A Revealing New Report!

Dear Crosswalkers, We have a week and half left in our 40 DAYS IN THE WORD spiritual growth campaign, but this Sunday will be the last message in this series where we tie it all together. Even if you have not been in a small group or have not participated in the journey, I strongly encourage you to attend because we will wrap everything up with a message entitled "The Joy of Integrating the Bible into My Life!" With a sense of perfect timing, a 2012 research study on the state of the Bible in American Life was just released. The study was commissioned by the American Bible Society and conducted by the Barna Research Group, and it revealed some good news and bad news about Bible reading and biblical literacy in America. First, here's the encouraging news: 85 percent of households own at least one Bible, with a household average of 4.3 Bibles. 68 percent of Americans believe the Bible provides answers on how to live a meaningful life. 27 percent say their Bible reading has increased in the past year, while only 12 percent say it has decreased (58 percent say it has stayed the same) But here's the bad news: 36 percent of Americans read the Bible less than once a year. 79 percent of those surveyed believe they are knowledgeable about the Bible, but 54 percent were unable to identify the first five books of the Bible. 46 percent believe the Bible, the Koran, and the Book of Mormon are different expressions of the same spiritual truths. In most every category, the "Mosaic Generation" of 18-27 year olds were less committed to the Bible in terms of their beliefs and practices than the rest of the population. This is a group we are trying to reach! You can read the entire report in pdf format for yourself by clicking HERE. Interestingly, survey participants also indicated their biggest frustration about reading the Bible was that they "never had enough time to read it." This is why our 40 DAYS IN THE WORD study has been so important! The truth is we DO make time for what is important in our lives! God wants to speak to us through the Bible, and in these 40 DAYS we are learning to prioritize reading the Bible and also we are learning how to hear God speaking to us. I encourage you to finish well with your 40 DAYS journey, and I pray that the skills you are learning will become a regular habit in your daily life. This Lord's Day is also on the Memorial Day weekend, and as always we will be remembering those who died in service to our country. Love in Jesus, Pastor John Christie

A SPECIAL PLEA FROM YOUR PASTOR (And it has NOTHING to do with MONEY!) Here's something I've noticed and I wonder if you can help with a very practical matter that would make Crosswalk a more caring and worshiping community of faith. At both services, the people who get there early or on time often seat in the back of our Worship Center. I know for a very few of you there are good reasons for this, but for the majority I wonder why this is so. Studies have shown conclusively that the best students always sit in the front of the class! The word disciple means student! It communicates a greater love for your church and an enthusiasm for worship when you sit closer to the front. Also, for a very practical reason, when latecomers enter they have to walk past everyone in the back and make more of a disturbance. If you are presently sitting in the back 1/3 of the building, can I please encourage you to SHOCK THE WORLD by getting out of your regular place and moving to the front 2/3s of the worship center?   Also, while we are at it, this is a special problem in the 10:35 a.m. service because so many of you are in the habit of showing up very late for worship! Can I tell you something? Guests come on time! It would be very nice if you were here on time to meet and greet them!!! By the way, in our second service as a follow up from the Tru Conference, we will be giving a blessing to the children before they are dismissed for their classes. So please sit with your children up front!   This is my special plea - PLEASE make every effort to be on time, and please move toward the front so our guests see that our worship is something we want to do and we want to do it well!! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP IN MAKING CROSSWALK A BETTER PLACE FOR WORSHIP!!!

A SHOCKING CONVERSION? Hugo Chavez, the normally brash, out-spoken, anti-USA, Marxist President of Venezuela, has surprised the religious and political world by apparently giving his life to Christ during his long battle with cancer.Prior to his last round of cancer treatments he said,"Christ my Lord … will lay on a hand on this treatment." In fact, according to an article in theHuffington Post, now he practically always mentions God or Jesus whenever he makes a statement. It's difficult to determine the depth of his faith in Christ, but at the very least this story illustrates for us human vulnerability and our need for God's help. You can read the remarkable story HERE. Let us hope and pray that the Lord has indeed drawn President Chavez into a saving relationship with himself!