Guest editorial from Bob Russell, former Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY.

President Barack Obama came out in favor of same sex marriage last week, the first President of the United States to do so. As expected, liberals in the media are praising the President’s stand as, “courageous” and “aligning himself with the entire world in standing for civil rights.”

An increasing number of liberal church leaders are also endorsing the gay life style; even ordaining homosexual ministers and performing gay marriages. Liberal churches rationalize their stance by pointing out that while the Old Testament condemns same-sex relationships, Jesus said nothing about it, so it must be okay.

Granted, there is no recorded statement from Jesus on the subject of homosexuality. However, we have no direct quote from Jesus about slavery or rape either. So, obviously, the absence of a statement from Jesus doesn’t qualify as an endorsement.

I beg you to remember that Jesus said, “If you’re ashamed of me AND MY WORDS then I will be ashamed of you when you stand before my Father who is in heaven.” And “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

© 2012.  Bob Russell

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/05/obama-likely-to-discuss-gay-marriage-today/1#.T6rOEByBWop

Another first for President Obama: the first President in U.S. history to endorse same-sex marriage. Not only will history reveal the absolute foolishness of his decision, but eternity will as well. 

“Mr. President, you are wrong on this decision. So is your Vice President and so is anyone who tries to defend what God’s Word says is detestable (Leviticus 18:22), and approves what God clearly calls a perversion (Romans 1:27).

You’re also going to have to change the end of your speeches from this day FORWARD (your new campaign slogan) because you can no longer end them with these words, “And may God bless the United States of America.”

What Does The Bible Say?

1. Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

2. Genesis 2:18-25, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

3. Matthew 19:4-6. Jesus affirms God’s plan for one man for one woman for one lifetime.

4. Leviticus 18:22, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

5. Leviticus 20:13. If a man lies with a man, as one lies with a woman, they are to be put to death.

6. Romans 1:26-27. Homosexual acts are unnatural, to God’s divine plan.

7. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Homosexual offenders will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Actual text of the article in USA TODAY, today, Wednesday, May 9th, 2012:

President Obama became the first U.S. president to endorse gay marriage, telling ABC News today that it “should be legal.”

“I think same sex-couples should be able to get married,” Obama told ABC’s Good Morning America.

After years of what he had called an “evolving” view of the issues, Obama said family and friends gradually persuaded him that gay couples should be treated the same way as married ones.

Facing a re-election bid in which gay rights are a hot button issue, Obama also said his endorsement is a personal view, and that states should set their own marriage laws. The interview took place a day after voters in North Carolina approved a constitutional ban on gay marriage.

His comments also came within a few days of pro-gay marriage statements by Vice President Biden and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, increasing pressure on Obama from gay rights supporters.

ABC News broke into regular programming to report Obama’s comments.

Once an opponent of gay marriage, Obama said he changed his views in part because of the “incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships” he has seen among friends and staff.

Obama said his views also changed as he worked to end the military ban on gays, the former policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama said.

Views of gay marriage also tend to be “generational,” Obama said, telling Robin Roberts of ABC that most young people he has met — even very conservative Republicans in college — tend to be more accepting of same-sex couples.

Obama said daughters Malia and Sasha believe discrimination against gay marriage “doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”

First lady Michelle Obama has also shaped his outlook, Obama said. 

“This is something that, you know, we’ve talked about over the years and she, you know, she feels the same way, she feels the same way that I do,” Obama said.

The president said he and Mrs. Obama “are both practicing Christians and obviously this position may be considered to put us at odds with the views of others.”

“But, you know, when we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf,” he added, “but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.”

Obama’s decision is drawing a variety of strong reactions on social media.

ABC News, meanwhile, prepared a handy “timeline” of Obama statements on gay marriage: 

FEBRUARY 1996: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages,” reads a typed, signed statement from then-Illinois state senate candidate Obama in response to a questionnaire by the Chicago LGBT newspaper “Outlines.” White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer later publicly disavowed the statement, claiming in June 2011 that the questionnaire was “actually filled out by someone else.”

OCTOBER 2004: ” What I believe is that marriage is between a man and a woman … What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it’s not simply the two persons who are meeting,” then-U.S. Senate candidate Obama said in an interview with WTTW Chicago public television.

“That doesn’t mean that that necessarily translates into a position on public policy or with respect to civil unions. What it does mean is that we have a set of traditions in place that, I think, need to be preserved, but I also think we need to make sure that gays and lesbians have the same set of basic rights that are in place.

“I don’t think marriage is a civil right,” Obama said when asked whether there’s an inherent right to marry.  

OCTOBER 2010: “I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage,” President Obama said during an interview with liberal bloggers. “But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships.”

DECEMBER 2010: “My feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this. At this point, what I’ve said is, is that my baseline is a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have,” Obama said in response to a question from ABC’s Jake Tapper at a White House press conference.“I recognize that from their perspective it is not enough, and I think is something that we’re going to continue to debate and I personally am going to continue to wrestle with going forward,” he said.

JUNE 2011: “The president has never favored same-sex marriage. He is against it. The country is evolving on this, and he is evolving on it,” Pfeiffer told progressive activists at the Net Roots Nation conference. 

JUNE 2011: “I think it’s important for us to work through these issues because each community is going to be different, each state is going to be different,” Obama said when asked during a White House press conference about New York becoming the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage.

“I think what you’re seeing is a profound recognition on the part of the American people that gays and lesbians and transgender persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our cousins, our friends, our co-workers, and that they’ve got to be treated like every other American,” he said. “And I think that principle will win out. It’s not going to be perfectly smooth, and it turns out that the President — I’ve discovered since I’ve been in this office — can’t dictate precisely how this process moves.”

OCTOBER 2011: “I’m still working on it,” Obama said when asked by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos whether he would move from supporting civil unions for same-sex couples to supporting gay marriage.

“I probably won’t make news right now, George. But I think that there’s no doubt that as I see friends, families children of gay couples who are thriving, you know, that has an impact on how I think about these issues.” 

Where will the next generation of Christian leaders come from? Future preachers and teachers, ministers and missionaries, youth ministers, children’s ministers, worship leaders, etc.?  You might be surprised.  

First of all, it’s not the job of Bible colleges or seminaries to raise up the next generation of leaders. They aren’t the ones who’ve raised up leaders of the past, leaders we have today or leaders we’ll need tomorrow. They can refine them, but they don’t raise them. It’s not parachurch organizations who raise up Christian leaders either, or have the responsibility for doing so. They can recruit, resource even relocate leaders but they don’t raise them; and it’s not their responsibility to do so. The primary producer of Christian leaders has always been and always will be the local church. Bible colleges, seminaries and parachurch organizations can and should partner with the local church. It’s never been their primary responsibility to raise the next generation of Christian leaders. God has given that task to His church.

Will you help us?

© 2012.  Barry L. Cameron

I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to have the wisdom of Solomon when it comes to their finances. Well, now you can with an organization called The Solomon Foundation. Based in Englewood, Colorado (a suburb of Denver), The Solomon Foundation is the fastest growing church extension fund ever, and as of this month, is now one of the largest with over $50 million on deposit. This uniquely Christian financial organization was started by two of the strongest and largest Christian churches in America: Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, AZ (a church of over 20,000 people) and Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, TX (a church of over 5,000 people). Yes, our church was instrumental in the establishment of this superb financial institution that exists to provide loans to churches as well as providing a terrific return to investors. The motto of the organization is: Excellent Interest. Eternal Impact.

The board of directors of The Solomon Foundation represent a cross section of some of the most respected, most dynamic leaders of the largest churches in America and Canada. (http://www.thesolomonfoundation.org/board-of-directors.htm) This past Easter, the combined attendance of the churches represented by the board of directors was over  80,000+. The CEO of The Solomon Foundation, Doug Crozier, is one of the most respected and trusted Christian financial leaders in America. With years of experience in banking and real estate, as well as years of experience leading a large Christian financial organization and working with dozens of other Christian financial organizations as well as hundreds of pastors and churches all across America, Doug is uniquely gifted to lead The Solomon Foundation.

But there is so much more to The Solomon Foundation than a strong beginning, solid financial backing, superb board, and a senior leadership team that is second to none. (http://www.thesolomonfoundation.org/executive-team.htm). One of the things that sets The Solomon Foundation apart from every other financial institution in America is their CORE VALUES. And they’re easy to remember. In fact, you can use your own hand to understand and remember them.

To understand the CORE VALUES of The Solomon Foundation look at your hand and let’s start with your THUMB. 

Have you ever noticed that no matter what you do with your hand your thumb tries to point upward? Go ahead. Check it out. Even if you turn your hand upside down, your thumb appears to be trying to point up. That helps explain the very first and foremost core value of this organization: HONOR GOD. The premiere priority at The Solomon Foundation is to honor God. How many other financial institutions have that as their top core value or even one of their core values? At The Solomon Foundation, honoring God is number one.

Since it’s The Solomon Foundation, what does Solomon say? Proverbs 3:9-10 says, “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” The Solomon Foundation is a financial organization. But the first priority is to HONOR GOD.

Next, look at your INDEX FINGER. This is your pointing finger. When you want to make a point or want to point something out or give directions to show people which way is the right way to go, you use your index finger. That leads to the second core value of The Solomon Foundation: HELP PEOPLE COME TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND SAVIOR. Again, what other financial institution do you know of that has as one of its top core values to help people know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? In Luke 16:9, Jesus said we should use worldly wealth to help people get to Heaven. At The Solomon Foundation one of the main core values of the organization is that everything they do must help people come to know Christ and discover how they can go to Heaven.

Again, since it’s The Solomon Foundation, what does Solomon say? Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” 

The third finger on your hand is not only the longest but central on your hand. That leads to the third core value at The Solomon Foundation: HELP OUR INVESTORS GET A GREAT RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENTS. Investors are central to the success and strength of The Solomon Foundation. Without investors The Solomon Foundation couldn’t provide loans to churches and be able to be in a position to help build the Kingdom. The Solomon Foundation wants to have a long-term, lifetime relationship with every investor. The great thing is the more investors The Solomon Foundation has, the more loans they can make. The more they receive, the more they can give and the cycle never ends. 

What does Solomon say? Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

The fourth finger on your hand is the weakest finger we have. It really can’t do much on its own and is dependent upon the others to accomplish anything. That speaks to the fourth core value at The Solomon Foundation: HELP CHURCHES GET TO THE NEXT STEP. Most churches don’t have the resources to adequately address the needs of their ministry so they can keep growing. They have to depend on someone from the outside to help them get to the next step. That’s where The Solomon Foundation comes in. Because of their years of experience working with churches and church leaders all over America along with a broad network of industry leaders in both finance, real estate and construction, The Solomon Foundation can provide a wealth of wisdom, competent counsel, guidance, expertise, and the financial assistance needed to help churches of any size get to the next level of kingdom accomplishment. 

In Proverbs 11:14, Solomon says, “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” 

The fifth finger on your hand is your little finger. Some call it the “fun” finger. In fact, it even has a funny name: your “pinkie”; which leads to the final core value at The Solomon Foundation: HAVE FUN! One of the most important values of The Solomon Foundation is to absolutely enjoy what they do and have fun doing it. There is no greater joy than honoring God, helping people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, helping investors get the best return on their investments, and helping churches of all sizes get to the next level where they can reach, teach, train, bless, and send more people out to build God’s kingdom.

Once again, in Proverbs 17:22, Solomon says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” When you join The Solomon Foundation family, you’ll be partnering with people who absolutely enjoy what they do, do it with excellence and have fun every day. In short, they have fun giving people a hand with their finances.

So how can you become a part of The Solomon Foundation? The first thing would be to go online and check out the website. (http://www.thesolomonfoundation.org/index.html) Become familiar with the different kinds of investments available, current rates, etc. Whether you’re looking for a short-term investment or a long-term investment, or you want to get a better return on your IRA or current retirement plan, The Solomon Foundation can help you. Next, you should call and talk to one of the staff at 855.873.5873. You’ll get to talk to a live person instead of a machine (unless you call on the weekends when the offices are closed) and you’ll be able to get all your financial questions and concerns answered. 

The Solomon Foundation has online capability for you to open an investment, have instant access to your account 24 hours a day, open additional investments at your leisure, and more. It’s easy, flexible and secure. (https://www.ddi-online.org/cef/tsf/)

Let me encourage you to check out The Solomon Foundation TODAY. You can have the wisdom of Solomon to help you with your financial future. And one more thing, when you become a part of The Solomon Foundation family, you’ll have access to the personal cell phone number of the CEO and can call him anytime you want with any question you want. Not only is The Solomon Foundation a phenomenal financial organization. It’s also a personal financial organization where people come first.

Every member of my family has an account at The Solomon Foundation. Every member of my staff has an account there. Our church has millions of dollars on deposit there for missions and future building projects, earning excellent interest so we can make an eternal impact in the years ahead.  

If you need a hand with your finances, get the wisdom of Solomon today!

© 2012. Barry L. Cameron

(The above is an unsolicited endorsement and Pastor Cameron nor Crossroads receives any financial compensation.)

This coming weekend we will celebrate the single greatest  event in all human history: THe RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST. It’s the FINAL FOUR, NBA CHAMPIONSHIP, WORLD SERIES, SUPER BOWL & THE MASTERS all wrapped into one for Christians!

Why do we celebrate and why are we so excited? Because the tomb IS EMPTY!! Just as the heart pumps life-giving blood to every part of the body, so the truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of the gospel truth. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be nothing but wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”  (John 11:25)

Popular Christian apologist, Josh McDowell, said, “After more than 700 hours of studying this subject and thoroughly investigating its foundation, I have come to the conclusion that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever foisted upon the minds of men, OR it is the most fantastic fact of history.”

Lee Strobel, in his incredible book, THE CASE FOR CHRIST, (which we are giving to every single person who comes on our campus this coming weekend to celebrate the resurrection) said, “Every single shred of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also evidence for my eventual resurrection.”

Hank Hanegraaff said, “You see, without the resurrection there is no hope.  Indeed, without the resurrection, there is no Christianity.”  The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions.

Dr. D. James Kennedy said, “The evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been examined more carefully than the evidence for any other fact in history.”

The RESURRECTION is proof that the things Jesus taught were true.  The RESURECTION lifts Jesus Christ head and shoulders above any other teacher who ever lived.  But it’s not HIS TEACHING that sets Him apart.  There have been many good teachers in the world.  Although it was said of Jesus, “No one ever spoke like this man.  For He speaks as one having authority.”

It’s not even HIS MIRACLES.  Although no one has ever or will ever match the magnificence of His miracles.  It’s not HIS DEATH that sets Him apart.  Other good men have died.

What sets JESUS apart is His RESURRECTION!  The distinctive feature of Christianity is this:  If you go to the tomb of every other world leader or teacher you will read the inscription, “Here lies . . .”  But if you go to the tomb of Jesus Christ, it’s empty!

The words of the angel still ring true, “He is not here; He is risen, just as He said.” (Matthew 28:6)

Come celebrate with us this weekend:  Saturday @ 4:30, Sunday @ 8:45, 10:00 & 11:30!

©  2012.  Barry L. Cameron

Raging wildfires scorched over 4,500 acres near Denver this past week, destroying over 30 homes and forcing 6,500 people to evacuate. There were over 400 firefighters on the ground, supported by at least four aircraft, dropping fire retardant on the furious flames.

The wildfires claimed the lives of two people in their 70s, who lived only 150 yards away from a family who barely escaped being victims themselves. Their harrowing adventure included driving with crying children, through overwhelming orange smoke, flying embers, and burning trees.

They’d received a call fifteen minutes earlier ordering them to evacuate immediately. The family quickly loaded two vehicles and tore out in a race against an out of control wildfire. The fire was rapidly closing in around them, turning daylight with blue sky into black darkness, accentuated by leaping flames.

A video of their escape was captured on a cell phone held by their 13-year old son. The Denver News Channel said, “In the video, the Gulick’s daughter is heard screaming ‘Daddy!’ as their car drove into the inferno. ‘We’ll make it. We’re going to be fine,” her father is heard on the video comforting her.” But the truth was, they really weren’t sure how or if they could make it out. At one point the mother stopped on the side of the road because she thought she saw an obstacle blocking the road. She later said, “It was one of the first things that I thought. It was too late. It’s just too late. We’re just not going to make it. It all just happened so fast. I just thought, whatever we do, if we are going to turn around, we are going to do it together, as a family. We would have just taken our chances of being on a dead-end road – that the fire would not come and get us.”

But suddenly, a neighbor, who’d been up and down that road several times that day, knew the way out and pulled around in front of the Gulick family and guided them safely out of the fire storm. On the video you can hear Mr. Gulick say, “It’s OK. We’re out. We’re out,” as they escape through the blaze.

In just a few days, we will celebrate the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST on EASTER weekend and have a God-given opportunity not only to show our neighbors “the WAY,” but also the privilege of showing them “the TRUTH” and “the LIFE” (John 14:6). JESUS is the ONLY WAY out of this world and is the only hope any of us have of escaping the fiery flames of an eternal Hell (Matthew 25:41).

Invite your friends and neighbors to come and worship with us this EASTER weekend! Some won’t respond.  Some won’t make it.  Some will respond and some will thank you in eternity for leading them from the flames of an eternal Hell into the everlasting arms of the Savior.

©  2012.  Barry L. Cameron 

Guest editorial by Joel Belz  jbelz@worldmag.com

WORLD is not homophobic but realistic about an extreme challenge to God’s order | Joel Belz

Eric, from Ohio, is very upset with WORLD in general and me in particular. “I’ve been a reader for 12 years or more,” he says, “and now I get the distinct impression that you are becoming more, not less, homophobic with every issue. Does gay-bashing really give you that much satisfaction?”

Well, no. But short of taking on an exhaustive, exhausting, and costly 12-year content analysis, through which we would review some 20,000 pages of WORLD, I’m not sure just how to settle such a challenge. We could devise a methodology, I suppose, to assign an “attitudinal” score to every single reference or allusion—and then calculate which direction we seem to be headed. But it would be a pretty massive project, and I’m not sure just what it would tell us when we were finished.

Eric complains that WORLD regularly implies that homosexual practice is the worst of all possible sins. I don’t think we’ve ever suggested that—but the charge reminds us of at least two biblical cautions we’ve mentioned here before.

First, we should be careful never to be frivolous about homosexuality, and we should be careful not to poke fun at the sinner. Although it has been customary even in secular society (think late night shows) to speak crudely or condescendingly about homosexuals, Christians ought never to be in such company. We’ll steer clear of the temptation to make light of what is a serious issue for a host of people, including believers.

Second, although Eric is right when he claims there haven’t been many positive references to our culture’s homosexual community in our pages during the last generation, that doesn’t make homosexuality unique. Sin is sin; falling short of God’s glory means missing the mark. Period. So readers will also look in vain for positive references in WORLD to heterosexual adultery, to grand larceny on Wall Street, and to lying by public officials. But if the tone of our coverage tends to drive a reader to depression because he sees little chance for redemption, then we have failed indeed. I believe, though, that if there has been a change in our editorial attitude through the years, it has been reflected in a heightened sense of hope for those with such inclinations and addictions.

Yet saying all that, we dare not lose sight of two other facts about the contemporary homosexual agenda. The first is that it is an extreme in-your-face challenge to God’s order. We learn that both from the Bible and from common sense. As we’ve noted here before, if heterosexual immorality is like driving 85 mph in a 35 mph zone, then homosexual immorality is like going 85 mph the wrong way on a one-way street. Never mind what prompts you to drive the wrong way; just doing it is dangerous. We’re no more judgmental saying that than we are when we encourage folks to avoid any behavior that is demonstrably destructive—spiritually, emotionally, or physically.

The other important aspect of the current homosexual agenda is its zeal to establish itself as normal. It’s bad enough when wrongdoers work hard to keep their wrongdoing secret. When instead they flaunt what they do, and pull out all the stops to make it public, then society has problems of a different order.

For decades now, we’ve witnessed an all-out effort to portray homosexual behavior as typical and mainstream. It’s pointless to worry about battles being waged in literature, the library systems, the entertainment industries, the information media, fashion, higher education, and most of the liberal churches—for the battles in those venues are long since over. When the armies of homosexual advocacy have nothing left to conquer but the kindergarten class down the street, you know you’re almost certainly too late on the scene.

Homophobic gay-bashers? Not really, Eric. But realistic about what’s happening all around us? Indeed, yes. And I hope we say that these days with a tear—and never anything you might mistake for a leer.

Email jbelz@worldmag.com

Copyright © 2012 WORLD Magazine
March 24, 2012, Vol. 27, No. 6

To subscribe to WORLD magazine:  https://www.worldmag.com/s2/index.cfm

I received this email yesterday and asked permission to share it with you. It’s from one of the families in our church – and it’s incredible!

Dear Pastor Barry,

We joined Crossroads in July of 2006 after having visited since January and attending all four Discovering Crossroads classes. You preached that January on your book entitled Contagious Generosity, which was very eye-opening to us although we both had been tithers since childhood and giving above the tithe for about 30 years.

Then in 2008 you preached another sermon series from your book entitled the ABC’s of Financial Freedom. That sermon series was more than eye-opening to us; it was earth shaking and made a paradigm shift in our attitude toward debt. We were already almost debt free except for a very sizable 30 year home mortgage with 21 years left on the note. We had NEVER even considered paying it off early although we would both be in our early 80’s by the time it was paid in full — UNTIL that series.

We started doing what your family had done, but maybe not quite as severe; we did continue to water our grass and take vacations:) We know that this decision was from the Lord, because the devil starting attacking us financially in ways that were very unexpected. We were wise to his attacks, having been in battle before, and continued to stay the course even when losing significant retirement pension payments due to the unfortunate stock market slide in 2008.

This note is to tell you that as of today, March 12, 2012, and in four years since that sermon series — we are completely debt free, house and all! We just want to thank you for changing our attitude toward debt and for boldly preaching God’s Word without compromise!

What an incredibly encouraging email! I’m so happy for this family and glad they’ve joined the ranks of the “debt free” here at Crossroads. The freedom that comes when the bondage of debt has been removed from our lives is second only to the freedom we have in Christ.

Hopefully, you are on the road to financial freedom. If not, and you want help, call our bookstore today (817.419.6423 or 888. 360.7648) and get the resources that can help turn your life and finances around forever!

Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

©  Barry L. Cameron.

We are only a few days away from the greatest weekend of the year, when we will have the privilege to participate in a worldwide celebration of the greatest event in all human history. Bigger than the SUPERBOWL, the WORLD SERIES, the NBA CHAMPIONSHIP, and even MARCH MADNESS all put together. The RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST from the grave is the eternal “game changer.” Without it, nothing else would matter. But because the angel declared, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.” (Matthew 28:6), everything else in life has been changed forever. As the song writer said, “Oh, What A Savior!”

We want to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity and use it to reach as many people as we can with the gospel. With that in mind, here’s our plan for this year’s EASTER CELEBRATION at Crossroads. We will have FOUR SERVICES the weekend of April 7-8. The first one will be on Saturday afternoon in our amphitheater, and we will have three services on Sunday morning. Last year, over 10,000 people came to worship with us on EASTER weekend.

This year, we are going to be giving an incredible book called, THE CASE FOR CHRIST, by Lee Strobel, to EVERY PERSON who comes on our campus EASTER WEEKEND! Yes, you read it right. We’ll be giving a book to every single person who comes. Why? Because this book is one of the most incredible books ever written on the indisputable evidence for JESUS CHRIST and biblical Christianity. One of the best parts is that it fits right in with our current study, THE STORY.  The byline for the book says: “A seasoned journalist chases down the biggest story in history.” Lee Strobel was an award-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist. He set out to disprove Christianity and wound up becoming a Christian! We believe placing this book in the hands of thousands of people who come to worship at Crossroads on EASTER weekend will be an incredible opportunity to share the gospel!

Our mission as a church is to: “Exalt the Savior, Evangelize the Sinner, Encourage, Equip & Empower the Saints, to Impact the World, Before Jesus Returns.” This EASTER weekend, we are going to hit the target on every aspect of our mission in everything we do. Even though we will be taking a one week break from THE STORY, our message that weekend will be THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION. We’ll invite people to come back the following week and learn “. . . the rest of THE STORY.” We’ll encourage them to get books, join a life group, and get involved in this incredible adventure with us.

On Saturday afternoon, we’ll host a FREE picnic at the SportCenter and invite our neighbors to come to our campus. This year Chick-fil-A is providing the food and we’ll have ten serving lines to accommodate the crowd efficiently and expeditiously. We’ll have live music in the amphitheater while people are eating and we’ll have our first EASTER service for the weekend following the picnic. Our children’s ministry will be sponsoring an egg hunt for children up through the 6th grade. Prizes are being provided through generous donations from members of our Crossroads’ family. Every winner will receive a container of “Resurrection Eggs,” which is one of the most innovative and clear presentations of the gospel ever created. In addition, every child and every Mom and Dad will be receiving a copy of THE CASE FOR CHRIST, besides hearing the gospel message of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection in the outdoor service. We’re doing everything we can to make sure (a) we can get people on our campus Easter weekend and (b) when they come, they’ll hear the gospel.

Now, here’s where we need your help. First of all, we need all of our people to pray. James 5:16b says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” So what will happen when 5,000 men and women from our Crossroads’ family pray fervently, and regularly, every day up to and including EASTER weekend? Will you pray with us, and for the thousands of people we don’t even know yet, who will come to worship with us on EASTER weekend? Second, we need you to invite people to come. There is nothing more powerful than a personal invitation. Invite your friends, your work associates, your extended family members, your neighbors, any one you can think of. Why? Because . . . THEIR STORY MATTERS TO GOD and we want them to know GOD’S STORY.

Finally, if we’re going to reach thousands of new people we’re going to need hundreds of volunteers to help us. We’ll need people to help us with parking, handing out thousands of books, serving food, helping to welcome people and answer their questions, set up and clean up, and much more. Will you be willing to help us? Every one of us can play a role in people coming to know JESUS as Lord and Savior. We’re praying, planning, and preparing for the greatest EASTER CELEBRATION in our church’s 42-year history!

Help us get the WORD out!

©  2012. Barry L. Cameron

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20/NIV84)

Everyone loves a great story. It starts when we’re kids and never stops, no matter how old we get. Some of the best stories come from the lips and lives of the oldest among us - people who have lived a lifetime of stories.

Everyone also loves a great storyteller and our world is full of them. From Dr. Seuss to Garrison Keillor, Tom Clancy and John Grisham, J. K. Rowling and Maya Angelou, James Patterson and Agatha Christie, the list goes on and on. We love a great story and we love a great storyteller.

Stories move us and inspire us. They touch and transform us. We couldn’t live without them. We live our lives by them. We communicate by telling them. We dream in stories. We watch the news to find out the major stories of the day. We buy books because we’ve heard about the great stories in them. We go to the movies because of the stories they tell and the creative ways they tell them.

But of all the great stories and storytellers of all time, none can come close to GOD’S STORY or the way He tells it. His Story is unlike any other. The Word of God (the Bible) is the most fascinating book ever written. For starters, Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” It’s alive! Psalm 119:130 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”  God’s Story (the Bible) is alive and it gives us direction and guidance for life. In Psalm 119:105, David said, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

This weekend we will begin the most incredible adventure we’ve ever undertaken as a church. We’re going to start a 31-week, life-changing, church-transforming experience called THE STORY! Our entire church is going to study GOD’S STORY. For the first time, toddlers and teenagers, singles and senior adults, couples, families, and best friends will all study the same Bible stories in worship and small groups.  Everyone will be studying the same thing every week.

We’ve never done it like this before and our hope is that every single member of our church family will discover the Bible in a new way and find their place in GOD’S STORY. We’ve invited 36,000 of our neighbors to join us as well, and we hope you’ll invite every member of your family and all of your friends to join us, too.

This Sunday morning, you’ll be able to get a copy of the book called THE STORY at a special, discounted price. We purchased several thousand books to make them available to our people at a much lower price than retail, and we will make them available for a suggested donation of only $10, which covers the majority of our expense in getting them. We will only be doing this for ONE SUNDAY, this Sunday, March 4th.  So, if you want to get your own, discounted copy, you need to be sure you’re here.

On Sunday morning, I’ll be sharing with all of our people how to get a book, how to use the book, and how we will incorporate THE STORY book into our worship services, small groups and individual lives. This is going to be one of the most awesome experiences of our lives, as we study GOD’S STORY together and discover how our individual stories are an integral part of His.

As the old song says, “I love to tell the story!” You’ll love studying it and understanding it better than at any other time in your life. I predict it won’t be long at all and you’ll be sharing what you’re discovering with every one you see.

Can’t wait! See you Sunday!

© 2012.  Barry L. Cameron