“I have seen the Lord”!  With those words, everything changed.  Mary Magdalene came back from the empty tomb to the disciples to report that Jesus had risen from the dead and had actually talked with her.  From that point on, her life and the lives of many others were never the same again.

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you and I today?  Here are just a few things:

• A guarantee of eternal life (John 11:25-26 – Sunday’s text!)
• Demonstrated His power over death (Acts 2:24)
• Secures our forgiveness (1 Cor. 15:17)
• Safeguards our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
• Gives us hope in hard times (2 Cor. 1:8-11)

Today, we think about His sacrifice, suffering and separation He endured for our sins, but not without hope for resurrection.  The cross would mean nothing if not for the empty tomb.  Praise God for those who said, “I have seen the Lord” and those who having not seen, yet believe.

Be sure to do all you can to invite someone to be your guest in Easter services this weekend.  Let others know what the resurrection can mean for them today.

When Rachelle and I got married, the best thing about our relationship was that we were best friends – and we still are today.  There’s a beautiful verse from Song of Solomon 5:16: “This is my beloved and this is my friend.”  This describes a husband and wife stealing time together, away from the craziness of life.

This Sunday is St. Patricks day.  If you don’t know anything about this famous character, here’s a quick summary.

Yes, There Really Was a Saint Patrick (And He Wasn’t Even Irish :))

St. Patrick’s day is a celebration of clovers, green, and leprechauns.  But did you know there was a real guy named Patrick?

Saint Patrick wasn’t really Irish (he spoke Latin) and technically, he’s not even a saint.  But here’s more about this historical figure.

Patrick was born around 390 AD.  When he was 16 years old he was captured by pirates, taken to Ireland and sold into slavery.  He spent six years there taking care of sheep.  Though he came from a Christian family, he wasn’t overly religious.  But years in the wilderness gave him some time to pray.

In his 20s, Patrick walked 200 miles to a port city, where he took a ship and sailed for home.  He enrolled in seminary and became a pastor.  Years later, he returned to Ireland to preach and start churches.  The church had given up on the drunken, violent Celtic people, but Patrick saw himself as a missionary.

During his life, he trained more than 1,000 pastors and helped start 700 churches.  He took a public stand against slavery.  Some say he even used a 3-leaved shamrock to explain the Trinity.

Patrick is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland.  He lived his life as a missionary pastor. You may have never been captured by pirates, and you might not think of yourself as a saint, but if you’re a Christian, you are a missionary in a foreign land, just like Patrick.

We get an opportunity this year to reach people for Christ on St. Patrick’s Day and just 2 weeks later for Easter!

I would like to make you aware of an opportunity to start a spiritual conversation with friends, family or co-workers.  The Bible, an epic miniseries by Emmy-winning producer Mark Burnett and his wife, Touched by an Angel’s Roma Downey, will retell Scripture from the story of Noah to the resurrection of Jesus.  It will air in five segments beginning this weekend, March 3 through Easter Sunday on the History Channel.

How can this help you share your faith?  Ask people to watch it at your home.  Make them aware that it’s coming and they can record it and even watch it later.  Bring it up when discussing what’s on TV and ask what they thought of it.  Record it yourself and then talk about it, offer to give a copy of it or show it in your home later to those who missed it.

Who knows, it just might be the open door you’ve been hoping for to reach that person for Christ.  I’m anxious to watch it for myself and leverage it in any way I can to draw people to Him.

Remember:  It’s The Bible miniseries on History Channel, five segments begin this weekend March 3 through Easter Sunday, March 31.

I pray that you are well prepared and full of anticipation for this weekend’s services as we celebrate the greatest event in history – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  How humbling to know that God loved us enough to send the gift of His Son to pay the price to cover our sins.  How wonderful to think that God can use us to reach others and remove their guilt as well.

Keep yourself open to any and all divine appointments that God may bring into your life in these next two days.  He is not willing that anyone should perish and miss out on the future He has prepared for those who love Him.

Have you already invited someone to Easter services?  Who could you call, email or text today that might take you up on your invitation?  Pray with me for a great harvest of lives to know God’s remedy for guilt this weekend.

I believe God would have us reach out to those around us way more if we were better listeners.  One of the most troubling things to me is the thought of living so fast-paced that I may be overlooking divine connections.  Those moments when God has someone in my path that I could share Christ, or maybe just invite to church, but I’m too busy to see them.

This Easter season especially, let’s make sure we don’t miss out on divine appointments that could literally change a person’s eternal destination.  Here are some ways to get prepared to share:

• Pray and ask God to help you heighten your sensitivity to His voice & those around.
• Think about what you should share with them ahead of time.  You could simply be prepared to invite them to church, or ask them a question that allows a spiritual conversation.
• Have a 2 minute testimony of how God has impacted your life ready to share at any moment.
• Look around and breathe prayers to God as you go through your day – let Him guide you.
• Slow down the pace.  Most of us are trying to do too much for things that don’t matter nearly as much as someone living and dying without Christ.

These are just some thoughts to help us all be better used of God.  Did you know that Easter is the best time of year to reach people?  Which of these suggestions do you need to apply?  What other suggestions do you have?

We’re getting ready for a new series called Q&A that will address hot topics in our culture.  Among these will be homosexuality, tattoos, suicide, gambling, along with others.  Jesus discussed many of the topics of his day and would say, “You have heard it said…but, I say…”  That’s exactly what we’re doing with this series.  We’re going to look at what the culture says and then see what God says.

This is a great series to invite lost friends and co-workers to attend.  As a matter of fact, they can even help decide the topics.  Currently, we have brochures at the iCenter and on posters in the lobby that explain how to text in your vote for a particular subject.  Be sure to pick up some of these brochures to hand to your unsaved friends and co-workers.  Let them know that if they think church is boring, they haven’t been to Crossroads.

It takes an unselfish Christian to allow topics to be discussed on Sundays that don’t necessary cover areas of personal struggle or need.  Jesus said, “I came to seek and to save that which was lost,” and when we reach out to those who are lost, we are accomplishing his desire.  Let’s leverage this to grow God’s Kingdom and to see people come to faith in Christ.

The Q&A series begins August 14^th for 3 weeks.

We’re gearing up for our missions team to head down to the Dominican Republic in just a few weeks.  This year’s team will be constructing a wall around the children’s compound that we have spent the past two years building.  The wall will add to the safety of the children plus make the center look even more attractive to the community. 

Every week, nearly 200 children are fed, clothed and cared for at this center.  We so thankful for our partnership with Mission of Mercy to have been able to construct this facility. 

Here are ways you can help send those who are going:

1. Pick up a copy of needed supplies in the lobby and drop them off.
2. Give in this weekend’s offering “Love the Dominican” to help in the $6000 expense of the wall.
3. Pray for the team until the return to be safe and used of God in a mighty way.

Thank you to all the team members who have responded to God’s call to go on this trip and make a difference in another part of the world!

Anniversaries are special times to commemorate faithfulness.  We can celebrate the faithfulness of an employee, a spouse, or even a group of people.  God set up special days on the calendar to observe His favor and provision for His people. 

This weekend, Crossroads Church will celebrate 10 years of the faithfulness of God and His people.  Over the past decade God has helped us to go from launching in a movie theatre to building our own facilities on over 23 acres of land. 

It will be a time of commemorating the past, rejoicing in our present and anticipating our future.  If you are in our area, we invite you to join us for this special occasion in our 9 & 10:45 a.m. services. 

Joining us and participating in the services, will be former staff members: Bob Gerstenberger, Shelley Harris and Ryan Crozier.  A special video presentation will be shown representing our journey and what God has done in the lives of so many. 

We would love for you to be with us and honor the Lord for all He has done!

P.S.  Just like for Easter, I’m encouraging everyone who can to attend the 1^st Service to make room for extra guests in the 2^nd Service – thanks!