Best Senior Class Ever!

The title of this blog is CROSS HAPPENINGS. Here is a significant happening.

Karen, my 4th of 5, said this the other night at the dinner table. "I am in the best senior class ever!"

This is the same girl that has been in 4 schools in 4 years of HS. The some one that begged to stay with friends in Albemarle and attend last year's school.

This is an answer to prayer - mark is down. A Cross Happening for sure. Thank you to all of you that pray for the Cross family and especially for Karen, [Kingbean, Kenny, King ...].

The picture to the right is from the 2nd retreat she has been on with her sr. class!

Real Life & Death Issues from ER

A friend of Lynn's posted on her blog this from ER and Ray Comfort. I plan on using it in our Bible Study next Sunday night. So Ben if you check this blog before Sunday you can see it twice!

UnChristian or Unchurched?

I get a "church report" via e-mail and there are a lot of facts and figures. The one below finally says what I have been sensing a long time, and in fact, it marks the way I approach people who say they believe. In my mind I do not want to lose an opportunity to share the gospel with someone who thinks they are saved but does not understand the gospel. Like me, in my early years I thought I was a Christian because I went to church when I was a boy with my Mom. It had nothing to do with who Jesus was or if he really was alive today.

Those who are not living out the gospel - need compassion and evangelism. They are unchurched - in the Biblical sense.

By the way, I disagree with the last sentence below. If you are unchurch - there ought to be big doubt is you are a Christian at all!

Post-Denominational?

Church historian Rodney Stark reports between 1960 and 2000, the Episcopal Church declined 55% in terms of members per 1,000 U.S. population. The United Methodist Church declined 49%, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) declined 49%. Megachurches have doubled in number and size in the past five years. This leaves the churched population among Christians at about 40% attending regularly. It also says, with about 85% nominally Christian in the U.S., only about half of them regularly attend church. They are not unChristian; they are unchurched.

Some great videos you have to check out!

http://www.timhawkins.net/video.php

Margaret make sure Hannah sees the Chick Fil-A song!

Katie and Michael - watch this one!

Matt & Belinda - watch this one!

It is officially Cross Country Season

Oliver had his first cross country race last weekend in his last season as a college runner. You can follow his schedule and results here. If you look at this website you will see his picture on the banner - he is now a poster boy for Wingate Cross Country!

We now have a Cheerleader in the family - Rebekah

Prayer for Renewal

I have been reading and praying prayers from the book, Valley of Vision for a long time in my devotions. It is amazing that they seem so appropriate to my life and soul. I prayed this one today. It is comforting that long ago someone else felt the same way and today provides me with the vocabulary to pray my desires.

My favorite phrase is "Ride forth in me, thou King of kings and Lord of lords"

"A Disciple's Renewal."

O My Saviour, help me.
I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb;

I am in the foothills when I should be in the heights;
I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.
I am blind while light shines around me:
take the scales from my eyes,
grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.
Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
meditate on thee,
gaze on thee,
sit like Mary at thy feet,
lean like John on thy breast,
appeal like Peter to thy love,
count like Paul all things dung.
Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be;
more decision in my character,
more vigor in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervor in my devotion,
more constancy in my zeal.
As I have a position in the world,
keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature what can be found only in the creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee until it vanishes into sight.
Ride forth in me, thou King of kings and Lord of lords,
that I may live victoriously, and in victory attain my end.