You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. [John 5:39-40]
As I go through the book of Judges, it becomes more evident to me that I can’t understand its message without Jesus.
I read to the end of the book this morning, and these last chapters are going to be tough – in fact I feel the need to add a CONTENT ADVISORY on my reflections.
I can appreciate that people just reading these chapters alone would be turned off by the bible.
This is why I keep trying to draw our attention to Jesus, I figure that He is the only way we can make sense of the rest of the bible.

Today we (the Lord and I) are wrestling through Judges 18 together.
Its obvious from the first line [In those days Israel had no king, Judges 18:1] that this chapter continues what was talked about in the previous chapter [In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit, Judges 17:6].
The thought that keeps coming back to me is that I am not free to live as I see fit.
If I am to be a Jesus-follower, if I am to surrender to Jesus as my Lord, then I must submit my will to Him and do as He sees fit.
This is not a negative thing!
This is the best thing, the good news, the life that results in joy and blessing.
My way leads to misery and death, His way leads to life and peace [Romans 8:6].

What else is the Lord saying to me in this passage?

One of my goals is to involve more people in “preaching the word”.
I believe that preaching is a community function, not just the task of one person in the church.
We are all called to share the good news message about Jesus, and my task includes equipping people in this activity.

You are already invited to be a part of daily bible reading.
Now I would like to incite you to share your thoughts on the passage we will consider together this coming Sunday at our Crossroads gathering.
The chapter I have chosen for this Sunday is Judges 13 (the reading for Wednesday, Aug 19).
I want your thoughts on this passage, your reflections on the basic SOAP questions:

• What questions does this passage raise for you?
• What lessons or truths does this passage convey?
• What are some personal applications that you can make from this passage?

You can leave your thoughts here on the blog, as a comment, or email them to me (norm@crossroadsinajax.org).
Please help me with my sermon…

What do you think?

“The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares.” (Henry Nouwen)

Looking for some feedback on the experience of corporate worship.
When you come into a gathering of Jesus-followers, what is it that you are hoping to experience?
The other question is, when non-church-attenders show up, what do you think they are hoping to experience?
Is it true, do most people today want upbeat, contemporary, soft rock music?
Would some people want heavy rock, or country, or indie style, or jazz?
Or maybe even ancient, gregorian chants, hymns?
Or no music at all, maybe poetry or art or rhythmic drums?
Or silence?
All of these are means to an end, right?
To encountering God, to meeting Jesus, to experiencing the Spirit?
Maybe I am asking the wrong questions, maybe I am missing the point.
What do you think?

I was thinking about prayer, and I wrote some of my thoughts down.
What other statements would you add to help expand or improve this list?
I am looking for simple statements, not lengthy paragraphs.

Twiggy asked an important question in one of her comments.
where’s the men’s comments here …. ?
I am reminded of a book by Larry Crabb called The Silence of Adam.
He notes that Adam was with Eve when she was tempted, but he said and did nothing.
He goes on to suggest that men have been noticeably silent or passive throughout history in regards to what really matters (and annoyingly loud and aggressive in other matters).
We are also noticing this in the Leadership Development Network.
At an information meeting last night, we could ask “where are the men”?
Or go to many churches, and often the men are less in number than women.
There could be lots of reasons for this.
What do you think (and lets hear from the men!!!)?

This coming Sunday I am talking about obedience.
What is it, is it important?
Why do we find it hard to talk about obedience, is it maybe a spirit of rebellion?
Do we do what we do for God out of love or obedience?
How do we maintain the healthy balance between love and obedience?
Is there a danger of focusing on obedience, making us more like legalists?
How often do you use the word “obey” in your prayers?
How do we decide what “laws” to obey in the Bible?
So many questions, any opinions?

Recently someone asked this question, and I am open to hearing from others about how they might discern God’s will for this struggling Jesus-follower.

I committed a serious crime over 30 years ago and was aressted for it. I lied and got out of it. After i became a Christian I asked god to forgive me but I never told anyone else the truth about what i had done because it would destroy amny people in my family. Am I truly forgiven or must I also confess to my family .

As you reflect on this, please be prayerful and sensitive in your response.
What are the bible passages that speak to this?
What are the limits to confession, if any?
One thing that came to mind were the words of Steps 8 and 9 of the Twelve Steps:

8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Any wisdom for this person?

I just heard about this, though it was several years ago (May 2005)…
Apparently our sister church in Corona California has a unique way of getting people to come to church.
What do you think?
Is this the way that we should get people to come to church?
It just sounds wrong to me.

Someone at Crossroads Church in Corona, California will be in Hawg Heaven on May 22nd. That’s when the church will draw the name of the winner of a brand new Harley Davidson motorcycle. Crossroads is celebrating the grand opening of their new 3,000-seat auditorium, and in their current series, “Adventures in Friendship,” they’re using the Harley give-away as an incentive to attract first-time visitors to the church. Through this program, first-time visitors or members who bring first-time visitors are entered into the drawing to win the Harley. Crossroads is using the give-away to encourage evangelism and reach out to the community. Senior Pastor Barry McMurtrie explained, “Our goal is to become a community gathering place and this program supports that vision!” So, I guess if you happen to be in Corona, CA, you may want to visit Crossroads and enter the big drawing. Needless to say, you must be present for the drawing on May 22 to win.

So does anyone have an opinion?
Would you consider this baptism legitimate, if they didn’t use water?
Why or why not…

 
OSLO (Reuters) – A Norwegian church used lemon-flavored cola instead of water in a baptism ceremony after its taps were temporarily turned off because of freezing temperatures, daily Vaart Land said Tuesday. Priest Paal Dale from the town of Stord, about 150 miles west of the capital Oslo, improvised during a recent cold-spell by dabbing the lemon fizzy water on a baby during a baptism ceremony, it said. “It had gone flat,” Dale was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “Only the lemon smell made this unusual.” Dale said the child’s family were informed about the switch only after the ceremony because the priest “had a need to inform” them about the lingering lemon scent. “They didn’t say much, but I assumed they smelled the aroma as well,” Dale told Vaart Land.
(Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa)