Category: Reflection & Meditation

[Written by Derek Dougherty]

Do you remember the first time someone said, “I like you”. Can you remember how it felt? Maybe for some it was a best friend that was genuinely excited to see you. Or perhaps the first time someone from the opposite sex showed that kind of interest in you. Can you feel the butterflies in your stomach and the overwhelming joy that causes you to smile from ear to ear?

Jim Wilder in his book The Other Half of Church says that “joy is what we feel when we are with someone who is happy to be with us. Joy does not exist outside of a relationship.” 

During the Thanksgiving season the oft-quoted verses like “Rejoice always… give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thess. 5:16, 18), can be really hard to balance with the mixed emotions around the table due to sadness of loved ones that have passed away or in dealing with family conflict. 

In general, I have always struggled with God’s command to always rejoice. I feel like I need to muster up some measure of excited happiness when often I am operating out of a fuel tank that is depleted of joy.   

This week I heard a pastor get up in front of a room full of pastors and leaders, who could rattle off all of the benefits of being loved by God and this pastor very simply stated, “God likes you!”. Or to put it in Jim Wilder’s language, God is happy to be with you! His face lights up when He looks at you. 

I know intellectually that God loves me or why else would He have sent His son to die for me. But in the back of my mind, it’s hard to get out this notion that somehow His love is driven by duty or obligation. Just like Jesus calls us to love our enemies, He loves us but there is no way that He actually likes me. Is there? 

“God Likes Me!” When I stopped to let the reality of that message wash over me, I began to feel some of those butterflies return to my stomach. A grin started to form on my face and my joy tank began to fill back up.

In Zephaniah 3:17 we are given a picture of this God who delights in you even causing Him to burst out in song. 

The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing. 

Zephaniah 3:17

This theme is repeated time and time again throughout Isaiah and the Psalms as if God is shouting from the rafters “I LIKE YOU!!!” “It is a delight to be with you!” 

This Thanksgiving if you are feeling like your joy tank is depleted, I encourage you to let the good news of this truth wash over you. Even if you are struggling to find reasons in your current circumstances to rejoice there is one who is delighted in YOU. Let Him fill your joy tank up as He reminds you how much He Likes YOU.

[Written by William Monroe]

Lately I’ve been thinking about what it means to meditate on the word of God. God calls us to meditate on his word day and night.

Psalm 1:2, “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Ok. I don’t do that. If/When I try, or even ponder what that would look like, I’m overwhelmed. I think I understand what that means, but practically speaking, how do I do that? Let’s check another passage.

Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Still, that feels like a tall order. This kind of meditation is promised in this passage to be a good thing, clearly, but again I come back to, how?

I think there are two practical things that can encourage us with this call to meditate on the word day and night.

First, looking at a little bit of context, in Joshua 1:5, it says “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” So this seems like a piece of the puzzle, and personally one of the most encouraging things is that God is with us continually, much as he is asking us to be with him.

I saw a meme recently that said, “I don’t believe in bigfoot. He never believed in me, every piano recital I ever had, I would look into the audience and see one empty seat.”

The beautiful thing here is God isn’t being like bigfoot in this scenario. This passage reminds us that God absolutely is with us and caring for us in a present way.

Secondly, as a music lover, I think songs have an excellent role to play here. Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head? What types of songs get stuck in your head? Frequently for me, it is the chorus of a song that will get stuck in my head that will lead me back to the depth and richness of well-written verses.

Sometimes repetition and simplicity is looked down upon in church music, but when used appropriately, even if it isn’t our preference, the result can be unintentional meditation on the word of God!

Now full disclosure, contemporary music which adds a chorus to traditional hymns isn’t always the most successful from a pure musicality aspect, but by adding some repetition, it can lead us to that meditation on the full depth written into the rest of the song. A good example of this is the version of Amazing Grace with the “My Chains are gone” chorus.

My favorites are ones that incorporate a beautiful chorus in a way that has great continuity AND is adapted straight from scripture. A good example of this is the Ellie Holcomb song, “Fear Not”, based on Isaiah 43.

This is my preferred method for writing songs for congregational singing. If scripture is used as the base text, there is little need to stress that the theology is right. Here are two of my songs that are written this way:

• Love Shall Remain (1st Corinthians 13)
  
  stonewall monroe · Love Shall Remain
• He Listened (Psalm 34)
  
  stonewall monroe · Psalm 34 (May 4 11:18 PM)

So next time you are trying to be more meditative, turn on some music and remember that God is with you!

[Written by Dr. Chris Peters]

Well, okay…that is not really a thing…but maybe it should be…

“Now I urge you brothers – you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints – be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.” 1 Corinthians 16:15-18

Perhaps this post will feel like a pastor revealing a bit too much of “how the sausage is made.” Or to others maybe it seems like a bit of insider patting on the back. I can’t help how some might read this, but as I enter into my 20th year of ordained ministry in my denomination (the Presbyterian Church in America) I think it is right to give recognition where recognition is due.

We all have seen failure in church leaders, most notably in pastors, but also in elders or deacons (or whatever your church calls the folks who help direct the church and facilitate the work of the church, but are not the paid pastors). Just recently I spoke with someone outside our church but near to me about the devastating impact the moral abuse by a church leader has had on his perspective about God. I don’t write this to dismiss or minimize any of those issues – they are real, and sadly far too common.

But I do think that it is easy to let a few bad apples ruin our view of the whole bunch. So I just want to highlight three things that I believe are genuinely worthy of praise about the elders and deacons I have known, in the 3 churches I have served on staff, and from my observation of others. As others read this, I hope they too will pause and give thanks to God for faithful lay church leaders who have 

          shared the Gospel, 

          served behind the scenes, 

          organized building projects, 

          prayed for struggling marriages and wayward children, 

          overseen areas of ministry, 

          attended denominational meetings

          managed church finances, 

          facilitated global missions work and local ministries of mercy, 

          and generally served all the rest of us well.

What a blessing to see men of COMMITMENT, CAMARADERIE, and CORRECTION

1. Commitment–In most churches it is hard to match the raw hours staff give to ministry, and key volunteers who are not officers can give as much or more than both staff and officers, but the church officers I know give a lot of time, emotional energy, and financial resources to the church. I’ve had the privilege over the years of a front row seat to officers who spend countless unpaid hours, taking time away from family or from billable hours at work, to help a couple through a difficult marriage situation. I’ve seen such leaders, who are already typically giving financially more than others might to the church, reach in their pockets and give to the latest missions special need because they love Christ and his servants. Do church officers fail sometimes? Absolutely, but for every one I know that fits that category, I know 10 who, though sinners, are walking the path to repent, believe, and fight, and seek to fulfill Mark 10:45 – “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”
2. Camaraderie–As a pastor, I get together with other pastors from time to time. I appreciate greatly the support and encouragement of those brothers – some in my own affiliation and others in different denominations. But those brothers are not in the trenches with me as a pastor in ministry week-to-week and day-to-day. When you serve closely together you are more likely to see each others’ failings, and personality quarks. And on a few occasions, I have certainly been disappointed to feel unsupported by church officers. But for every 1 situation of that sort, I have had the joy of 100 others, where elders or deacons have blessed me by their presence, their words, and their actions of support (at times where I may not have warranted such backing). As I already cited, “…for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours…”
3. Correction–In prominent church settings with a well-known pastoral figure and perhaps paid pastoral staff leading various parts of the worship service, the public does not see the elders or trustees until some sizeable pastoral moral failure. Then the poor soul who got selected by his brethren to step to the microphone and make the ominous announcement all-of-the-sudden represents the reality of some “group” or “board” who are having to correct the church’s version of CEO. Although sometimes hidden agendas of personality and power underly these events, in many cases the elders are genuinely seeking to balance grace and godliness in responding to a situation they did not make, but now have to address. But, as Paul David Tripp highlights in his book Lead, the ideal is for pastors and lay leaders to be in a regular lifestyle of loving correction. As a pastor, who struggles with pride, I generally do not like it when the plan or decision or idea that I feel I have carefully considered and determined, is challenged by my fellow church leaders. It is not usually something I immediately welcome. And I have probably on some occasions been prone to dodge conflict by not pressing my conviction more strongly. However, for every 1 time I may have been correct and the collective wisdom of my church officers was misguided, perhaps 1000 times it has been the opposite. Usually this correction is not confrontive but merely a sharing of wisdom and perspective that informs an ultimately unanimous fruitful decision. Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

In my context of a complementarian church structure, I could also make a strong case for “Wives of Church Officer Appreciation Day” but since I imagine few have read all the way to this line of this blog, that will have to wait for another post.

[Written by Shawndee Lovoy]

We had 4 children in 5 years. Yes, you read that right! When our oldest son Isaac was 5 our youngest child Maryrose was born. December of 2007, when we brought our 4th baby home, Isaac was 5, Juliette was 4, James was 2, and we brought home our newborn Maryrose. My body, heart, mind and soul belonged to so many people that it was hard to distinguish who I was from them. Those were precious years and many years of pure survival. 

Fast forward….to August 2022. Isaac is a sophomore at Auburn University. Juliette is a freshman at Mississippi State University. James is a sophomore at Hoover High School, and Maryrose is a freshman at Briarwood Christian School. My heart still lives in 5 different places each day, but it is different. They are there and I am here. Some need me more than others and all need me for different reasons, but they aren’t dependent on me for survival. 

My amazing parents always told me, it is our job as parents to raise you to leave. We aren’t raising you to be dependent on us, we are raising you to be dependent on the Lord and to be fully capable humans ready to thrive in this world. This has always been in mine and Jason’s minds through all these years of raising our children. We have certainly not done it all right and we have made countless mistakes. Thank you, Jesus that we have a perfect Savior, who loves them, calls them His own, and always keeps His Covenant Promises.

So here we are. Isaac spent the entire summer after his freshman year at Auburn living in Greenville, SC, working sun up to sundown at a paid internship with Brasfield and Gorrie in his field of study. Juliette was beyond ready to move to another state, study fashion production/design, join a sorority, and get involved in a campus ministry. James continues to work towards his goal of playing soccer in college and has matured so much this past year it blows me away. Maryrose is pure fun and laughter. She keeps us smiling and works hard at her goals for high school and beyond. 

We have good seasons and tough seasons. There have been trials, tears, and hard decisions, but most of all, great peace in watching God’s providence play out in our children’s lives. Through it all, my prayer and goal is for my children to trust that God is at work even when they can’t see it. My prayer is that they need us less and less and need Him more and more. My prayer is that they have confidence in everyday life because they know the One who holds their lives. 

It’s hard to describe the feeling of being needed less and less by your children. It is something I have to pray through, give to the Lord over and over, and fill in other ways. It is something I will bear knowing that the goal is being accomplished. The goal of raising them to leave.

[Written by Garrett Greer]

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. —Philippians 1:3-5

When I came to Cross Creek I was still finishing up my senior year of college at Samford, I didn’t know Gracie, and I’d just began to really act on God’s call to ministry in my life. I remember my first day of youth group in the Lovoy’s breezeway back in Ross Bridge. After what seemed like lots of phone calls and emails, we had six kids show up, and I’d picked up three pizzas and Jason had picked up three, so we had one pizza per student. Remembering that first day I’m encouraged by the growth not only in numbers, but in our lives and in the lives of our students. In the last six plus years we’ve seen the church move buildings, go through Covid and a flood, and I’ve gotten to mature (a bit) alongside our students as well. 

And thinking about leaving has been really hard for both me and Gracie. We think we’ve been called to serve in a community where the gospel isn’t as easy to find, but trying to make sure that’s really God’s will is hard. We’ve spent a lot of time in prayer, lots of good walks around Bluff Park, talking over what it means to leave Cross Creek and step into the relative unknown, and we’re still quite unsure about what our next steps look like. But all of that aside, I’m encouraged that leaving is so hard, because it means that our time here has been really good.

Most of the New Testament is a series of letters from believers in similar circumstances—wishing to be with the people (or often churches) they were writing to but not physically being in the same place anymore. In the above verses from Philippians, Paul is writing to a church to express how thankful he feels when he remembers their time together and how they’ve both grown together. We think the church at Philippi was the first church Paul planted in Europe, and in these verses you can feel his memories extending back to those earlier years and his first days there as well, overflowing with love for Christians he has known that fill his “prayer with joy.” I’m certainly not the apostle Paul or even anything close, but I can relate a bit as I can’t say thank you enough for the ways we’ve been poured into and encouraged in this church home. From meals together, to countless Bible studies, to getting to serve your kids—thank you. 

Despite Paul’s absence from Philippi, he was still encouraged because in verse six he tells them that, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” I know the same is true about our time at Cross Creek and what God is doing in this church and in this community. As much as it wasn’t Paul who began a good work among the Philippians, it’s also anyone one of us who does the real work at Cross Creek–it has always been and always will be the Lord. And that work of gospel-centered sanctification will be brought to completion. 

As we look back “from the first day until now,” we are sad to go, but also excited to continue to serve the Lord and serve the larger church just in a different place. I’m excited because that means a new opportunity for Cross Creek to grow through a new person and their gifts, and I’m excited because we know that what God is doing at Cross Creek won’t stop, but that he’ll bring it to completion.

[Written by William Monroe]

On a Friday, a little over 8 years ago, I lost my job. I was working at a startup company in Iowa and the company finances were such that I was laid off along with another person or two to help the company’s balance sheet. My boss at the time had said I could come back and get my things, but I wasn’t too crazy about that idea. I already felt the disappointment, shame, and guilt that went along with the situation. So even though I had biked to work that day, I packed up my desk and you can imagine the sight I was, with a backpack full of books, pedaling drearily back to our apartment.

I didn’t know what I was going to do. I went home and walked the dog and waited for Alicia to get home from her job.

2 days later, we found out that Alicia was pregnant with our oldest, Adeline Rose. We were excited…

…and terrified.

We had no idea what we should do. Even though technically I still had insurance at that time, we did not want to use our declining emergency funds if we didn’t have to. We called and set an appointment at the Iowa City equivalent of Sav-A-Life.

We were able to get an appointment that following week and went in together. The staff were so loving and accommodating and were overjoyed to come to our aid in the difficult situation in which we found ourselves. When we saw our bouncing, dancing jellybean on the ultrasound and heard her heartbeat, we felt great relief. When we left, they prayed with us and didn’t allow us to leave empty-handed, we had a full bag of items for the new life that was entering our family soon.

In 2nd Corinthians, the Bible says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

We felt crushed and forsaken after the job loss, but God certainly lifted us up through the ministry that aided us at the beginning of the pregnancy and through our friends and through the church.

God absolutely knows what is happening in our lives. He absolutely cares. He absolutely has plans to care for you.

[Written by Stephanie Vander Noot, Building Campaign Director]

If you know me, you know that I am a huge fan of The Chosen – the first ever multi-season series about the life of Jesus. The story of Jesus is told through the eyes of those who encountered Him. The title of this blog post is from a scene in the show: Jesus and his followers (so far) are passing by Matthew’s booth when Jesus stops to call Matthew to join them. Jesus can barely get the words “Follow me” out before Simon protests – “I don’t get it,” he says. “You didn’t get it when I chose you either,” Jesus responds. Peter goes on to say, “But this is different. I’m not a tax collector.” Jesus shuts down Peter’s arguing by saying, “Get used to different.”

Over the years, members of Cross Creek Church have had to get used to different in many ways. I can count at least 6 different venues that housed our congregation over the past 12 years! Maybe you have been asked to fill a particular role at Cross Creek that was unfamiliar to you due to the need for “all hands on deck”. I would have never planned myself to be a part of a church plant, until God clearly orchestrated things so that it was obvious that is where we as a family were called to be.

Of course, the scene from The Chosen is a dramatization, but Jesus actually did say “if any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 NLT) See? Surrender. And get used to different.

Now we find ourselves in the season of Lent, in a season of Church Building Campaign, in a season of more getting used to different, lean into the Holy Spirit leading you. I honestly identify with Simon, reacting by arguing with Him and relying on what makes sense to me. Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus, recently shared this testimony:

“I had to look at everything that I had achieved and not achieved at this point in my life, and realize that unless I invited God into my career, no matter what I did or how hard I tried, my career wasn’t going to move forward because He did not want that to happen without Him.” ¹ Three months after he made the decision to surrender his career to God, Roumie was cast in the leading role of The Chosen.

Cross Creek Church, as a building and as a body, will not be able to move forward without Him. “We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:20-21 NLT) May we continue to surrender to His way, to a greater and greater degree, and witness His faithfulness in new and greater ways!

To watch The Chosen, go to https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

[Written by Alicia Monroe]

There is a lamp that sits on stage behind Greg Hartley at church. Have you noticed it? Noticing that lamp threw me back to the summer I met William and how I was introduced to “Bumping the lamp.” William and I met at Pine Cove Summer camp in the summer of 2007. We were to be a part of the staff working at the family camp called Bluffs. To have any staff role during the summer, a week of orientation and training is required. During that week we learned important duties for our positions but also what expectations Pine Cove has for all its members of staff.

Orientation was held in a large auditorium so that all staff could be in attendance. The centerpiece on stage at orientation was a floor lamp. No other furniture, decor, or props. Just a lit floor lamp. The week began with all lights being turned off except that floor lamp and then a video began to play behind it on the projector. A minute-long clip of Who Framed Roger Rabbit plays. In the clip, Eddie is trying to be free of Roger while they are handcuffed together. It takes place in the secret back room in the diner. In this room is a hanging lamp and as Eddie, Roger and Delores have a lengthy conversation and walk back and forth in the room to saw off the handcuff connection, this said lamp is bumped several times and sent wildly swaying back and forth throughout this scene. Said scene ends and the director of Pine Cove walks out. He proceeds to tell us that when this scene was first produced the scene played out with no movement of the lamp and it felt long-winded and dragged out. Producers then asked for the scene to be modified with a lamp bump. Well, they were gifted not only with what they requested but animators worked hard to add in multiple lamp bumps that livened up the scene and added drama effect with light and shadow. This was a lot of work, with the light being in constant motion and having an animated character with a moving shadow that had to be created with each swing of the lamp.

The attention to detail and the drive of the animation team to go above and beyond the call was impressive and something to make a model of. So much so that Disney, while working on the movie, coined the phrase “Bumping the Lamp.” They use it in their own training process for team members to go “above and beyond what is expected, to create something genuinely great.” Our director finished with this, as Disney and other well-run companies have adopted this as a way for working and to be in pursuit of the best of the best experience so should we as Pine Cove staffers create that kind of atmosphere but more Christ-minded. Christ goes above and beyond the call, He died for my sin so that I might live. He continues to bless us beyond imagination. How too can we heed the call to go above and beyond what is expected of us in our everyday in order to create something great for His name and His glory? How can you bump the lamp today?

[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