Answered Prayer!

Dear Friends,

Many thanks your prayers regarding Pastor Oseme, who was kidnapped in Haiti and was threatened with death unless a ransom was paid within 24 hours.  Great News!  Pastor Oseme was released earlier today!  I don’t have any details to share at the present time, but I want you to know that prayer works, and let’s praise God for sparing this pastor’s life.  

Haitian theologian Dieumeme Noelliste, currently professor of theological ethics at Denver Seminary and president of the Caribbean Evangelical Theological Association, was recently interviewed.  This is a portion of what he said:
“One story that hasn’t been told in the secular media is the number of Haitian pastors who died in the earthquake, leaving their parishioners without any shepherd. The American church should know about this and think about what can be done to help. Haiti was already struck with a paucity of pastors before the earthquake; many trained pastors have left for Canada, the U.S., and other places…  On the theodicy question: I don’t believe people will turn from God. I don’t think there is the kind of approach to life in Haiti that would lead people to think this is proof that God doesn’t exist or think God is against us. If anything, believers in voodoo will think the voodoo god is angry or that things weren’t done to appease the voodoo god. They will be searching their souls for what it is that they didn’t do. As far as Christians are concerned, this is not the first time that disaster has come to us. This may be the most brutal, but two years ago we had four devastating hurricanes and even then the people didn’t turn against God. They’ve suffered many things at the hands of fellow Haitians and remained fast to God… I see the church continuing to grow. In these situations people tend to turn to God. This is their only hope.”

One of our missionaries, Christian psychologist Wilson Phang, has been invited to Haiti to provide counseling and support for the medical personnel there who are overwhelmed with the stress of dealing with so much death, devastation and destruction.  Lord willing, Wilson will be leaving for Haiti on Feb 1.  Please keep him in your prayers!    You can still give to the relief efforts in Haiti through Crosswalk Church, either on Sunday morning or through our website.  

Many Blessings, and I hope to see you Sunday,

Pastor John

Urgent Prayer Request

Dear Crosswalkers,

Five years ago Angel and Malia Hernandez, from our church family, were commissioned as missionaries by Grace Covenant, a mission sending agency.  At their commissioning there were other missionaries from the Grace Covenant family, including Pastor Oseme from Haiti.  He struck me as a very spiritual man who had a heart for his fellow Haitians and who was dedicated to hearing the Lord’s word and boldly yet humbly passing that word on to others.  He was unharmed by the earthquake, even though his neighbors on both sides lost their homes and their children.

Today I received this word from Grace Covenant of an urgent prayer need.  I will print it in full:

Pastor Oseme of Haiti went into Port Au Prince (earlier today) to meet with the American Consulate.  While he was there he was kidnapped.  He is now being held for ransom.  Unless $1500 US is paid in ransom by tomorrow, Pastor Oseme will be killed.  It would appear that the logic here is that being Pastor Oseme went to the American Consulate that he has contacts in the US who would pay.  Otherwise, Haitians would not kidnap another Haitian.  Pastor Raquens and I agreed that right now we need to bathe the situation in prayer and pray for his release.  Remember Peter was released from prison by the power of prayer.  If the Lord shows us something else to do we will do it.  But for now we need to generate as much prayer toward Pastor Oseme, his captors and his family as possible.  We will give updates as we get them.  Please seriously pray and get the word out to other intercessors at this hour.

As you get this email, please take a few moments and lift this brother in your prayers.  I remember full well when my family were missionaries to Ghana, Leanna and I signed a form saying we understand that no ransom will ever be paid for us in the event of our kidnapping.  This is standard operating procedure for most all mission agencies.  Obviously, the payment of any ransom would be self defeating as it would endanger missionaries around the globe.  Besides, the theological basis for mission life is this:  Jesus Christ has already given his life as a ransom for those who love him.  This is our faith, and we must live it out during these dark days.  Please pray for Pastor Oseme.  We are engaged in spiritual warfare and our missionaries are on the front lines.

This Sunday we will look at Core Value #4 – VISIONARY LEADERSHIP.  God wants you to have a vision for your life, for your family, for your church, and for using your time, talents and treasures for his glory!  Please plan to stay for lunch at noon, followed by our Annual Meeting.

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

Sailing On…God’s Purpose for Your Problems

Dear Crosswalkers,

This Sunday we’re continuing our series “Core Values for a Life That Really Matters.”  Core value #3 for this Sunday is “Managing My Life to Honor God.”  We are in for a special treat because our missionary, Michael Mozley will share this message.  Those of you who remember Michael from the last time he was here know he is a dynamic speaker who breathes excitement and relevance into each message!

The death toll in Haiti continues to rise, and at this writing stands at 200,000.  The ongoing suffering will be tremendous.  At Crosswalk, we are still receiving special offerings for Haiti, one hundred percent of which will go to provide for crucial needs in the name of Jesus.  Some have asked, “Why should I give if the United States is sending $100 million from American taxpayers to help aid the Haitian people?”  Good question.  The answer is simple:  You should give because government aid isn’t enough.  Mission agencies have been there for years and will continue to be there.  Also, God wants us to give in the name of Jesus, so the Lord is honored and glorified.  Furthermore, God wants you to give because it is good for your soul to give and help those who are hurting.  It is like Jesus to give!     I want to share a verse with you that our small group studied earlier this week:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.                                                                                                                                                – James 1:2-4

In the Bible, God has promised to help us as we navigate through life.  He’s given us his Spirit to guide us into the truth and help us make the right choices, and he’s given us a spiritual family to encourage us and help us.  But these verses indicate that God has also given us problems to help us along the way!  Now I know this sounds shocking.  We’re all thinking, “We don’t need problems to help us, we need help for our problems!”  Well, God wants us to view our problems in a new light.  We can see them as helps as well as hurts, as something God can use to help us become the people he wants us to be.  Here’s a sobering reality:  It is sometimes God’s will for you to have problems.  The good news is this:  God’s purpose is always greater than your problems!

Since our small group met, I’ve been reflecting further on these verses and was impressed by the emphasis on endurance.  One of God’s purposes for the problems we face is that we can learn to endure.  One early church father called endurance “the Queen of the virtues”.  Jesus said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).  Chuck Swindoll wrote this:

“I fear our generation has come dangerously near the ‘I’m-getting-tired-so-let’s-just-quit’ mentality.  And not just in the spiritual realm.  Dieting is a discipline, so we stay fat.  Finishing school is a hassle, so we bail out.  Cultivating a close relationship is painful, so we back off.  Working through conflicts in a marriage is a tiring struggle, so we walk away.  Sticking with an occupation is tough, so we start looking elsewhere.”      A repeated entry in Christopher Columbus’ diary as he sailed to the new world was this: “This day we sailed on…”  Simply that.  “This day we sailed on…”  He didn’t often mention the disease, the discouragement, the men who wanted to turn back, the fact that one of his ships, the Pinta, was in danger of breaking up.  But he did mention his resolve.  “This day we sailed on…”

Of course, God doesn’t want you to stick it out with a bad idea or a wrong course.  But he does want you to hang on to your faith through every problem and trial and trouble.  He wants you to endure.  Your problems right now are designed to teach you to endure.  Let’s sail on together.  There will be storms and disease and trouble, but may this be our daily resolve: “This day we sailed on…”

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

It is Just as Jesus Said

Dear Crosswalkers,

We are saddened, of course, by the earthquake disaster in Haiti.  As followers of Jesus, we share his compassion for those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy.  Many are injured, and there has been much property damage.  Crosswalk Church is a part of a Region which has a connection to Haiti through the “One Great Hour of Sharing” benevolence fund.  If you wish to contribute to those hurting in Haiti, you can write a check to Crosswalk Church or give online and earmark your gift:  HAITI.  Rest assured that 100% of your gift will be given to meet the glaring needs in Haiti in the name of Jesus.  Other good organizations are World Vision and Compassion International, each of which has a presence already in Haiti and is accepting donations through their websites to help in the crisis.

A terrible event such as this is always troubling for some.  They wonder, “How can God allow such things to happen?”  Of course, there is a great mystery surrounding the presence and power and purpose of evil in the world.  There is much we can say in response to this question, but ultimately, the most important thing we can to is to respond with the compassion of Jesus.  People are generally won to faith in Jesus by demonstrations of his love, not by answers that satisfy our curiosity.  However, remembering that we live in a world of darkness; a world that crucified our Savior, it always comforts me that Jesus saw through the years and predicted a time of earthquakes and trouble and disasters prior to his Second Coming.  I read the headlines and think, “Yes, it is just as Jesus said it would be.”  And now he wants us to respond as he would.

Here are some updates for you:
·         Please keep our Children’s Pastor, Peggy Graves in your prayers.  She has a blood clot (which is not life threatening) and such a severe problem with her hip that it will in all likelihood need replacement.  I visited with Peggy today in the hospital and she sends her love.  Many thanks to James English and our dedicated Children’s Ministry staff who have stepped up to be a rich blessing to our kids during Peggy’s absence!
·         This Saturday will be another awesome Men’s Breakfast, with our Leader Erik Aldana speaking on the subject, “You will feel better if you throw up.”  It will make you sick if you miss this message!  Frankly, I can’t wait!

We praise God for the great kickoff last Sunday to our series, “Core Values for a Life That Really Matters.”  Core Value #1 is INTIMACY WITH GOD, and as a reminder, here are three ways to pray that will draw us closer to God:  PRAY “Let Me Know Your Ways”, “Let Me Experience You in My Life”, and “Show Me Your Glorious Presence”  This Sunday we’ll look at Core Value #2.  You won’t want to miss it.

In her book Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott shares a story about one of her pastors:  When she was about seven, her best friend got lost one day. The little girl ran up and down the streets of the big town where they lived, but she couldn’t find a single landmark, and became very frightened. Finally a policeman stopped to help her. He put her in the passenger seat of his car, and they drove around until she finally saw something she recognized, her church. She pointed it out to the policeman, and then she told him firmly, “You could let me out now. This is my church, and I can always find my way home from here.”

Then Annie Lamott writes:  “And that is why I have stayed so close to [my church family]—because no matter how bad I am feeling, how lost or lonely or frightened, when I see the faces of the people at my church, and hear their tawny voices, I can always find my way home.”

What does God desire for his church?  To be a community where we can always find our way home!  Of course, our real home is in heaven.  In the meantime, the church is God’s family, a community of people where I can discover God’s purpose for my life, and where I can always be reminded of where true home really is.  Tragedies will come and go, but our home is eternal for us!

Love in Jesus,
Pastor John

A Very Expensive Lunch

Dear Crosswalkers,

New Year Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Here’s an interesting story about a lunch date that happened back in 2008.  As far as I know, this was one of the most expensive lunches in the world.  Guy Spier, CEO of Aquamarine Capital Management, took Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, to lunch.  The lunch cost Spier and a friend $650,100.

The luncheon came about through a charity auction on eBay.  Each year, investment guru Warren Buffett offers to go to lunch with the highest bidder and seven companions,  and promises to discuss virtually any question—except what he’s buying and selling (darn!).  Buffett then donates the money to charity (Praise God).  Spier and another money manager won the auction with a bid of $650,100.  Yikes!  That is one costly lunch!  And yet Guy Spier says it was worth it!  According to a report in Time magazine, here’s what Spier said they talked about:

Buffett has always made a point of doing business with integrity—and of working only with people who share his values. As we learned at lunch, he credits his father with teaching him at an early age to rely on his own sense of what’s right, rather than look for affirmation from others. “It’s very important to live your life by an internal yardstick,” he told us, noting that one way to gauge whether or not you do so is to ask the question, Would you rather be considered the best lover in the world and know privately that you’re the worst—or would you prefer to know privately that you’re the best lover in the world, but be considered the worst?

It’s interesting that at one of the most expensive lunches I’ve ever heard of, the discussion centered on values!  When given the chance to talk about anything with a famously wealthy man, the discussion turned to values, that which matters most.  This Sunday we are beginning a new sermon series called CORE VALUES for a Life that Really Matters.  In this series we will examine the 8 Core Values that have been taught in over 50 countries to 40,000 Christian Leaders through the International Leadership Institute.   I have personally taught these values on mission trips to Nepal, India, Burundi, and Paraguay, as well as in stateside venues.  Last month I taught them in a prison in Paraguay!  These values are not just for leaders, but they are values for everyone who wants to life a life pleasing to God, a life that really matters!

This would be an excellent series to invite your family and friends to attend, because everyone lives their lives by an internal yardstick, as Buffet says.  We crave for a set of values to guide us through good times and bad.  You don’t have to take me to lunch for this advice:  I strongly recommend the values God teaches us in the Bible!  I HOPE TO SEE YOU SUNDAY AS WE KICK OFF THIS SERIES!

On another note, special thanks to all who contributed to Pastor Jerry and Kimberly’s send off!  They have arrived in Indiana and looking forward to their first Sunday!  In a note we received yesterday, Jerry writes:  “Thank you for caring for our souls and breathing into us from our first Sunday until our last Sunday!  All we can do is praise our Heavenly Father for such a wonderful gift we have in Crosswalk and each of you.”

See you Sunday!

Pastor John