Cross Creek Church Blog

Tabasumu

[Written by Shawndee Lovoy]

In Swahili, Tabasumu means smile.

The largest slum in Africa is the Kibera Slum. In fact, it is one of the largest slums in the world. It is home to about 250,000 souls in the space of about 1.5 miles. The government owns the land and about 10% of the people are shack owners, and the other 90% are tenants with no rights. The average size of a shack is about 12ft by 12 ft, and usually houses and sleeps about 8 people. Only about 20% of Kibera has electricity. There are no toilet facilities and about 50 shacks will generally share 1 latrine (hole in the ground). When the hole is full then young boys will carry the contents and dump it in the rivers. Water is scarce and polluted. Cheap alcohol and drugs are rampant. About 50% of the young girls ages 16-25 are pregnant and most babies are unwanted/aborted, or uncared for if born. The average life expectancy is 30 years old.

There doesn’t seem to be much to smile about in Kibera slum.  3 of my 4 children have been to Kibera slum with their grandparents. We have ministry partners there who are the hands and feet of Jesus in one of the darkest places on earth. The circumstances of these children’s lives are dire and without much hope. But I’ve seen the smiles. I’ve seen the pictures of hundreds of smiling children who just want to be loved and noticed. They are drawn to anyone who will show them attention and my children have had the life-changing chance to meet them, love them, laugh with them, and see them for the children of God that they are.

We have the chance this missions month at Cross Creek to provide smiles through shoes, socks, snacks, and bibles gifted to the Tabasumu ministry in Kibera slum. Our Cross Creek kids are working hard to raise money to purchase as many of these items as we can, and to bring smiles to the faces of these precious children. We are so thankful to the Lord for our ministry partners and friends who give of their lives to love these children and provide basic needs to make their lives a little better. Let’s continue to pray for the smiles of the Kibera slum children. Pray that they would know their worth and life is rooted in Jesus. That He sees them and cares for them. Pray that Jesus would be their smile and their peace.

 

Bible Reading Plan, Missions Month, & Building Campaign

[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]

As we enter a new year, I imagine for all of us it is a chance to recalibrate. Whether we make any resolutions, or not, to at least think about how we desire for our life and relationship with God to proceed in the upcoming 12 months. Let me highlight three wonderful upcoming aspects of the life of our church, as we continue to Glorify God, By Inviting All, Into God’s Grace, through the pathways of Growing in Truth, Living in Community and Serving in the Kingdom: 1) Bible Reading Plan, 2) Missions Month, and 3) Our Building Campaign

Bible Reading

As we have mentioned in the Creek Week, in our worship services and on social media, we hope God will bring a wave of revival in all our lives this year, that would greatly impact our church and flow over into the surrounding community and even the world. By the same token, we know there is a daily journey to the Christian life, and except for special movements when God may catapult us forward, the regular use of the means of grace is the food and drink for the church. These means come through our congregational worship services, which is why we have made every reasonable effort to keep those in-person gatherings going the last two years. But growth also happens in truth for any serious believer through daily time with God in prayer and God’s Word. 

The last several years we have encouraged various approaches, including daily one page reading from Paul David Tripp’s New Morning Mercies and last year the short readings with Scripture references formed around the Westminster Shorter Catechism in Starr Meade’s book. Each approach has its pluses and minuses but this year we will come back to taking in the broad scope of the Bible through direct reading of Scripture using the Five Day Bible Reading Program. We have paper copies available on Sunday mornings or you can print it out yourself. We are using this paper edition, even though many Bible apps offer something similar because it seems like it would be good to push ourselves to get away from our devices at least for a brief time each day and to get our eyes and hands reacquainted with the tried-and-true paper Bible. I certainly plan to also use an app to listen some while commuting or working out, if I get behind, but hopefully can read, and perhaps journal as well, most of the time.

 

Arise and Go

Missions Month

We are also moving into a regular season, that is so special each year for our church – Missions Month. If you are new to our church you are in for a treat. Each Sunday morning we will focus on a different theme area of our missions efforts – Church Planting, College Ministry, Local Ministries, and International Missions. Please make plans to attend both worship service and our Sunday school time even if you normally forego the latter, and on Jan 23, we will hear from our keynote speaker, Ronnie Stevens, in the evening, after we enjoy a churchwide meal together.

 

Building Campaign

Beginning at the end of February and extending for 3 weeks into mid-March, we will be inviting our congregation to a journey of faith and stewardship. You will be hearing a lot more about this once Missions Month concludes, but for now we would ask all in the church to pray for our Building Campaign Committee. If you did not get a chance to watch this 1 min video with our pastor and a member of our committee, please do so. 

In addition to those mentioned in the video who are joint chairs of the committee (Sherry Hartley, Bill Shine, Stephanie VanderNoot and Abe Zanayed) we are thankful for the following subcommittees who will help lead our church each step of the way, as we look to God to provide the resources for the building purchase, the renovations already completed, and potential future renovations and improvements we will share about soon.

Communication – Kayla Holsomback

Groups – Garrett Greer and Mason Ellenberger

Prayer – Chris and Patience Peters, Angie Daspit, Denson and Jackie Hardgrove

Children’s – Shawndee Lovoy and Whitney Halbrooks

Special Events – Paige Smith and Ruth Zanayed

The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go

[Written by Garrett Greer]

I love good climbing documentaries. The really good ones manage to capture some of the thrill of climbing and exploration, but without any of the actual work or danger. I recently watched The Alpinist on Netlfix, and while I can say that not all of it is totally family-friendly, it’s well worth a watch. It’s the story of Marc-André Leclerc, a young climber obsessed with exploring the wilderness and the hardest to reach places on Earth.

The film at first shows his impossible abilities—his strength, confidence, and speed in climbing impossible peaks—all without ropes or harnesses. Apparently he would dodge the cameramen and didn’t really want to be with anyone else while climbing—he wanted it to be just him and the mountain. Leclerc sought to climb not as a sport or a profession, but as a spiritual exercise, trying to find some spiritual meaning or significance in his experience with untamed mountains.

In pursuit of ever greater achievements and summits, the film follows Leclerc’s adventures until his tragic and surprising death while summiting a new route on the North face of the Mendenhall Towers. Leclerc had summited the peak, even texted his girlfriend and mom, only to be killed by the mountain on his way back down. The film ends on a bittersweet note as both the filmmakers and his girlfriend try to understand his death and give it some sort significance. It ends as something of a memorial to Leclerc, essentially arguing that his death was worth it since he died doing what he loved.

I couldn’t help but remember a clip of a John Piper entitled “Don’t Waste Your Life.” In it, John Piper contrasts two news stories. The first is a tale of two women in their 80’s, a doctor and a nurse, that had taken their retirement years and chosen to live as medical missionaries. They had suddenly died in a car crash in Cameroon when their brakes failed. The second is a story of an elderly couple that took an early retirement to move to Florida, collect seashells, and play softball. Piper pleads with the crowd to grasp that the true tragedy wasn’t the death of two women serving the Lord on mission, but the couple that build their lives around recreation.

As Piper says, “With all my heart I plead with you: don’t buy that dream. The American Dream: a nice house, a nice car, a nice job, a nice family, a nice retirement, collecting shells as the last chapter before you stand before the Creator of the universe to give an account of what you did: ‘Here it is Lord — my shell collection! And I’ve got a nice swing, and look at my boat!’ Don’t waste your life; don’t waste it.”

As I watched The Alpinist I was struck by the tragedy of Leclerc’s death. Here was a man enraptured by creation—something I can relate to. This man clearly saw the beauty of mountains shaped by the hand of God, and yet tragically failed to see God himself. He only saw the creation instead of the creator. Devoting his life to himself, he was willing to die in search of the next great adventure.

I was convicted that I too sometimes get caught up in my “shell collecting.” I too often look for the next great adventure, wishing to be somewhere else and shirking the mission in front of me. I hope that as believers we can somehow find a way to combine Leclerc’s spirit of adventure with the fervor of Piper’s plea to live on mission. Hopefully we can correctly distinguish between creation and creator, and also see that our role on Earth isn’t just to find ourselves and our happiness, collecting shells and summiting peaks, but to live on mission too.

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…. 25 but they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served creation rather than the Creator….
-Romans 1:19-20, 25

Cross Creek Church

Building Renovation Update

We are so thankful for the progress on our building restoration and renovation. Some may have been following the process all along, but in case you missed all that has been happening, here you go:

Mid-October – The building we have now purchased flooded in the 100-year rains that hit our whole community. With water reaching 1-2 inches at most.

4-5 Days later – We vacuumed out all the water and then teams from our church removed all the current carpet.

Beginning of Nov – We conducted an environmental study. Per that report, we have repaired issues with the roof and contracted to have the bottom section of sheetrock replaced around the entire building and insulation treated, as a precautionary measure.

Repaired drywall

All walls are currently being painted in a new color scheme.

And in a few days, the workers will install highly functional carpet square flooring throughout the entire worship space, and all perimeter rooms will receive durable plank flooring.

In the process, we also removed the basketball rims and expanded our previous Room 3/4 into a large fellowship/classroom space.

Stay tuned for info on the BIG DAY! When we move back in, and ways you can help with that process.

Strangers and Aliens

[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]

A few weeks ago, in the men’s discipleship group I lead with 3 guys who are studying what the Bible teaches about the core beliefs of the Christian life, we came across the “heroes of faith” – chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews. It reads, in part…

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

As I’ve mentioned in some comments and other written communication to our church recently, God seems to want to make sure Cross Creek Church remembers we should never get too comfortable with the things of this earth and this life. We can enjoy all the blessings of this life deeply and sincerely, and in fact, our relationship with God should enliven that enjoyment, but we also hold all things with a loose hand.

When the 100 year rain storm we had a few weeks ago flowed into the church building we are preparing to buy, it was a bit perplexing. After 12 years of growing to a place of having our own church facility, meeting at two area schools the first 8 years, and the last few renting the church building we are purchasing, you would think we would have no trouble remembering we are strangers and aliens in this world… but I know I easily forget.

God knows best, even in what appears to me to be setbacks or frustrations. Thanks to Parkwood Church of God we have a temporary space and will have the joy of coming back into a building with new flooring and paint, but we can thank Him most of all for helping us remember what the church actually is – God’s people, not a facility; the ministries we have for outreach and our own growth, not an address on a map; the vision to Glorify God By Inviting All Into God’s Grace, pursued by Growing in Truth, Living in Community and Serving in the Kingdom, not a deed and title.

I’ve said before, spiritual Alzheimer’s is one of our chief problems – failing to remember what we know from God’s Word, what God has shown us in experience, what others have helped us believe. Let’s thank God these next 4-5 weeks while we are at a temporary meeting place, for helping us remember the nomadic life… the alien existence. And when we set foot on new carpet and new plank flooring, let’s ask God to help us also remember the good vision he has given to us as a church, to be salt and light to a hurting and fallen community and to invite others to experience the grace we have the privilege of receiving through the ministry we use our facility to pursue.

In a few weeks, I’ll have the blessing of staying up late 3-4 nights to teach a seminary course online for 40-50 pastors halfway around the world in a place where churches are rare but the Gospel is rapidly spreading. Just like church facilities are helpful in our part of the world for all the ministries of the church, they are likewise for the churches led by these faithful pastors. Limitations of resources, of government restrictions and of community persecution might keep these believers from having a building. Yet we have more in common with them, than we might presume. They, like us, stand in the light of the accomplished work of God in Christ. Thus we can all say together…

“For you have not come to what may be touched….but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:18-24)

What You Can’t Do

[Written by Ben Halbrooks]

As we’ve been making our way through the catechism (or “cazzy” as my kids call it), one particular question/answer pair stood out to me recently: Question 82. It’s the culmination of a large section of the catechism that’s all about God’s law and its meaning and application in our lives. For the record, here it is:

Q: Can anyone perfectly keep the commandments of God?
A. Since the fall no ordinary man can perfectly keep the commandments of God in this life but breaks them every day in thought, word, and action.

That’s what we call a hard “NO.” How’s that for some uplifting motivation? I mean, literally every preceding catechism question outlining the requirements and expectations of the law just hit a brick wall.

So let’s think about this for a minute. Do you like being told what you can’t do? And how badly you can’t do it? We’re not talking about something you’re not supposed to do, but something you absolutely cannot do, no matter how hard you try.

Everything in ourselves, in our fallen natures, resists this. We’re steeped in a sea of messages that tell us that Anything Is Possible If You Work Hard, Never Give Up, Use Willpower and Positive Thinking, Decide to Win, Achieve Your Goals, Manifest Your Dreams, Believe in Yourself, and Follow a 5-Step Plan to Success. And we’re Americans, for crying out loud! Self-reliance is a national past-time. But the truth of Question 82 remains. And in the face of it, two great worldly myths crumble to dust:

That there is such thing as a “good person.” In a spiritual sense – that is, as it relates to ultimate reality – no one is good. (Rom. 3:10-12)
We also tend to believe that the problems of the world are “outside” of ourselves, and we look “within” ourselves for the solution. Question 82, and the Gospel as a whole, show us that this assumption is fundamentally backwards. The ultimate problem is the problem of the human heart, within ourselves, and the ultimate solution must come from something, Someone, outside ourselves.

In the wreckage of these illusions, one thing is clear: our desperate need of a Savior. And thankfully, the catechism answer gives us a hopeful hint in this direction when it says “no ordinary man” can do this. Because there was one who stepped into human history as more than just an ordinary man: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Gal. 4:4-5)

So you know what’s good about being told what we can’t do in this case? It relieves us from the unbearable burden of seeking in vain to prove ourselves, as our Savior takes all our burdens and our sins upon Himself to the cross and fulfills the demands of the law – perfectly.

Embracing the Means of Grace

[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]

As we come into the final few months of 2021, now is most certainly a good moment to pause and look back at the first 75% of this year, even as we pivot and look to finish the year well. That can mean a lot of things, but in my 25 years of pastoral ministry and almost 30 years of walking in the Lord, it does not mean less than embracing the means of grace.

The means of grace, or spiritual disciplines, as they are also called, can be intimidating for all of us. Perhaps they bring to mind our failed attempts to carve out regular prayer time, or our stumbling with any regular personal scriptural and devotional reading, or more ominous and demanding practices, like fasting. Hopefully we are all growing in our identity in Christ, by grace, through faith alone, such that we don’t head off in either misguided “license” (using God’s mercy as an excuse to live without purposeful obedience to God) or “legalism” (overestimating our ability to follow God and perhaps even creating extra rules that we might be wired to accomplish easily, so we can perform spiritually). Instead, we would aim to elevate both the radical call to transformation we are invited into by grace, and the radical love God has shown to credit righteousness to sinners like us.

It is with this perspective, and only with it, that we can look at things like Starr Meade’s devotional book, and read the recent sections on the tenth commandment without dodging their impact or ditching the faith altogether. As the Apostle Paul reminds us, and Meade highlights, the tenth commandment – you shall not covet – is the tour de force of the commandments. Even if we miss the way that the other commandments compel us to seek grace and call us to even deeper obedience than we thought, we find it very hard to do with the tenth. The catechism #80 reminds us to be distinctively content in life. Everything else around us and in us, bids us to do the exact opposite. What joy to know that we can square up with the undoing of God’s law and let it land fully on us, because we know Jesus bore all the punishment for us, and gifts perfect righteousness to us.

This same perspective allows us to look back at 75% of the year and be honest with ourselves about where we have fallen short in our purposes and aims…perhaps including spending time and guiding our household through a spiritual growth plan like Meade offers and our church has pursued. And this also allows us to not wallow in where we fell short but to be inspired by God’s amazing kindness to put ourselves and our household in the way of grace through spiritual disciplines these last few months of 2021. All of us, including myself, can give a lot of reasons to justify where we and our household are, not the least of which has been another year of Covid issues, but as the theologians of the past have simply said, so I call to myself and our church – “Further In…and Further Up!”…in our 2021 journey of faith.

Bring Them to Jesus

Bring Them to Jesus

[Written by Shawndee Lovoy]

Matt. 19:14 “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

When mom and dad lose our temper. When we argue. When we don’t keep our promises. When we disappoint them. When we forget to show grace. Bring them to Jesus. Who teaches to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths. Who, in His very nature, will always keep his promises. Who will never disappoint because His will is revealed perfectly in time. Who is the author and founder of grace.

When they don’t make the honor roll. When they don’t make the team. When they are left out at school. When they don’t bond with a teacher. When it seems like everything comes easy to everyone else except for them. Bring them to Jesus. Who teaches they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Who teaches that their worth is found as His child and nothing else. Who teaches to love your enemies and pray for those who hurt you. Who teaches that He has given them everything they need for life and holiness. Who teaches that their purpose is to know Him and to enjoy Him forever.

Sickness, fear, anxiety, self-esteem, performance, status, hopes and dreams are all a part of this earthly life. Our kids will face every single one of these. We will mess up. They will mess up. Bring them to Jesus. Put His word in front of them. Teach them His grace, love, and desire for their lives. Listen to worship songs that remind us of who He is. Take them to church. Put the church body in their lives and pray for others to speak truth to them.

Bring them to Jesus. In every triumph, bring them to Jesus. In every heartache, bring them to Jesus. Every day when we rise and when we lie down. Bring them to Jesus.

God is on the Move

Cross Creek Church

[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]

For all of us older than age 25 or 30, I’m sure the next week will bring up poignant memories of one of the saddest days in contemporary American life – September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were when we heard the news and saw the images of human destruction, pain and loss. Some of us even lost friends, family or business associates. As we rightly acknowledge the sobering anniversary of that national event, we are also reminded about the kingdom of God. In the midst of sadness and reflection, we can also take joy that the gates of hell shall not prevail against God’s kingdom, and that God is on the move globally and locally.

One of the primary ways God is active in the world is through His church, the body of Christ. At least for me, it is comforting and motivating to realize that by pursuing God’s kingdom on a daily basis, I am participating in God’s redeeming work in this world. Just as nations face opposition and attacks, the kingdom of God does as well, from the Evil One, but Jesus says he is the Strongest Man who has bound up that strong man.

For me this means that engaging in our church vision – Glorifying God, by Inviting All, Into God’s Grace – through the strategies of Growing in Truth, Living in Community and Serving in the Kingdom – is a vital daily endeavor. The recent decision of our church to purchase the land and building we have been meeting in for 3 years is just one part of pursuing that vision. In reality, this is a good moment to revisit our core mission – so that the edifice we prepare to own is something we use for the Lord’s work – a help to our mission in this community and even around the world – not a distraction from that.

Moments of national reflection and moments of church development are great chances for all of us, including me as Pastor, to ask some key questions:

  • How is God’s grace shaping my life in fresh ways?
  • What ways can I renew my pursuit to glorify God in all I do?
  • Who is God calling me to invite into his Kingdom and into His church?
  • Have I stagnated in pursuing God’s truth in His Word? How can I put myself in the way of truth?
  • Where have I opened myself up to the blessing of a committed local church community where I am known and know others? Where am I resistant to or hiding from that?
  • What new ways might the Lord want me to serve – whether through the ministry of our church, or the local organizations we partner with, or in our schools or kid’s activities or business arena?

If our hearts and minds are propelled by God’s redeeming work in our lives to engage deeply with these core questions of the Christian walk, then whether buildings fall or buildings are bought, we will be living as the adopted Children of God we are, and God will be using us to advance his joyful, powerful, transformational kingdom.

Overflowing Love

[Written by Garrett Greer]

11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:11, ESV

Recently I was on a bike path in rural Georgia, it was around 98 degrees, I was hot and thirsty, and I knew it might be a while before I made it to the next source of water. Half grumbling, half praying, I questioned why it had to be so hot, wondering when I’d get some water. As I rounded a corner, I saw a man with a large white cooler, sitting in the shade, waving to come on over. While I stopped he introduced himself, his name was Rick, and he was giving out free water and Gatorade. As I reached into the deep ice of the cooler to pull out a cold drink, I tried to express how glad I was that he was there and that he was a bit of an answered prayer. At this he laughed, but told me that he wasn’t there because he was a Christian—quite the contrary. He was there because he wanted to prove that you didn’t need to be a Christian to be nice and hand out drinks to people. Apparently, a church in the area had been handing out free drinks to folks on the trail, and my new friend Rick was frustrated. He wasn’t a believer and was annoyed that people might think this sort of kindness was limited to Christians, and so he decided to give out drinks as well. We had a great conversation about how he was frustrated by Christian kindness. “They’re only doing it because God said so, I’m doing it to show you can do it just to be nice, without needing a God to tell you to do it.” This unbeliever had latched onto the idea that Christians only did nice things because they have to—and he wanted to show he could be friendly all on his own.

My run in with Rick gave me a lot to think about. I was thankful that God used Rick to quench my thirst, even when Rick didn’t acknowledge God. But I’ve also been thinking about Rick’s idea that Christians only do nice things because they have to—that we live in love because it’s a command. It’s certainly a command in Scripture, but hopefully there’s more to love than duty. When I’m doing kind things, what’s my real motivation? As a Christian do I only do nice things because I know I’m supposed to and not because of any genuine love? I hope not.  

As Christians we are supposed to be known by our love for one another (John 13:35). It sounds like Rick knew some Christians by their love, and wanted in on it, even without God. But we must remember that the reason we love one another isn’t really because we’re just nice, and it also isn’t just because “God said so.” We love one another because in Christ we’ve received so much love that there’s no other place for it to go but outwards—it simply pours forth! Christ’s sacrificial love for each of us on the cross is something that we receive and then also pour out onto those around us. Romans 12:9 asks us to “let love be genuine”—this doesn’t mean loving one another out of duty, or just pure good feelings, rather “genuine” Christian love overflows from the love we receive in Jesus. Genuine love is the only result when we truly receive Christ’s grace. We act in love and in kindness not because we have to, but because we are filled with love in Christ.

My encounter with Rick was a blessing—I got a cold drink on a hot day—but also because it challenged me to remember the reason for kindness. It’s not so that we look good to the world, it’s not so that we earn points by following God’s commands. Instead, we love one another as Christ loved us, because as his love overflows in our hearts, that manifests in kindness to the world. I pray that I might let that love pour forth in more tangible ways. Who knows, maybe soon I’ll be handing out free water and Gatorade on the side of the trail with Rick.

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13, ESV