This Sunday is Cinco De Mayo!

So let’s do something for it.

Break out your sombreros, maracas and anything else that says “South of the Border” (Just don’t wear Taco Bell).

We’ll have 3 secret judges (so you can’t bribe) and prizes for the best dressed.

So get some sizzle in your wardrobe this Sunday!

So what our lives really are is us living out the masterpiece God has already drawn, not painting on the masterpiece God has already drawn.

Because painting on God’s masterpiece would be like me drawing on a Picasso with crayon.

How do you live out his masterpiece?

First, know that you identity is as a saint, someone holy & unique. Someone set aside that God wants to use in power.

Second, know how God has made you unique. Know what brings you the greatest joy in serving. Something you can do all day long and still have energy left. Something that when you do it, you feel as though you are worshipping God…even though it isn’t singing.

Third, do that the best you can in the season of life that you are in. Don’t try and live out the masterpiece that you think will be unveiled in 5 years. Live out the masterpiece as God has unveiled it at this point in your life. But don’t be lazy in your masterpiece either. Paul said that his work ethic was a grace of God. We should view ... Read More »]]> Ephesians 2:10 speaks of us being God’s masterpiece. He has already drawn the masterpiece. He is simply unveiling it daily.

So what our lives really are is us living out the masterpiece God has already drawn, not painting on the masterpiece God has already drawn.

Because painting on God’s masterpiece would be like me drawing on a Picasso with crayon.

How do you live out his masterpiece?

First, know that you identity is as a saint, someone holy & unique. Someone set aside that God wants to use in power.

Second, know how God has made you unique. Know what brings you the greatest joy in serving. Something you can do all day long and still have energy left. Something that when you do it, you feel as though you are worshipping God…even though it isn’t singing.

Third, do that the best you can in the season of life that you are in. Don’t try and live out the masterpiece that you think will be unveiled in 5 years. Live out the masterpiece as God has unveiled it at this point in your life. But don’t be lazy in your masterpiece either. Paul said that his work ethic was a grace of God. We should view our work ethic as the same.

The sweet spot in life is living out our masterpiece, and getting paid for it. That shouldn’t be a dream. Really, I hope that everyone’s job is that for them. I enjoy what I do. God has given me and my family a tremendous blessing to build his Kingdom through the local expression called CrossPoint.

But I feel as though we have only scratched the surface of what he wants to do. And most of that is because he has barely revealed to us the painting that is the collective mosaic that is CrossPoint!

God has made you a saint! He has painted a great masterpiece! Walk today in what he has unveiled at this point in life.

Personally, as I’ve read through the Gospels, the illustration of our life as soil has really come out and has been on my mind.

And I think that both of these go hand-in-hand.

Our responsibility is to make sure our soil is the way that it needs to be. Fertilize, plant, water, harvest. That’s what we can do.

God’s responsibility is to grow the plant he wants and produce the fruit he wants.

That is God’s power at work inside of us.

We are each his masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). He knows what he wants to do with us. Faith is making sure our soil is right for growth so he can do with us as he wants.

This is the importance of reading the Bible, prayer and connecting with the church. This prepares our soil for God to use his power in our lives.

At least 5 people will get baptized tomorrow! If you want to be baptized because you want to identify publicly with Christ, show up with a change of clothes. We’ll talk to you more tomorrow.

But we’ll also see the change that God makes in us. Our identity completely change. It changes from our weakness to God’s power. But how does that play out in our lives?

9 & 10:45a | 6p Sunday Night Live

Look forward to seeing you!

You’ve prayed for stuff. You’ve prayed for people to get better. You’ve prayed for God to provide a certain thing. You’ve prayed for certain people to know Christ.

But you give up. Why? For simplistic purposes, let me be simple. We give up because we don’t see God at work. Or we don’t think he’s at work.

This is what makes Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians so vital.

He thanks God for their faith and love for people. He prays God will reveal the relationship he wants with them. He prays God will enlighten their heart to the certainty of a better future by being a saint. He prays God will let them know the immeasurable greatness of his power.

When we treat God like an eternal Santa Claus, we will get disillusioned because he may or may not give us our list.

When we treat God like the Eternal King that he is, we will see him work in our life by brining us to closer relationship, certainty of a better future and through power.

Don’t settle. Use these things Paul prays for yourself ... Read More »]]> Maybe we don’t pray because we have a hard time seeing how much of a difference it makes.

You’ve prayed for stuff. You’ve prayed for people to get better. You’ve prayed for God to provide a certain thing. You’ve prayed for certain people to know Christ.

But you give up. Why? For simplistic purposes, let me be simple. We give up because we don’t see God at work. Or we don’t think he’s at work.

This is what makes Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians so vital.

He thanks God for their faith and love for people.
He prays God will reveal the relationship he wants with them.
He prays God will enlighten their heart to the certainty of a better future by being a saint.
He prays God will let them know the immeasurable greatness of his power.

When we treat God like an eternal Santa Claus, we will get disillusioned because he may or may not give us our list.

When we treat God like the Eternal King that he is, we will see him work in our life by brining us to closer relationship, certainty of a better future and through power.

Don’t settle. Use these things Paul prays for yourself AND CrossPoint.

Because if a group of people…no matter how small…get a glimpse of what God can do and begs God to work will see God work in amazing ways!

Another opportunity to serve with food. We’re providing lunch for the Baptist Student Union on the OTC campus. We’ll do this for next Monday, April 15. This is a free lunch for any college student that comes.

They’re expecting 40 students. We’re doing tacos!

We need these things… 8-10 lbs cooked & seasoned hamburger. 5-6 bags of tortillas 4 bags of shredded cheese 4 bags of shredded lettuce 4-5 jars of taco sauce 4-5 16 oz containers of sour cream.

For those who can’t go, we’ll need the items that you get on Sunday. We will keep them cool and warm the meat back up when we get there.

If you can help serve on Monday, show up at the church @ 10:30 AM or at the OTC campus at 11:00 AM.

All right…time to serve! If you have questions, email Clay Miller (he’s the one leading this). To sign up for something, comment below or email Clay.

Remember the blessings flow from our identity in Christ as a saint…someone set aside for a purpose. Here are the blessings again…

I’d say the Holy Spirit is a pretty good down payment! Imagine what the full presence of God will be like!

Man, let me encourage you to read Ephesians 1:1-14 at least once a day for the rest of this week. Maybe do it when we wake up and lie down. Maybe even do it at lunch.

Let God speak to you in different ways about how he blesses you with a blessing that is richer than any blessing we can count!

Sunday night before the boys went to bed, I got the idea to read the Prodigal Son story to our boys.

I wanted to see if reading it would jog their memory any. Because if your family is like my family, if we ask our kids about the lesson, the conversation is scattered at best.

But what reading the story did was it helped jog their memory and we had a pretty good conversation about it as a family.

We also got to talk about what it means for our family.

I’d encourage you to do the same with your family. Read over the Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11-32). Talk about people who need to come home and connect with the Father. Pray for them. Invite them.

And what I’ll do is post on this blog, as many weeks as I can, what my family discussed and how you can do the same.

Because it is about diving Sunday morning deeper and making disciples inside ... Read More »]]>

Sunday night before the boys went to bed, I got the idea to read the Prodigal Son story to our boys.

I wanted to see if reading it would jog their memory any. Because if your family is like my family, if we ask our kids about the lesson, the conversation is scattered at best.

But what reading the story did was it helped jog their memory and we had a pretty good conversation about it as a family.

We also got to talk about what it means for our family.

• We talked about people “on the horizon” that, as far as we know, don’t know God or go to church.
• We prayed for them.
• We also talked about how we could invite them to connect with the Father.

I’d encourage you to do the same with your family. Read over the Prodigal Son story (Luke 15:11-32). Talk about people who need to come home and connect with the Father. Pray for them. Invite them.

And what I’ll do is post on this blog, as many weeks as I can, what my family discussed and how you can do the same.

Because it is about diving Sunday morning deeper and making disciples inside our family.

Find our group HERE. Use password “serve” to get in.

We’ll even be able to send messages to each other through this.

All entries must be completed by the first game on Thursday, March 21.

You can also find free apps to do your brackets and find our group through them. I’ve used the iPad app to find our group.

iTunes

Google Play

Get your brackets in and let the best win!

We’re starting the series Wayward Son tomorrow!

Everyone just wants to know that they have a chance in life. But what about with God…Do we really have a chance?

9 & 10:45 AM | 6 PM Sunday Night Live

Invite your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to our illusionist Connection Point night!

April 5, 6 & 7:30 PM. Purchase tickets tomorrow morning for $5!

And an illusion for your enjoyment!

Oh…first edition I forgot. Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day!

Don’t forget to wear green!