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Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Welcome to the blog for Cross Road Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Keep up to date with all that is happening at Cross Road - especially God's activity around us.
Please use this link for more about Cross Road Baptist Church.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
As a pastor, I am cautious when a child comes forward to accept Christ as Savior and Lord. My experience tells me that certainly a child can be truly saved. I was 8 years old when I was saved. I knew very little about God, Jesus, and salvation at that time. I only knew that I was a sinner and that sin was a problem between God and me. I knew that Jesus was God’s son and that he died on the cross for me. There’s a lot I still don’t understand!
But I also know people who walked the aisle at a young age, were baptized, and thought they were saved. Salvation is an act of the will to agree with God about your sinfulness and to accept his resolution for that problem: Jesus’ death on the cross. Upon confessing Christ as your Savior and committing your life to him, you are saved. It can only be accomplished by grace through faith. Grace is where you don’t deserve what you get. Mercy is where you don’t get what you deserve. Many folks think grace and mercy are the same but there is a subtle yet significant difference! I not only want mercy (not getting what I deserve – punishment and hell) but I also want grace (not deserving what I get – forgiveness and Heaven)! Faith is believing that God is exactly who he says he is and that he will do exactly what he says he will do. Salvation is by grace through faith.
What an awful thing to do to a child to allow him to run through the motions of walking the aisle and being baptized without ever having a true salvation experience! Many adults think they are saved because they walked the aisle, repeated a prayer, and were baptized when a child. They believe they have their ticket to Heaven punched and don’t really care about how they live or living for Christ. That false sense of security that churches place on them can be an eternal disaster.
I don’t want that to happen to any child. So when my son Riley started asking questions about salvation, being a Christian, being baptized, and taking the Lord’s Supper, I was cautious. This has been going on for several months but I just didn’t think he understood the basics: what sin is, that he is a sinner, that Jesus died on the cross as punishment for his sins, that being a Christian is about more than baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Last night I sat on the edge of the bed with him as we said our bedtime prayers. After I said mine he asked me what sin is. He pronounced it with a “d” on the end of it (“send”) so I answered based on that. He corrected me. I wanted to see if he really understood; his correction let me know he had a good idea of what sin is. We talked for a while and also talked with Deana (my wife, his mother). We finally felt comfortable with him praying to receive Christ as Savior.
I think it’s real. And I’m real happy. There is nothing like helping your child be birthed into God’s family. I’ve been privileged to be present when all my sons were born into my family and born into God’s family.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Another great day of missions ministry! God is so good to show himself to us as we serve him. Today, we went to Hot Springs for Cross Connection. This is an event sponsored by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention that provides the opportunity for youth to learn creative ways to do ministry (games, balloons, face painting, puppets…) and a ministry project to complete during the afternoon.
Our project was socializing and yard work at a nursing home in the Hot Springs area. Our 5 youth trimmed a few shrubs, cleaned a window (inside and out), and called a few games of BINGO. This nursing center is unique in that it is operated in an adapted house rather than the institutional set-up I’m accustomed to. That made it easier for our youth.
The bands, the speaker, and the breakout session were fantastic.
It’s been two weeks jam packed with missions! Don’t miss your opportunity to be involved.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Take a look at pictures of Jerod & Bro. Bob working hard at Camp Paron.
http://www.pbacares.com/templates/System/details.asp?id=32222&PID=403877&Style=
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
What a great day! Attendance for Bible Study and Worship was outstanding. The Apostles were wonderful. The food was plentiful and delicious. And the preaching was __________. (You can fill in the blank!)
Thank you for supporting and participating in special days like Friends and Family Day.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
The trip to New Orleans was fantastic. We are planning another trip in October. Start planning now to take part; you will be blessed.
Our team was able to complete hanging sheet rock in two houses, install plumbing fixtures in a house, start hanging sheet rock in one house, and build storage shelves for Arkansas Baptist Builders. Every homeowner we met was full of joy and thankfulness. We witnessed to them and feel confident that most if not all are Christians.
It was an unbelievable experience as God worked through us to restore hope to people who have experienced so much in the last 20 months. Ask me for information about the next trip if you are interested in going.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Anyone supporting VBS will benefit from the VBS Clinic provided by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. The clinic in our area is Thursday, April 26, at First Southern Baptist Church in Bryant. The church is located on Reynolds Road south of I40…just keep driving til you see it on the right. It starts at 6:00pm.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Our team will be leaving early Monday morning for New Orleans to help people repair their homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Arkansas Baptists have been in New Orleans since the Hurricane hit in 2005. We are still there. The work has included clean-up, showers, meals, construction, VBS, block parties, and much more. Since church facilities were damaged and church members were scattered, the work there is broad and includes ministries the local church would/should do…if the church was still there.
We will be working in the Gentilly area and staying at Gentilly Baptist Church. This church once averaged near 300 in worship but now has a few dozen even though they are meeting together with Elysian Fields Baptist Church. Both churches felt the impact of Katrina in both buildings and people. The need is great.
Thank you for contributing to this mission trip in the many ways you have. Please pray NOW that no circumstance will exist that will limit the team’s ability to go. Pray NEXT WEEK for safe travel, witnessing opportunities, job safety, and few or no problems that would limit the team’s ability to carry out the task.
Pray, too, about a possible return trip later in the year. The timeline has been extended through November 2007. Some have expressed a desire to be part of the team but the timing has not worked out for them. Perhaps we can put another trip together in the Fall.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
While our understanding of the details regarding the murders on the campus of Virginia Tech is still coming together, what is clear is that a person has taken the lives of many innocent people. Media outlets are reporting the fatalities as high as 31 at this time with the possibility of the count going even higher. That makes this the deadliest school shooting in a history that includes Westside and Columbine.
Rather than try to explain what happened, let it be enough for now to know that families and communities are hurting and grieving. As Christians we should pray for God’s grace to be prevalent at this time in their lives because we have learned from our own experiences – similar or not – that his grace is the only consolation. While it is now too late to pray for the salvation of the deceased it is never too late to pray that this might open the hearts of others to experience salvation through Christ.
Recent events – Don Imus, NBA star vs referee, school shooting – are evidence that we live in a fallen world among fallen people. When people stop having the mindset that “it’s all about me” and realize that life is about a relationship with Jesus…then we may see a change. I believe this can happen but only when Christians submit themselves completely to the Holy Spirit so that he can move through us and use us to accomplish his purposes.
Over the next days or weeks you may have conversations with family members, friends, coworkers, and others regarding this rampage. Please take that opportunity to express your belief that a relationship with Jesus is the answer to a person’s problems.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
My sister and brother-in-law set out during Spring Break to travel Route 66. They, along with their two daughters and a dog, left with very little on the agenda: no specific places to go and no hotel reservations. The plan was to simply go and do until they had spent all but what was necessary to get home – in other words, until they were broke!
After five or six days on the road my youngest niece called her grandmother and said, “We’re headed home; we’re broke!”
Have you ever been broke? Initially, we think of being broke as a financial situation. I’ve been there. Those were hard times when valuable lessons were learned. Those were times when I was burdened with the weight of not being able to provide for my family like I wanted. Those were times when I felt very inadequate.
“Broke” can also describe your relationships. Maybe a high school sweetheart broke your heart or an adult relationship fell apart. Times like these often spin a person into despair. If it happened to you, did you feel hopeless? This is often the case.
The loss of a job breaks our hearts. The loss of a dear friend or loved one hurts. An arrest or conviction or jail time (your own or a loved one’s) leaves you broken. The doctor’s words bring so much pain yet have a numbing affect at the same time.
For me, I rarely experience one “breaking” thing at a time; it seems like they come in pairs or even in waves.
The apostle Paul might calls these things “a thorn in my flesh.” This great man of God experienced it, too. The burden is so heavy it seems unbearable. When Paul pled with the Lord to remove the burden, Jesus simply replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
It is often said that grace is not getting what you deserve. Let me clarify the point. MERCY is not getting what you deserve. GRACE is getting better than you deserve.
God’s grace is sufficient – enough – best – OK – just what I need.
Sufficient grace is this: when you think you’ve spent all you have and your are broke…you still have enough to get home.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
We finally found a way to keep our dog Sandy outside; she’s been spending the nights in the garage since mid-January. Now that she’s not in the garage Deana has straightened up in there and I’ve moved all the left-overs from the remodeling to the burn pile. We are close to being able to park in the garage!
Spring is the time for cleaning. I have some “yard tools” that were just tossed under the house when we moved in that need attention. My desk is always in need of Spring cleaning no matter what time of year it is!
How about your life? Sometimes little things pile up in our lives. We often just sweep them aside and the clutter grows almost with no notice. Next thing you know, you’re a mess.
Just like neglecting your house cleaning can be a physical health issue, so neglecting your sins is a spiritual health issue. Often, physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and relational issues accompany sin. Don’t you think it’s time for a little Spring cleaning?
This is what God’s Word says about this: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Cleaning out the garage is a lot of work but we always like it better after the work is done. Cleaning up your spiritual house is a lot of work, too, but Jesus did the work for you. All you have to do is confess your sins to him and he will forgive them. You’ll like it better after you do that.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
She wasn’t even a Jew! Even worse, she was a Moabite: a descendent of Lot’s relationship with his older daughter. The Moabites were hostile toward the Hebrew people during the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Ruth was one of them.
Yet God chose to have a book in the Bible tell her story and bear her name. Join me on Sunday nights for a study of a story of decision, compassion, commitment, and blessing.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
God just keeps on being God! And he always surprises me. It’s not that I don’t think he can do great things, it’s just that he does it in new ways. I always believe he CAN do great things; but I’m always surprised at HOW he does them! Praise him!
The choir sang wonderfully as they presented the musical Jesus, the One and Only.
A teenager was baptized.
Another teenager accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
Have you noticed the revival taking place among our youth group? Let’s pray that God continue to be the difference in their lives. Those of you who work with the youth are being excellent vessels in God’s hands. He is using you in amazing ways. That’s what discipleship is all about.
The atmosphere of service, fellowship, and worship are top notch. You are…
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
We had such great services yesterday. Many in our church family have shared with me how God is moving in their lives and directing them. A mark of discipleship is that we hear God’s voice, listen to what he says, and obey his directives. My goal in pastoral ministry is to help the church make and mold disciples.
The morning worship service ended with many filling our prayer altars and one coming to profess faith in Christ as her Savior and Lord. These are GOOD THINGS! To get to that point we had to have open ears and hearts, uplifting worship, and God’s Word binding us together and moving us toward him.
The service last night was an hour of singing and testimony. Again, God moved us as we considered the simple concept of his love for us and the not-so-simple concept of the roll call in Heaven and the calming concept of having a friend in Jesus. These, too, are GOOD THINGS! God’s Word was just as much a part of this service as it was in the morning service…just through the medium of music. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”
What a blessing it is to be your pastor.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
This is borrowed from Crosswalk.com.
You’re not a kid anymore when…
Have a great week!
It is likely that the State Legislature will discuss and perhaps vote on bringing a State Lottery issue to the voters. I have contacted Representative Dan Greenberg and Senator Shane Broadway encouraging them to stand, speak, and vote against this in their respective chambers. Both have responded saying they are against the state lottery. Praise the Lord!
I will not get into a lengthy discussion of gambling at this point, but know that gambling in any form is not good stewardship, hurts families and the poor, and places an extra burden on the government to protect its citizens.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Debbie has decided to have a memorial service for Todd. It will be Thursday at 2:00pm at Roller-Chenal in Little Rock. Your support and presence would be appreciated, I’m sure.
Thank you for being a caring church family.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Recent news about a film regarding the tomb of Jesus and his family have ignited quite a discussion. Some hope to discredit the claims of Christianity that Jesus was resurrected. Others hope to use the film as a springboard into a discussion about the validity of the resurrection. Still others simply take a condescending approach toward those who believe differently – on both sides!
I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Here’s why.
The Empty Tomb
The Bible speaks repeatedly of an empty tomb. And the Bible is reliable evidence because there are more copies of the New Testament from dates very close to when the events happened than of any other writings regarding that period. We have no trouble accepting Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, yet we have hundreds more copies of the Bible than of Homer’s works. A rational person cannot reject the validity of the Bible – and the Bible tells of an empty tomb.
The Post-Resurrection Appearances
Although many, including the Jewish officials of that day, claim the disciples stole the body from the tomb, Jesus appeared to many people after the resurrection. He appeared to the women, to the disciples multiple times, to a group of 500, to the two on the Emmaus Road, and to Saul of Tarsus. This many witnesses in a court of law is overwhelming evidence that nobody would dare contradict.
The Thorough Transformation of the Disciples
This is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence supporting the resurrection. If the resurrection is a hoax, how could the disciples stand up to the authorities like they did? They either scattered or denied knowing Jesus just a few weeks earlier but beginning on Pentecost they were bold. Christian historical tradition tells us that all the disciples except John were put to death for their beliefs; many of them died a tortuous death. Why were they bold? Why were they engaging the culture? Why were they able to do things they had never done before? When you embrace the truth of the resurrection of Jesus you change.
The Conversion and Testimony of Saul of Tarsus
We are first introduced to the great missionary Paul before his conversion as Saul of Tarsus – a Jewish religious zealot. Instead of going down in history as the biggest persecutor of Christians, we know him as the greatest missionary ever. Why did he forsake his former way of life and embrace Christianity? He met a living Jesus.
The Absence of a Valid Contemporary Denial
The authorities had many opportunities to deny the resurrection: Peter and John stood before them accused of preaching in the name of Jesus and all the authorities said was to stop preaching in his name. One would think that Jewish historians would have depicted Jesus in a negative light – if they mentioned him at all. Yet hear what Flavius Josephus, who lived 37-97 AD wrote about Jesus in Antiquities. “He was the Christ…He appeared to them alive on the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold.”
The Immediate Growth of the Christian Church
The immediate and sustained growth of the Christian church can only be explained in light of a resurrected Lord. If this is a hoax then the disciples would not have preached as they did, the converts would have been fewer, the story would have lost enthusiasm from generation to generation, the story would have grown as legends do, and the millions of lives changed over the years would have felt no lasting affect. But the story is the same today as 2000 years ago, it has gained momentum, and lives are truly changed as believers continue to aggressively proclaim the gospel.
The Lord’s Day
Do you know why we worship as a believing community on Sundays? It’s because of the resurrection. It happened on the morning after the Sabbath, which was from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. The women found the empty tomb on Sunday morning. The church began meeting on Sunday in honor of the resurrection of the Savior. Just one more piece of evidence pointing to the truth of the resurrection.
I believe in the resurrection and my life is different because of it.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
A word that describes the church as depicted in the Book of Acts is “common.” Not that the church is common; it is supernatural – a work of God! By “common” I simply mean that people came together out of a common relationship with Christ, with a common purpose, and had all things in common. They were “together,” they cared for each other.
Christians that make a difference today will continue to care about each other. Here are some tips for doing that.
· Send a note of encouragement during a person’s difficult time
· Make a hospital or nursing home visit
· Take a casserole to a family in bereavement
· Share a meal with a fellow church member
· Share prayer concerns and pray together
I’m sure you can think of many more ways to care for each other. Now, be an outstanding church and do something common.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Last night was a great time. If you were there, you know! Thanks to everyone who planned, prepared, and participated. Sounds like a good sermon outline! J
Do you still have the sense of wonder that you had as a child?
Here’s a silly example: We purchased our first color TV when I was about 8 years old. In over-dramatic fashion, I fell to my knees then prone on the floor as if overcome by the terrific sight of the 19” set on the roll-around cart.
Here’s a better example: One line of the Oak Ridge Boys’ song Thank God for Kids says, “Daddy, how does this thing fly? And a hundred other ‘where’s and ‘why’s. I really don’t know, but I try; Thank God for kids.” A child looks at all things with a sense of wonder. They wonder how it works. They wonder how it is made. They wonder where it came from and whose idea it was. Sometimes we are irritated with the barrage of “Why?” questions. It’s the wonder of it all.
Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon, the Grand Cayman Islands, or the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria? Remember the first time you sat on the airplane as it accelerated down the runway? Have you stood at Ground Zero or in a Presidential Library or on foreign soil? Remember the wonder of it all?
But the wonder of wonders is that Jesus would take a place in our world as one of us so that we might spend eternity in his world with him. Have you lost the sense of wonder? Join us for Bible Study this Sunday and begin to recapture the wonder of it all. Do you know someone who has lost the wonder? Bring them with you.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
I just completed reading the book of Exodus this morning. In 1:8 we are told that the king of Egypt did not know Joseph – or his fathers or God’s promises to them. In 2:24 we are told that God heard the Hebrews’ cries from oppression – and that God remembered (not that he had ever forgotten) his promises to the Hebrew people.
Then God called Moses to go to Pharaoh, the Hebrews finally make a run for the border, God dries a path through the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, periods of rebellion, the details of the tabernacle.
Fast forward to chapter 40. God filled the tabernacle with his presence as a cloud and led them.
I’m encouraged in my daily walk with Christ to know that God is with me from beginning to end just like he was with the Hebrews on every page of the book of Exodus. He is ever-present and cares enough to guide me, too.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
I watched the Super Bowl in fast motion; It took about an 90 minutes – and only because I watched the commercials in regular speed. I recorded the game on DVR and sped through it to see what happened. Caleb, my 20 year old son, had called earlier in the afternoon and left a message for me to call him so I did with about 4 minutes to go in the first half – according to MY version of the game. I wouldn’t let him tell me who won the game!
I rarely watch NFL football anymore because my Sundays are workdays for me. I can’t remember the last time I actually watched the Super Bowl as it was played. I’ve listened to many, many Super Bowls on the radio as I would take my boys back to Bentonville; seems my weekend always fell on Super Bowl Sunday. At least on the radio you don’t have to watch the commercials!
My favorite commercial was the Taco Bell commercial with the lions watching the campers eat some new burrito or something. The lions talked with each other with one trying to teach the other to roll his “R”s.
You may know that the head coaches in the Super Bowl are Christians and openly apply Christian principles to both life and coaching. Tony Dungy, of the winning Colts, said this to CBS’s Jim Nance as he received the Lombardi trophy for winning the game:
“Lovie Smith (Chicago’s coach) and I are not only the first two African-Americans (to coach in the Super Bowl), but Christian coaches, showing that you can win doing it the Lord’s way. And we’re more proud of that.”
Here’s a guy at the top of the game. There is opportunity awaiting him that few people ever realize. His audience was larger than all but two television audiences EVER! The final episode of M*A*S*H and the Pittsburg/Dallas Super Bowl in the ‘70s are the only television programs to draw a larger audience. The Baptist Press headline put is this way: “Tony Dungy, at NFL’s pinnacle, points still higher to God.”
He didn’t have to do that. Or did he? Something inside true believers compels them to point toward God. That “something” is the Holy Spirit. It’s been said that the Holy Spirit’s primary role is to point to Christ – and this is true. The Holy Spirit is within true believers and he compels us to point to Christ. Tony Dungy did something many believers would not do. Tony Dungy did something many Christians would be ashamed to do. Tony Dungy did something many Christ-followers shy away from.
Tony Dungy did NOT quench the Holy Spirit as the Spirit compelled Dungy to point to Christ. My stage may never be as large as Dungy’s. My accomplishments may never draw the excitement from the sports world as his. My opportunities to point to Christ may never be as public as Dungy’s. But I must still never quench the Spirit as he compels me to point to Christ.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life
Have you noticed how things grow when God is involved? Riley’s puppy has gained 5 pounds in the 3 weeks since we picked her up from the Humane Society. Puppies are supposed to do that; that’s how God made them. Children are the same way. Riley started out at 5 pounds, six ounces (he was 5 weeks early) but now tips the scales at 44 pounds. God made him so he would grow. At some point a person has to manage their growth because steady weight gain can lead to serious health issues!
We grow physically and emotionally and intellectually. We are supposed to grow (or mature) in each of these areas. Some growth happens naturally but most growth must be coaxed or nurtured.
Churches are supposed to grow, too. God made them that way just like he made a baby to grow. Church growth can be measured in many ways: spiritual maturity, outreach, physical plant, number of members.
We’ll grow tomorrow numerically. We will baptize a new believer and she will become part of our church membership; she’s already part of the church family. That’s an exciting thing!
We approved an aggressive budget last month so we need to purposefully grow financially in order to carry out the ministry plans we have set. Financial stewardship is part of a healthy spiritual life; I’m sure as you mature your giving will also mature.
We want to reach our community with the gospel and meet physical needs. That requires volunteers who are serious about their relationship with Christ. So we must grow.
The Bible says that the Lord added to the numbers in the early Church DAILY! I believe he still wants to add to our number daily or regularly. I believe God wants to add to our spiritual maturity daily. I believe he wants to add to our ability to do ministry and outreach. I believe he wants to add to our stewardship. I believe he wants to add to the warmth of our fellowship. I believe God was to add to Cross Road Baptist Church.
No growth occurs or is sustained without God doing the adding. Let us pray that he will add to us daily.
Impacting Eternity at the Cross Road of Life