February 3, 2012
There’s not a home in the world that couldn’t use some improvement. I’m not referring to the place we call “home,” but rather the people who live in it. Specifically, the husbands and wives. While most spouses would never share publicly they’d like to rev up the romance and put more passion back into their marriage, privately the vast majority long for improvement in their own home.
Two new books from two well known pastors, and their spouses, attempt to address the issues that could help inspire and initiate the improvements so many long for. The first book is: REAL MARRIAGE: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together by Mark and Grace Driscoll. The second is called: SEXPERIMENT: 7 Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse by Ed and Lisa Young. Both are brand new books that just came out in January.
Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. Several years ago he appeared to be headed toward becoming the “Howard Stern” of contemporary Christianity with his use of profanity, shocking sermons, and controversial comments. Ed Young, Jr., is the founding pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX. He is widely recognized for his creativity and the occasional outrageous extremes he is willing to go to in an attempt to make a point or market a product. Such as his most recent night spent on top of his church building, in a bed, with his wife, talking about his new book on television and the internet.
I would strongly encourage you not to allow those things to keep you from reading their books. Of the two, Ed and Lisa Young’s book is my favorite. I was surprised by how much I liked it and how clearly their heart for helping people have better marriages came through. I was also surprised by Mark and Grace Driscoll’s book, as I had heard from others how controversial and shocking it was. Yet, I found it to be compassionately and carefully written rather than controversial.
Both books would be great resources for every husband, every wife, and every marriage. However, I would not recommend either for a group study or church-wide setting. Issues about intimacy should, by their very nature, be discussed among two inti-mates and not in a group. Both the Youngs and Driscolls have taken the risk of providing an honest assessment of their own struggles in this life-long journey called marriage, and offer both scriptural and practical help, as well as hope, that all of our homes can see improvement.
Maybe you don’t need an Extreme Makeover. But every marriage could use some improvement. Take the first step by getting a copy of these books (which you can order through our bookstore – 817.419.6423 or 888.360.7648) and get started today.
© 2012. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Friendship, God, Love, Marriage, Relationships 
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January 18, 2012
Guest Editorial by Bob Russell, former Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, the largest Christian Church in America.
Why People Drop Out Of Church (Matthew 13)
Written on January 15, 2012
The parable of the sower prepares us for the sad reality that not all Christians will remain faithful. It’s heart-rending but we shouldn’t be surprised when some believers drop out along the way. Jesus said some seed planted in shallow soil would spring up quickly, “But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” (Matthew 13:5-6)
When church members fade away, Christian friends are disappointed and often blame themselves. Like a rejected lover who struggles with self-esteem the church asks, “What’s wrong with us that so many come in the front door and leave out the back door?”
It’s awkward when we see formerly active members at a community function and we don’t know what to say. “Miss seeing you at church!” is about all we can manage. We go home and wonder again, “What happened to them? Why aren’t they attending worship services anymore?”
Jesus explained it like this, “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:20-21)
Some people drop out because they can’t take the heat that comes from believing in the basics of God’s Word. They wilt when friends ridicule them or their job is in jeopardy because of the church’s fundamental beliefs, and they look for an excuse to quit.
Others get so caught up in the pursuit of worldly success and pleasure that they don’t have time for the church anymore. They’re too busy traveling and conducting business affairs.
When church elders or friends muster up enough courage to confront, the defectors never say, “To be honest, I’m a shallow person and I couldn’t take being labeled controversial.” They never confess, “I’m so consumed with making money that I’ve got my priorities out of whack.”
No. Almost always, they blame the church for their backslidden condition. The preacher offended them. The church wasn’t meeting their needs. The music wasn’t what they wanted it to be. They weren’t being fed or their children didn’t like it and they dropped out. As a result the church becomes the target of unjust criticism and some members conclude, “The preacher has to quit alienating people.” “The elders need to develop a better shepherding program.”
While the church shepherds need to make every effort to feed their sheep and rescue the strays, we would do well to remember that not even Jesus managed to keep every sheep in the fold. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” (John 6:66) Even one of his closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, got entangled and overcome by the world. It wasn’t Jesus’ fault and He predicted that in the last days, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” (Matt 24:12)
Bottom line? The church needs to do it’s best to disciple and deepen every believer. However, church leaders need to be realistic. No matter how meaningful our worship services are or how effective our discipleship programs may be, we will never have 100% retention. So keep the big picture. Our task is to sow the seed of the gospel and rejoice when some of it grows to maturity.
© 2012. Bob Russell Ministries
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January 13, 2012
In Matthew 25, in The Parable of the Talents, Jesus encouraged good stewardship and making the most of every opportunity in the context of the kingdom of heaven. He illustrated it with the example of three men who were given “talents.” Not natural abilities. You couldn’t give that to someone. This isn’t talking about a musical talent or the ability to paint. It’s referring to a weight of money. Most likely silver.
One man had been given five talents. This was a large amount of money, equivalent to twenty years’ wages of a laboring man today. It was an incredible opportunity. The second man had been given two talents. The third man had been given one talent. The man with five talents immediately went and put his money to work. He literally “traded.” He didn’t just make one investment and sit back. He kept trading as long as his master was away. The second man did the same thing.
“After a long time, “ Jesus said, “the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” The first man was eager to show his master that he had doubled the five talents and now had ten. The second man doubled his two talents as well. Then the master came to the third man who began to make excuses as to why he hadn’t done anything except bury the talent given him in the ground. “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest’.”
The Parable of the Talents is the second of three parables in Matthew 25 that deal with the kingdom of Heaven and speak to the urgency of our being prepared for the return of Christ. I find it more than ironic that when Jesus spoke about His return he used an example of us getting a good return on our investments. The master in the parable Jesus told said, at the very least “you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”
As good stewards, we should all be interested in getting the very best “return” possible and the highest rate of “interest” on our funds. The Solomon Foundation, a dynamic, Christian financial organization based in Englewood, Colorado, is the leader in the industry when it comes to interest rates – ranging from 2.75% to 4.75% and even better on larger negotiated accounts. We want to make sure every one in our Crossroads’ family is aware of this excellent ministry organization that can help all of us achieve our financial goals.
In a couple of weeks we will be privileged to have representatives here from the Solomon Foundation to help us with options to get a better return on investments (i.e. personal savings, IRAs, 401ks, and more) while helping grow the Kingdom. Many of you already know Doug Crozier, who has been a great encourager and mentor to our ministry. He is the CEO of the Solomon Foundation based in Denver, CO. Our church has all of our reserves on deposit at the Solomon Foundation. A number of our people are already involved with the Solomon Foundation including myself and every member of my family. Our church 403b accounts are there. If you have never heard of the Solomon Foundation, you can click on this link and check them out: http://www.thesolomonfoundation.org/index.html
In Luke 16:9, Jesus said we are to use our “worldly wealth” to invest in the lives of men, women, boys, and girls, reaching them with the gospel so that when our wealth is gone one day, those very people will welcome us in Heaven. Literally, they will say, “I’m here because of your investments.” What a blessing to be able to earn a great interest rate on our investments while, at the same time, allowing those funds to be used to reach even more people for Christ in churches all around the country. You and I can do that through the Solomon Foundation.
The Solomon Foundation is a solid, Scripturally based organization that exists to help build the Kingdom. Their motto is: “Excellent Interest, Eternal Impact!” Their core values are: (1) Honor God, (2) Help People Come To Know Jesus As Lord and Savior, (3) Help Our Investors Get A Good Return On Their Investments, (4) Help Churches Get To The Next Step and (5) Have Fun.
How many financial institutions or organizations (including Christian ones) do you know of who have “honoring God” and “helping people come to know Christ” as their top two core values? That’s just one of many reasons why we love the Solomon Foundation. They will have representatives here on Sunday, January 29th, and plan to stay over on Monday, January, to meet privately with individuals who would like a personal appointment to get “the wisdom of Solomon” with their finances. If you would like to have one of those appointments, please call our office and let us know. Appointments will be on a first-come, first-served basis and only a limited number will be available. If you are interested call today.
We want you to get the best return on your investments so we can reach more people for Christ before He returns!
© 2012. Barry L. Cameron
Posted in Churches, Crossroads, Evangelism, Finances, Investments, Money, Outreach, People, Stewardship, Witnessing No Comments »
January 10, 2012
“THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED!”
by Bob Moorehead
This is a tremendous article written by my dear friend and one of my mentors, Bob Moorehead. For many years Bob pastored one of the largest churches in the country in the Seattle area. He’s retired now but his words still light a fire in my heart. We had an incredible leaders’ meeting this past Sunday night and gave a copy of this to every leader. I wanted to share it with you, too.
Hope you enjoy it!
Pastor Barry
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January 6, 2012
In an article entitled, “God, religion, atheism ‘So what?’ – That’s what many say,” USA TODAY columnist, Cathy Lynn Grossman addressed a growing number of people in our society who look at all things spiritual and say: “So what?” She pointed out a number of statistics that reveal just how widespread this problem has become:
Researchers have begun asking the kind of nuanced questions that reveal just how big the So What set might be:
• 44% told the 2011 Baylor University Religion Survey they spend no time seeking “eternal wisdom,” and 19% said “it’s useless to search for meaning.”
• 46% told a 2011 survey by Nashville-based evangelical research agency, LifeWay Research, they never wonder whether they will go to heaven.
• 28% told LifeWay “it’s not a major priority in my life to find my deeper purpose.” And 18% scoffed at the idea that God has a purpose or plan for everyone.
• 6.3% of Americans turned up on Pew Forum’s 2007 Religious Landscape Survey as totally secular — unconnected to God or a higher power or any religious identity and willing to say religion is not important in their lives.
Grossman continued, “When church historian Diana Butler Bass researched her upcoming book, Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening, she found the So Whats are ‘a growing category.’
Says Bass, ‘We can’t underestimate the power of the collapse of institutional religion in the first 10 years of this century. It’s freed so many people to say they don’t really care. They don’t miss rituals or traditions they may never have had anyway.’
‘For them, the Almighty is off the radar, like some tiny foreign country they know exists but never think about.’”
With all due respect to Ms. Bass, I don’t think “the collapse of institutional religion in the first 10 years of this century,” is the real “power” behind this issue. It may be a contributing factor. However, I believe there are at least two other issues that have had an even greater impact: (1) A serious lack of Bible preaching and (2) A serious lack of Bible living.
Since I’m a preacher let me address the preaching issue first. For the past 20-25 years, in many churches, including evangelical ones, there’s been a move away from Bible preaching to almost anything but. In many churches, preachers don’t preach sermons anymore. Instead they give talks or monologues. Or the weekend services are devoted to a Jimmy Kimmel-style interview of the latest and greatest celebrities they can afford. Which, in turn, draws bigger crowds. They are also careful to avoid any mention of sin or its consequences, and there is little or no mention of being held accountable or of a coming judgment and that keeps people coming back for more. But more of what? Whenever we preach a “whatever” gospel or a watered down gospel why be surprised when the response is, “So what?”
The second issue goes hand in hand with the first. When we fail to preach the Word of God, how can we complain when the people who come to our churches fail to live the Word of God. All they are doing is “practicing what we’ve been preaching.” (Read that line again.)
Cathy Crossman concluded her article in USA TODAY with the words of a man that serve as a stinging indictment. He’s not a preacher but his words comprise a powerful sermon the church needs to hear:
“I try to live my life and do the best I can. I figure if I do good, good things will happen. I’m not at all worried about the afterlife. How could they turn me down when people do whatever they want during the week. They go to church all the time then they come home and they gamble, they party, they use God’s name in vain.”
“So either it will be like a switch turned off and it’s done or, if there is a heaven, I’m going to have to do some talking to get up there.”
Until then, every week, he faithfully drives to a Catholic church where, he says, “I drop off my mother-in-law, get back in the car and drive home.”
© 2012. Barry L. Cameron
Quotes from: USA TODAY, Tuesday, January 3, 2012. “God, religion, atheism ‘So what?’ That’s what many say,” by Cathy Lynn Grossman. (Nation section, page 9A)
Posted in Atheism, Belief, Church, Faith, Jesus, Preaching, Society No Comments »
