Hey Crossroads family,

Easter is coming in just a few weeks and I couldn’t be more excited about what God is going to do in each of our services.  Let me share a few things I’d love to get your help with this Easter:

That weekend kicks off our new series, LIFE TO THE FULL.  This is a great opportunity to bring along people you know as it focuses on what it means to be Christian.  In the few minutes it takes to invite a friend, you could play a role in changing someone’s eternity.

Use the various tools that are available to invite others to Crossroads.  You can use your Facebook account to encourage others to come to one of the Easter services.  We have small “Invite Cards” available every weekend at the Information in the lobby.  These have a map to the church and feature the service times as a reference help for those desiring to come.  I would suggest you keep these cards handy in case God opens a new door of opportunity to share.

We’re preparing for lots of new guests to be with us for Easter.  It would be great if you could

• Serve for an extra experience (maybe attend 1^st and serve in 2^nd?).
• Attend the first service – which is usually less crowded.
• Make an extra effort to give a warm welcome to the people you meet.
• Park far away from the doors to make room for guests to park close.
• Sit in the middle of a row, so guest don’t have to step over you for a seat.

Thanks for being a part of what God is doing at Crossroads.  It’s a privilege to partner with you!

Craig White, Lead Pastor

P.S.  Don’t forget to invite folks to our 1st Helicopter Easter Egg Drop on April 4 at 10 a.m.!

We finally got the rest of our Christmas decorations down the other day (don’t judge me, we’ve been busy J) and it’s already time for Easter – I can’t believe it!  In just two weeks from this coming Sunday we will be celebrating the greatest event in history, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Here’s what I would like to suggest:  over the next two weeks, let’s do everything we can to bring two people to church with us.  You don’t have to drive them necessarily, though that helps to ensure they show up, but we can invite them.

I saw a recent statistic that said that approximately 20% of people were undecided yet on whether they would attend church on Easter.  Friend, that is one out of every five people you meet.

Just yesterday I was out to lunch with someone and as he was paying the bill, he invited the server to Easter services.  He also informed her that I was the pastor.  Instead of just saying a polite, “Thank you,” she said she was looking for a church to attend on Easter and wanted her child to go.  I spoke up and told her that her kid would love our church.  I pray she follows through and shows up.  What’s interesting is my friend said that if I hadn’t been with him, he probably wouldn’t have spoken up to invite her.

Let’s do what we can to impact two people in two weeks and reach at least one more for Jesus.  If we all do that, imagine how it will move from addition to multiplication.

Some people that others think are daring just take calculated risks.  The guy that climbs in a rocket to shoot across the Grand Canyon has already jumped smaller venues and has scientific assessment to virtually guarantee success.  Plus, he has a parachute if all his experts are wrong.  The woman who opens a bakery already has many people that have eaten her goods not only love them they are willing to pay for them.  She only needs to figure out how to do it on a much broader scale and enlist great help who believe with her.

Compare this to the majority of people that choose to play it safe, hold onto their cards, limit their risks, and plod along doing the same thing every day.  Who has the most fun?  Is it the person who stays safely on the shore or the one who cruises out to the horizon? Sure, there’s a risk of sinking, but it’s the only way to experience a view that is like no other.

In the Scripture, Jesus walked on water and Peter wanted to join him.  Once Jesus gave him permission to join in the adventure, Peter actually got out and walked toward Jesus.  Anyone familiar with the story knows that Peter eventually sank and had to be rescued.  Jesus looked at Peter and asked, “Why did you doubt?”  If Jesus is already walking on the water and he has invited you to join him, why should you doubt?  Yet, we do.

Why does doubt hold us back from experiencing the thrill of doing what everyone else says is impossible?  You can choose to play it safe and live life in the mundane world of cheap giving, low living, and fearful existence.  But, why would you choose that, when miracles are waiting to happen out on the water?

(Read Hebrews 11)

Many people have learned the art of experiencing failure in advance.  If you are imagining a future, where you depict the worst possible outcomes, it’s no wonder you battle depression, have trouble staying positive, and feel discouraged.

I’ve discovered that there are those who seem to experience success in advance. They spend time visualizing the best possible outcomes before they happen, thinking of all the good that might occur.

In Jude 20 the Bible talks about “building yourselves up” in faith.  Instead of picturing the worst that could happen, you make a conscious effort to push yourself toward a desired outcome.

One reason this is difficult is that we’ve got a false humility that pushes us to avoid it.  Some think that others will take us as bragging.  The other is that some have found it more comfortable to complain about their circumstances, why the entire world is against them and if it weren’t for the hand they’ve been dealt, they would have made something great happen.

If you expect negative results, it’s a lot easier to slack and be lazy. That doesn’t make sense to those who strive to live as overcomers. But therein lies the difference between those who have learned to encourage themselves.

Don’t wait on someone else to pick you up. Go ahead, pick yourself up, build yourself up in faith and encourage yourself in the Lord.

See also: 1 Samuel 30:6