NEEDY… Most of us don’t want to be considered as needy. You may not see me as needy, but I am. I need the wisdom of God every day. I need the grace of God more than ever. Over the past number of weeks I’ve needed prayer and healing. I need the power of the Holy Spirit and people around me who are gifted in ways that I’m not to do what God has called us to do! I could go on and on. The point is, it’s not all bad to be needy. In fact, listen to what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea…

REV. 3:17 (NIV) You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

We were designed to have need. It creates a dependence on God. There’s something about being “needy” that opens the door in your life for a miracle! What’s the point of faith if you have no needs? Faith is all about trusting God to come through for you!

When he does, it will strengthen your faith and create even more need. That’s what the blessing of God does. Think about it…if God blesses you with children, you suddenly have needs you didn’t have before…baby clothes, diapers, etc.

Therefore, admit your need…embrace your need and trust God to meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (PHIL. 4:19). It’s not all bad to be in need!

FAMILY…The mention of “family” rings with sounds of pain for some and peace for others. The longer I live, the more I realize how good God has been to me in this arena. I look back on my years “growing up” with fond memories…except a few of the teen years due to my own choosing!

We love being together with our “growing” family. In fact, we were together four nights last week…because we wanted to be!

You don’t have to read very far into your Bible to see that family is a big deal to God. The further you read, the more obvious it becomes. We were made for family! That’s one reason it’s so painful when families fall apart.

The good news for all of us is this…God has chosen us to be a part of His family! Maybe you haven’t had such a great family experience…or have even felt rejected or left out.

PS.27:10 (NLT) Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.

If you’ve been “abandoned” in some way by your biological family, welcome to God’s family! I pray that Crossroads is a place of healing and recovery for those who have been wounded. I also pray that your whole family becomes a part of God’s family…that’s family at it’s best! (ACTS 16:31-34)

ACTS 16:34b (NIV) …he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole family.

Invite your “family” to come with you to the campus of your choice as we learn about honor in the home over the next couple of weeks…you never know what God may do!

This is a short clip we did for fun before our Campus Pastors spoke on the weekend.

The Big MO…Did you watch the Super Bowl this past Sunday? If not, you missed a great game…and a few good commercials. What made it a great game? The “stars” showed up, records were broken, it wasn’t a run-a-way win and to top it off, thre were a number of momentum shifts. That’s what John Maxwell would call the law of Big Mo at work.

When you have momentum, you don’t worry about small problems and many larger ones seem to work themselves out. However, when you don’t have momentum, even the simplest tasks seem impossible and small problems look like insurmountable obstacles.

To further quote John, “An organization with no momentum is like a train at a dead stop. It’s hard to get going, and even small wooden blocks on the track can keep it from going anywhere. On the other hand, when you have momentum on your side, the future looks bright, obstacles appear small, and troubles seem inconsequential. An organization with momentum is like a train that’s moving at 60 mph…you could build a steel-reinforced concrete wall across the tracks, and the train would plow right through it.”

By God’s grace, we’re experiencing some momentum right now as a church, at all of our campuses. Let’s not miss this wave of God’s activity. Don’t let up in your passionate pursuit of God and His best for you. Keep praying bold prayers. Continue to believe God for the impossible. Reach out in love to those who are near you and far from God. Honor everyone and invite someone to join you at your campus this weekend. Like a championship team, let’s allow the Big Mo to work for us!

Amazing
AMAZING. I find myself using this word quite frequently. It’s a great word and so easy to throw at something significant when I’m not sure what else to say about it. In Scripture, the word amazing is almost always used in reference to the extraordinary activity of God. For example…

PS. 111:2 (NLT) How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.

PS. 126:2-3 (NLT) We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!

In keeping with that theme and flow, Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (JOSH. 3:5) This is our theme verse for this year’s 21 days of prayer and fasting…January 10-31.

God really has done some amazing things among us in the past year…a new campus in Morrison, IL, a new facility for our White Pines Campus and the first ever 24-7 Christian radio station in Tanzania!

There is so much to be thankful for and celebrate as one year comes to a close and another commences. I believe what God desires to do in 2010 will be so “amazing” that it will cause years past to pale in comparison! I also know that it won’t happen without our cooperation.

There’s another key word and big idea in Joshua 3:5…”consecrate yourselves”. More on that next week. This week, let’s give thanks to God for His “amazing” work among us in 2009 and for allowing us to be a part of it. Rejoice!!