Movies in the Park @ Ballantyne

This coming Friday night is our last Movies in the Park @ Ballantyne for the summer. There's something about this event that is so refreshing and fun and rewarding! It always draws people out each month that we've never seen before. It seems like it's a new crowd each time. The whole idea of doing a free movie for the community is a blast to me. I think it's great that we as a church can provide the event and the popcorn and the drinks, if only for the purpose of meeting new people and letting them know we care. Over the past couple of years a few folks who attended the movie decided to give Crosspoint a try and a few of them have stayed. Now that's really cool! I think the people who attend are truly appreciative of our efforts and what we're trying to do for the community! So, if you're in the area of Ballantyne and south Charlotte and are looking for a family event, then come on out by dark this Friday night and take in Madagascar Two with the kiddos and have a great night together! We look forward to seeing you there!

Conversion

All of us who are in ministry and really, everyone who knows Christ by faith in his finished work on the cross, long for everyone else to know the truth we have come to believe. That is, that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and Savior of the world. What is fascinating to me at least, is that I have come to understand that salvation is a process for most and an event for some. Let me explain. I came to understand and believe that Christ is who he says he is at the age of twelve sitting in a church service in 1971. I can see it like it was yesterday. It was a very vivid moment for me. Although I had been hearing the gospel for about six months prior to that I didn't respond to it til later. So it was both a process and an event. Now, that doesn't mean I knew everything there was to know about Christ and his work, but I knew enough to know that I needed a Savior from my sins. Some will tell you that they don't know exactly when they came to believe in Christ. It was as if they had known him for a long time and they just learned to trust Him and believe. There is no date to remember or a special church service or event. It's more about a process of the gospel working in their lives over time to bring them to a place of belief. Scot McKnight in his book The Jesus Creed argues this same point using the Apostle Peter as an example. He writes, "For some, conversion is like a birth certificate, while for others it is like a driver's license. For the first, the ultimate question is "What do I need to get to Heaven?" For the second, the question is "How do I love God?" For the first, the concern is a moment; for the the second, the concern is a life." Explaining in more detail he says, "If conversion is likened to a birth certificate, we produce babies who need to be pushed around in strollers. If it's like a driver's license, we produce adults who can operate on life's pathways." He then goes on to ask, "when was Peter converted?" Was it when he was first introduced to Jesus and agreed to follow him? Or was it when he confessed he was a sinner? Or what about when asked by Jesus who he said he was and he answered that "he was the Christ, the Son of the living God?" Or could it possibly have been after he denied Christ and was then asked three times by Jesus if he loved him and he said three times that he did? No one knows for sure but it appears that salvation for Peter was more of a process than an event but no one denies that Peter knew Christ as Savior. McKnight says, "Peter's conversion was a gradual growth of what he understood about Jesus." On the other hand, one could argue that the apostle Paul's conversion was an event. Either way, salvation comes to each person in a different way through different means. The gospel hasn't changed and the requirements of belief and repentance are still the same, but what we must understand is that God's work of salvation can be a lifelong process. We leave the results to him.

Encounter

We've begun a new series at Crosspoint called Encounter. It's a look at five different people who had one-on-one encounters with Jesus and whose lives changed forever. This past week we looked at John 3 and the story of Nicodemus. We learned that even though Nicodemus was a good Jew in every sense of the word and sought to live an upright life by trying to keep the law, Jesus told him that he needed one thing and that was being born from above. It must have rocked his world to hear such direct language from Jesus, but Jesus wanted Nicodemus to know the truth. And Nicodemus was willing to hear what Jesus had to say. I'm so glad for this story for I know there are many who have come to believe today that because they are good Catholics or good Baptists or religious or were baptized as a baby or attend church every week that that's good enough to get them to Heaven. But Jesus stated unequivocally that those things are not good enough. It's not what we do or have done, but what Jesus has done for us. His death on the cross for our sins was the price paid to bring us into relationship with the Father. All we must do is believe in this and repent and accept this free gift of grace. Nicodemus came to believe this for at the end of the gospel of John we see Nicodemus step forward to bury the body of Jesus. May all of us come to encounter this same Jesus in all his glory.

Deeper

I long to go deeper! Have you ever said that as a Christ-follower? I have many times. Just what does it mean to go deeper? Well, for one I know it's a hunger to know Christ more fully in every way possible. By that I mean that nothing else matters but Him. His glory, his will, his joy, his love, his view of life is all that you desire. Now this is hard because I don't always live here and it doesn't come naturally. I have to desire it and I have to let go of me and be filled by Him. But I do want him so more and more to be my life. I believe this starts with a hunger and a thirst and desire and that if we're willing, God will fill us up with himself. And there has to be the disciplines of waiting on God in prayer and study of His Word. And I have to learn to sit in his presence more fully, waiting and listening and reflecting. That takes time! I have to free myself of distractions which is so hard but so necessary! Paul said, "I want to know him..and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Philippians 3:10) That's hunger. That's wanting to go deeper! That's not just Sunday religion but an everyday pursuit! God, I long to go deeper with you, to know you more fully. Help me to hunger for that and to pursue it and may you fill me up with yourself. May that be enough!

Vacation

Wow, vacation at long last came for me and my family last week! It was wonderful! I can't explain it any other way. Yes, we were at a resort in the Bahamas with the coolest waterpark anywhere and yes it had beautiful clear blue water and all that goes with being in the Caribbean. But beyond all these things my family laughed together and just had fun! Whether it was riding on the plane down to Nassau or catching the current on the rapid river or the winding tubes in the waterpark, we had the best time laughing and playing and just being together! Sometimes we forget about the laughter of our families because as kids grow and hang out with their friends, they're more inclined to laugh with their friends than with mom and dad! But not this week! For five days we had each other and it was great! We laughed out loud as we rode the rapids for the first time and the tenth time and we were nervous together as we dared take the plunge on the Leap of Faith! We took in the beauty of the island as we walked the beach and we enjoyed the differences of the culture of downtown Nassau. All this to say that I'm so glad for the moments we get to be together and the memories we make when are freed from the busyness of life! This will be a vacation we will long remember and I'm so glad we dared to venture somewhere else this summer!

Watershed and NoDa

My good pals, Matt O'Neil and Scott Hofert, co-pastors over at Watershed, a local church community that meets near uptown and is part of the same network of churches as Crosspoint has just announced that they are moving to the NoDa area of town this coming August. The move is huge for them but what's even more incredible is the new space they have secured for their weekly gatherings. It's called Center Stage, an existing building in the area and is just an awesome space. It's in a perfect location, has the urban look and feel that is Watershed and will be a great facility to grow out of and reach the community. I am so thrilled for Matt and Scott and can't wait to see what God does through their ever-expanding ministry! It makes me long for the day we have our own space in the Indian Land area so that we can feel like a permanent part of the landscape and reach more folks in our community! Take a look at the video they put together to get a feel for what they're moving into. And as you look, thank God that He is alive and well in this city and moving the kingdom to every corner of Charlotte! Go to my blog list in the left column of my blog page to see the video from Matt.

Caution

Shawn Lovejoy over at Mountain Lake Church in Forsyth County, GA near Atlanta wrote the following caution for pastors in his blog as it relates to sexual temptation. But I think it applies to all of us, whether we're pastors or not. It's always worth it to make sure we're guarding our hearts. So, I share his words here.

"Pastors have a HUGE spiritual bulls-eye on our backsides! We are targets of the enemy. Strike the shepherd. Scatter the sheep. That’s the enemy’s strategy.

That’s why, more than ever before, I’m convinced that to protect ourselves as Pastors, we must NUTURE VITALITY. It’s the #1 Best Practice we talk about in our churchplanters.com ministry and coaching network. To NURTURE, means to care for; pay attention to; attend to; feed…our VITALITY: our spiritual, emotional, spiritual, and relational strength!

Below is just a simple list of practical ways to keep ourselves from being picked off by the enemy as Pastors. These are simple. But easier to KNOW and PREACH; than DO. Here are a few (OK, more than a few):

* Read your Bible daily, and read portions of Scripture that have NOTHING to do with this week’s message.
* Take your off day Religiously. Burnout leads to spiritual failure and dropout.
* If you don’t rest, you will burn out. Period. You are not exempt.
* Tell you congregation you will NOT be out more than 2-3 nights a week.
* Keep office hours. Go home at 5 or 5:30 PM. People have to see their doctor, their dentist, their lawyer, and their counselor from 8-5. Spiritual counsel should be no different. You MUST have a life at night with your family.
* Don’t open your laptop after you get home.
* Don’t answer your cell phone after you get home.
* When you walk in the house after work, don’t be on the cell phone.
* Spend less time on Twitter and facebook. Spend more time communicating with your family.
* Get secure in your own skin. The desire for attention or pleasing people is a flag that will get you in trouble.
* Confess your temptations or addictions to a trusted friend NOT in your church.
* Schedule a date night with you spouse AT LEAST once a month. If you don’t have the money, ask the church to pay for it. (my church doesn’t, BTW) Your church will, though, if you ask them.
* Tell your congregation that the best gift you have to offer them is NOT a close relationship with every one of them, but a close relationship with God and a close relationship with your spouse.
* Don’t just talk about ministry with your spouse. Start a hobby TOGETHER!
* Exercise! Flabby body=flabby mind=flabby spirit.
* Take walks with God early in the morning when you can talk out loud to Him and share your hurts, pains, struggles, and dreams.
* Get your spouse out of that ministry they feel tied to because no one else will do it. You’re burning them out.
* Have a family night regularly where you allow your kids to set the agenda.
* Have a hobby you enjoy by yourself.
* Tell your spouse you love them EVERY DAY!
* Speak positively of your spouse from the stage.
* Listen to friends that raise flags about your behavior.
* Don’t ever be in the car, or your office, or ANY PLACE alone with opposite sex with the door shut. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.
* Make the above policy for every Pastor on your Team.
* Don’t flirt, including online, or in emails! If you’re flirted with (and you will be), don’t respond, and immediately tell your spouse.
* Think about the consequences of your sin if carried out and found out. Who and how many will get hurt?
* Remember, pride goes before a fall, and you can not stand too close to a fire and not get burned.
* Make Nurturing Vitality the most important part of your job description."