Thoughts on Life

Last Monday on Labor Day, a friend of mine died of a massive heart attack. He was 38 years old and had no health problems. He and his family have been attending our church the past few months. He was one of the best people I have ever known becuase he was so caring and concerned about others. You will never meet a nicer person. As I've reflected on his life and knowing him, I was reminded again of the shortness of life. Death is no respecter of persons and it stinks. I hate it! It robs families of parents and kids and grandparents and so on. It comes with no warning. But then again, life is always full of surprises, some good and some bad. I know that in this life there are no easy answers to situations like these. I wish there were, but sometimes I'm glad I don't know the answers to these questions because I might not be able to handle it. I'm sure I will ask God when I get to Heaven "why?" Maybe then I will understand and appreciate it. Until then, I still have my questions but I must trust God. I must believe that He knows the beginning from the end and has a purpose to everything under the sun. God, I don't won't christian cliches and platitudes and pat answers. I want to know that there is a purpose for everything under the sun. May it be so in the life of this dear family who lost a husband and father this week!

New Life

Sunday was an incredible day in the life of CROSSPOINT! There were at least four people who said they wanted to cross the line of faith to begin following Jesus Christ. This is the reason we started CROSSPOINT and the past five months in our brief history have been building to this day. This is what I was called to do! This is what I gave my life for! There is something about new life that's so hard to describe! When a person comes into relationship with Christ, a new life has begun. It's young, raw, organic, rich, fresh, exciting, challenging, beyond comprehension and all that God desires for a new Christ follower! Now they begin to take baby steps. Heck, they'll be crawling for awhile and as they grow in their faith, they'll learn to walk. Now it's our turn to walk alongside of each of these people and encourage them in their new faith. II Corinthians 5:17 means so much more to me today. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

It's Brand New

This is my first ever blog. I've done prayer updates for the past year and a half that go out in the form of an email to over two hundred people each week, but this is different! Now I can share my thoughts, opinions, insights, concerns in a very straight forward way. But more than anything, I want to share what God's doing in my life and in the life of our church, CROSSPOINT! I hope that you'll find this blog inspiring, informative and encouraging. At times it may seem like a peek behind the curtain of my life. That's okay too. I look forward to communicating regularly. Thanks for reading!

Jimmy