Faith Break--

Believers LIFE ministers (Pastor Crosswhite) would like you to take a Faith Break and listen to a 2min inspirational message that is meant to encourage, refresh and uplift you at the midpoint of your day. Take a moment (just 2 min) simple click on the link and listen---"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,"(Romans 10:17)

The disappearing church | Fire or Blackberries

As I continue to wrestle with the present realities of my last blog "Opting Out", I ran across this blog. It is interesting to me that there are several Pastors and ministries are looking at how to invigorate those that are unchurched, non-churched  and left-churched and so we find ourselves pulled like a Stretch-Armstrong action figure trying to stay firmly entrenched inside of the "churches" four walls, holding onto the pass while the world moves at light speed into the future.
The disappearing church | Fire or Blackberries:

'via Blog this'

Opting Out

I have been in a peculiar place of late trying to wrap my mind around and get a handle on this overwhelming feeling that I want to announce to the world that “I Quit Church”.  As painful as it is to think or feel it; it is ever harder to say or in this case write, but “I Quit church”.

“I Quit church”.   “I Quit church”.   “I Quit church”. 

  Feels good to get it out of my system.

  Okay let me explain myself  as I know the very statement “I Quit Church” will raise some eyebrows. You see I have become increasingly disillusioned with the “church”  not the “Church”(capitol C) the ecclesicasia that glorious assembly of the called out and called into, those that have given themselves to salvation through the body and blood of Jesus the Christ; those that are determined to live there best life know AND to help others do the same in the NAME OF JESUS.  What I have a problem with is the “church”(small c) that weekly assembly of religious Pharisees and folks that pass by wounded  and battered neighbors, friends, family and neighborhoods to huddle inside of four walls to proclaim praise and glory to a God that they have only served on Sunday morning and even then it is a half hearted attempt as glorification of a God that seeks for us to do more and be more.  Let me be real for a moment I am sick and tired of four walled ministry that touches no one.  I am sick and tired of ministry that touches only but a few folks to a couple hundred on Sunday morning only to see the “church” do absolutely nothing to share the word, power, wonder and might that was proclaimed to them that Sunday morning. Let me say this because this is not meant to be just and indictment on the pew members but also the Me and any other Pastor that primarily only participates in ministry on Sunday morning.

I am as guilty as the next person, as I have realized that I was ill equipped to do ministry outside of a pulpit. I am a good preacher and teacher, a fair administrator, but a poor minister of the gospel. When I  say minister gospel I do not just mean the retelling of the good news but more the physical manifestation of ministry that touches those that have not seen the inside of a church within months,  years or ever. The gospel is more than a “praise the Lord”, a “I’m blessed and highly favored” punch line to the question of “How are you?” ; it is more than a tract or flyer; it is more. The gospel  of Jesus The Christ is the interaction with those that had no hope of heaven but with a heart, mind and touch of Jesus the Christ it bring about a change for hells victim to heavens victor with hope and wholeness. The gospel of Jesus the Christ is the personal  interaction that shows a heart of Peace, joy, kindness, meekness, servant hood and sincerity to people that are broken by life and left on roadside bleeding physically, mentally and spiritually, those that have become little less than background sights and sounds to the orchestrate of life we as Christians we have concocted.  What I have come to revolt and despise is the fact that I am responsible for so many people that are going to hell simple for the fact that on Sunday morning, I thought that I was doing ministry, but Monday thru Saturday there was little to no ministry that took place with those that were not members of the churches that I pastored.  I am responsible for powerless church folk who shy away from, cringe at and run from the very idea of touching the sick and the sinner.

As a pastor I have to take responsibility for my part in the delinquency of a Christian. I have to take responsibility for four wall ministry where I was essentially a cheerleader to a team that could not hear me or did not pay attention to me;  where I was a coach calling the plays and there was a total disconnect. Even when I was a player coached and rolled up my selves and got involved the team never showed up.  But I cannot take all of the responsibility for the failures of the “church”. There are literally thousands of churches of every size and shape that are doing a disservice to the cause of Christ. There appears to be a historical disconnect from the essence of Christ purpose, mission and methods by church folk that have become more concerned with membership and country clubesq status. The issue is not just with the absence of outreach beyond the 4 walls of the building, but there is also a disconnect between members inside the building. There are schisms, clicks, social clubs and family patriarchy that have established themselves and essentially disabled the church. It is part of our sin nature, our humanity, our frailty, our flawedness that causes us to deviate so far from the will of God. So I have made the conscious decision to “Quit church”; I am not giving up Jesus, I am not forgoing my Christianity, my faith or beliefs, I simply give up church . I am Opting Out of the silliness that is church for wonder that is Christ. What does that exactly mean, I am still struggling with that, it is still a work in progress, but I will let you know as soon as I know…

t888

The Historical Accuracy of the Bible Revealed | INSPIKS

The Historical Accuracy of the Bible Revealed | INSPIKS:

'via Blog this

Often times we question the bible historical accuracy and the very veracity of the biblical account. I get excited by historical facts that point to biblical accuracy and show that God has moved and is moving and is moving upon the lives of his people.

Day 7 2012: He hears me, and answers

Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me. (Psalm 66:20 NASB)

There are those moments in life where you wonder if God is hearing you. Are your prayer touching his ears and pulling at his heart strings or are have your prayers been vapor in the wind. Let's be honest for a moment, I think that we have all been in that position where's we just do not know if he is hearing us or not. But I am here to tell you that God has heard each petition is excited by the blessing that you are about to walk into. you have to understand like Paul's says. God I not slack because he has not answered you yet, and he has not forgotten you. We serve a God that not only hears your prayers he answers with responding force. So much so that when God answers, it shakes the foundation of our life's and sifts us into position to receive all that he has in store for us; well above what he hoped, asked or imagined. part of the process is realizing that because this terrestrial world does not always line up perfectly with the spiritual that we have to be patience.

James 1:4 says "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing"

you have to understand; answered prays are not always instant, there is a process for completion so that all of the end result of God manifold blessings are "perfect, Entire and wanting nothing.

I am so glade that God not only hears my prayers but he also extended his loving kindness towards me; that's His patience. Never stop praying, god hears you, and he has already started moving on your request.

I have just as recently as today seen the hand of God move regarding prayer, God is always in time at the right time to bless us, and I for one am glade about it.

Day 5 2012: Seeking Worshippers

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers." (John 4:23)

I found this passage as u was reading the other day and I found something interesting in the text that I had not noticed before. This is probable is not new to some but to me it was an interesting revelation. when Jesus is talking to the woman at the well he gets to a point of describing worship, and what struck me is that it is not worship that the father is seeking. Jesus says that what the father is seeking is worshippers...true worshippers. And what I realized is that worship is a by product of the worshippers. There is no worship without the worshippers. It is the simplest truths that are often missed because we fail to see that without one there can not be the other. it is a simple as without the coffee bean there is not coffee, without wood there is no paper with out worshippers there is no worship.

You see God is not out looking for worship, because worship is just a by product of the source. worship does not produce worship. Worship is produced by the worshipper. God is looking for the producer; he is looking for the one that will produced a sustained worship and the only one that can do that is the worshipper.
There are so many things that we could be the producers of; but the one thing that God is looking for us a producer of worship, ie a worshipper. that is the one thing that I want God to see me as, I do not want him to have to look long and hard for a worshipper, I want to be so enthusiastic with my praise that I get Gods attention and he declares there one right there; there is one of my worshippers.

Worshippers God is looking for you where ya at? lift your hands cock your heads back open your mouths And shout with a voice of triumph...HERE I AM LORD GLORY HERE I AM LORD GLORY I AM A WORSHIPPER.

Day 4 2012: it's really that simple.

Most of us are looking for the less complicated and for the more simplistic. The reality of God is that faith in God is very simplistic, it is not difficult to have faith in God. Many would want you to believe that faith is this big stretch that requires large and monumentus moves in order to prove or establish, but faith does not begin with mountain moving faith begins with the smallest heart tug that moves one into closer proximity with God. It is the act of realizing that there is something that is bigger than you and me; that there is a divine order to the things around us. The enemy would want you to believe that in the chaos of life but the truth is that life is purposes and there is a plan for each and ever on of us. Faith in God is not complicated; sometimes difficult but never complicated. The word of God tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That is pretty simple all you have to do is to be willing to listen to Gods words. When I was searching for something to believe in, I tried everything, every religion and movement that I could find and I heard a lot of things and researched a lot to get more information. But then I heard the word of the Lord and as I listened faith began welling up in my spirit and the more I listened the less I searches for something to believe in, the more my faith in God grew to the point that one day I woke up and I was a believer.

As this new year begins and you are searching for something to believe in something to make you whole, begin to listen to the word of the Lord it is that simple and I tell you a truth; faith with begin to grow in your spirit and you will discover all that you have been searching for. God is not complicated.