MMQB - April 26, 2010

1. Great day worshiping yesterday with the Tribe. There’s just something essential about gathering together to sing to God and listen to and respond to His Word. We are wired to need it. 

2. The book I recommended yesterday is “What Does God Want Of Us Anyway?: A Quick Overview of the Whole Bible.” It is a very short, very readable and helpful summary of the overarching message of the Bible. I highly recommend it. You can also find the link to it and other very solid books on our recommended reading list on our website.

3. A point I made yesterday was that each of us need to take responsibility for our spiritual growth. Essential to that is making the Bible a central part of your life. We’re Americans and we know how to get what we want. The question is, do we want the Bible? Do whatever you need to do to make the Bible primary in your life. Many American church-goers have never truly encountered the God of the Bible because they simply don’t read it. Don’t be that person.

4. Another point I made yesterday was how we should work to destroy the god of options. We suffer from a distracting abundance of options in our culture. This has produced in us a pervasive wimpiness when it comes to commitment. We’re always waiting for something better to come along instead of giving ourselves wholeheartedly to the marriage, job, church that is right in front of us. And, even if we aren’t scared of commitment, all the options can be like open programs on your desktop computer, draining your emotional and spiritual RAM. One of the best things we can do for our lives is to close down those unnecessary programs/options running in the background of the desktop of our lives and run just a few programs well. So the question is, what do you need to shut down in your life and what do you need to commit to with your whole heart?

4. Great time praying at the new location last night. Things are really taking shape. We’ll have a few more prayer gatherings there before we move in. If you haven’t made it out to one yet I encourage you to make the next one.

5. Do you have middle school or high school kids and are they clicked in with our student ministry? If not, they should be. Will Hawk and his crew are doing a tremendous job.

6. Have you checked out the CrossPointe Classifieds? Great place to get the word out.

7. Have you read the article from our website on what we believe about Giving, Tithing, and Generosity? If you haven’t, you should. One of my prayers for CrossPointe is that we will be a radically generous group of people. Click here for a link to the article.

8. It’s only Monday but I am already very much looking forward to this Sunday and celebrating communion together. We will receive about forty people as new members. Another opportunity to gather, sing, listen, and respond to Jesus. I simply cannot imagine doing life apart from wholehearted, prioritized commitment to a group of likewise imperfect, rough, and very much in-progress pardoned rebels like me who collectively make up the church.

9. Lastly, I leave you with a GREAT example of how to approach prom as a father from our very own Bill Harrison. Well done, Bill. Well done.

Grace & Peace,

Brad