The Power of Remembering What Matters Most

Dear Crosswalkers,

I'm baaaacck!!

Maybe I'm slightly jet-lagged, but back in the saddle again!

It has been an exciting couple of weeks representing Crosswalk Ch >urch in NE India with our resident missionary, Peter Pereira.  As you know, Crosswalk Church sponsored an ILI (International Leadership Training) Conference for 25 leaders from NE India and Bhutan.  The map on the right gives you a good idea of where we were.  I will be sharing bits of this powerful conference over the next couple of Sundays.  Special thanks to those of you who prayed for this mission and who gave to support it through your Faith Promise offerings.

This was perhaps the most strategic conference we've ever sponsored, given the potential to reach one of the least evangelized countries in the world.  I cannot even write the names of the church leaders from Bhutan in this email because the authorities are very keen at searching the internet to amass evidence to use against Christian evangelists in Bhutan.  But rest assured, God loves the Bhutanese people, and the Lord is using his servants there to reach others for the kingdom of God!  We sent 10 leaders back to Bhutan fully trained to train others in the 8 core values of Christian leadership!  I can't help but think that Crosswalk's impact on the world is pleasing to our Lord God.

Meanwhile, this Sunday is Memorial Day weekend and we will share a message entitled The Power of Remembering What Matters Most. Interestingly, the Bible teaches there are some things God wants us to forget, and other things he wants us to remember.  Some of us are unproductive and unhealthy because we remember what God wants us to forget and we forget what God wants us to remember!  It will be a fitting message for Memorial Day.  This will also be a family day at Crosswalk, so the elementary kids will stay in service this Sunday.  This will be a great day, so why not invite someone to come to church with you!  This is one place where we can truly celebrate Memorial Day in a relevant and powerful way!! I hope to see you Sunday!!

Love in the Lord,

Pastor John

The Forgotten Tag Line!

Dear Crosswalkers,

There were a lot of comments generated about last Sunday's sermon, "Mothers with a Message." However, here is my big regret: I was so proud of myself for coming up with a great tag line for that message, and then I totally forgot to use it... in both services! I can't let the line go to waste, so here it is (if you heard the message it will make more sense than if you didn't, but it's true nonetheless): "Just because you have a history doesn't mean you can't have a hope!"

CLASSES TONIGHT
Wednesday classes resume tonight. Angel Hernandez will be facilitating “How Far do you want to Go? A Travel App for Today’s World.” This is a practical Bible Study that got off to a great start last week with a fresh application of the journey of Elijah and Elisha. They will meet in the youth room. A second class for tonight only is "A Kiss in the Dark: Marriage in the Light." This is facilitated by Leanna and me and we will wrap it up tonight. Starting next week, the class on Spiritual Parenting will begin. Why not join us for dinner between 5:30 - 6:15, and then classes start at 6:30. We have a great program for kids as well as nursery care.

MOVIES
A few weeks ago the movie Soul Surfer opened at theaters across the U.S. It depicts the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a courageous young surfer who survived a shark attack and then went back to surfing. Leanna and I saw this film and enjoyed it very much. It is well acted, has great music and some fantastic surfing scenes, as well a great true story! But the interesting back-story to the film is that Hollywood wanted to ban the "J" word! As a committed Christian, Bethany and her family naturally wanted to tell the story of her faith in Christ. It is a crucial part of the story! The producers at Sony resisted including explicit Bible verses (they wanted to leave the references out) and mentioning the name of Jesus (God was less controversial). In the end, one Bible reference was allowed (Jeremiah 29:11), and two references to Jesus made the movie's final cut!

I hesitate to recommend films I haven't see yet, but Jumping the Broom was produced in part by African-American pastor T.D. Jakes, and it is getting great reviews. It is not marketed as a "Christian movie", which is probably a good thing. But reviewers say it is an entertaining, value packed and faith affirming film (rated PG-13 for some slightly raunchy humor). In CinemaScore Friday-night exit polls, the film earned a rare A rating, and one reviewer wrote: "It addresses abstinence, and with no profanity or nudity (but it) still manages to be the nation’s no. 1 comedy—superceding its opening-weekend competition in that genre."

NE INDIA AND BHUTAN!!
As many of you know, Crosswalk church will be blessing the region of Assam in NE India and the people of Bhutan with a weeklong National ILI (International Leadership Training) Conference! The last conference we sponsored in India was in Calcutta, where we had some brothers from the Assam region in attendance. They were so blessed by the training they invited us to come to Assam where they could invite some Bhutanese church leaders to come across the border to get this training which in unavailable in their home country. Here is what the latest edition of Operation World has to say about Bhutan:

Bhutan is one of the world’s least evangelized nations. The continued isolationist policies of the government combined with the highly significant role of the Buddhist monarchy further reinforce the hold of tantric Vajrayana Buddhism, complete with the strong occultic/demonic influence of pre-Buddhist Bon animism. Pray for true spiritual liberation for this land of the Dragon (Druk Yul). Pray for King Wangchuk and his salvation.
The Tibetan/Himalayan peoples comprise the majority population, with the Bhutanese people cluster numbering 50% of the population. They are strongly Buddhist, and Christians among them number only a few hundred. These scattered believers are limited to small fellowships at best; most have faced varying degrees of persecution or social ostracism. Among the five largest peoples (Dzongkha, Tshangla, Lepcha, Kheng, Gurung), only the Lepcha have any significant Christian population. Pray for the emergence of a vital witnessing fellowship in every ethnic group of the Bhutanese.

Christian missionaries are not allowed in Bhutan. Lord willing, Peter Pereira and I will go to Guwahati in NE India and train leaders from Bhutan and the Assam region. The conference is scheduled for May 16-21. Please pray for this mission! Pray especially that God will make it possible for the Bhutanese brothers to join us!

Lord willing, I will also spend Saturday with Pastor Daniel Beedilla and his church! Daniel was here a couple years ago to visit his daughter, and he shared his powerful testimony with us at Crosswalk. Thank you for praying!!

Love in the Lord,
Pastor John

Here's What's Happening at Crosswalk and in the World!

Dear Crosswalkers,

There is a lot going on in the world and at Crosswalk Church. In the world we had the Royal Wedding, this was inspiring with its great traditions and clear Christian content.

More importantly, the execution of Osama bin Laden was big news, with the resultant celebrations by some and sober reflection by others. Personally, I was heartened by some level of justice being realized on planet earth, even though we know that true justice will come only from God in eternity.

In this regard, one of the best books I’ve read this year is a new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer entitled: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile Vs. The Third Reich. He is one of the great heroes of the faith. With remarkable discernment, Pastor Bonhoeffer, an ardent German national, saw the unbridled evil in Hitler and how that evil would ruin his country and perhaps the world. This is a story of his great moral courage, which was informed by an uncompromising commitment to the Bible and a heartfelt devotion to Jesus. The story of Bonhoeffer’s academic triumphs, his church experiences in America, his pastoral love and concern for people, as well as his courageous role as a double-agent in the plot to assassinate Hitler all makes for compelling reading. For his efforts, he was captured and hanged in the Flossenberg concentration camp at age 39, just a couple weeks before Hitler committed suicide and the Allies claimed victory.

I highly recommend this book, as well as one of the books written by Bonhoeffer that changed my life. It’s called The Cost of Discipleship, and here are a couple of pertinent quotes:

"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

"Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'Ye were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

May you live in the grace Jesus has for you!

Blessings,

Pastor John

Study on Procrastination: Don't put off reading this!!

Dear Crosswalkers,

I have been known to put off doing a thing or two, which is why I pay attention to studies on procrastination.  According to an article in Scientific American Mind (from a couple of years ago, of course!), numerous psychologists have studied the prevalence and consequences of procrastination. The following facts provide an overview of some of the more interesting findings about this research:

• About 15-20 percent of adults are regular procrastinators.
• About 80-95 percent of college students are considered procrastinators!  Obviously, college students are not considered adults in this study!
• In 2002 Americans unnecessarily paid $473 million in taxes because of mistakes by hurried and harried late-filers.
• Many Americans don't have enough money for their retirement because of putting off saving during their working life.
• A University of Windsor in Ontario study found that procrastinators had higher stress levels and more household accidents than non-procrastinators.
• The vast majority of procrastinators—95 percent—want to end their habit but can't!  Why?  They keep putting it off!!  On a more serious note, one psychologist said: "Habits become non-conscious brain processes. When procrastination becomes chronic, a person is essentially running on autopilot."

Procrastinators have a saying, “The early bird may get the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese!”

Does the Bible have anything to say about putting things off?  Well, many proverbs speak against laziness, but the verse that comes to mind is what Jesus said to someone who wanted to obey the call to discipleship:

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”  But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:61-62).

There is nothing more important than following Jesus.  It is something to be done immediately, and then all the other "necessities of life" will find their proper place.  Now let me ask you a very personal question:  Is there something God has been putting on your heart but you keep putting it off and putting it off until its importance vanishes?  How many times has the Holy Spirit convicted you or convinced you about something but then because you didn’t do it right away it never got done?

Here's a good idea:  END PROCRASTINATION NOW!!  There are a number of important opportunities before you!  This Sunday we will offer our welcome class.  This is the class for church membership.  Have you been putting this important decision off?  The following Sunday, on Mother’s Day we will have baptisms.  Have you put off following the Lord in baptism?  Has the Royal Wedding that on Friday was viewed by an estimated 2 billion people reminded you of something you’ve been putting off regarding marriage?  Or regarding your spouse?  Have you wanted to go deeper with the Lord by sharing in a class or Bible study but have been putting it off?  We have two classes being offered beginning next Wednesday evening:

1. One is on marriage entitled:  "A Kiss in the Dark:  Marriage in the Light." Why not invest in your marriage now and plan to attend this class?
2. A second class is on the spiritual journey of following the Lord entitled:  “How Far do you want to God?  A Travel App for Today’s World.” If you’ve been putting off being in a Bible Study, then this class is for you!

I hope to see you Sunday!

Blessings,

Pastor John