Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Chris Professed Faith in Christ!
Hey Prayer Team!
Great news! The guy Chris who has been praying has com to the DaVinci Code discussions all three weeks – and he has professed his faith in Christ! Isn’t that awesome! So KEEP ON PRAYING FOR Chris and his family and for more CONVERSIONS!
Our outreaches are going well – both Backyard Bible Clubs were well attended (over 20 kids each with lots of parents hanging around), our concert ministry is growing step by step (www.rootshows.com) and the ‘Kindness is Contagious’ Ministry served 192 hot dogs to a baseball league party at Milford Park!
Would you pray for….
- Growth for Chris and his family. Pray that his wife and son trust Christ too. She has more Bible belt baggage to sort through. This is a very tender time for them! And quite a change in Chris!
- Pray for Pastor Anthony’s neighbor Jerry, a former liberal pastor turned atheist. They are in dialogue about the DaVinci Code. Only God can change a heart and make a blind man see, right? PRAY for Jerry!
- Pray for the process of selecting elders and deacons for Crosspoint. In about 6-9 months we should have officers trained and ready. We have a time of prayer and discussion coming up in July.
- Pray for the growth and maturity of our members and regualr attenders. We have many children and many small groups which can be a challenge. Pray that we rest our leaders well this summer and that we make and train disciples well!
Graced
Jim
Pastor/Church Planter
Crosspoint Presbyterian Church
4061 King Springs Rd
Smyrna GA 30082
www.crosspointsmyrna.org
jim@crosspointsmyrna.org
o - 770.333.1775
c - 404.423.5466http://crosspointsmyrna.org/templates/header.tem
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
If Atlanta Were Different
If Atlanta were different… it would be because Christians do what Doug and Sarah have begun…
I met Doug through an inner-city church planter’s training network we helped start months ago. He is an anglo guy from L.A. (lower Alabama) who played football for the Auburn Tigers. He and his wife moved into a low-income apartment in East Atlanta years ago so they could disciple urban youth for the long haul. They have been there four years I think. It will take a lifetime of sacrifice to see the will of God done there as it is in heaven. But I believe it is going to happen…
I went to their Bible study last night. I was impressed. It wasn’t the facility or the professionalism of the program, but the hunger of those 10 young men learning the Word of God.
I’m sure the spiritual warfare is intense. It isn’t easy to plant a church anywhere, much less where Doug is laboring. But the young men there want the gospel. They welcome it. The fields are full of harvest!
It takes guts and intensity to plant a church in inner city Atlanta. I’m proud to help guys like Doug. I’m doubly proud (in a humble way) that Doug would bring some of those youth to worship with us at Crosspoint any time.
One prayer request: Would you pray for God to call and fund and strengthen and protect Doug and Sarah and 100 more couples like them?
That is a prayer that will transform a city.
That is what it will take for all of Atlanta to be transformed by the Kingdom of God.
That is what I want Crosspoint to be doing now and into the future.
Graced
Jim
I met Doug through an inner-city church planter’s training network we helped start months ago. He is an anglo guy from L.A. (lower Alabama) who played football for the Auburn Tigers. He and his wife moved into a low-income apartment in East Atlanta years ago so they could disciple urban youth for the long haul. They have been there four years I think. It will take a lifetime of sacrifice to see the will of God done there as it is in heaven. But I believe it is going to happen…
I went to their Bible study last night. I was impressed. It wasn’t the facility or the professionalism of the program, but the hunger of those 10 young men learning the Word of God.
I’m sure the spiritual warfare is intense. It isn’t easy to plant a church anywhere, much less where Doug is laboring. But the young men there want the gospel. They welcome it. The fields are full of harvest!
It takes guts and intensity to plant a church in inner city Atlanta. I’m proud to help guys like Doug. I’m doubly proud (in a humble way) that Doug would bring some of those youth to worship with us at Crosspoint any time.
One prayer request: Would you pray for God to call and fund and strengthen and protect Doug and Sarah and 100 more couples like them?
That is a prayer that will transform a city.
That is what it will take for all of Atlanta to be transformed by the Kingdom of God.
That is what I want Crosspoint to be doing now and into the future.
Graced
Jim
Monday, February 06, 2006
Good Sermon Jose!
Good worship yesterday!
Jose preached a really strong sermon. Not your typical evangelical sermon.
And it was GREAT to have Anthony here from Chattanooga leading in prayer.
And the band did a great job leading too!
Other than a crack about my former days as a proud mullet-wearing pastor, I needed to be reminded that sin IS in me and how much Jesus went through to forgive me (and you).
I'd say that is a sermon we all ought to hear over and over again.
If you want a copy on CD, we can mail it to you. Let us know.
Didn't Jose do a spooky good imitation of a TV preacher though?
Graced
Jim
Jose preached a really strong sermon. Not your typical evangelical sermon.
And it was GREAT to have Anthony here from Chattanooga leading in prayer.
And the band did a great job leading too!
Other than a crack about my former days as a proud mullet-wearing pastor, I needed to be reminded that sin IS in me and how much Jesus went through to forgive me (and you).
I'd say that is a sermon we all ought to hear over and over again.
If you want a copy on CD, we can mail it to you. Let us know.
Didn't Jose do a spooky good imitation of a TV preacher though?
Graced
Jim
Busyness is Lazyness
Busyness is laziness?
I was just reading a piece by Eugene Peterson (translator of 'The Message') and that thought slapped me. I tend to think I am a hard worker and that hard work and a 'full day' is a sign of success as a pastor/church planter.
Peterson says, 'Busyness is the enemy of spirituality.... It is doing the easy thing instead of the hard thing. It is filling our time with our own actions instead of paying attention to God's actions. It is taking charge.'
I cut that out and taped it to my monitor. I'll have to consider that as I'm a busy pastor of a young exciting church out to change the world!
Jim
I was just reading a piece by Eugene Peterson (translator of 'The Message') and that thought slapped me. I tend to think I am a hard worker and that hard work and a 'full day' is a sign of success as a pastor/church planter.
Peterson says, 'Busyness is the enemy of spirituality.... It is doing the easy thing instead of the hard thing. It is filling our time with our own actions instead of paying attention to God's actions. It is taking charge.'
I cut that out and taped it to my monitor. I'll have to consider that as I'm a busy pastor of a young exciting church out to change the world!
Jim
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
I Have Glue for Brains
I feel like I have glue for brains. One thing I have learned is when I don’t feel like the brightest crayon in the box, I need to ask for prayer.
- Would you pray for me and Elizabeth that we would rest in the strong arms of Jesus!
- We are trying to prayerfully decide about taking another team to London this July for a week of prayer and evangelism. Would you ask Dad if we ought to do that?
- Our new assistant pastor Anthony and his family arrive this weekend. Pray for safety and God’s financial provision for them – they need either more support or a 2nd job. (What a step of faith they are making! They are raising support to come serve with us!)
- Ask God to lead my friend Steven the soon to be former pagan to read the Gospel of Mark. He asked me last week if I could tell him some Bible passages to read ‘that would show him what Jesus was like as a man’ and that he ‘would like to learn how I can have a relationship with your God.’ I couldn’t believe it. God is working in Steven.
- Pray for the people of Crosspoint. We have many challenges among us!
- And lastly, with London on our minds, we got this word from Jeremy (one of the missionaries among South Asians our 2005 team met)
Friends here have a 3 year old daughter who is in hospital in a completely unresponsive state - not talking, only blank stares. The doctors are baffled - maybe a virus in the brain? They are Gujarati Jains and God has put in on our hearts to tangibly help them as we can (visiting, and they have a son who is Noah and Sam's age who has come to play) and to PRAY that Jesus would wake this girl up and bring her back to herself and the whole family to Himself. If he can raise Jairus' daughter from the dead, he is surely able to do this. Would you join us in praying for this family as God leads you?
Jesus heal her and get all the credit!
Graced
Jim
- Would you pray for me and Elizabeth that we would rest in the strong arms of Jesus!
- We are trying to prayerfully decide about taking another team to London this July for a week of prayer and evangelism. Would you ask Dad if we ought to do that?
- Our new assistant pastor Anthony and his family arrive this weekend. Pray for safety and God’s financial provision for them – they need either more support or a 2nd job. (What a step of faith they are making! They are raising support to come serve with us!)
- Ask God to lead my friend Steven the soon to be former pagan to read the Gospel of Mark. He asked me last week if I could tell him some Bible passages to read ‘that would show him what Jesus was like as a man’ and that he ‘would like to learn how I can have a relationship with your God.’ I couldn’t believe it. God is working in Steven.
- Pray for the people of Crosspoint. We have many challenges among us!
- And lastly, with London on our minds, we got this word from Jeremy (one of the missionaries among South Asians our 2005 team met)
Friends here have a 3 year old daughter who is in hospital in a completely unresponsive state - not talking, only blank stares. The doctors are baffled - maybe a virus in the brain? They are Gujarati Jains and God has put in on our hearts to tangibly help them as we can (visiting, and they have a son who is Noah and Sam's age who has come to play) and to PRAY that Jesus would wake this girl up and bring her back to herself and the whole family to Himself. If he can raise Jairus' daughter from the dead, he is surely able to do this. Would you join us in praying for this family as God leads you?
Jesus heal her and get all the credit!
Graced
Jim
Thursday, January 12, 2006
People Look at Me Funny
People look at me funny… when I show them the sword I got for Christmas. It is so cool. People have been looking at me funny for years and now there is a reason! This is a real, battle-ready sword. I take it to work every day.
It reminds me that we must pray. THAT IS the battle for souls. God MUST work or we are dead!
You all are such faithful pray-ers! Thank you for your ongoing prayer support. I think the devil is still ticked that we have made it this far, but I’m sure it is because we have received your most valuable support! Keep up the good work!
Here are some items for battle:
- Satan’s resistance. The last two weeks have brought many struggles to the forefront with our young believers. Marriage struggles, talk of separation, divorce, illness, financial problems, job change, discouragement. Pray that the ENEMY will NOT have the victory! That all our people will learn to do spiritual battle daily, to repent and believe the gospel, to obey and walk in faith!
- YES! Our new assistant pastor Anthony and his family (wife Sarah and son Will, 3) move in on the 28th! It will be a HUGE help to this ministry to have a steady high S administrator and educator on staff! Pray for the continued raising of his support, safety and quick feet. He has lots to get up to speed on!
- Maturing leaders. We are adding one pt pastor (Anthony), one tent-making pastor (José) and we have 14 other volunteer leaders for various ministries. Pray for their safety and protection. Pray that they grow in faith and do not gossip. Pray that I may train and equip them well for their roles.
- Inner City church planting – pray for me and Bob Orner, another church planter who have been commissioned by our new church network to help facilitate church planter development in inner city Atlanta. We could really mess up if we are arrogant and I can be arrogant so easy. Pray for wisdom and faithfulness in building trust across old barriers.
Overall, would you pray that we are faithful in the battle?
And that I use my sword well?
Graced
Jim
It reminds me that we must pray. THAT IS the battle for souls. God MUST work or we are dead!
You all are such faithful pray-ers! Thank you for your ongoing prayer support. I think the devil is still ticked that we have made it this far, but I’m sure it is because we have received your most valuable support! Keep up the good work!
Here are some items for battle:
- Satan’s resistance. The last two weeks have brought many struggles to the forefront with our young believers. Marriage struggles, talk of separation, divorce, illness, financial problems, job change, discouragement. Pray that the ENEMY will NOT have the victory! That all our people will learn to do spiritual battle daily, to repent and believe the gospel, to obey and walk in faith!
- YES! Our new assistant pastor Anthony and his family (wife Sarah and son Will, 3) move in on the 28th! It will be a HUGE help to this ministry to have a steady high S administrator and educator on staff! Pray for the continued raising of his support, safety and quick feet. He has lots to get up to speed on!
- Maturing leaders. We are adding one pt pastor (Anthony), one tent-making pastor (José) and we have 14 other volunteer leaders for various ministries. Pray for their safety and protection. Pray that they grow in faith and do not gossip. Pray that I may train and equip them well for their roles.
- Inner City church planting – pray for me and Bob Orner, another church planter who have been commissioned by our new church network to help facilitate church planter development in inner city Atlanta. We could really mess up if we are arrogant and I can be arrogant so easy. Pray for wisdom and faithfulness in building trust across old barriers.
Overall, would you pray that we are faithful in the battle?
And that I use my sword well?
Graced
Jim
Friday, January 06, 2006
News for Prayer
7 newsy pieces I wanted you to know about and pray for:
- This Sunday begins a new series on biblical principles of money and finances. Yeah, it definitely needs a cool title. I want our focus in 2006 to be on growing unified so that we can reach out. There are so many needs and so many lost people!
One of the big limitations for the church is that we struggle with money. It kicks us down in our personal and family growth and limits what we can give to help the poor and how we can reach out to the lost. So for the rest of the month of January, José and I will be facing the issue of money, stewardship, generosity and what an awesome King we serve. I promise, no sounding like a Televangelist! (Well maybe José can do an impression…you’ll have to ask him.)
- Speaking of lost, I’m praying about having a special month this spring where we pray and prep some special Sundays to invite our lost friends and neighbors and family. Get the band to do some special music, maybe get a video clip worked in there. Maybe a sketch or two for illustrations. Pray about that with me.
- Speaking of lost, again, I got the first year of the ‘Lost’ TV show on DVD and I’m an addict! (So is my family!)
- Crosspoint Art Night on Sunday January 15th will be awesome. Tim and Gene have lined up some homegrown artists (Jeff Wood, James Steadham, Ibanez Downtain) from Crosspoint and the area for a night of music, visual art and even improv. Maybe skip small group and come out for that? Monday the 16th is MLK day, so all the bankers get the day off!
- Last one, did you hear that Pastor José passed his credentials committee written and oral exam and will stand before North Georgia Presbytery on Saturday the 21st to complete his ordination transfer into the PCA? And then he and Ana go to Church Planter Assessment Center first week of February! Lots going on with the Mateos!
- Youth Game Night Dec 28 ROCKED! If you are a youth, you wish you would have been there.
- Speaking of ROCKing and Youth, the Brogans are making plans to MOVE baby! They will be in town Friday (tomorrow) to scope o
- This Sunday begins a new series on biblical principles of money and finances. Yeah, it definitely needs a cool title. I want our focus in 2006 to be on growing unified so that we can reach out. There are so many needs and so many lost people!
One of the big limitations for the church is that we struggle with money. It kicks us down in our personal and family growth and limits what we can give to help the poor and how we can reach out to the lost. So for the rest of the month of January, José and I will be facing the issue of money, stewardship, generosity and what an awesome King we serve. I promise, no sounding like a Televangelist! (Well maybe José can do an impression…you’ll have to ask him.)
- Speaking of lost, I’m praying about having a special month this spring where we pray and prep some special Sundays to invite our lost friends and neighbors and family. Get the band to do some special music, maybe get a video clip worked in there. Maybe a sketch or two for illustrations. Pray about that with me.
- Speaking of lost, again, I got the first year of the ‘Lost’ TV show on DVD and I’m an addict! (So is my family!)
- Crosspoint Art Night on Sunday January 15th will be awesome. Tim and Gene have lined up some homegrown artists (Jeff Wood, James Steadham, Ibanez Downtain) from Crosspoint and the area for a night of music, visual art and even improv. Maybe skip small group and come out for that? Monday the 16th is MLK day, so all the bankers get the day off!
- Last one, did you hear that Pastor José passed his credentials committee written and oral exam and will stand before North Georgia Presbytery on Saturday the 21st to complete his ordination transfer into the PCA? And then he and Ana go to Church Planter Assessment Center first week of February! Lots going on with the Mateos!
- Youth Game Night Dec 28 ROCKED! If you are a youth, you wish you would have been there.
- Speaking of ROCKing and Youth, the Brogans are making plans to MOVE baby! They will be in town Friday (tomorrow) to scope o
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