MAKE SPACE

When Keith and I started our Small Group, we read this story as a way to help our new friends see our vision for, not only our little group, but for the church as a whole.  This story, found in three different books of the Bible [Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5], challenges us to be different, to live eyes wide opened, to create space, and to relentlessly pursue Jesus.

One day Jesus was teaching in a home and a large crowd of people gathered to hear him speak. The power of the Lord was with Him to heal. The house where He was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no place to stand, not even outside the door.

While Jesus was preaching to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.  They tried to bring him and put him down before Jesus, but there were so many people that they could not find a way.

So they [the four friends] climbed on the roof,

dug a hole above Jesus' head, and lowered the mat into the room

so that the crippled man was lying before Jesus.

Jesus said to the paralyzed man,

"Stand up.  Take your mat and go home."

The man immediately stood up in front of everyone.

He picked up his mat and walked home, praising God.

Every time I read this story, I find myself asking the question...

Who am I?  Am I the crowd, the friend, or the paralytic?

THE CROWD.

They came from all over the area filling the house inside and out.

They heard Jesus was speaking and they wanted to hear what He had to say.

They knew Jesus could heal.

The religious leaders claimed their front row seats closest to Jesus,

but they were shallow in their thinking and blinded to their own needs.

The people filled the house to listen, learn, and see,

but they didn't notice the crippled and hurting people around them.

They shared space with Jesus, but they didn’t have an encounter with Him.

They witnessed four grown men lower their friend from the roof and place him the feet of Jesus, but it never dawned on them that they are just as needy, just a paralyzed.

FOUR FRIENDS.

They were going toward Jesus.

They had a friend who was paralyzed that they wanted Jesus to heal.

They knew getting their friend to Jesus would be hard, but they refused to leave him behind.

They didn’t get discouraged when the crowd refused to make room for their friend.

They were willing to go the distance, carry the weight of their friend, destroy private property, and not stop until their friend was lying at the feet of Jesus.

They were tired and exhausted from carrying their friend, but their hearts were full as they look down through the roof at their friend laying right in front of Jesus.

They did their part, had faith that Jesus would heal, and watched their friend walk home, worshiping God.

THE PARALYTIC.

He was paralyzed and needed help.

He was unable to get to Jesus on his own.

He was needy, struggling, and messy.

He was carried on his bed mat, the mat he lived on.

He and his mat were not able to get cleaned up before meeting Jesus.

If and when he got to Jesus, he needed people to be willing to make space for him.

He was blessed with friends who had their eyes and hearts fixed on Jesus.

He was immediately healed by Jesus and obeyed by getting up and going.

His encounter with Jesus forever changed him.

Who am I?

Who are you?

As a church, who are we?

It is so easy to be the crowd.  It is a role that, if we take our eyes off of the gospel, we innocently slip into.  We can get in the routine of going to church, claiming our seat, saying hello to the familiar faces around us, and without realizing it, go completely blind.

Blind to the lost.

Blind to the hurting.

Blind to the messy.

Blind to those very things in us.

If our Small Group is full of the crowd, the group becomes so inward focused that we make it hard for outsiders to come in, to feel part, to meet Jesus.  They have to work at it.  They have to be willing to keep coming back week after week and to make the hole in the ceiling big enough to fit through.

“How tragic it is when spectators stand in the way

of people who want to meet Jesus.”

{Warren Wiersbe}

To be a friend, like one of the four, is tough.  We have to make our relationship with Jesus our number one priority.  We have to commit to keeping our eyes on Him.  We have to purposefully take a step toward Jesus everyday single day.  If we are going pick up a hurting friend and carry them to Jesus, we need to already be walking in that direction.

It takes love, grace, and mercy.

It takes patience and determination.

It takes faith to trust that Jesus is enough and it provides unspeakable joy when you see your friend stand up and go, praising God.

The paralytic is a role we will all find ourselves in at some point or another.  When life gets messy and we become paralyzed by our hurts and disappointments, we have to humble ourselves and ask for help.  Lying down, paralyzed, acting like everything is good is just crazy.  It's pride.

There is nothing shameful about needing help.

There is nothing shameful about life being messy.

We often feel defeated because we have an enemy who preys on the hurting.  Satan wants to make us think the mat is comfortable.  He can even make us resentful if the people in our lives refuse to keep carrying us around.  We have to remember that the goal is always to be carried to Jesus.  We are suppose to be left at His feet.  After we've been on the mat a while, getting up is hard.  But we are suppose to get up, take our mat, and begin walking the path of healing, which can be painful.  But, the quicker we get up and go, the quicker the pain and suffering can be redeemed.

I pray that our church looks and acts like the four friends.

I pray that the messy and hurting feel safe in our groups.

I pray that we will make space so that it is easy for people to meet Jesus.

#ilovemychurch #ilovecc #crosschurch

Several years ago, when the gift of Miles turned our family upside down, the hardest thing for me was being isolated at home. Miles couldn’t handle the real world and I couldn’t handle Miles. So when we weren’t at therapy, we were home.

I was so used to serving in Keith’s ministry. Right by his side.

I didn’t expect to feel so lost, so useless, so left out.

But God…

He changed my purpose for that season.

I wasn’t being left out, I was being freed up.

When I was in that place of feeling lonely and stuck, God reminded me that I don’t have to be physically present to be on the front line of ministry.  He challenged me to make praying for my husband and the other families we serve with my new ministry. I could have an eternal impact and celebrate all God was doing throughout our church by praying for our staff and their specific ministries every week. I could play a part in protecting their marriages and families by praying for them and their children by name every month. So I did. And what God did in my heart was the most unexpected blessing.

God began to knit these people, these families on my heart.

I want them to walk closely and intimately with Jesus.

I want their marriages to attract people to Jesus.

I want their children to grow up to love Jesus.

I want their ministries to help people know Jesus.

There are so many things I love about my church,

but nothing comes close to the love I have for our staff.

Each person is special.

Each one completely unique.

Each person is important.

Each one part of the team.

And our leader, our Pastor, there is no one else like him.

He is an Early-rising, Jesus-loving, Gospel-preaching, Vision-casting,

SBC-leading, World-traveling, Football-watching, family man.

He is driven.

He is gracious.

And he leads us well.

His eyes and heart are fixed on Jesus and he is “running hard toward the finish line to receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us.”

And that’s why we follow him.

We know exactly where he is going.

We know exactly where we will end up.

As I sat down yesterday to pray for my Tuesday’s, our staff, I was simply amazed as I looked at the team God has formed. We all came to Cross Church from different places. And for this season, God has put us all on the same team to serve the same church to reach the same community with one simple goal...

to reach the world for Jesus.

CROSS CHURCH
Springdale  -  Pinnacle Hills  -  Fayetteville  -  Fayetteville East  -  Neosho

The Cross Church staff is made up of difference makers and world changers and standing in the gap for them the last several years has been such a blessing. Life looks different for me now and I am able to go and do and serve again, but I continue the ministry of praying for our staff because it fills me with love and compassion for them. And because lately, I have a stirring.

It's big.

It's heavy.

I feel the weight of it deep in my heart.

And I am expectant.

God is moving.

God is up to something.

Will you join us?

Will you pray with us?

Will you serve with us?

Will you BE THE CHURCH that you want Cross Church to be?

Will you COME EXPECTANT that Jesus will show up and you will leave changed?

The church is not a building, a Pastor, a staff.

The church is a people, a community, a tribe.

Jesus loves the church.

Jesus died for the church.

Together, we are the church.

Together, we are Cross Church.

"God has meticulously put this body together;

He placed each part in the exact place to perform the exact function He wanted."

{1 Corinthians 12:18}

BE THE CHURCH…COME EXPECTANT

We started a conversation called BE THE CHURCH a couple of years ago and God is still writing that message on my heart.  I don't choose where I attend church, God does.  And as I submit my heart [will, desires] to the Lord, He plants me in a specific church [tribe, community] for a specific purpose.

"God has meticulously put this body together;

He placed each part in the exact place to perform the exact function He wanted."

{1 Corinthians 12:18}

As I have been trying to internalize the idea that, my view of my church is often a reflection of what is going on in my own heart, God has been speaking a new word, a new conversation to my heart...

…come expectant.

There is a story in the Bible of a woman.  I don't know her name and know very little of her story, but I think about her everyday.  The woman lived on the western side of the Sea of Galilee and struggled for over twelve years with an ongoing medical issue.  TWELVE YEARS.  She tried to get help many times, but each time she left worse than before and eventually found herself completely broke.

To complicate things even further, her issue was a protracted [extensive, lengthily, lingering] menstrual problem that kept her ritually unclean and unable to fully participate in Jewish life throughout its duration.

After twelve long years, I imagine she was broke, miserable, hopeless, lonely, isolated, and desperate.

Then one day, she hears about a man who casts out demons, heals the sick, makes the lame to walk, and makes the blind to see.  I wonder if she immediately knew she was going to find Jesus or if she was scared to even get her hopes up?  I wonder if she would have believed had she not been so desperate?

When Jesus and the disciples returned to the Galilean side of the sea, they were welcomed by a large crowd of people.  As they walked through the narrow streets, people were everywhere.  They pressed in on Him.  The crowds were smothering.

No one noticed the woman following, keeping her distance.  For her to be there was risky.  She was suppose to yell "unclean" if anyone got near her so not to defile them.  But she couldn't help herself.  She showed up expectant and was determined to touch his robe.

She acted on what she heard about Jesus, what she believed about Jesus.
And when He walked by, she reached out and touched the hem of his garment.

"And immediately the flow of blood dried up,

and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease."

{Mark 5:29}

Then all of the sudden, Jesus stopped…

"Who touched my garment?'"

{Mark 5:30b}

The disciples basically start reminding Jesus that He is surrounded by a crowd of people, all who are pressing in on them.  All touching Him, yet all denying that it was them.

But Jesus insists…

"Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me."

{Luke 8:46}

Jesus' desire to know who touched Him was stronger and more persistent than the woman's desire to touch Jesus.  Jesus wants to encounter the woman!  He wanted to meet the woman whose faith resulted in a miracle!

And this is where my head spins.

There were people all around Jesus.  Leaning on Him.  Touching Him.  There is no way in a crowd that large that the woman was the only one who needed a fresh touch from Jesus.  And yet, power didn't leave Him when the crowd pressed in.  They were in the presence of Jesus but they did not have a single encounter with Him.

And God keeps reminding me…I get to choose.
I can be the crowd or I can be the woman.
But it all starts with me.

Do I come expectant?

How many of us go to church every Sunday, but we don't go expectant?
We stand and sit in the crowd, in the presence of Jesus, and leave without ever encountering Him.  We press in, we raise our hands, but don't actually expect to leave changed, to leave different.  Some have even decided it's not worth the trouble so we just stay home and watch church online.  

No matter where God has planted me, I am to come expectant every Sunday.
If Jesus is going to show up and encounter someone, I want it to be me!

I am choosing to come expectant.

Not expectant of the music being what I want.
Not expectant of the pastor preaching the way I like.
Not expectant of the church bending to my wants and desires.

When I come to church expecting anything but a touch and encounter with Jesus,
I leave just as broken, desperate, and jacked up as when I walked in the door.

So I am choosing, choosing to come expectant that Jesus is present and wants to speak a fresh Word into my heart and breath life into my soul.

TRANSITION

After twenty-one years of Student Ministry, we are saying good-bye.

We have served at five different churches in five different states.

We have had to say good-bye more times than we care to remember.
But this is different.

This has been our life.

This has been our calling.

Over the years, we have had the honor and privilege to love, support, hang out with, and point thousands of students to Jesus. We have watched them grow up right before our eyes and we have loved them like they were our own kids. To imagine life any other way seems impossible.

I am so honored that their parents trusted us with their children by allowing them to come to our home weekly for Bible study, by sending them with us as we did mission projects, youth camps, leadership conferences and weekend retreats. Thank you, parents, for believing in and trusting us with your most prized possessions. Thank you for allowing us to partner with you. The seriousness of that responsibility is not lost on us.

For those of you with teenagers in your home, I pray that you will see them the way Keith and I see them. They are not your little boy or little girl. They are leaders. They are world changers. They are the Pastors, the CEOs, the business men/women, the Moms/Dads, the teachers of their generation. They each have a unique calling on their life and God wants to use them to change their world!

If you were in our Student Ministry at one time or another, please know that we dearly love you. You changed us. We would not be who we are today without your influence in our lives.

Some of you surrendered your lives to Jesus and are serving in ministry/missions.
We are so proud of you!
Some of you are husbands/wives and you are working to have a Biblical marriage.
We are so proud of you!
Some of you are Moms and Dads and you are pointing your children to Jesus.
We are so proud of you!
Some of you had the deck stacked against you and you changed your family tree.
We are so proud of you!
Some of you are working hard in the workplace supporting your self/family.
We are so proud of you!

And some of you, you're struggling. Somewhere along the way you took your eyes off of Jesus. Please come home. The body of Christ needs you. Your church needs you.

We will always love you and believe in you!

In the last twenty-one years, we have had hundreds and hundreds of Youth Workers, Associates, Interns and Admins that have been like family. You sacrificially gave of your time and energy to serve Students. You were the foundation. You were the heroes. We came and left and many of you stayed the course. It has been such an honor to do life with each and every one of you. Words can not express how much we loved serving along side you and seeing how God used your unique giftedness to serve the body of Christ. Thank you for loving and supporting us all of these years. Sometimes up close and sometimes from a distance. We will never be the same because of you!

So what's next for our family?
We are staying at Cross Church and in the next month, Keith will transition from Student Ministry to Marriage Ministry.

God sort of snuck up on us.

He has been using our struggles the last few years to turn our hearts.

He has given us a burden for Marriages and Families.

Specifically, a burden to help couples build a strong foundation based on the authority of God's Word.

Doing life with students the last twenty-one years, we have hugged, cried with, and ministered to hundreds and hundreds of kids whose hearts were shattered because their families were falling apart.  This transition allows us to do Student Ministry from a different angle.  We get to love and support the people who have the single most influence on their lives.  We get to grab a shovel and help their parents dig through the dirt and gravel that Satan throws their way as they work hard to build a solid foundation for their family and the thousands of generations to come.

We are excited.

We are scared.

We are humbled that God would choose to continue to use us.

Please pray for our family as we make this transition.

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BE THE CHURCH...

Keith and I have been married for 16 years.

In those 16 years, we have been members of 5 different churches.

We have had the honor and privilege of serving with some of the greatest pastors, church staffs, and volunteers in America and we love them all dearly.

Were they perfect?

Not even close!

But it didn't matter, we were part of a team that God put together to love and serve our community in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Every time God opened a door for us to pray about a new ministry opportunity, we never prayed about if we were suppose to go, but instead asked if we were suppose to leave.

We have never left a church because we were unhappy.

Never left because we were seeking something new.

Instead, every time we left a church family, it was because God released us.

It was always hard.

Always heartbreaking.

But always with a excitement to see what God was up to, not only for where we were going, but also for the church we were leaving.

But, I realize that I've made a mistake.

I've always assumed that decision was for those of us in ministry.

I've always assumed that church members get to choose to stay or go.

I was wrong.

I read a book recently that has challenged my thinking on this very topic.  There is a section in the middle of John Bevere's book, The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense, that I keep going back to.  Below are several of the highlights that I can't seem to get out of my mind.

We do not choose where we go to church, God does!

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased."     {1 Corinthians 12:18}

When God does call you to leave, He says you will be led out with peace.

Not bitter.  Not angry.  Not fed up.  Not resentful.  Not offended.

But with JOY and with PEACE!

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace."

{Isaiah 55:12}

Your departure should not be based on the actions or behavior of others, but rather on the Spirit's leading.

If you're in the place where God wants you, the devil will try to offend you to get you out.  He wants to uproot men and women from the place where God plants them.  Why?  Because when you're out of the will of God, you will not be a blessing or help to any church.

So what if you want to leave but God says stay, or He says nothing at all?

You stay!

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God."     {Psalm 92:13}

Stay where God has planted you.  If we did not run so fast from spiritual resistance, our root systems would have a chance to become stronger and deeper.  We should not resist the very thing God sends to mature us.

God has you where you are for a reason.  He has a unique purpose that only you can fulfill and the church that He has set you in needs your gifts and talents.  We need you!  You are such an important part of the team!  We are better when we are each working together to do our part, no matter how big or small.

If you are struggling with a bad attitude or critical spirit, this parable might help you gain some perspective...

Back in the days when the settlers were moving to the West, a wise man stood on a hill outside a new Western town.  As the settlers came from the East, the wise man was the first person they met before coming to the settlement.  They asked eagerly what the people of the town were like. 

He answered them with a question:  "What were the people like in the town you just left?" 

Some said, "The town we came from was wicked.  The people were rude gossips who took advantage of innocent people.  It was filled with thieves and liars."

The wise man answered, "This is the same as the one you left."

They thanked the man from saving them from the trouble they had just come out of.  They then moved further west.

Then another group of settlers arrived and asked the same question: "What is this town like?"

The wise man asked again, "What was the town like where you came from?"

These responded, "It was wonderful!  We had dear friends.  Everyone looked out for the others' interest.  There was never any lack because all cared for one another.  If someone had a big project, the entire community gathered to help.  It was a hard decision to leave, but we felt compelled to make way for future generations by going west as pioneers."

The wise old man said to them exactly what he said to the other group: "This town is the same as the one you left."

These people responded with joy, "Let's settle here!"

How they viewed their past relations was their scope for their future ones.

And that got me thinking...

Is the way I view my church just a reflection of what's going on inside of me?

If my view is negative, did I bring bitterness and/or resentment with me from my last church?  Do I see everything through the lens of offense.  If so, healing must take place.  I cannot fulfill the role that God has for me until I deal my stuff.  

What kind of church do I want to be part of?

I want to be part of a church that loves God.
I want to be part of a church that is crazy about Jesus.
I want to be part of a church that treasures the Word of God.
I want to be part of a church that is serious about prayer.
I want to be part of a church that is committed spreading the Gospel.
I want to be part of a church that loves people and is quick to extend grace.
I want to be part of a church that makes visitors feel welcome and at home.
I want to be part of a church that serves our community.
I want to be part of a church that cares for the least of these.
I want to be part of a church that doesn't pretend to have it all together.

Where do I find a church like that?

I become it.

When these statements become true in my life...

I love God.

I am crazy about Jesus.
I treasure the Word of God.
I am serious about prayer.
I am committed to spreading the Gospel.
I love people and am quick to extend grace.
I make visitors feel welcome and at home.
I serve my community.
I am committed to caring for the least of these.
I don't have it all together and I don't pretend to.

...it completely changes my view of my church.

We are all part of a team that God put together to love and serve our community in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Find your place.  Be the church.  Join us!