Cross of Christ Lutheran Church

Church Is A Verb

I love being a part of a church where the people are so real.  So genuine.  So authentic.  It’s a church where people love God and love others and they aren’t afraid to show it.  It’s a church where someone will walk alongside a complete stranger to simply love that person where she’s at.  It’s a church that wants to do good.  Seek justice.  Help the oppressed.  Defend the cause of orphans.  And fight for the widows (Isaiah 1:17).  It’s a church where the people are willing to sell their possessions and give to those who have needs.  A church that isn’t about a building.  It’s about people.  People who are willing to step out in faith and do what is humanly impossible, simply because they believe that all things are possible with God.

Encourage Everyone

Read through the Bible and you will encounter countless stories of imperfect people.  I love it!  As strange as it might sound, I find it very comforting.  It means that there is hope for us.  Read more…

Lent

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2 NLT).

Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days before beginning His ministry.  It was for Him a time of reflection and preparation.  During the forty days of Lent, we join Jesus in being led by the Spirit.  We too use the time to reflect on all that He has done for us, as well as prepare for the journey that lies ahead.  Read more…

Radical Jesus

Today there are many different views concerning who Jesus is, what role He played in history and what role He still has in our lives.  The answer that the Bible gives is that Jesus is God’s one and only Son, sent by His Father in heaven to come to earth for one purpose – to die on a cross for the sins of the entire world.  But that’s not where the story ends.  Just as Jesus was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  Read more…

Taste & See

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t have a clue when it comes to ordering coffee.  With all the choices it’s so confusing to me.  Do I want a coffee, a latte, or a mocha?  Should it be short or tall?  Wet or dry?  Will it be a single, a double, a triple, or even a quad?  And was that with whip or no whip? Read more…

Blue Jeans

For Christmas I received as a gift the book called, Jesus In Blue Jeans.  Now I want you to think about that image for a moment.  How about it?  Can you picture Jesus wearing blue jeans?  I have a feeling that some people can’t.  But I can.  And so can the book’s author.  Read more…

Fearless

In the Gospels alone, Jesus urges us to “not be afraid” 21 times.  The second most common command is to love God and love others, but it only appears 8 times.  What this tells us is that Jesus takes our fears seriously.  And we all have fears.  We fear layoffs at work.  We fear the economy.  We fear flare ups in the Middle East.  The list just seems to go on and on.  Read more…

Hope

Can you remember a time when you had no worries?  When you could sleep in peace and awake each morning with joy and anticipation?  In these uncertain times hope is often lost in the daily grind of trying to pay the bills and hold on to “normal” life.  Even the stress of the holidays can add to the feeling of hopelessness.  It’s time to pause and revel in the joy and hope of the newborn King.  For all of us struggling with complex lives, Jesus is the strength we need to face the day.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). Read more…

Living to Go

Jesus not only calls us to Him, He invites us to go for Him.  We refer to this as the Great Commission, which if you break down actually means co-mission.  It means joining with Jesus.  And it’s recorded in Matthew 28, where Jesus says to His disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all My commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Read more…

God is good!

Sunday, October 4 was an amazing day.  We had 140 people join us for the Grand Opening of Cross of Christ Church.  God is clearly at work among us bringing people into relationship with Him.  I’m excited to be a part of this incredible journey He has us on.  And I look forward to the opportunities to come helping people of all ages intersect their lives with the love of Jesus.