud of her and the courage she has to follow the will of God into this assignment. I am asking that all of you will keep her in your prayers!

One of the greatest experiences for me in life has been watching those who I have helped train for ministry answer the call of God on their lives. There's just nothing quite like it! Spending this past weekend with Stephanie has made me eager with anticipation to see what God will lead our current Master's Commission students we are discipling to do in the days to come!

Joli Blog

2011-01-22T11:19:00.004-06:00

Our Women's Ministry just launched a brand new blog that I'm super excited about. The ladies of Crossroads Church and Acadiana can keep up with what's going on in our Women's Ministry, sign up for upcoming events and be encouraged by the insights of our wonderful contributers to the blog (I just read a rough draft of an article Donna is writing for an upcoming entry and I was blown away by how it challenged me - and I'm a dude!) Our ladies can even participate in an online Bible Study just for women! It's a great way for you girls to stay connected on your own schedule! I love technology and it's so good to see it being used in a way that facilitates discipleship and spiritual growth! You can click here to get to the site and become a follower of the blog. Be sure and let all your friends know about the blog so they can enjoy it as well.

All of this is the brainchild of our director of Women's Ministry, Daphne Gaspard. I've known Daphne since she was just a young girl in our student ministry here at Crossroads many years ago. (For her sake we won't talk about how many years ago!) She does such a great job with our Women's Ministry and this blog is a perfect example of her creativity and passion for ministry to ladies. She has been an avid blogger for several years and her blog was one of the things that inspired me to launch my own a couple of years ago. In addition to serving as our Women's Ministry Director, Daphne is one of our worship leaders at Crossroads, serves in our Media Department and is one of our main script writers for the productions we put on. Thanks Daphne for all you do!

I encourage all of you ladies to become a follower of the Joli Blog and allow this technology to serve God's interests in your life!

Tongue-Tied

2011-01-22T11:19:00.002-06:00

We've been sharing a message series at Crossroads this month about the power of our words called Tongue-Tied. The concept is simple: Our lives are tied to the words we speak. Whether it's a matter of success or disfunction, you can't separate where you are in life from the things you've said! Our media team came up with a brilliant way to lead in to the message each week. Our video sermon roll in features kids in our church trying to say tongue-twisters. They were a riot! I hope you enjoy...

Christian Radio Pioneer

2011-01-20T21:42:00.000-06:00

Today my old friend Barry Thompson from KAJN radio did an interview with me about our new worship center for their news show Cajun Talk. He was very kind to give us an opportunity to share with the community of faith in Southwest Louisiana what God is doing here at Crossroads. Barry has been a good friend for many years and I admire him so much. He is a true pioneer, establishing Christian radio in this area many years ago when no one would have believed there was a market for it. He has partnered with many of the churches of the area to get their message out and has hosted concerts that have introduced hundreds to Christ through the years. Because of the strong Catholic influence of this area, KAJN has served as a tool to disciple many believers in the formative years of their faith while they continued to attend the church.

When I was a youth pastor, back in the eighties and nineties here in Acadiana, we hosted a show on KAJN called The Elevation Radio Hour on Friday nights that was a mix of Contemporary Christian Top 40, Snippets of my sermons from our youth services and promotion for what we were doing as a ministry. We had a lot of fun with it.

After I wrote my post a few days ago on my favorite CCM albums of all time (many of which date back to the eighties) and then scheduled this interview with Barry, I started thinking about what a blast it would be to host a series of concerts in this area with artists from that era. People like Russ Taff, Bryan Duncan, Margaret Becker and Mylon Lefevre. I pitched the idea to Barry today and he loved it! We are going to start working on pulling it together. I'd love to hear from you and get your suggestions on who you'd be interested in seeing as a part of the concert series!

One of Life's Little Pleasures

2011-01-20T14:39:00.004-06:00

I haven't had that long a history with coffee. Don't get me wrong, I grew up around it. My dad drank it all the time. He drank it black. Even in the middle of the summer, out on the job when I was working with his framing crew, when the rest of us took a break for a cold Dr. Pepper, dad would pour up a hot cup of black coffee. He said it drove the heat out of him!

For years I was just never interested. I would have a cup with dessert every once-in-a-while, but I was hardly an enthusiast! Then, about nine years ago, I hired David Baudoin. Every morning he would stop by my office and say, "Let's have a cup of coffee." Before long I was hooked. I started drinking it at home and before you knew it, my entire family was drinking it almost daily. We love the stuff! Donna recently gave it up, but Chase and I have at least a cup every morning to start our day!

Last month Shawn Marcell introduced me to the French Press. It is a way of brewing coffee that dates back hundreds of years and it is simply the best way to enjoy coffee! There's something about the way the method leaves the oils and richness of the beans in tact that I love! It's bolder and fuller and I know I sound like a maniac but I love it! Donna bought me one for my birthday and I'm so glad to get to enjoy one of life's little pleasures.

My Five Favorite CCM Albums of All Time

2011-01-17T05:24:00.007-06:00

I had a conversation with a friend recently where I was asked to name my five favorite Christian albums of all time. I was surprised how quickly I was able to come up with the list, and I thought I'd share it with you. Remember that these albums were created at a time when music, especially Christian music, was not nearly as accessible as it is today. We tended to listen to entire albums much more than we do now. These projects date back to the mid-eighties so you may have never heard them. They are all available on I-tunes and I strongly encourage you to give them a listen!

5. Whiteheart - Freedom

The concept for the CCM rock band Whiteheart was a very practical one: Take the leading session players making music on the top CCM artist's albums of the day and form a band. The group made several transformations over the years but reached it's pinnacle with 1989's Freedom. Fronted by roady-turned-lead-vocalist Rikk Florian, the band was made up of musicians who remain a who's-who list of players till this day. What they produced on this recording was nothing short of brilliant and, though there was no 'radio hit' for them on this outing, the album as a whole is one of the finest Christian projects ever recorded!

4. Amy Grant - Lead Me On

There would be no CCM without Amy Grant. I realize others will select one of Amy's many various albums as their favorite - but for me, Lead Me On was her best! It combined her poignant writing and straight-forward vocal styling to create an honest look at life and faith as only Amy Grant's artistry can. Musically, the record was much more reliant on real instruments than the more commercially successful follow-up project Heart In Motion which was more synth-driven. The radio hits were the title cut and the song Saved By Love. They certainly were not her biggest hits, but the album as a compilation was, in my opinion, her finest accomplishment.

3. DC Talk - Jesus Freak

No album has every revealed a greater musical maturity than DC Talk's 1995 breakout project Jesus Freak. It is probably one of the most significant recordings in Christian music history. It still sounds as fresh today as the day it was released. Radio hits like Colored People, Between You and Me, In The Light and the title track are still staples on Christian radio! This album changed everything and every time I hear it I wish the boys would get back together and cut another record! Kevin Maxwell and Michael Tait remain two of the most talent vocalists in CCM and TobyMac is simply brilliant.

2. Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown

The Beautiful Letdown introduced Christian Music's premier San Diego rock band Switchfoot to mainstream radio and changed the rules for Christian music yet again. There are so many brilliant moments on this record and the huge radio singles Dare You To Move and Meant To Live remain staples on Christian radio and top 40 alike. The masterful musicianship and the brilliant lyrics share equal billing to create a listening experience that begs to be repeated. I've probably played this CD more than any I've ever owned and have sung the words of these songs at the top of my lungs over many a mile!

1. Russ Taff - Russ Taff

My favorite CCM artist of all time is Russ Taff. His 1987 self-titled release is everything a signature album should be - It is Russ Taff at his best. His best voice, his best writing - He truly put it all on the line with this recording. These tracks include some of the most passionate vocals ever recorded and the result is infectious! The project opens with the 'In-your-face' rocker Shake and warns you of what's to come. The radio hit I Still Believe is one of the most vulnerable and honest songs ever written and performed, remaining the standard in my mind by which all Christian music is judged.

Those God Gives You

2011-01-16T21:00:00.000-06:00

In John 17, Jesus prayed what we call His High-Priestly prayer. It's a moving prayer that includes petitions for unity and protection for those who follow Him. One of the most remarkable claims He made in the prayer was this - "The ones you have given me, I will not lose." That statement is so filled with insight. All through His ministry, there had been those who were connected with Him for a season, but ultimately walked away. However, God had given Him some who would stay connected and turn the world upside down!

I believe the same is true today with those we disciple. Many will be connected for a season, but what we have to figure out is who God has given us! Those are the ones we want to pour our lives into!

I'm so thankful to be reconnected with one of those God has given me! His name is Jason Rhoades. The connection was made back in 1996 when we moved to Atlanta, GA. Jason went through our leadership training there and our Master's Commission program. We have remained connected all these years. He moved to Lafayette several years ago to help us launch our Master's Commission program here and now he and his wonderful wife Amanda and their two beautiful daughters Jalin and Abby are moving back to be connected with us once again in ministry. Jason has taken a job with an oil company here and he and Amanda will get deeply involved with our church to learn the Crossroads model of ministry from the inside out so they can be our first church planters in the days to come.

I am so excited about what God has in store for the next season of my life as He allows me to place the ones He has given me over great churches we will plant across the country and around the world!

Words and Feathers

2011-01-09T16:29:00.002-06:00

I shared a message this weekend called "Taming The Tongue." I ended my message with the story of a woman in a small town who shared things she 'knew' about another woman in the village. The things she shared were horribly damaging to her neighbor's reputation, but she told them anyway. She told many people even though the things she was telling could not be proven. Eventually, she found out the things she had been saying about her neighbor weren't true. She felt horrible.

She went to the Pastor and told him what she had done. She asked him what she could do to make it right. The old Pastor handed her a feather pillow and told her to go to the village square and tear open the pillow and empty all the feathers out of it and bring it back to him. She did what he instructed and asked him what to do next. He then instructed her to go back to the town square and pick up all the feathers she'd emptied out of the pillow. "There's no way I can do that." She pleaded. "The wind has carried them everywhere! How could I ever collect them all again?" The Pastor looked into her eyes and said, "You're right, and you can never take back the things you said about your neighbor."

Our words are powerful and we must be good stewards of what we say!

The Man With The Golden Voice

2011-01-08T08:12:00.004-06:00

By now I'm sure you've heard the story of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice who's interview with a reporter in Ohio became an overnight sensation after going viral on Youtube. He's now been interviewed by the Today Show and others, reconnected with family and has received job offers by everyone from The Kraft Corporation to the Cleveland Cavaliers!

It's an amazing story and one Americans have embraced warmly. I think it's because we love a redemption story! Here's a man with an obvious talent that's been lost to drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness and hopelessness and then BOOM - All of a sudden he gets another chance!

But isn't that the story we all share? We all have gifts and promise, and yet life has a way of burying it beneath our sin and suffering and then BAM - God gives us another chance! That chance - that one shot at TRUE redemption is Jesus Christ! The man with the golden voice that rings out, "Come, all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest!"

I hope Ted makes it. I hope he stays sober and meets with great success, connected to his family and celebrated by all who loves a good redemption story. Most of all I hope He makes Jesus Lord of his life and experiences what true redemption is all about. I hope he uses that golden voice to praise the One truly worthy of all praise.

On a side note: Is it just me or does Ted look like he could be President Obama's uncle? Just sayin...

So what are you doing on May 11, 2011?

2011-01-03T09:21:00.002-06:00

It's happening again. Another ministry has come along claiming to know the date the rapture will take place. (Followed by the the date of the judgement of the world to boot!) This time they have an impressive marketing campaign and internet following. The last one (of any significance) was the whole 88 reasons Jesus was coming back in '88 thing. 1988 came and went with no rapture. This latest group have selected May 21, 2011 as the date of the rapture with October 21 as the great day of judgement. (I have no idea what they did with the seven years of tribulation that follow the Biblical teaching of the rapture. They somehow reduced things to five months.)

I don't want to sound like a complete skeptic. I BELIEVE in the rapture of the church. I believe it could happen on May 21st! (Or any day between now and then for that matter!) I just don't believe we can know. In fact Jesus said that quiet emphatically! (Matthew 25:13) We do know that He promised His return would happen within a generation span following the reestablishment of Israel as a nation. That happened in 1948. So, if we're interpreting Matthew 24:32-34 correctly, His return should take place before 2028. I base that assumption on the verse in Psalm 90:10 that states the lifespan of man is 70-80 years. If that's what God considers a generation, then 2028 would mark a full lifespan since Israel was reestablished in '48. (I'm not starting a marketing campaign here, just doing a bit of speculating.)

We should all be watching and waiting. Jesus is coming back soon and this world isn't ready! So many around us are unprepared and it's our responsibility to tell them. I don't need a date to do that, just a mandate - And that He's given me!

Christmas Holiday Variety

2010-12-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful visit with family for the holidays. We drove up on Friday, which was Christmas Eve, and spent the day with Donna's family. Her little niece, Olivia was the main attraction. Last year she wanted nothing to do with us, but this year she warmed up nicely and provided plenty of photo opps that ooze with cuteness.

Donna's mom and dad chose to do prime rib instead of the traditional turkey and dressing and it was delectable!

Saturday was spent at my mom's with my sister Holane and her family. My brother Philip and his family arrived late Saturday afternoon and we all exchanged gifts and then dug into my mom's incredible pork tenderloin dinner she had prepared. (She and my mother-in-law had similar ideas about ditching the traditional turkey and dressing. Fortunately they both served it up earlier this year at Thanksgiving. The holidays is the only time I typically eat turkey and dressing and it's always a treat!)

Saturday night we carried out the annual tradition of taking all the cousins to the movies. This year we took in "True Grit." The Coen Brothers remake of the old John Wayne classic is something I've been looking forward to for months and I was not disappointed! It was a great movie! In fact, I know the purists will hate me for this but I actually enjoyed it more than the original.

Sunday morning Chase and I got up early and sat in one of the coldest deer blinds I've ever been in. We didn't see anything and Chase wasn't really impressed with the whole hunting experience. Later that morning we attended morning worship with my mom at her church. Worship services at a traditional, rural church is so different than what we're used to and we all decided we've never appreciated Pastor Coy Watson (our music director at Crossroads) more! After service we enjoyed some awesome Taco Soup and afternoon football until it was time to head toward the deer blind again. I was able to convince Chase to come along, but once again saw nothing. My nephew Jordy however, killed a big doe. Chase and I got to watch it field dressed and quartered by one of my cousins and it was a real interesting experience for Chase.

Dinner with both families, photo opps with Olivia, "True Grit" with the cousins, church with mom and deer hunting with Chase - A lot of Christmas holiday variety and a lot of fun!

The Wright Brothers and the Big Story of Christmas

2010-12-17T20:24:00.004-06:00

In mid-December 1903, after several attempts, the Wright Brothers finally got their "flying machine" in the air for 12 seconds, covering 120 feet. They were so excited they sent a telegram to their sister Katharine. When she received the telegram which read "We have flown for 12 seconds" with a byline that said "Will be home for Christmas" she immediately took it to the local newspaper reporter. After reading the telegram, the man smiled and said, "Oh good! The boys will be home for Christmas!"

Heres a reporter who's been given the story of the century - Man's first flight! But he completely missed it and focused on the Wright boys being home for Christmas!

I think sometimes in the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season we miss the big story too. We get caught up in the announcement of some huge sale at the mall or the announcement of yet another Christmas party and we forget that the real story of Christmas is that God has sent us a Savior! Remember what the angel said to the Shepherds in Luke 2:10-11, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

God didn't send Jesus into the world just to give us a holiday. He didn't send Jesus into the world just so we could attend another party. He sent His Son into the world to be our Savior. That's the big story of Christmas!

Christmas Around The World

2010-12-12T20:11:00.010-06:00

Whew! Another Crossroads Church Christmas Production is done. We started planning it about six months ago and it far exceeded our expectations. This year's theme was Christmas Around the World. It was different than anything we've done before - with some really cool, new wow factors. Some churches choose to do the same program each year, we've always opted to try and come up with something different! It seems to be working - Over 4,200 people attended our six performances on Saturday and Sunday! Here's a sample of the 13,000 tickets passed out by members of Crossroads Church! Our folks always rise to the occasion and get the word out about our production. We appreciate their effort so much!

As always, our Children's Ministry kicked things off with an awesome song and dance number written by our Music Pastor, Coy Watson. The performance featured a mass choir of kids in costumes from around the world, a dance team that put on some impressive moves and a Nursery parade of some of the cutest kids in the world representing kids around the world! After the Children's song we were set for the rest of the program.

The story line was about a ten-year-old girl (played by Shelby Matte) who meets up with her postman (played by Jeff LaBerteau) at the family mailbox. She's sending Christmas cards to four children she and her family sponsors in different nations around the world. Together, they begin to speculate what Christmas celebrations in those countries might be like. All this was on video produced by the always masterful Richard Gaspard and his crew.

We began with Asia. Daphne Gaspard did a fabulous job singing Do You Hear What I Hear to a beautifully orchestrated arrangement by Coy Watson. What Coy accomplished setting these traditional Christmas songs within the context of specific cultural music genres was nothing short of spectacular! As Daphne sang, Aerialists Dillon Keith and Kimberly Adele from Dallas, Texas performed beautiful, breath-taking maneuvers on red silks lowered from the ceiling. (A true wow-moment! Hats off to Holane Davidson for tracking down these talented performers!) Next the track livened up and introduced a Chinese parade complete with jugglers, streamers, dancers and an incredible dragon courtesy of Rhett Wyatt and his crew. Rhett did an awesome job as always with the set. This year we decided to simplify things a little bit by creating five, four-sided 5' x12' shapes that swiveled, forming a backdrop for the four nations when all turned together. They were absolutely beautiful! Rhett's team, assisted by some of our Master's Commission students do a remarkable job getting props on and off the stage between scenes in a very short window of time. I'm always amazed by the way they pull it off!

The next nation we visited was Mexico. Coy Watson, Richard Gaspard, David Baudoin and I hammed it up by covering the old Steve Taylor arrangement of Winter Wonderland Mariachi-style complete with ponchos and sombreros! Richard's verse sang in Spanish (opera-style) took it over the top. Michelle Sanchez arranged all the choreography for this scene and the following two scenes. She is a genius! Since she joined Master's Commission several years ago, our productions have really been taken up a notch each year through her involvement! She and her dancers: Mariah Hebert, Natalie Myers, Jasmine Chaisson, Carmen Calderon, Skylar Courville and Destiny Kennerson were all fantastic!

After our visit to Mexico, we headed to Jamaica where John Charles did a terrific job covering a Reggae version of Here Comes Santa Clause. The band, made up of Coy Watson, Richard Gaspard, Beau Roy and Mark Conley were great as always. John really hammed up the song well, including his laugh and call for a few bars of Wipe Out which followed, complete with one of Michelle and her girl's incredible dance routines and a surfing Santa played by Kenneth Guidry decked out in surfing shorts and beads in his beard! Kenneth was very convincing and should consider buying a surfboard. (Or a sleigh!) Kids always get a kick out of seeing Santa in our productions and seeing him on a surfboard brought a smile to everyone's face. That's always been one of our goals: We are determined to make sure attending the Crossroads Christmas Production each year becomes one of those things families always include on their list of Holiday traditions! We've worked very hard to earn the trust of the community. We want them to know they're always going to see a spectacular production! We also want our people to know that, if they get their friends and loved ones to attend one of our productions, they will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and get an opportunity to receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior! It's why we do what we do!

The last nation we visited was Africa. The song began with five drummers: Val Melancon, Mike Williams, Richard Montgomery, John Charles and Stephan Clark all providing rhythm on different percussion instruments for Coy's arrangement of Little Drummer Boy. Brandy Robinson sang the lead while Neil Alfred and Monica Jean Pierre provided backing vocals and Michelle's girls infused the performance with an exciting African dance. I've always liked the song, but I now have a new favorite arrangement!

After our final video segment set the stage for an altar call, I stepped out to remind those in attendance that Jesus not only loves all the children of the world, He loves each one of them, individually. If only one of us had needed a Savior, Jesus would have still come to Bethlehem and He would have still died on the cross - just for that one! Many stood to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior and then I reminded them that now they will spend all eternity in the home Christ has prepared for all those who follow Him. There, together with fellow-believers from every nation, race, tribe and tongue, we will proclaim as one people with one voice that Jesus reigns! This introduced our next number by Jordy Davidson, the old Newsboys hit He Reigns. He was joined by Master's Commission students dressed as different people's groups from around the world singing, dancing and praising God. They did an incredible job and brought the crowds to their feet!

The production ended with a stirring version of Some Children See Him by Kari Campbell. After her inspired performance, I stepped out to invite people to join us in an offering for Mission of Mercy, a ministry that feeds hungry children around the world, as well as an opportunity to pick up a child in monthly sponsorship through Food For the Hungry - Another great ministry making a difference in the lives of thousands of children every day!

The production was well-received and enjoyed by all and I am once again indebted to the dozens of people who worked so hard to give Crossroads Church and all our guests this weekend an opportunity to celebrate Christmas Around the World!

It's the most wonderful (busy) time of the year!

2010-12-02T07:53:00.000-06:00

I love the holidays, but honestly it's a love/hate kind of thing. It's such a busy season that I think we often miss the purpose of the season in the busyness of it all!

We took a quick trip up to North Louisiana to visit our families for Thanksgiving and really had a nice time, but it was rush, rush, rush. Since returning, we've had the pedal to the metal. Just a sample of our schedule: Last night, Chase attended the Youth Christmas Party at church. Today, we head up to Calhoun to pick up my mom and take her to see the huge Living Nativity my uncle's church puts on in Searcy, Arkansas. Tomorrow night, Donna attends the Ladies Christmas Party at church. Saturday and Sunday we host our four regular weekend services. Monday night we have a Sectional Christmas Party with the Assemblies of God. Tuesday we have our Church Staff and Leader's Christmas Party. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we have rehearsals for the big Christmas Production at church. Saturday and Sunday we host six performances of "Christmas Around The World." (You get the picture!)

Two years ago we made the decision to cancel Wednesday night services at church in December because we realize people are so busy with the holidays and we don't want to just add to the mayhem!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the holidays! I love the decorations and the parties and the music and the family get-together(s). I love it all - It's just so busy! So I'm interested to know - What do you do to slow things down and enjoy the real reasons for the season?

Bathrooms and Guitars: The Freedom to be Relevant!

2010-11-21T07:01:00.000-06:00

The Free Church of Scotland voted this week (narrowly) to allow music in their services for the first time in 160 years! This was actually a huge controversy. Many within the the church actually believe that its sinful to use musical instruments in church services.

You know if I were the devil that's exactly what I would want Christians to believe! I'd want to convince them that using musical instruments was evil so I could assure that their services would never attract anyone to Christ! Meanwhile, I'd get to use music to influence people the way I wanted to influence them. While I was at it I'd try and convince them that the more dressed up they are the holier they are. Put everyone in suits and ties so they're really uncomfortable and too busy comparing themselves with what everyone else is wearing to really focus on Christ. I'd make sure sermons were long and boring too and never dealt with anything relevant in people's day-to-day lives.

Years ago, not long after I became a Christian, I began to use my musical talents in church. I was so excited I would go to work and talk about it with my friends. One 'religious' guy over heard me one day and pulled me aside and presumed to 'straighten me out.' He told me we shouldn't be using guitars and drums in church because they didn't use those instruments in the early church and he wanted his church to be like the church in the book of Acts! I was a very young Christian and didn't have a lot of tact, so I asked him "Do you have bathrooms in your church?" He assured me they did and I told him he better pull those toilets out and go pee behind a tree because they didn't have indoor plumbing in the book of Acts! He never tried to straighten me out again.

I hope the Free Church of Scotland (and all Christian churches) will truly be free, once and for all, from all the ridiculous religious ideas Satan uses to try and keep us from being effective in our mission to reach the lost and the unchurched!

Hotlanta

2010-11-15T09:16:00.002-06:00

This week I traveled back to our former home, Atlanta, Georgia. I went there to pick up a replacement vehicle for Robin. Most of you know she totaled her 2005 Ford Escape a few weeks ago when a lady pulled out in front of her. (You can read about the original vehicle I purchased for her here or about the accident she was in here.)

A lot of you have been asking me why I would travel all the way to Atlanta to buy a used car. My logic is this - I shop for used cars online, willing to travel to another city to purchase them because I can get what I want instead of settling for what I can find locally.

We found the vehicle Robin wanted with all the options she wanted on it with low milage at the right price! ($3,000.00 less than the Blue Book value - Thank you Jesus!) It's a very clean little 2005 Mercury Mariner (which is really a Ford Escape with a little more stylish exterior). Robin was determined to get another vehicle like the one she had. She originally chose it because she felt safe in it and after the accident she felt so even more! Driving home from Atlanta gave me a chance to really test drive it and it seems to be a solid vehicle that should last Robin a good while. It's loaded - complete with a moonroof and CD changer and it even has four-wheel drive! (No mud-digging Robin!)

Purchasing the vehicle in Atlanta also gave me the chance to visit with some of my favorite people in the world! On Friday night I had dinner with the Rhoades family: (Bill & Helen, Jason & Amanda and their girls, Rhonda & Reece Carter and their boys and Carrie & Zach Brinegar and their little boy). Erin and Derrick Dunagan and Kristin and Keith Tressel also met with us. What wonderful friends! It was so good to see everyone and check out the cutest kid contest!

On Saturday morning I traveled down to Macon to visit with my dear friend Roger Brumbalow, whom I served at The Assembly of God Tabernacle in Decatur back in the late nineties. On the way down I stopped at the south perimeter and had coffee with Adam and Jamie Farley and their three adorable children! (That's right more fare for the cutest kid contest!) Pastor Brumbalow lives with his daughter Claire and her husband Clint and their two children. They have a beautiful home and Pastor has a very elegant suite with a nice back porch for sipping coffee. Pastor had a stroke a few years ago that left him paralyzed on his right side and took away most of his ability to speak. Despite those challenges he gets around extremely well, communicates effectively with limited words and hand gestures, still has his strong sense of humor and remains the remarkable man of character and integrity that he's always been. It's obvious he misses Becky - his best friend and partner in life and ministry - very much. (Read about this incredible woman here.) We had such a wonderful visit and then met up with Pastor's son, Keith and his family for lunch. (Alas - more cute kids!) I am so thankful that God put Roger Brumbalow in my life so many years ago. I owe so much to him!

I stayed over Saturday night so I could attend Northpoint Community Church in Alpheretta, GA. Andy Stanley's church is not only one of the largest in the nation, it is one we aspire to emulate here at Crossroads. I first heard Andy speak at Ed Young's C3 conference back in 2004 and it really changed my life and ministry forever. The service was awesome there at Northpoint and I even got to meet Andy before service!

I know all this sounds like a marvelous time in Hotlanta but here's what was really cool - I even had time to stop and enjoy a strawberry milkshake from Steak and Shake while I was there! (Why can't we have Steak and Shakes here in Louisiana?)

From the Cradle to the Grave

2010-11-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today I officiated a wedding and a funeral, conducted a baby dedication and spoke at our Saturday night service where four people gave their hearts to Jesus Christ.

I know it sounds like just another day at the office for a pastor, but I've never had all those things happen in one day's schedule before. It reminded me that ministry really places me in some of the most important moments of a person's life. What's so cool about that is - as a minister - I'm really there to represent Christ. God is the one who really matters in those important moments, and here's the great thing - He's always there isn't He?

Whether it's parents dedicating their baby, a couple being joined in Holy Matrimony, a family celebrating the home-going of a loved one or someone committing their life to Christ, God is there making it all possible, and I get to have some small role in it. I'm so thankful that I do and I sure hope I represent Christ well.

I have to say, it's an honor and a blessing to be there for people in those important moments of their lives - from the cradle to the grave.

No more Nancy!

2010-11-03T09:05:00.003-05:00

So Nancy is no longer the Speaker of the House. Good riddance! Can't say I'm going to miss Ms. Pelosi! But will the big sweep in the House of Representatives by Republicans really make a difference? Not unless their conservatism is fueled by strong moral conviction. If all their speeches were simple rhetoric, they will soon be caught up in the machine that is American politics. The only hope we have for seeing things turned around in this country is a true move of God.

I know people say religion and politics shouldn't mix, but I beg to differ! The only way a democracy like ours can survive is the influence of morals based on God's Holy Word. Our founding fathers knew this - lets hope the people we've just elected will figure it out!

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and Bible." (George Washington)

Sermon Material

2010-10-17T07:22:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Robin and four of her friends were in a terrible accident. A woman pulled out right in front of Robin's vehicle and caused it to flip over, landing upside down. Miraculously, none of the girls were seriously injured. Everyone from the policeman who filed the report to the paramedic with the ambulance to the attending physician at the emergency room stressed how fortunate we were that the girls weren't more seriously injured. The paramedic told me almost all accidents involving a roll-over include dismemberment if not death.

We know the hand of God was on Robin and her friends, protecting them from what have could been a tragic situation. It is amazing that one person could climb out of that banged up SUV unscathed, but for all five of them to escape serious injury is absolutely miraculous! Were angels on assignment yesterday? You be they were! It seems the worst that will come out of this is a few scrapes and bruises (Robin got five stitches for a laceration on her forehead) and a new car - I'm afraid her little Ford Escape is totaled. At the emergency room she asked me, "Dad will this make it into one of your sermons?" A few hours later it did.

Growing Pains

2010-10-15T15:46:00.000-05:00

When I was younger, I would get aches in my arms and legs and my mother would tell me that they were 'growing pains.' Her analysis didn't make it hurt any less, but the idea of the alternative sure put my pain in perspective! (No one wants to remain 3' tall for the rest of his life!) Believe it or not, churches have growing pains too. But, once again, consider the alternative! Surely none of us want to see the church stop growing. That means no one is getting saved - No ones life is being changed! Lets face it - As long as these kind of things are happening, the church is going to grow and inevitably experience some growing pains! But that's normal! Its to be expected!

Right now, our growing pains are related to parking. We have one means of entering and exiting a parking lot designed to accommodate hundreds of vehicles. Consequently, with a church our size the time it takes to get in your car and off our campus can take up to 15 or 20 minutes. Most of our people are very mature about this and are thankful we have this kind of 'problem.' Others have been less understanding. This week I actually heard about one man who hasn't been to church in over a month because he refuses to get 'stuck' in our parking lot again. Really? I wonder if it took Jesus more than 15 minutes to walk to Golgotha? I'm sure suffering and dying for our sins was a major inconvenience for Him! My prayer is, God please help us to grow up and learn to appreciate what we have and what you've done for us!

What's crazy is no one thinks its unusual to have to endure these types of 'inconveniences' when they go to an LSU game or a concert at the Cajun Dome - They're perfectly content to wait and be directed where to park. So let me get this straight - Its just the church that should have curbside convenience? I suppose otherwise, Jesus just isn't worth it, right? Give me a break!

Now that I've got that off my chest I thought I'd give you a glimpse of our most recent effort to make parking at Crossroads as convenient as possible. Its a 14-passenger shuttle that can get easily in and out of traffic to shuttle people too and from the church. If everyone uses this service like we think they will, we are prepared to buy a second shuttle and have them running before and after each service. Perhaps you noticed our Bio Swale Bridges we've built so our people can easily cross the drainage/green-space features in our new parking lot. The back two bridges are covered to provide shelter while you wait on the shuttle(s). They're fully equipped with lighting and ceiling fans for your convenience!

Now that I've had a chance to both vent and call your attention to our efforts to make attending Crossroads as convenient as possible, let me mention just one more thing. If you get here late this weekend and you see a white Chrysler Aspen parked at the very back of our property in the very last parking place on the farthest row from our church - that will be mine. Just one more thing I've decided to do to help with our growing pains!

Zeal In Ministry

2010-10-09T08:57:00.003-05:00

We need zeal in ministry. Without it, ministry can become just another job. That's what had happened in John chapter 2 when Jesus entered Jerusalem and found the moneychangers at the temple. The temple represented ministry and these men had lost sight of that. For them it was just a paycheck - just another day of selling sacrifices. Jesus refused to let that go on!

John 2:15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Zeal will never let ministry become just a vocational prospect! One reason is because zeal will always drive a spear through immorality. Zeal will never let wickedness go waltzing into the temple, dishonoring that which is holy. Just ask Phinehas! His story is found in Numbers 25:1-10. God's judgment was being poured out on Israel because of the sexual relations men were having with Moabite women. Even as that judgment was falling and the leaders of Israel stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting (the temple of that day) weeping before God, one of the Israelites walked right into the Tent of Meeting with his Moabite mistress! Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the Priest grabbed a spear and, following them into the Tent of Meeting, thrust the spear through both of them, bringing an end to the judgment being poured out on Israel. God said of Phinehas that day, "...he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them." Zeal will not look the other way while sin walks in and out of church every Sunday. Zeal will take God's Word like a spear and deal with immorality through powerful conviction and compassion!

In Isaiah chapter 9, God spoke through the prophet about a coming Messiah. He promised us a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, a Prince of Peace on whose shoulder the government would rest and would be ever increasing - establishing both judgement and justice forever more. Then He said this, "The zeal of the Lord will perform this." Another reason Zeal won't allow our ministry to become just money changing is because it always gives us a New Testament! When we lose the zeal of the Lord in ministry, we have to look back - a year, five years, twenty years for a testimony of what God has done in and through our lives. Zeal gives us a fresh new testament every day!

Isaiah 42:13, The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.

Zeal secures victory over our enemies. Notice that the Lord stirs up His zeal in order to triumph! If God has to stir up zeal, what makes us think it will be any different with us? Today we need to stir up the zeal of God in our lives and ministries! There is no such thing as an apathetic victory!

The word zeal in our English New Testament comes from the Greek word zeo. It literally means 'heat' or 'fervor.' Romans 12:11 says we should never be lacking it as we serve the Lord. The idea of zeal and serving are eternally linked - One cannot have zeal without using it to serve the Lord and one cannot really serve the Lord without zeal! Heat comes from fire and fire comes from the Holy Ghost. We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives so we can serve God with the kind of zeal He expects from us! Remember what John the Baptist said about Jesus?

Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

We desperately need that baptism today! Without it, we become like the Laodiceans. Here's what Jesus said to the leader of the church at Laodicea.

Revelation 3:14-19, These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

This was written to the leader of a successful church that had grown apathetic and had lost its zeal. He thought everything was wonderful - attendance and tithing were up, they may have even been building a new worship center - but God said they were wretched, pitiful, blind and naked!

God help us to see what you see in us - and God give us your zeal!

A song called Steamboat

2010-09-27T10:17:00.001-05:00

Two things contributed to this post: 1. Coy Watson and I are hosting a songwriting small group at church and this is the song I will share with our group. I wrote it about three years ago. 2. This is where my head is right now. It's Fall and every year at this time we book our annual family ski trip to Colorado. Steamboat is my favorite place on earth. Here's the song...

Steamboat

I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

I can see the snowflakes falling

I can hear the mountains calling

You may think I'm in New Orleans

and you just might be right

But in my dreams I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

Old muddy water can't bring me there

I can't get to Colorado on some cheap trolley car fare

I close my eyes, I stop and stare

at the beauty of snow-covered Aspens

the thin grey smoke rising from the cabins

a place like no other place on earth compares

I'm already there

I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

The snowball fights, the hot tub's waiting

Out on the ice the kids are skating

You may think I'm in the Bayou State and

you just might be right

But in my dreams I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

O, I'm here in Steamboat

O, I fear it's a dream though

A dream of a place I used to go

O, where we had some good times

So I go back in my mind

to Steamboat

I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

My heart is warm, my hands are freezing

After the storm we'll all go skiing

You may think I'm here in the Big Easy and

you just might be right

But in my dreams I'm in Steamboat Springs tonight

Warm winter weather is sure to please

You won't see a single snowflake falling here in New Orleans

I close my eyes, it's up to my knees!

So I whistle for the horse-drawn sleigh and

laugh at all the children playing

A place that always put my mind at ease

I am at peace

I'm in Steamboat Springs

It's up to my knees

So come go with me

to Steamboat

Piling up scrap lumber and playing nose tackle

2010-09-26T08:41:00.004-05:00

Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins is paid $100,000,000.00 to play football. His team came under new management this year and switched to a different type of defense which required Haynesworth to move from defensive tackle to nose tackle. His response was to protest by skipping the team's off-season conditioning program and practices as well as a mandatory minicamp. He was unable to pass the team's conditioning test until the 10th day of training camp. This week he came out and said that his $100 million dollar contract doesn't make him a 'slave' to the Washington Redskins. He said that just because someone pays you money that doesn't mean they can make you do whatever they want. Are you kidding me? This guy needs to be fired and have to stand in an unemployment line until he gets a firm grasp on reality. I can't tell you how much this mindset disgusts me! This is what's wrong with this country!

Some of the best advise my dad ever gave me concerning my work ethic came one summer I was working as part of his framing crew building houses. I wanted to be on the roof nailing decking down with the other guys wearing a cool leather nail apron, swinging a hammer. Instead, dad had me piling up scrap lumber. When I complained my dad told me, "Son - It all pays the same. You're going to make $2.15 an hour whether you're swinging a hammer or piling up scrap lumber. Now get busy piling up scrap lumber." Someone needs to tell that to Albert Haynesworth!

Me and Johnny Depp

2010-09-24T17:33:00.000-05:00

I love my job!

My favorite thing about my job is introducing people to Christ and helping people find the road that leads to life and successful living.

Another thing I love about my job is the people I get to work around every day. My team is made up of my very best friends on earth!

And then there are the pirate moments. The moments when we get to do fun, creative things like dressing up as pirates for the video roll in of our new sermon series Wine, Women and Song. The message series is a biblical look at the influence of alcohol, sexuality and music on our culture. It made perfect since to wrap that study in a package that included pirates, so we put on our eye liner, donned buccaneer attire and sang our hearts out. What other 40-something gets to do things like that? Just me and Johnny Depp! Did I mention - I love my job!

Do you have a Jesus toaster?

2010-09-15T08:39:00.005-05:00

When I saw this on MSN I couldn't believe it! Some company has designed an appliance than burns an image of Jesus on your toast for you. This of course is in response to the worship thousands have given what they consider the image of saints that appear through burn marks, rust and mildew around the world as a would-be sign to the faithful. Monopolizing on that trend, this company gives you an opportunity to create your own signs and wonders.

Now, I know this sounds ridiculous, but the truth is we do this all the time! How many times have we justified something by saying, "I believe God wants me to..." or "The Lord is leading me to..." Sometimes the things we say God is telling us to do aren't even scriptural! When we do that, aren't we just burning the image of Jesus onto our toast?

Don't get me wrong, I believe God speaks to His people! He has promised to lead us and guide us by His Holy Spirit. But the first and foremost way He leads us is by His Word! He will never tell us to do anything that violates what His Word declares.

God warns us in the book of Jeremiah, "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds."

There are times when we will want to do things that the Bible clearly condemns. Those are the times we must deny our own desires and follow the will of God. To ignore the scriptures and do what we want and then justify it by saying we prayed and God gave us a 'peace' about it, is to call God a liar and essentially fire up our Jesus toaster!

Providence's Tap On The Shoulder

2010-09-12T21:48:00.002-05:00

Last night we officially moved Robin into her Master's Commission apartment. Little Samuel has been dropped off at the temple! It's truly bittersweet. On the one hand, it's hard to think about the fact that my little girl will be living away from home for the next nine months. (Her room looks so empty!) On the other hand, we are so proud of her.

She told me yesterday that this is a fruition of a dream she's had for six years! At a stage of her life where so many young people want to get out from under authority, discipline and structure, she has purposefully placed herself squarely under a more intense form of those virtues than she has ever known! God will do so much in her life the next nine months and all of it will serve as a foundation for the great things He will continue to do in and through her for the rest of her life!

We enjoyed her orientation this morning with other XMC parents from around the country. It was so cool to look over the 2011 class of our Master's Commission program and realize that in 1991, our church launched the first MC program outside of Phoenix, AZ. Twenty years later, my daughter is going through that program led by one of the graduates of that first graduating class - Shawn Marcell, whose daughter Autumn is also going through the program this year! Providence sure has a great way of tapping you on the shoulder.

Burning Books

2010-09-08T22:33:00.003-05:00

Have you heard about the pastor in Florida who's promoting the 'Burn a Koran Day' this week? The only book-burning I am aware of in the New Testament happened in Acts 19. It was actually the owners of the books who did the burning, not someone wanting to burn books on their behalf. When we effectively introduce people to Christ who have been caught up in false religions, they will dispose of the trappings of their former life as the Holy Spirit leads them. Until that happens, I doubt burning the books they believe in will be that effective in leading them to Christ.

Interestingly enough, Paul appealed to the people in Athens sense of religion even though they worshiped pagan gods. Instead of pulling down their idols or burning their religious books, he made the point that despite their religious fervor, God was still unknown to them. However they could know Him if they would truly seek after Him.

I'm no fan of the Koran - It is a misleading religious book that many interpret in ways that are dangerous and harmful. Islam is responsible for leading millions into an eternity separated from God. However, the way to combat the effects of a false religion is not to pile up copies of the Koran and burn them. If we just take the time to point out the things missing in a false religion like Islam and then show the Muslim that what is missing in his religion can only really be found in Christ, he will be much more likely to receive Jesus as his savior. Then he can do some book-burning of his own!

My friend, the Psalmist

2010-09-02T08:45:00.001-05:00

The Old Testament book of Psalms is basically a praise manual. If it weren't for these psalms or songs we wouldn't even know how to approach God in worship. It's these musical compositions that inform us to come before God with singing, clapping, shouting, dancing - praising God with musical instruments and with our hands lifted high.

If there were no psalmists, there would be no psalms. These songs were written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by early songwriters like King David. We still have psalmists today. One of the most prolific psalmist I know is my friend Kari Campbell. Every week here at Crossroads Church we use musical compositions the Holy Spirit has inspired her to write to embrace and celebrate our God in song.

We felt like we needed to capture that celebration on CD and DVD and God willing - Wednesday, September 15 that's what we'll be doing. Our new Crossroads Church live praise and worship recording featuring Kari Campbell will be awesome! Don't miss it!

Music Review - No Far Away by Chris August

2010-08-30T14:30:00.002-05:00

When I was a youth pastor, we had a monthly magazine for students and one of the things it included was a music review. I used to enjoy writing those reviews, so I thought it might be an interesting element to add to my blog.

I just recently picked up a copy of the debut project by Chris August called No Far Away. His first radio release Starry Night is tearing up the CCM charts and I really like it, so I thought I'd give the rest of the project a listen. I am SO glad I did!

Produced by veteran music producer Ed Cash (Leeland, Matthew West, Bethany Dillon), this debut release has more of the feel of something offered by a seasoned singer/songwriter than a new artist. The songs are poetic and crafted in an interesting way that presents a clear message without sounding cliche! A couple of my favorites that I suspect you'll probably end up hearing on Christian radio is the project opener You and I, that sounds like something John Mayer would write if he weren't so depressed and 7x70, a beautiful ballad that celebrates forgiveness.

August's voice is one of those that is immediately recognizable and one that I think will have a long shelf life on Christian radio. It is somewhat similar to Adam Young of Owl City - clear and powerful with just enough prowess to display some interesting turns on the melody lines without bogging things down and becoming 'showy.'

Chris August is a very talented young man, performing much of the music on the project himself with the help of Ed Cash and some other talented Nashville players. If you enjoy fun, energetic pop music and beautifully singable melodies, this would be a great CD to put in your car and enjoy over and over. I know I have!

Home Alone Turns Thirty!

2010-08-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

What a shock to the system! Are you kidding me? The Home Alone kid turned thirty today? It seems like that movie just came out a few years ago. I was young and just starting out in my adult life! Where did all the years go? Did they leave for a Holiday Vacation without me?

I feel like I'm alone trying to defend my midlife from greasy bandits who want to steal all my time and energy and leave the water running.

I'll fix them! I'll connect a heating iron to the front door, tar and feather them at the window, pour water on the front steps to freeze and swing paint buckets down the staircase at them! You're not going to make off with my midlife greasy bandits! I don't care how old and creepy Macaulay gets!

Does this sound senile? Sorry, that wasn't me. That was the audio on some old movie clips I spliced together to fool you!

Building Mosques and Playing Nightclubs

2010-08-23T14:23:00.002-05:00

Why did God give us the talents we have? Ultimately, they're for His glory. Often times, those same talents will benefit us as well, but they're first and foremost about Him. Let's say you're a carpenter. You have talent and skill that allows you to build a beautiful building. That building doesn't have to be a church to bring God glory. It would be great to use your abilities to build a place of worship, but whatever you build can glorify God if you do it in the right way. Wouldn't you agree? But, what if someone asked you to build a Mosque? Or a strip club? Or an abortion clinic? Would you still be glorifying God by using your talent to build those things? I don't think so.

What about the musician? On the one hand he has an opportunity to use his gift at a church that is bringing people every week into the marvelous light of God's love and grace and forgiveness. God is actually using His talent to help accomplish this! On the other hand there are bars and nightclubs where people go and drink alcohol until they get stupid and wreck their lives and destroy their families. Why would anyone choose to leave a setting where God is using his talent to bring people to Christ in order to take that talent and use it to entertain the drunkards destroying their lives. I will never understand this until my dying day!

The Bible tells us we are to come out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing and He will be our God and we will be His people (2 Corinthians 6:17). I know that doesn't mean we drop out of every aspect of life on earth and live in a commune somewhere. However, there's got to be a place that this commandment fits into our every day lives: Perhaps like in building mosques and playing nightclubs.

She said "Yes"

2010-08-22T19:29:00.002-05:00

Donna and I celebrate twenty-nine years of marriage today! Twenty-nine wonderful years with the woman I love! I am truly a blessed man.

To celebrate we went to New Orleans for a weekend away. We dined at John Besh's restaurant August. John is a Top Chef Master who is known all over the world! We enjoyed a wonderful meal in a beautiful setting. I love the architecture of downtown New Orleans.

After eating, we had tickets to see Brian Regan at The Mahilia Jackson Theater. Brian is one of our family's favorite comedians so needless to say, Robin and Chase were a little sore when they found out we were going to see him without them! Regan did not disappoint - what a funny guy! All of his jokes were new material we had never heard before. I'm thinking Comedy Central has to be doing a new live recording soon. Just a sample: What happens when you have second thoughts about making an appointment to visit with Native Americans? You have reservation, reservation reservations! (LOL!)

This morning we got up and went to the French Quarter. After breakfast we strolled around and enjoyed the work of local artists then went to the National WWII Museum and watched the 4-D Documentary produced by Tom Hanks called Beyond All Boundaries. If you haven't seen it, you should.

It was a great weekend, it's been a great twenty-nine years! I'm so glad that so many years years ago she said "Yes."

Stepping (Back) Up To The Mic

2010-08-16T08:20:00.001-05:00

As a teenager, like many, I wanted to be a performer when I grew up. I took up the guitar at age twelve and started writing songs. I had a few bands through the years and thought, "One day I will do this for a living." Needless to say, it's not the path God chose for me. After becoming a Christ-follower, I almost immediately formed a band and started writing Christian songs, performing in youth groups, Detention Centers, Camps, you name it. I assumed it would be my ministry, but God had other ideas. However, music always had a role in the ministry God gave me. For over fifteen years I led worship in the three youth ministries I led and assisted with the music ministries in those churches. When I moved back to Lafayette to become the Lead Pastor here at Crossroads Church I no longer participated in the music presentation of our church. I've been very involved in selection, but hardly ever in performance.

Recently, our Music Pastor started having problems with his voice and needed some help with worship leading. I started taking on more and more of those responsibilities in our mid-week service until Pastor Coy Watson's voice has a chance to heal up. (He actually has a tear on one of his vocal cords, so please keep him in prayer. I miss his singing like crazy!) I must admit I have enjoyed getting back on the mic and I realize there's a satisfaction associated with this aspect of my calling that I have really been missing. This past weekend, I stepped out and did a cover of the Needtobreathe song "Something Beautiful." This is probably only the third or forth time I've actually done a solo at our church in over eleven years. I had a lot of fun doing it. I'm not going to give up my day job, but I might take on an assignment now and again just for old time sake.

The Doctor Is In(sensitive)

2010-08-13T23:29:00.003-05:00

Let me say from the onset, I have only heard Dr. Laura's show a couple of times. I actually share many of her conservative convictions. From what I understand, she usually has very practical, many times even biblical advise for her listeners. Yesterday, she got it dead wrong!

If you missed the coverage of what happened, here's a brief explanation: An African American woman called into the show to complain about her Caucasian husband whose friends and family often make racial comments that make the woman really uncomfortable. The doctor immediately suggested that the lady might just be over-sensitive then proceeded to demonstrate some of the greatest insensitivity a person could muster. When the woman (very politely) informed Dr. Laura that they even use the 'N' word sometimes, the radio host pointed out that many in the black community call each other that word all the time and that it bothers her because it seems to be a double standard. She went on to point out that we now have an African American president, implying that people should just get over it and move on.

To her credit, Dr. Laura issued an apology today, but the damage is done. You just can't simply unsay the things she said. The interesting thing is, I think I understand where she's coming from, to a degree. No one should use the 'N' word and if someone is truly against racism, they should never justify the use of it under any circumstances. I also agree that it seems like the election of our first black president should have leveled the playing field a little bit and yet the opposite seems to have actually happened. Now if one doesn't agree with the policies of the president, they're accused of being a racist. There is a frustration rising among whites these days, but it does not give anyone a license to do and say the things Dr. Laura did yesterday. There are deep wounds in the African American community from years of bigoted mistreatment, but that doesn't give anyone the right to slap the 'racist' label on people who aren't.

I suppose racism may be more deeply rooted than ever before in some segments of both the black and white communities, but there are many of us that want it to go away once and for all and never rear it's ugly head again! It's true that some may be over-sensitive, but in my opinion the greater sin would be insensitivity! So instead of peddling bad advice to unsuspecting listeners, I would admonish Dr. Laura, Physician - Heal thyself!

A King Meets His King

2010-08-11T12:09:00.004-05:00

R.S. King, a beloved pastor for over forty years here in Acadiana, went home to be with the Lord Monday at 91 years old. What an incredible legacy he leaves behind. This is one of a hand full of men who came into south Louisiana in the early 20th Century and paved the way for Evangelical Pentecostalism in this area. Without guys like Pastor King, Crossroads Church would not exist today and we thank God for this wonderful man and the ministry God gave him. He was a pastor's pastor. When I first arrived in Lafayette in the mid 80's I rarely visited a hospital without running into the man. He was always there, reaching out to the sick and the needy. The Bible talks about those of whom this fallen world is not worthy and R.S. King would certainly fit in that category. He wore his name well. He was a king among men and now this king has finally met his King at his heavenly home!

His funeral will be held at First Assembly of God in Youngsville Saturday, August 14 at 1:00 p.m.

Celebrate Our Progress

2010-08-10T11:35:00.008-05:00

Well, the day has finally arrived! After almost three years our plans are drawn, our financing is secured, our contractor is hired and this week, we break ground on our new Fifteen Hundred-seat Worship Center. Our contract states that it will be completed by October of 2011, just fourteen months from now! The expansion will include a large gathering area, a nice cafe and bookstore and a new office area for all of our staff except our Youth and Master's Commission personnel whose offices will be housed in our existing facility. That facility will be renovated and completely turned over to Youth and Children's Ministry, providing enough room for those departments to literally triple in size.

With our new auditorium we will be able to go to two weekend services and accommodate Three Thousand adults. Our Children's Ministry typically runs 1/3 of our adult numbers, so with just two services we could accommodate Four Thousand people and with three services we could accommodate Six Thousand people! That's more than twice what we're currently averaging each weekend!

I have no doubt that it won't take that long for us to need to go to three services! I can see this expansion taking the lid off our growth and allowing us to explode! We will draw up plans for a third phase the minute we need to go to a third service so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past.

I know the construction will provide plenty of inconveniences for those who attend our services week to week, but our people are so excited about making room for increase they will be thrilled to patiently endure the next fourteen months. The truth is, Crossroads Church has never been that convenient to attend as it is! People attend a church located in a very difficult location to get to (we're the church everyone can see and few people can find), endure difficulty parking and finding a seat, select from multiple services and bring their children up and down stairs to their classes because God is present in our services and lives are being changed!

Normally, when a store or a place of business has construction work going on, they'll post a sign that says "Pardon our progress." I think our sign will say "Celebrate our progress!"

Let the celebration begin!

Louisiana Laziness

2010-07-28T18:13:00.004-05:00

Wow. This one hurt! A recent article in Business Weekly declared Louisiana the laziest state in America. Considering how lazy Americans are in general, it's a pretty insulting concept. The study states that a lack of access to fitness areas contributes to the laziness title.

I know I'm just one Louisianian, but I've decided to accept the challenge this article presents and get a little retrospective. I wouldn't say I'm real lazy, but I guess if I were comparing myself to my dad and the work ethic he had at my age, I'd probably pretty much fit the bill! He was a hard working dude!

My Uncle Vernon, my dad's brother, preached for me a few weeks ago here at Crossroads and told about a time he and my dad dug a water well at my grandfather's house BY HAND! I can't even imagine it! I remember digging a grave for one of our dogs that died a few years ago and it almost killed me! I seriously wondered if I had dug the grave big enough because I was afraid they might have to burry me in it too!

When it comes to my job/ministry, I'm not lazy at all. I'm very dedicated and diligent about what God has called me to. I refuse to grow 'comfortable' with where we are in ministry and I'm always working towards doing more and accomplishing more to the glory of God. However - at home - I really need to get off my behind! I have a farm with lots of demands in regards to fix-it-up and keep-it-up work that I often find even the thought of completely OVERWHELMING! Yet, I know if I would just commit myself to the disciplines my father had, my efforts would be so worthwhile. It would ultimately be so good for me and would leave a much smaller pile of wood, hay and stumble when I stand before my maker to answer to Him about how I lived my life in the laziest state in the union!

Video Blog - The Making of the "Submerged" Message Series Video Opener

2010-07-23T23:18:00.005-05:00

I hope you enjoy this little video blog we captured on the set of our new Message Series Video Opener called "Submerged!" It is a very interesting approach to film making and I know you're going to love the final project that I'll post here sometime early next week!

Subjects or Citizens?

2010-07-22T08:01:00.001-05:00

I read recently that scientists have used new laser technology to solve a mystery. For years historians were baffled by a word that Jefferson had used then blotted out in his original Draft of the Declaration of Independence. They didn't know if he had misspelled the word or used a different one, but the word he ultimately chose was the word 'citizen.' Because of breakthroughs in modern technology, scientists have been able to make out the word he had originally written. Interestingly, he had originally used the word 'subjects.'

Wow! Think about that for a minute! This is the Declaration of Independence! He is declaring our independence from Great Britain! Yet he still, at least subconsciously, thinks of himself as a subject to the crown.

This tells me something about Jefferson. It tells me he had a hard time getting his head around the idea of being free. I don't think he had a hard time getting his heart around the notion, but his mind was a different story.

I think we're like that sometimes. Jesus said in John 8:36, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." My heart believes that, but sometimes I have a hard time getting my head around that truth. The devil is able to convince me I have to do something I don't really want to do. I don't really think of myself as the free man Christ has created me to be!

Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." We need to see ourselves as Christ sees us. We need to see ourselves as the free men we really are, free from sin and no longer subjects of the devil! We need to declare our Independence!

America Medley

2010-07-16T16:38:00.002-05:00

Here's an America Medley we did at our church on July 4, 2010. It was a lot of fun! The soloists who joined me here are my nephew Jordy Davidson covering John Cougar Melancamp's "Little Pink Houses," Jane Lantier covering Martina McBride's "Independence Day" and Richard Gaspard wrapping things up with Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA." My assignments were Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" and Neil Diamond's classic "Coming To America." I had a really good time playing rock star!

No Oil Spill Here!

2010-07-15T16:08:00.001-05:00

I am definitely a mountain guy. I don't care much for the beach at all. I have a lot of friends this time of year who are leaving for vacations on the beach. In Louisiana, that typically means the gulf coast of Mississippi, Alabama or Florida. Sometimes it means Galveston or if you're looking for a much less expensive option - maybe Holly Beach. (LOL!)

This year my beach-loving friends are all meeting with some complications due to the BP Oil spill. To me, it's all the same. If you're going to lay there miserable in the sweltering heat and humidity of the gulf of Mexico with sand sticking to your sweaty, sunburned body while lots of fat people with way too much skin showing walk around you, what difference does a few tar balls make? Give me the Rocky Mountains any day of the week! Doesn't matter what time of the year - Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - It's beautifully picturesque and there's plenty to do (without the afore mentioned sweat and sand and fat people hanging out of their swimsuits!)

Yesterday we learned some good friends have purchased us a week's accommodations in Steamboat Springs, CO this coming February for a nice skiing vacation. We are SO excited! Come February we'll enjoy the scenery and the snow, the friendship and the fun and guess what - No tar balls!

Robin's Last Day at Chick-fil-a and Some Thoughts From A Former Pea-picker

2010-07-08T17:37:00.004-05:00

Today was Robin's last day as an employee of Chic-fil-a. It was her first job and a very good one. They are a great company with wonderful morals and require their employees to be courteous, to dress appropriately and to treat customers (and each other) with respect! I would recommend any family who has a son or daughter contemplating their first job to consider Chick-fil-a. Robin will be going through Master's Commission this fall and between now and then she will be working as a nanny for a family in our church. Nannying is a good fit for Robin. She loves kids and kids love her. It makes me believe I can look forward to a wonderful passel of grandkids one day. (One day a long, long time from now!)

I remember my first job: My first job the government knew about and I paid taxes on that is (there were many other after school watermelon hauling, hay hauling, and the hauling of other various things type jobs that were really the equivalent of slave labor that I did before this). My first job that required me to get a social security number (you didn't get those at birth in those days) was a job at the Louisiana Experimental Station in Calhoun, LA. I literally picked peas every day all day long for an entire summer. It was hot, hard, back-breaking work that I believe paid $2.15 an hour.

What is the moral of this story? I have none, but to say that Robin retiring from her first line of work put me in mind of my first job and made me thankful that I'm not still picking peas for a living! I wonder if some of you would like to share your first job experiences?

One Proud Papa (and mom)

2010-07-04T17:35:00.003-05:00

Mr. Monk The Entertainer

2010-07-02T21:26:00.005-05:00

I love movies, but I don't watch a lot of television. There just aren't many shows that are written well enough to keep my attention. Monk was the exception. Here's what happened.

Our family discovered Monk late (a year or so ago) and started watching it on DVD. This past season (the final season) we recorded on our DVR and just got to the finale tonight. It was very bittersweet. I loved this show!

What's not to love about an OCD, germaphobic detective? That thing he did with his hands, the wipes, his little sayings... It was a masterpiece!

We loved the characters: Randy Disher, Captain Stottlemyer, Harold the rival nutcase - There were some really great characters on the show. I have to say I liked Natalie more than Sharona (she dressed way too trampy!) but I preferred Dr. Kroger over Dr. Bell.

Monk's devotion to his wife's memory and the tenderness he felt for her was always moving. I wish more marriages were portrayed that way on T.V.

Now here's the thing: What I loved most about Monk was he provided Donna, Chase and I a lot of laughs (Robin wasn't a fan). We're definitely going to miss him! I guess you might say the show was a gift... and a curse.

My Church-Planting Heritage

2010-06-23T15:54:00.014-05:00

This is 1935 footage of my Great, Great, Grandfather - Hampton House Stratton. He was born in Obion County Tennessee on June 24, 1843. Hampton fought in the Civil War - originally for the south, but after being captured by the Union Army he agreed to fight for the North. After the war ended he became a Christ-follower and eventually was called into ministry. He planted over sixty churches in his life time. His brother, Uriah planted forty churches and the two of them, along with Uriah's Father-in-law established the General Baptist Organization in Missouri. On September 18, 1937 - After preaching a sermon about Heaven in the first church he had planted in Ellsinore, Missouri - Hampton House Stratton collapsed dead in the pulpit. They literally had to pry his hands from the podium.

I've just recently learned about Hampton. My father never mentioned him - I don't think he ever knew anything about him. It's so interesting that I would learn of this heritage after recently feeling God call me to begin planting churches across the country. This is no coincidence - This is confirmation! I can't let that old man plant more churches than me! We've got to get busy! I pray one day they'll have to pry my hands from a pulpit as well!

The Story of Toys

2010-06-22T07:47:00.003-05:00

The people at Pixar can do no wrong! They keep cranking out some of the absolute best entertainment in the motion picture industry today. The incredible thing is it's all clean, family-friendly fare. Each offering they've given us over the past twenty years has been solid! Finding Nemo, Monster's Inc., The Incredibles - even the short films they produce are better than most of the stuff coming out of Hollywood! And then there's the staple: The Toy Story Trilogy!

I watched the third installment last night and I was just blown away! Once again - a great story line, remarkable animation, hilarious dialog, the pulling of the heart strings - It was all there! What a classy way to say goodbye to these characters we've fallen in love with through the course of the three films! It is arguably the greatest film trilogy of all time. I know there will be those who will point to The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars movies, but no other film trilogy has been as consistently good and has had the ability to have each film potentially stand on it's own merit more than Toy Story.

At the end of the day, the charm of the Toy Story franchise is it's familiarity - It's our story. Any one who ever had a toy box as a kid can relate to the nostalgia that Pixar invokes with these wonderful films. Thanks Pixar for giving us the story of these unforgettable toys that have helped us remember what our own childhood was like!

A visit with legacy

2010-06-21T03:02:00.002-05:00

I had an incredible visit this weekend with my Uncle Vernon and Aunt Carolyn Ables and their son Greg. Last year, not long after Father's Day, God gave me an idea for this year's June message series: A series called Legacy that would include my Father's Day message. The whole idea revolved around bringing my uncle and cousin in to present our church with an example of Spiritual Legacy. You see, both my Uncle and my cousin are pastors. My Uncle Vernon pastors a great church in Searcy, Arkansas outside of Little Rock and my cousin Greg pastors a wonderful church in the greater Tulsa area in Oklahoma. Most of you know my dad was a pastor and I followed in his footsteps, just like Greg followed in his father's footsteps. My dad and my Uncle Vernon have another brother, my Uncle Tracy who is a pastor as well and he has sons who have followed him into ministry!

So many people in our church are first generation Christ followers. Meaning, their parents and grandparents didn't serve Christ - They are the first in their families to make that decision. I wanted to provide them with an example of multi-generational Christianity so they will have the faith to believe God to help them begin their own legacy of faith!

What a great weekend it was! Greg and Uncle Vernon preached an incredible message and Greg even surprised me with an old film strip of our Great, Great Grandfather from 1935 who was a pastor and church planter. (I'll post more about him in a blog entry soon including the afore mentioned film strip!) Both my uncle and my cousin commented this weekend on the impact my dad had on their lives and I realized that all of us have been effected by the legacy my dad left behind. Along with the joy of having my family in services with us this weekend, we also had some awesome time to hang out with them along with my sister Holane and her family, laughing and talking about all the great times gone by. Today was the first Father's Day Greg was able to spend with his dad since 1994! I'm glad we were able to arrange that! It was a great opportunity to visit with legacy!