For guys like Victor and Mike

Why did He do it?

Why did He care?

Why did He endure?

Why did He notice?

Why did He not defend Himself?

Why did He accept the humiliation?

Why did He endure the Cross?

Why did He lay down His life?

Why did He return to this same group of people who had just crucified Him as the the Holy Spirit?

Why does He continue to be ever-vigilant?

Well...

For guys like Victor and Mike...

I met Victor last week...

I could not get into the apartment complex that I originally wanted to do outreach in, so I drove down the street to the neighborhood where, according to law enforcement, 70% of the narcotics traffic in Galveston County are either sold or pass through the run-down houses that line the streets.

I got out and started placing postcards on the doors of the homes...

I was not alone...

My Father-in-law, Greg, and my six year old son Gavin were with me...

The two of them took one side of the street and I took the other side...

I had no explanation for this, but I looked across the street and told Greg to go ahead and go down another street, and I would finish the one we were on by myself...

After I finished and was headed back, I saw a man walking toward me...

I slowed my pce inorder to intersect him before I turned down the other street...

As I introduced myself, Victor's eyes began to water...

He began to share his story with me...

Two degrees in Engineering and Mechanics...

Wife divorced him...

Took the kids...

and the house...

and the cars....

and Victor is now living on the streets...

I began to tell Him about the love of God...

and tears began to flow...

from both of our eyes...

and as I asked more questions, I discovered that Victor is a backslidden Pentecostal...

Needless to say, Greg and Gavin finished the other street while I talked with Victor...

When they walked up, my little six year old Gavin witnessed his daddy with an arm around a homeless man's shoulders, tears dropping to the pavement, praying in the middle of the street...

Why did Jesus do it?

For guys like Victor...

Meet Mike...

I met him today...

As I was finishing mowing the grass (for the first time since we moved in this house a couple of weeks ago)...

My neighbor came outside to empty her trash...

I looked at her and said, "Would you like me to cut your grass?"

What?!  Of course!  Huh??

So she goes back inside, and I mow her grass...

While I am finishing the trimming, a car pulls up and a young man gets out with his backpack over his shoulder...

--Enter Mike--

He looks at me with a befuddled look on his face...

Two questions are running through his head...

1.  Who is the potbellied guy in my front yard?

2.  Why is he mowing our grass?

I nodded and said hello, and he walks inside...

After a few minutes Mike comes out and asks if I would like a glass of water...

and we start talking...

Mike is a high school junior...

Wants to go to TSU when he graduates...

for a degree in music...

says he wants to produce recordings...

rap...

"Like them rappers be doin'"

I smiled and talked music for a few minutes...

And set Mike, Desmond, and their mom's infilling with the Holy Spirit as a personal goal over the next few weeks...

See, in all of our feverish attempts to build churches and community relations, we are in danger of forgetting why we have the Holy Spirit...

Why do we have it?

For guys like Victor and Mike...

Ever wonder if anyone cared??

Wonder if God exists?

Or if He was aware of your desperate circumstance?

Ok, so if God really does exist, and He is actually aware of your circumstance, the next question is obviously, "Does He care?

And if He cares, how will I even know or recognize it when it happens?"

Glad you asked!

This is where the family of The Crossing comes into the picture!

The only way Jesus Christ can show His love, compassion, and concern for you is through His body of earthly believers.

That's us!

Your new family awaits with arms outstretched at The Crossing.

We are aware that you are like the rest of us:  

You have family issues...

You deal with guilt from your past mistakes...

You seem to be surrounded by 'drama'...

Your relationships do not seem to be living up to their potential...

Your finances are in turmoil...

You feel unfulfilled even when things seem to be going well...

We know.  We have all been there.

But, guess what!!??  WE CARE!

We are commissioned by Jesus Christ to be His avenue of approach to your life...

The Crossing is not about 'church folks' sitting around celebrating the fact that we have it all together and criticizing those who do not.

We are creating a church with an atmosphere where hurting lives can be healed and mended by the power of the Holy Spirit.

An atmosphere of hope...

An atmosphere of change...

An atmosphere of deliverance...

An atmosphere of worship...

An atmosphere where families meet Jesus... and are never the same...

 

Who cares?

The Crossing cares.

Three Years Later

Three years ago today I stood in a cold little building and preached my first message to the two members of The Crossing (f.k.a. Soul's Harbor Pentecostal Church)...

My first message to them was "Keep Standing Until the King Arrives."

I told them that the King was on His way...

and He was going to anoint, empower and strengthen them to do so...

The following Sunday, I preached "A Message For The City."

I told them that God was about to revolutionize their church...

They were going to see what they had not been able to see previously...

And we hit the ground running...

Clueless...

Thought we were ready to pastor...

hahahaha

Green as a gourd...

And we kept on pressing...

Trials came...

Opposition arose...

Fear gripped us...

Faith propelled us...

Favor led us...

Discouragement came knocking...

people came...

people left...

I just kinda figured that, since I was such a fantastic preacher, the community would hear about the church...

and the media would want to come and do a feature on the new guy in town...

people would flock to the place...

money would start rolling in...

Talent would begin seeking me out...

yeah...

not so much...

Other opportunities that were much more stable, secure, and prestigious were offered...

but God spoke to me and said, "Do not choose blossoms, son...choose buds"

and the great opportunity was turned down...

friends and family asked me, "Are you crazy?"

no...

just hungry....

The Sunday following this decision...

I sat in my little office and wondered two things...

1.  What can I possibly say to this church today that would encourage them?

2.  Will I ever catch that stupid rat that ate all of my books in this office??

so I gathered myself up and plastered on a smile....

opened the office door and walked out to begin service....

and there sat six new families on our chairs...

God is faithful....

If I could say anything to myself, my family, and my precious church three years later...

it would be...

"Keep Standing 'Till The King Arrives"

He is still coming...

still going to anoint...

still going to revolutionize our church...

still going to show us things we have yet to imagine....

The King is on His way....

Three years later...

Coolest Gift Ever...

A while back little Eric(3 years old )started coming to our church...

He was immediately fascinated with my ties...

One Sunday I brought Eric a tie...

He has been wearing that tie with every outfit...

Wears it to daycare...

WEars it to church...

Wears it outside while playing...

hahahah


today, Mr. Eric comes up to me after church with a little gift bag in his hand...

I kneel down and pull out the tissue paper to reveal...

yup...

a new tie....

I look forward to exchanging ties with Mr. E for years to come...


I love Christmas!!

A Pile 'O Presents

I am sitting next to a huge pile of wrapped presents...

It was probably the most fun I have had this Christmas season...

Going to Toys R Us and finding a gift for every kid in my church...awesome!!

I am filling out the last of the cards (each with a personal note from Pastor) to these kiddos...

There is a pile of Gamestop gift cards, ITunes gift cards, Barnes & Noble giftcards, Connect Four, Chutes & Ladders, Mouse Trap, Don't Break The Ice, Sorry, Trouble...

I love Christmas!!

Stupid Cow!!

Yesterday I was ticked off at that stupid cow...


I was mad at the cow...

The cow that trampled the young man who works for me...

Broke some of his ribs...

So, in turn, he called in sick...

This caused quite a problem yesterday in the schedule of the retail store I manage...

Stupid Cow...

I was mad at the boy...

Because his ribs were broken...

I was mad at the lady...

because she had made other plans and could not come in to cover the shift...

I was mad at the girl who had the audacity to go wedding dress shopping on her day off and not sit at home waiting for me to call her in to work...

It was Wednesday!!

I needed to be at church, but now I had to sty late at work to deal with a mess started by a Stupid Cow...

Church starts in 30 minutes, I m barely going to make it in the door in time...

And what is this????

A customer needs my attention SPECIFICALLY??

OK..

He looks me in the eye and says, "I know you are trying to get to church..."

Whoa!

How in the world did he know I was headed to church?

I slowed my frantic pace and began to listen...

Listen...

Not only to the customer, but to HIM...

"Where do you go to church, Myron?"

I turned to him, handed him a card and told him I was the pastor, and I might get fired tonight if I don't make it to Bible Study on time... 

The folks at the church just can't get enough of my preaching!! haha

I boxed up his wife's boots, when the next question came, "What religion are you?"

Pentecostal...

"Really, I was raised Pentecostal!"

"Where?" I asked.

"Do you know where Diboll, Texas is? Also, there is a huge campground in Lukfin that I used to attend all the time."

Wow.

While I was preoccupied with the agitation I felt toward the Stupid Cow, God was positioning me for purpose...

If the Stupid Cow had not trampled the boy...

and the lady had not already had plans... 

and the girl had not been wedding dress shopping...

I would not have had the opportunity to meet Mike and his wife...

The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord...

Relax...

Do not buck and pull against His hand when it leads you out of your routine...

He just might be positioning you for purpose...

Ananias, don't resist the leading toward Straight Street...

God is positioning you for purpose...

Jesus sat outside the city and told his disciples to go in to the city to "a place where two ways met" and there they would find a colt tied...

Never forget...

God knows where his colts are tied...

The colt might have felt overlooked...

abandoned...

under-utilized...

frustrated...

But he was positioned for a purpose...

and...

had he pulled away from the position he was in...

he would have missed the greatest ministry opportunity that would ever come along in his lifetime...

Friend, if you get out of position now, you will not be able usher the Savior into your city...

Don't let your anger at a Stupid Cow cloud your vision of where you are being led...

Driving Under The Influence

Recently I was involved in a discussion where this question was asked:

"How does a pastor reach all segments of society in his city?"

I submit that the answer is found in Driving Under the Influence...

Drive the streets of your city...

under the influence...

tears clouding your vision...

begging God to open doors to reach into your community...

and then be willing to walk through the ones He opens...

weep as you see toddlers playing outside in nothing but their diaper...

while daddy sits on the porch drinking away their grocery money...

as you see the yard service cutting the lawn of the lawyer who owns half the real estate in the area...

and beg God for an in-road...

Yup...

It's called DUI

Driving Under the Influence..

get a burden...

Stop praying for God to GIVE you a burden...

and GET a burden...

it is your choice how much you decide to carry...


and remember...

burdens not accompanied by a plan lead to the most frustrated pastors who leave after 2-3 years...

make a covenant with the land...

and stay...

A burden for the lost does not leave room for career moves...

Do I have this down to a science?

Absolutely not...

But it is the only thing that will work...

It is what will fuel your marketing efforts...