Crossing Community Church: Recent Episodes

Tim Smith

Sermons. Teaching. To be and make committed followers of Jesus Christ. Crossing Community Church in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Today, Megan Strait shared the story of her faith journey. From growing in the faith since a child to a life event that shook her faith and caused her to really consider if God was faithful and good. She knew she didn't want to cling to a faith that wasn't genuine. She felt that a real faith should stand the scrutiny of intense circumstances. This is her story of how God patiently waited on her.

Jesus' teaching in Mark 13 is jammed with things that only bring up more questions. Actually, that is what Jesus is responding to -- the disciple's questions about things to come. Today, Pastor Steve does a good job of moving us from questions that we can't answer definitively to things we can learn from his teaching that is for sure and absolute: Christians are not excluded from suffering; Jesus is coming back and will be victorious; and no one knows when so we should be ready.

Today we were pleased to have Kevin Sweigard share his testimony. Being saved from an early age he has grown up in the faith and around the church. As he says, at one time in his life he was doing ministry multiple nights every week! What is great about Kevin's story is he is honest about his plateaus, his misgivings and what he has learned about continuing in his faith. Maybe his story will encourage you in your walk with Jesus!

Today Karen shares how God remained faithful through a variety of difficult life situations.

This morning, we hear from Daniel Czmar as he shares his story of God pursuing him and how he eventually stopped running. He shares the great difference God has made in his life and the new direction He has charted for him.

Voices. There are many voices calling out to us and almost all of them tell us we are lacking in some area of our lives. And yet, there is another voice, like a whisper in the wind, the voice of God is constantly calling out to us. What does it mean to learn to listen to God's voice and follow His leading?

Our speaker this year is Pierce Hibbs. Pierce spent much of his growing up years attending Crossing Community Church with his family. So having him with us this weekend is very special.

His topic is the presence of God, drawn from in part from his book, "The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing.

Our speaker this year is Pierce Hibbs. Pierce spent much of his growing up years attending Crossing Community Church with his family. So having him with us this weekend is very special.

His topic is the presence of God, drawn from in part from his book, "The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing.

Our speaker this year is Pierce Hibbs. Pierce spent much of his growing up years attending Crossing Community Church with his family. So having him with us this weekend is very special.

His topic is the presence of God, drawn from in part from his book, "The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing.

The news is full of stories that sometimes are hard to believe. But how do you decide to what to believe about the things you read or hear? When we consider the claims of Christ, it would be a mistake with eternal consequences if you didn't earnestly investigate them!

This Christmas Eve Pastor Tim encourages us to strongly consider the claims of forgiveness and eternal security that Jesus came to make to all who will diligent investigate them.

Today, Pastor Steve teaches us how the Promise of Christmas was for all, but not all responded to the promise in the same way. He looks at Matthew 2 to see how the Wise Men, King Herod and the Chief Priests all respond. He encouraged us with a challenge to consider how, we are like King Herod, too often choose our own personal kingdoms over the greater kingdom of Christ and to consider how one day, all those who bow before Jesus will worship with believers from all nations.

An angel appears to lowly shepherds to announce the coming of the Saviour. What an amazing proclamation! Today, Pastor Tim leads us through a deeper look at this momentous event and ultimately, at the response to it.

All of God's promises become reality in His own time. In the case of the promise of one to "crush the head" of Satan, that time occurred in Bethlehem. This week, Pastor Tim takes us through Luke 2 and Micah 5 to demonstrate God had a plan and the great lengths He took to execute it.

Upon the fall of mankind, God began to reveal his promise of a solution to man's sin by speaking of a descendent of Eve "crushing the head" of Satan. In Genesis 3:15 is the first mention of that solution. While there are many other prophecies about a Saviour, Pastor Tim also highlighted Isaiah 9 -- "A light will shine" -- to point out God's promise of His own Son.

As Paul closes his letter to Timothy, he contrasts how others consider godliness as a good way to personal gain versus godliness "holding promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

Paul instructs Timothy how to honor, discipline, and choose elders, and slaves how to honor both unbelieving and believing masters. But why is it important to honor these groups of people, along with widows? Because when we do, we honor Christ -- and the world is watching!

Born and raised a Lower Bucks County guy, Kevin Belmont tells his story of working through anger and the loss of loved ones to eventually find new hope in Jesus and way through the brokenness this life had to offer.

As is our tradition, we provide an overview of our church ministry leading up to the annual Member's Meeting. In addition to the strengths and weaknesses of our church ministry, Pastor Tim invited Marla Ashton and Charlene Earle to provide an overview of our Women's ministry and our Family ministry areas.

How we care for each other, as well as how we honor each other can make a strong statement to the watching world about who Christ is and how we represent Him.

Paul issues a great warning and an equally great encouragement as his letter progresses in chapter 4 -- flee false teachers and pursue, with all one's ability godliness.

As Paul continues to instruct Timothy on how a local church should be organized, he comes to the topic of deacons -- those servants of the church. Today, Pastor Tim applauds the servants of our church and warns us to be careful of our motives, that our service can never win favor with more favor with God than that which he gave us when He adopted us into His eternal family.

Today, Kevin Reilly, the Chairman of our Elder Council, announced that Colin Earle had successfully completed the interview process with the Elder Council and was being nominated as a new member of the Council. As part of our practice, all new elder candidates share their testimony so our people have a glimpse into the character of the candidate.

In a letter that is addressing the problem of false doctrine, Paul provides guidelines for appointing elders for the local church -- the first line of protection against false doctrine!

Does Paul teach that women are not equal? No.
Does he teach that women must be under authority? Yes
Does he teach that women have less value in church matters? No.

But Paul does teach that even among the Trinity there is a hierarchy, and an authority structure -- and that extends to our families as well as to the local church. We all -- men and women -- have important roles to play in our churches.

Paul warned Timothy about false teachers and the real-life effects of their teaching. On the other hand, how does the truth of the gospel shape our lives? It makes God's desires our desires, and we begin to pray for everyone, live godly in front of everyone, and preach the gospel to everyone!

It's been a while since one of our people have shared their testimony. This week we start up that practice with Aubrey Eshelman sharing about tragedy, disillusionment and redemption.

As Paul opens up this letter to his young protege, he immediately jumps to the topic of doctrine, specifically false doctrine. He outlines false teachings that were prevalent in the Ephesus church and pointed out what true doctrine was and how to adhere to it.

this week Pastor Steve begins a new study from Paul's first letter to Timothy. He challenged us to consider who is our Paul? Who is my Timothy?

When Paul finds Timothy, he finds someone in whom he can invest. And as Timothy accompanies him, he grows into the kind of man Paul can trust to represent him to the churches in Ephesus. From Paul and Timothy's mentor-protégé relationship, each of us are challenged to ask who are we pouring into and who's pouring into us.

Today Pastor Tim introduces our summer teaching series that will focus on the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23.

Vacation Bible School begins this week, and our theme is “God’s Truth Never Changes.” This week we look at five examples of God’s truth that the world tries to change, and we see what Romans 12:2 tells us about not being conformed to the world, but instead being transformed by God’s unchanging truth!

"To be and make committed followers of Jesus Christ" is the mission statement of Crossing. This week Pastor Tim preaches on how our church embraces our mission and encourages us to live them out in our daily lives.

Hebrews 2:1-3 warns believers there are consequences to drifting away from salvation but that shouldn't cause us to fear; rather we should approach God's throne with confidence and fix our eyes on Jesus, our helper.

Hebrews 10:1-18, Jesus: A Greater Sacrifice

The Levitical sacrifices were insufficient to provide for our deepest needs, but God had a plan -- a greater sacrifice that takes away our sin and makes us righteous. Now we can draw near to God with full assurance of faith!

The Old Covenant was incomplete and only a "shadow" of the covenant to come. It required the daily ongoing sacrifice of animals that covered sin but didn't make remission for sin. With Jesus, the New Covenant was ushered in and His final sacrifice set the New Covenant apart when He sat down at the right hand of the Father.

While Melchizedek was truly unique among the ancient fathers of faith, he still falls short of Jesus, who in his role as High Priest and King, He does more and provides more than all others before him. He rules and is sovereign. He intercedes on our behalf. He defends us and is preparing a place for us.

Jesus, our greater High Priest. Jesus not only meets but exceeds the qualifications of the Levitical priests; he represents us as our great high priest, enabling us now to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence!

In the sermon titled "Moses was great... Jesus is greater!" from Hebrews 3:1-6, we explore how Jesus surpasses Moses in greatness through three main points: Jesus' dual roles as both Apostle and High Priest, His greater glory compared to Moses, and His position as a Son over God's house, contrasted with Moses as a servant in God's house. This comparison emphasizes Jesus' superior position and encourages believers to hold fast to their faith and confidence in Him.

Hebrews 1:1-4

While God's revelation from the prophets revealed him "in many times and many ways," God's revelation in Jesus is greater because God has spoken finally through his own Son -- God himself!

Hebrews 12:1-11

The writer of Hebrews wants us to know one thing -- that Jesus is greater than. In this series, we'll see Jesus as superior to even all the great people and institutions God gave to Israel. In chapter 12, he is our example of faith and endurance, and we can look to him to persevere when God uses hardship in our lives to make us more like him.

The story of the last few hours of the life of Jesus is such a contrast in who he was and what he was capable of and how he allowed others to bind him and lead him away, even allowing them to pierce his hands and feet with the nails that pinned him to the cross. This Resurrection Sunday, Pastor Tim highlighted that contrast and characterized it as the humility of Christ that allowed all that to happen to him. He did it for the love of others!

As Jesus arrives in Jerusalem to observe Passover, his hour has finally come. What does Jesus say his hour will accomplish through his death, and why is resurrection our only hope as believers?

As we journey through the Bible towards the empty tomb of the Gospels, we stop in Exodus and Leviticus to reflect on substitutionary atonement and another 'road sign' that points toward the resurrection and the first fruits of those who will be made alive.

Today we begin a Resurrection series that will take us from Genesis to the empty tomb.

We begin in Genesis 3, where sin corrupts creation and thus the need for the cross and the resurrection. Also in Genesis, we see 'road signs' for God's eternal plan to redeem His creation back to Himself -- the promise to bless all families on earth through Abraham and the provision of the ram as a substitute sacrifice.

“God is involved. He is seeing me. He’s seeing my pain. He’s seeing my struggle. And I trust that if he needed to step in and rescue me he would."

This week Dr. Michael Breece preached on "the God who sees" using examples from the lives of Hagar, the Hebrew midwives, Baruch the scribe and Abraham.

We say, "I'm afraid." God says, "It's ok, I'm watching."

As ambassadors of God, what is our message? It's the wonderful love of Jesus!

This week Pastor Tim taught on communion, beginning with the Passover of the OT. We looked at different beliefs on communion and how we observe here at Crossing.

Dr. Plummer uses Romans 8 and 2 Corinthians 4 and Paul's own experiences to teach us that the key to endure present sufferings is to focus on future glory!

What does the Bible teach about technology? How should Christians engage with it; why is it even important? How has technology changed our society and churches? What is the church’s response to an increasingly digital world?

What does the Bible teach about technology? How should Christians engage with it; why is it even important? How has technology changed our society and churches? What is the church’s response to an increasingly digital world?

What does the Bible teach about technology? How should Christians engage with it; why is it even important? How has technology changed our society and churches? What is the church’s response to an increasingly digital world?

What does the Bible teach about technology? How should Christians engage with it; why is it even important? How has technology changed our society and churches? What is the church’s response to an increasingly digital world?

In these few verses, Paul encapsulates what God's love is truly like. 15 aspects of God's love jammed into five verses.

Paul opens 1 Corinthians 13 by deconstructing all the things the Corinthian church considered as important and valuable, establishing that nothing compares to love and that only love gives eternal value to the demonstration of faith in our lives and the church.

Pastor Tim returned from his sabbatical today with a report of his studies in the book of Job and how God used that in his life while he was away from us.

From the drama of the birth of Jesus Christ we find Mary, Joseph and Jesus encountering a righteous man by the name of Simeon. It is here that we see the song of salvation sung by Simeon upon encountering the Christ child. Simeon's song teaches us many things about the salvation that Jesus Christ brings. One of those things is that we are to worship Christ because of the salvation that He brings.

Music. Food. Presents. Decorations. Of all the things we do that make Christmas "Christmas," there is one - like no other - that has the power to remind Christians why we celebrate!

Peace is a strange word and reality for a time that seems so unpeaceful. The noise of everyday life especially during the holiday's can seem overwhelming, drowning out the true peace of the season that is brought by our Savior Christ the Lord. In Luke 2 we read of this peace. A peace that cuts through the noise of life. A peace purchased by Jesus, a peace that is brought between God and man. The only peace and provision you could ever need!

From Mary's visit to Elizabeth and her song, known as The Magnificat, we see what God is doing in the world through her son. And we can have the same confidence Mary had -- that because God promised salvation, it's already accomplished!

"What Did Mary Know?"

From the angel's short announcement of Mary's miraculous pregnancy, great things are revealed about the identity of this baby boy to be conceived in her womb: He is the Savior, the Son of God, and the King everlasting!

Gratitude leads us to prayer as we express our thanks to God, so what can we learn about prayer from the Apostle Paul in Colossians 4? In verses 2-6, we see the spirit, substance, and sanctifying power of prayer!

In Colossians 3 the Colossian church was encouraged and exhorted to both understand and live in their new identity found in Christ alone. Paul's encouragement to them and to us is to put sin to death in our lives and put on the new life that is found in Christ. We were once lost sinners but because of Christ we now can walk and abound in thanksgiving because He has brought us life. We now as chosen ones, holy and beloved live to reflect our Savior with our lives, resting in His promises, rejoicing in all His works and race toward the end to see Him face to face.

Off the heels of chapter 1 the Colossians are encouraged to walk and abound in thanksgiving as so are we. The Colossian church was dealing issues of heresy and boredom of God's grace and who He is for them. What we study here in chapter 2 is that Paul encourages the Colossians and the readers of today to grow in intimacy with their Savior, to find Him sufficient for all their needs and to find their ultimate identity.

Christians, more than anyone else, should be a people defined by thanksgiving. But how can we cultivate that spirit of gratitude? In Colossians 1, the Apostle Paul models three things we can do so we don't slip back into ingratitude or grow bored with God's grace.

Jude's epistle resonates deeply with a missional life. It is a letter about contending for the faith. Contending is missional as we will see. Jude's fight is against the false teachers of his day but it is also a challenge to develop a sound theology. Specifically a sound theology that fuels our worship and our mission!

In Ruth 4, Naomi's story comes full circle. God takes her from emptiness to fullness, loss to gain, and bitterness to joy as he redeems her through the actions of another -- which is how he redeems us too!

The problem with the future is that we don't know where it's taking us. It's a natural reaction of humans to fear the unknown, but the unknown is a certainty of life. How do we face the uncertainty of our future? What do we do with our fears? Ruth gives us an example to follow in her humility.

Chapter 2 of Ruth introduces us to Boaz, who seemingly is a good man who exhibits care and generosity towards Ruth as she gleans in his fields. But he is much more than a good man, he's a kinsman, an important relative to Naomi and ultimately the hero of the story. But in chapter 2 we read three times about Ruth finding favor with Boaz. "Finding favor" is an important concept that extends far from the barley fields of Boaz and right into your life. Pastor Tim explains that to us in today's sermon.

Ruth chapter 1 sets the stage for the rest of the book. We learn about the family, the famine, Moab, the daughters-in-law and Naomi's return to Bethlehem. In all that, Pastor Tim challenged us to watch and learn from Naomi's husband, Elimelech's example -- do I trust God in a famine or do disobey Him and seek refuge in Moab?

This week we begin a new sermon series from the book of Ruth. As an introduction, Pastor Tim discusses the context of the book as well as two of the major themes -- redemption and God's providence. Where have you seen God at work in your life? What can we learn from His past faithfulness that we can remind ourselves in our current life circumstances?

Our guest speaker today is Dr. Todd Williams, president of Cairn University. He taught from Colossians 2:6-8 about the need for vigilance and diligence in our spiritual walk. He encouraged us to never allow things of the world to overtake all that Jesus has already done on our behalf.

We are pleased to have Todd Domke, one of our church elders, teaching today. He spoke from the events and experiences of the last year of his life and how God was been at work drawing Ephesians and Paul's writing about spiritual armor.

Throughout the story of David's life, he has had seasons of great faith and other's of faithlessness. In our study this week, David shows why he is the "man after God's own heart" when he chooses to celebrate and honor Saul upon his death instead of recount his misdeeds through years. David's example should be a challenge to any of us as we consider how our hearts react with someone who opposes us stumbles or falls!!

Midway through chapter 30 David finds himself alone. Far from his family, his nation, his people -- his God. As those who have been most loyal to him grumble against him and threaten to stone him, David hits rock bottom. Feeling totally isolated, he seeks God and finds him waiting to help.

In our study of 1 Samuel this week, we come to the story of Saul seeking out a medium to learn what to do about the gathering army of the Philistines. What we learn from Saul is the strong motivating force of fear to do the things we know are wrong!

In 1 Samuel 26 & 27 we see two sides of David. One that is inspired by faith. Another that appears to be void of any faith. Today in our study of the life of David, Pastor Tim challenges us to consider two points.

1. In our daily walk with the Lord and being sanctified into His likeness, there are days, even seasons of when we are not growing and perhaps even in rebellion. But no matter what our walk with Him is like, God never changes his mind about you. He loves you with an undying love and compassion. Be encouraged.

2. Not everything is as it appears. Sometimes we think God has opened a door for us but too often that door violates His principles and character. Pay close attention to how we think God is providing. It will never be in opposition to His sinless character!

Life is often more messy then we like to admit. We have lapses in our faith to Christ and when life's messy parts begin to overwhelm us we are tempted to make bad decisions. We often try to work out our messy lives in our own strength, in our own power, and try to control things that are out of our control. In 1 Samuel 25 we learn a simple but difficult truth and it is what David was challenged with, that is, trust in the Lord who is in control because His grace is at work in you. It is an unshakable trust in the Lord's providence and resting in the Lord's grace that guides us through life's most uncertain times.

Instead of killing Saul when he had the chance, David showed him kindness — and it brought Saul to repentance. What enabled him to show Saul such mercy? And how does David’s kindness point us to the kindness of an even greater king?

Genesis 24 is the story of Abraham's servant seeking a wife for his son, Isaac. Dr. Breece goes into detail on the specific way God answered the prayer of identifying who Isaac's wife should be!! At the very heart of finding a wife for Issac is one of those incidents of a "God Thing" -- a time when God does something that is undeniable!

Our two chapters in 1 Samuel reveal a change in heart in David. While the text doesn't explicitly say it, the connection between David's deception of chapter 21 and the newfound faith of chapter 23 is the consequences of his sin in chapter 22 on the family of Ahimelech and the entire population of the village of Nob. The outworking of David's faith is seen in his writing in Psalm. Pastor Tim leads us through a study of Psalm 18 where David's wholeheartedly dependance on God is evident!

Chapter 21 marks a turning point in David's story. Thus far he has sought God and been found faithful and rewarded by God for his dependance. But in our text today, David takes his eyes off God and 'leans unto his own understanding' with horrible consequences.

In David's lowest moment, when all other places of safety have failed, David flees, not to a place but to a person. He flees to Jonathan. David felt safe with Jonathan because of the covenant they had formed at an earlier time. Now at a time when all other safe havens have failed him, he finds safety in his covenant friend. We too have a covenant friend in Jesus, that serves as a refuge and stronghold in all the difficults of life.

1 Samuel 19 initially doesn't seem to have a lot to offer. It's another episode of Saul seeking to kill David. But when we dig a little deeper we find there is much to learn. In this case, we can learn a lot from the character of the 3 men highlighted in the chapter: Saul, David and Jonathan!

Today six families dedicated themselves to raising their children with the Gospel at the center of their family life. Pastor Tim took advantage of the moment to talk about why families are important to God and to our church and to each other!

In light of our upcoming baptism services, this reminder from Pastor Tim is a good overview of baptism and what it means to our walk with Christ.

This week Pastor Tim discussed how opponents of God's Word often use small details in the Bible to attempt to discredit the authority of Scripture. But we also looked at the injustice of King Saul's jealousy and how jealousy wreaks havoc in our lives and the lives of our those around us, often creating seasons of injustice that we are forced to live through.

This week we had the pleasure of having Gary Bailey speak to us and challenging us to consider that every day has great reasons to live for God!!

Today Pastor Tim speaks from 1 Samuel on the well-known battle between David the shepherd and Goliath the mammoth warrior. With stories such as this that are so familiar to us, we have to look deeply into them to find who they apply to our lives today. In this case, Pastor Tim encouraged us to consider the David's convictions that gave him the courage to confront Goliath and how we need the same convictions and courage to confront the cultural Goliaths of our day.

This week we began a new sermon series based on the life of King David. 1 Samuel 16 records the anointing of David as the king of Israel. The question Pastor Tim asked us is how we see the people in our life and whether we see them the way God sees them.

Joe McDermott did a wonderful job of honestly and humbly sharing how God has healed his life. He shared how he fixed things for a living but couldn't fix his own life until he finally came to a place where he understood that the One who created him was the only one who could fix his life.

Today, Pastor Tim took us through a biblical tour of God's heart for the nations. Beginning in Genesis, through Psalms, Matthew, Acts and ending in Revelations, we saw how God has always had a plan for redeeming all mankind back to himself!

What if Jesus stayed dead, never rose from the grace? Consider how that would have altered history! But He did and by doing so He opened the door to heaven and possibility for you and I to change the course of eternity for ourselves through faith in His substitutional death@

Jesus enters Jerusalem know all that is going to happen in the days to follow. They call out praise only to cry for His crucifixion days later.

This parable strikes at our sense of fairness. But the Lord's point was that He can forgive sin of anyone and that no one is outside the reach of His grace. That can be hard for some people who think that others don't deserve forgiveness. When we think that way it reveals our own unforgiving heart.

Scott Brubaker shared with us today about the peace and purpose Jesus brought to his life since he was saved in 1988. In the years since he trusted Christ, he has had many seasons of life to prove Jesus keeps His promises. He lost a 17 year old son to suicide. Was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in the brain, liver and lungs. Has had heart issues -- and through all of that he found Jesus to be true!

Teaching from the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, Pastor Tim encouraged us to know God's Word so we can be certain of His promises, because He is the righteous judge that we can depend on for true justice.

The Good Samaritan is a well-known story. It is one that penetrates to the heart of each of us as we struggle with our inability to love others well, especially those who are our enemies. But the central truth Jesus is conveying is that no one can attain eternal life by what we do, because we can never do enough!

In the parable of the prodigal son, most readers focus on the younger, rebellious son. Some also see the self-righteousness of the older brother. If we look long enough, we find ourselves in both brothers!! But the main character of the story is the father! This parable showcases his grace and forgiveness to both brothers -- to all of us!

In the second sermon in our Parable series, Pastor Tim teaches from Luke 12, about the rich man who based his life on all that he owned and challenged us about how we can live our lives day to day in this world in a way that makes me rich towards God.

This Sunday Pastor Tim began a new series on the Parables of Jesus. After a brief introduction on parables, he led us through a study of Luke 6:36-50 and the parable of the two debtors, asking his listeners, "Who would love the most?" What began as a dinner hosted by a pharisee to investigate Jesus, became an investigation of the heart of the Pharisee -- and each of us!

God never ceases to expand who we think He is and what we think He is going to do. The perfect example of that is when we consider the holy God, transcendent and separate from all creation, offended by the sin of mankind, and He still wants a relationship with man. He still wants his creation to know Him and to experience His love and mercy and benevolence. But it goes even further! God accomplishes this through the sacrifice of His own Son!!

As we continue our series on the holiness of God, this week Pastor Tim teaches on the relationship between God's holiness and the reality of hell. Many believe that hell is extreme and too harsh for a loving God, but they fail to consider that God is not only loving, but pure and utterly holy and sin is an offense to his holiness that demands punishment in keeping with the crime. Hell is that punishment.

How do you convey matters so weighty and important as the holiness of God and the magnitude of our sin? Today, Pastor Tim took on that task describing the chasm that our sin created between mankind and our Creator and why that has to be.

Today, Pastor Tim began a new series on the holiness of God by defining what it means to be holy and an encouragement to us to pursue holiness at all costs.

The book of Joshua provides an outline that we can use to look backwards at our walk with God so that we can find the confidence we need to move forward into the new year!

As we read through Luke 1, we find two examples of faith in Mary and Zacharias. One didn't believe God and the other did. Which are you? How easily and often do you believe in God's promises and character?

The people of Israel knew of a messiah, but only a few were eagerly waiting for him. Now, like then, we too are waiting on the return of Jesus.

How do we work in a way that honors the Lord, and is there a way to work that doesn’t? Psalm 127 appears to be about parenting, but this wisdom psalm has more to say to us about who we trust for the outcome of our labor!

If we don't know what we are looking for, we usually never find it. That is what happened to the Jewish leaders and people of Jesus's day. They were looking for a Messiah, one that is clearly foretold in the Psalms, but they were looking for the wrong 'kind' of Messiah. How often is it that we too look for Jesus in places and ways other than where He really is or wants to be found. This Christmas season, make sure you are looking for him in the right way and the right places!

Today we enjoy hearing how God changed the life of Lee Krystek. Lee's story is one of someone who was religiously faithful without a personal relationship with Christ. But that changed through friendship and mentors who introduced him to a saving faith that he is able to look back on and know for sure that Christ died for him.

In Psalm 103, David tells us that we, as people, are fragile and "as dust" and that our days are fleeting and when we are gone, there is not even a trace of us left. In comparison, he teaches us the grandeur of God, of His everlasting attributes and his compassion for mankind and the result is an anthem of worship and praise!

As our church prepares for our annual Member's Meeting, Pastor Tim took the time to provide an overview of some of the highlights of our church ministry for 2022. He highlighted that though we have gone through a difficult season this year, God has used that to grow us spiritually and as a community. Praise God for making beauty from ashes!!

In the midst of this well-known Psalm instructing us how to worship God, we are told to "know that the Lord Himself is God." This week, Pastor Tim spoke on how knowing God through deep intimate experiences with Him leads us to the joyous worship the psalmist speaks of.

In the midst of this well-known Psalm instructing us how to worship God, we are told to "know that the Lord Himself is God." This week, Pastor Tim spoke on how knowing God through deep intimate experiences with Him leads us to the joyous worship the psalmist speaks of.

Guilt has been a reality of life since Eve took a bite from the fruit. There is no escaping it. But there is a way to break its power over us -- through the forgiveness of God. David wrote, "Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven." This week, Pastor Tim taught on the power of guilt and the greater power of forgiveness!

Guilt has been a reality of life since Eve took a bite from the fruit. There is no escaping it. But there is a way to break its power over us -- through the forgiveness of God. David wrote, "Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven." This week, Pastor Tim taught on the power of guilt and the greater power of forgiveness!

John Ashton, one of our church Elders, steps into the pulpit today. Enjoy his challenge to how we follow Christ.

John Ashton, one of our church Elders, steps into the pulpit today. Enjoy his challenge to how we follow Christ.

Psalm 42-43 is a wonderful reminder of what many of us go through -- when things are bad and people are against us, our hope is in God, in His everlasting covenant love for us.

In our ongoing series of testimonies from members of our church family, Dylan Gaydula shared his story of how he came to faith in Christ this month. Listen as he clearly explains how important his time in the Bible was to the changes Christ brought to his life!

In our ongoing series of testimonies from members of our church family, Dylan Gaydula shared his story of how he came to faith in Christ this month. Listen as he clearly explains how important his time in the Bible was to the changes Christ brought to his life!

Psalm 42-43 is a wonderful reminder of what many of us go through -- when things are bad and people are against us, our hope is in God, in His everlasting covenant love for us.

What does it mean for a church to enforce church discipline? This week, Pastor Tim talks about the why and how of church discipline but warns us that our sin is always lurking in the shadows to overtake us.

What does it mean for a church to enforce church discipline? This week, Pastor Tim talks about the why and how of church discipline but warns us that our sin is always lurking in the shadows to overtake us.

God get's a lot of bad press when it comes to women. Many accuse him and the church as being sexist and demeaning to women. But going back to the worldview of "Creator and Creation" -- God is allowed to define his creation and the order he chooses that it should live by. This week, Pastor Tim wraps up the Summer Top Ten series by addressing the role of women in the church.

The artist gets to define his art. He describes what it means and suggests how we should understand it. No one else has that authority. Now consider that God is also an artist. Genesis 1:1 states that He created the heavens and Earth. That means that he is the only one allowed to define his creation. In that same chapter of Genesis, it says God created man, male and female, He created them. Therein is the controversy between our culture and God's authority. Who defines what a man and a woman is!

This week we have the pleasure of baptizing four of our people. As you listen in on the service, you'll hear one person sharing a few words of encouragement before the person being baptized shares their testimony. Enjoy the stories of transformation that each of these folks has gone through and continues to go through.

Today we paused our current teaching series to spend time directing our hearts on the important truths that Psalm 139 holds for us. As you read the passage, you realize he knows -- he knows where we are, what we are thinking, what we are saying. He knew us before we were born and he knows the number of our days in this life. He knows and because he knows, we can trust him!

We never know when we will find ourselves in the midst of a difficult season of life. There is really no way to prepare for the unexpected. But when it does happen, we can know where to go and how to respond. Nathan leads us into Psalm 136 today and helps us understand that the character of God, his enduring mercy, is safe place for us in any season of life!

This week Jarred Cain did a great job of teaching from Hebrews 11-12 and relating the passage to issues of conscience. As Christians dealing with issues of Conscience sometimes leads us to asking bad questions. It is important to ask the right ones because our liberty As Christians is an issue of witness as we seek to share Christ to our families, our neighbors and our communities. It is important to run as a witness because our liberty is not for us it is for the Glory of God and for the building up of others.

Social Justice should be something all Christians are concerned about. God is! Throughout the Bible God commands his people to love justice and do right and he gives us instruction on how to do so! But any time mankind tries to improve on God's ways and commandments, it usually ends badly (think of the Tower of Babel!). Today, Pastor Tim compared social justice and God's justice and looked at where they differ and why that is a problem.

This week, Nate Garrison continues our series on Summer Top Ten topics with the topic that came in second in with the most votes: End Times. Nate did a fine job presenting an overview of end times theology (also known as Eschatology) and our response to it.

Predestination. Did God save me without my permission or did I accept Christ of my own volition? This topic is vast and it's been debated for hundreds of years. So this sermon doesn't begin to answer all the questions you might have. Instead Pastor Tim attempts to give a basic definition of predestination as well as a basic definition of the opposing position and closes with his personal position on the topic.

The third highest votes of the topics our church was interested in hearing about was False Teachers. So what does the Bible say about false teachers? What are there so many warnings about this? The big deal, why it's so important, is that teachers and prophets are speaking on behalf of God. They are presenting truth, therefore the spiritual health and wellbeing of our church depends on the veracity of the teacher. He must teach the truth!

Today, Pastor Tim took a break from our Summer Top Ten list to encourage our church to seek God's strength and refuge. We can't ignore the season of church life we are in with so many struggling serious illness and challenging life circumstances. With all that going on, Pastor Tim took us to Psalm 46 to remind us and encourage us with this wonderful promise of God -- "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

What do the Scriptures teach us about God’s will — or wills? Listen as Pastor Steve looks at the Bible’s teaching about the will of God, and gives a simple answer for knowing God’s will for each of us.

Who or what determines what is human life and what isn't. What gives human life value? Both of these questions help us understand what the Bible has to say about Abortion.

What does the Bible say about dealing with, loving, caring for those who are poor, widows, disabled or in some other way disadvantaged? A LOT!! Today Pastor Tim begins in the OT, goes through Psalms and Proverbs, into the Gospels, through the early church in Acts and touches on church history to demonstrate that loving the "least of these" is at the heart of who God is.

As Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount he offers one last parable or story about two men who build houses. One builds on sand and the other builds on rock. One house stands and one doesn't when the storms hit. While Jesus is talking about houses he explains that he is really talking about true discipleship and that a true disciple will be able to last the storms of life -- because true disciples, not only hear the teachings of Jesus, they obey them.

As Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount, he lays down a last series of tests of true discipleship, saying that few will follow, that we can know true prophets/teachers by their fruit and that not all who 'profess' Christ, know Christ. His encouragement to follow the narrow way and to monitor what we listen to and read and finally the truth of our profession boils down to certainty & purity of our calling!

"Ask, seek, knock" sounds like a sure plan to get what ever we want from God. But that would reduce him down to the status of a mere genie and strip him of his sovereignty and compassion. One might get all they want, but they would fall short of becoming more like Christ.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus highlights what a good father he is and how blessed we are to be adopted into his family. His teaching challenges us to see all that comes from his hand as a blessing and not a curse -- to see hardship as bread and not a stone.

"Judge not, lest you be judged." These six words comprise what is widely considered to be the most misused verse in the Bible. Most believe it means that it's wrong to judge others. But that is not the case. Instead, the passage teaches us how to rightly judge others and that begins with judging ourselves first!

As Jesus continues to teach his disciples what it means to be a citizen of his new kingdom, he challenges them about what is of first importance to them and in no uncertain terms, promises that if they make his kingdom first priority, he will meet their needs.

Behold The Man!

Today in our Resurrection Sunday service, Pastor Tim explored what it would mean if Christ had not risen from the grave.

Behold The Man -- In His Triumphal Entry

It seems simple enough. A man rides on a donkey into a city. What is there to celebrate? But if that man is one who does miracles and when that man rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, there is much to consider! Today, Pastor Tim leads us through a study of the Old Testament background of kings and donkeys and prophecy and the understanding that all that points to Jesus as being a king. We also discussed how Jesus came with different expectations than the people had. They wanted their temporal needs met, Jesus had eternal goals and expectations. And when those expectations collided, it revealed the true nature of the people's heart -- it reveals the true nature of our heart.

Behold The Man!

Today we begin a short series focusing on the events of the passion of Christ. For the first week we look at the Messiah foretold in prophecy, specifically Isaiah 53. In this passage, Isaiah points us to the man we would not notice, to the man we would not look at, to the man we cannot look away from!

2022 Bible Conference Session 4 -- Joy in Adversity
We are pleased to welcome Pastor Ron Schmidt to our church for our annual Bible Conference. This year's theme is Joy from the book of Philippians.

In Session 4, Pastor Ron shows us from Philippians 4 how joy is an outgrowth of a grateful heart!

2022 Bible Conference Session 3 -- Joy in the Gospel
We are pleased to welcome Pastor Ron Schmidt to our church for our annual Bible Conference. This year's theme is Joy from the book of Philippians.

In Session 3, Pastor Ron explained how the Gospel sets us free to enjoy true joy that we cannot experience apart from Him.

2022 Bible Conference Session 2 -- Joy in Humility
We are pleased to welcome Pastor Ron Schmidt to our church for our annual Bible Conference. This year's theme is Joy from the book of Philippians.

In Session 2, Pastor Ron teaches how humility is an essential ingredient for us to experience joy in our lives.

2022 Bible Conference Session 1 -- Joy in Adversity
We are pleased to welcome Pastor Ron Schmidt to our church for our annual Bible Conference. This year's theme is Joy from the book of Philippians.

In Session 1, Pastor Ron focuses on how Paul experienced joy even in adversity and how we can do likewise.

Colin Earle shared today about his spiritual journey from being an atheist, proud of his accomplishments, devoted to power, materialism and pleasure to becoming a devoted follower of Christ. The journey from atheism to Christianity took many years beginning in Canada, going through Australia and ending in Arizona and all along the way God had strategically placed people who were instrumental in helping him grow in his understanding of the Bible and who Jesus was.

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus continues his teaching about how to live as citizens of the kingdom of God. This week Pastor Steve looks at three areas that reveal the heart: our values, perspective, and devotion.

This week, Pastor Tim addressed the next two topics in the Sermon on the Mount, seeking the approval of others over God's approval and the absolute importance of forgiving others in our life.

In a world fractured by divisions, death, sickness, politics and war where do we put our trust and what is that important? Psalm 2 teaches us all where our trust should ultimately lie and that is in King Jesus.

Today Pastor Tim preached part two of his sermon covering the Lord's Prayer and explains how the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples is a template for how we can pray to Him everyday of our lives.

Charlene learned about God, the Ten Commandments and sin at any early age. Luckily, she also learned about the grace of God and the forgiveness found in a relationship with Jesus early in life as well. Her faith in Christ took away the insecurity and fear she was experiencing. Jesus gave her security. That lasted until her college years when, as happens to many, she found herself far from the faith of her childhood. But in a new friendship at a new job, that faith was rekindled. When speaking of her marriage, she says, "We loved each other but didn't know how to love each other." But it's been in the community of faith that she and her husband have learned how to do that. Enjoy the story of her faith journey!

Pastor Tim leads us through Matthew 6:5-13 today. This passage deals with the motives of prayer and the means of prayer -- the why and the how. Spoiler alert! The why of prayer is because we are in relationship with our Heavenly Father, a Father who knows our needs and is able to meet them. When we come to Him rightly, we come to Him in need. But as we study the Lord's Prayer further, we also see that we come to Him in praise!!

In Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus begins to address the motives for our actions -- why we do what we do and what we hope to gain. He tells the disciples that doing anything for the praise of men is pointless but doing things to please God results in rewards in heaven. Pastor Tim addresses what causes us to want the praise of men more than the praise of God as well as the concerns many have with seeking rewards in heaven.

Today, our newest Elder, Kevin Reilly, shares about the power of "the Word" -- as the Son of God who reveals the Father to us and spoke creation into being as well as the written Word of God that refreshes us and cleanses us in our daily life.

Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. To those who first Jesus say this, such things were mind boggling. That meant they were expected to love Gentiles, tax collectors and their Roman oppressors. For us in 2022, we don't have the same caliber enemies here in the USA, but we do have plenty of people that we don't like or find hard to love and based on Jesus' teaching on hate in our hearts, we are still found lacking. Christ closes this passage with the admonition to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. The only way we can attain such perfection is to allow Jesus to do it on our behalf!

Jesus opens our text today by reciting Old Testament laws that the Pharisees had perverted for their own good. In only a way that Jesus could do, in five verses He challenges all the rights we cling to and when we look at His teaching later in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus affirms we have to set aside our rights to follow Him, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he will deny himself," (Luke 9:23).

As Jesus keeps pulling down the man-made righteousness of the Pharisees, he comes to the issue of honesty. After attacking the loopholes used to excuse their dishonesty, he goes straight to the point - just say what you mean and do -- let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Pastor Tim speaks about how this applies in the local church, specifically how we esteem being nice over being honest.

This week Pastor Tim speaks from Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus calls the weak and heavy laden to come to him for rest. If we look through the gospels, we find that Jesus repeatedly is calling out to those who are forgotten, isolated, ostracized and invisible, those who are invisible in plain sight. Pastor Tim encourages us to continue to see these same people in our daily lives and extend the love of Christ to them -- just as Jesus did.

Changes are commonplace. Some are welcomed. Some are not. But it's not uncommon for us to make plans and for God to interrupt and change them. And when He does, God always infuses those changes with His purpose! Trust God despite the interruptions. Keep your faith in Him no matter what happens!

Do you wish it was Christmas every day of the year? Tonight, Dr. Michael Breece suggests that the appeal of Christmas is the wonder of it all. But he explores the wonder of Christmas not from our perspective as we usually do, but from the perspective of the angels who are so involved in the Christmas story. Finally, Dr. Breece concludes that for most people the wonder of Christmas fades -- the decorations are put away and there are no more gifts. But that is not the case for those who follow Christ, for them the miracle of Christmas is that God became our Saviour. In Christ, the wonder of Christmas is every day.

Teaching from Isaiah 9:6, Nathan speaks about the anticipation of the child Messiah referenced in the verse and asks us to consider whether we have as much anticipation for the return of Christ as we do for the things of this world.

The Bible is full of names of people that we know little about, but they are spoken of as important in the work of the Gospel. Their name is probably only mentioned once, but the fact that they are mentioned means they must have played an important role in the ministry at that time. All of us have people that have been important to our spiritual life and probably will never get little recognition for the role they played this side of heaven. But aren't we grateful for those people! Now ask yourself this question -- are you one of those people in someone else's life? Have you played in an important role in helping someone else come to faith or grow in their faith? Very few will ever know your name as being important in the way the world counts importance, but that person that you loved and helped will know your name and forever be grateful for you!

Christmas is that odd time of year when people who never think about Jesus all year long, sing about Him for an entire month! This Sunday, Pastor Tim strongly encourages us to redeem the opportunities that Christmas brings for spiritual discussions and especially for invitations to Christmas related events. But ultimately, this sermon is a challenge to those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ, but never talk about Him to others.

Today, Kevin Reilly shared his story of how he grew to understand who Jesus was and that the claims he made were true and intended to change his life.

While adultery is wrong, Jesus doesn't allow us to consider our lust as an innocent activity. Instead he places the blame for adultery on the heart that allows lust to run go unchecked.

Naomi describes her upbringing in a Christian home as being one where Jesus was like a celebrity -- someone you know a lot about but don't know personally. She had learned confusing things about God that left her doubting her salvation and spirituality. But there came a time when she was confronted with her need to dive into God and make Him a friend more than a distant celebrity. That change in the way she desired God brought real and genuine change in her life. One of the elements of her story is the need for all of us to be in a church environment that allows and even encourages us to ask questions. Enjoy Naomi's story of transformation!

Christ's challenge to the disciples about how they worshiped and what constituted right and holy worship that was acceptable to God still stands as a challenge to us today. Being right with each other before God requires a 'contrite and broken' heart which is the very thing God wants from us.

Today is our annual Members Meeting and to coincide with that meeting, Pastor Tim highlighted several areas of growth in our church and how we've seen God at work. It was an encouraging service that gave us a great overview of God's work in our midst over the past year.

This week marks the month long campaign to bring attention to the persecution that much of the global church endures. Pastor Tim used Acts 4 to speak about how the Apostles suffered persecution and what we can learn from that.

The Pharisees believed they were righteous, in part, because they had never broken the commandment to not commit murder. But the righteousness God demands goes beyond taking the life of another. God looks into our heart and finds us guilty because the seeds of murder lie in our heart in the form of hate. Therefore, all of us are guilty of murder!

The most common way to gain God's approval around the world is to be good or to do good. But the inability of man to keep God's law and "be good" proves man isn't capable of meeting God's standard of righteousness -- only Christ can do that. He fulfills the law making it possible for all of mankind to have a relationship with God and gain his favor without ever doing a good deed -- "for it is by grace that you are saved, not by works so that no man can boast." Ephesians 4:6

Debbie Domke shares how God was someone that was invited into her life when she thought it was appropriate for Him to be there. But in college, she had an encounter with Jesus that brought her into a personal relationship with Him. From that time on, Jesus went from being invited into her life sometimes to being a part of her life on a daily basis. Enjoy her story of God's faithfulness for the past 40 years.

Jesus says we ARE salt and light. It comes with being transformed into His image. This week in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Tim encourages us to consider that as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to give up our reputation and comfort, we have to stop hanging on to everything in this world, for the sake of His name and His reputation.

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you." (Matt 5:11) Jesus warns us of how the world will react to followers of Christ who have become pure in hear, merciful, mournful, peacemakers, gentle and who truly long for righteousness. He teaches us that we should be "exceedingly glad" when treated poorly. Today Pastor Tim talks about why the world responds this way and how we should understand it.

To be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus calls us to set aside all that we value in this life and all that we would build our reputation and status on to become poor in spirit, meek, mournful, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart, who hunger and thirst for righteousness as you do you daily food and drink. A high calling for an eternal Kingdom!

Some words get used so often and out of context that we forget what they really mean. That is the case with the word 'blessed.' Many think it means happiness, but it is far more than that. It is the inner peace that cannot be disrupted by outer circumstances.

The Sermon on the Mount is an amazing example of the Master Teacher instructing his disciples. And the only right conclusion to come to when one has digested all that is taught by Jesus is -- we can never fulfill God's standards, and it's only Jesus that can. He meets our inability with his total sufficiency!

We are pleased to have John Ashton share his story of how God grabbed his life and changed it. And what is so encouraging is how John's story reveals how important mentors and other Christians are to our walk with Christ.

There are times when there is so much happening in life that we need to stop and remind ourselves of what is true. And what is true for us as Christians, is that these difficult days will only last "for a little while" as Peter writes, and then we will enjoy our inheritance and all the promises of Christ will be fulfilled.

Our world is full of changes. Churches are changing as well, even the way we ‘do church’ is different. Is this good or bad? What does God expect from us and Crossing now and in the future? We find answers to these questions from Paul’s home church, the church at Antioch. From them we’ll see 6 qualities that healthy churches today need to have.

This week, one of the Elders of our church, Scott Brubaker, tackles the thorny and confusing issue of understanding the nuances of a relationship with God as compared to having fellowship with God. One can never change, while the other is ever changing!

This week, Pastor Tim dug a little deeper to show us how much more there is to our justification before God -- an ultimate at the heart of all of it, is our Heavenly Father as He pours out His love, mercy and grace upon mankind.

Today, Nathan Breece shared the story of how he came to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. But his story is different than many others. Instead of coming to grips with his need for a savior because of a crisis in his life, he came to that understanding as a young child. So his story is different. It's not one of redemption from bad choices and a rebellious lifestyle. Instead it's the story of how following Christ has resulted in blessings and a lack of crisis in his life! He does a great job of telling his story. Please take a few minutes to hear it!

"Justification" is one of those theological terms that many don't understand or believe it has any impact on their daily life. But it is huge! It has tremendous impact on our lives!! Today, Pastor Tim explained what it means to be justified before God and how it takes away all the feelings of condemnation and guilt.

Romans 3:23 tells us "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In this Olympic season it's easy to think of missing the mark and falling short of Olympic glory. But what does it mean to fall short of God's glory. This Sunday, Pastor Tim spoke about what it means that all of us have "missed the mark" and fallen short and how Jesus was the answer to that problem for mankind.

The parable of the Prodigal Son is well known. It's rich with lessons to be learned and insight to be gained. This Sunday, Pastor Tim drew our attention from the older and younger son and directed it on the father and how the father of the parable is a shadow of our Heavenly Father.

This week, Joel Van Sant spoke from Psalm 110 about the finished work of Christ and its implications for the Christian life. We have a Savior who has completed the work of salvation and has defeated sin and death. Even at this moment the Father is making all of the enemies of Christ, His footstool. All of these facts should bring us peace, hope, and comfort today and into the future.

This morning, Joe Darrow joined us and spoke honestly and candidly about the loss of his wife, the season of life he is in and how scripture informs the decisions he is making these days. His comments are a challenge to all of us, regardless of where we are in life.

Unloved. Unwanted. Left out.
Those are a few of the emotions Todd Domke felt as a child growing up in a broken home. The desire for the kind of 'normal' other children had left him asking, "Why can't I have a father like other kids?" This sense of being unwanted caused him to question God's fairness.
It was in college that someone invited him to a bible study where he learned that he was very much wanted by a God that loved him.
Todd went from feeling unwanted to being adopted into the family of God, being totally wanted and overwhelmingly loved. Enjoy his honest and encouraging story.

There are many Christians that go through life disappointed and discouraged about their spiritual life. They are convinced that God is not happy with them or that they must do more to gain His approval. But none of that is true! From the moment we place our faith in Jesus, we have His full approval and favor. We can never lose it or gain more of it. Understanding that should give us great freedom!!

This morning Pastor Tim was joined by Lucasse Henrilus, our missionary from Haiti as well as Scott Brubaker, one of our Elders, to give a report on the outreach ministries of our church.

The cares of this world weigh heavy on us! It's not uncommon to become overwhelmed with the issues of our daily lives. But thank God that He is aware of that and His Word gives us guidance on how to manage these issues in our life.

This Sunday, Dan Marzari used three passages that give us a clear picture of how we are to think about and respond to worry.

Tom came to Christ late in life. He says he was actively sacrilegious and considered the Bible as foolish. He loved creation but not the Creator. Then he read the Bible. After reading the Bible he had a different conclusion -- Jesus was truly the Son of God. There was no middle ground, no in-between. His new faith was absolute. He learned that all he had believed before was untrue and found certainty, and most importantly, new life in Christ.

The one distinguishing aspect of Christianity over all other religions of the world is grace. All other religions teach that man must earn the approval of God. But Christianity dares to offer God's grace -- His unmerited favor -- unconditionally!

This week Scott Brubaker did a fantastic job of highlighting the often overlooked and misunderstood grace of God. Please take the time to listen!

We all ask the question, "Can God use me?" Many feel that if they don't have a dramatic testimony or some sordid past they are some sort of "Christian wallflower" and therefore rendered useless to God.

This morning, Pastor Tim teaches from 2 Corinthians 1-4 to remind us that God uses who we are, where we are and like we are to accomplish His eternal plans!

Why have men and women given up liberty, comfort, family, safety and their very lives to take the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ?

This week, Pastor Tim gives us several reasons to seek out the unreached people of our world and share the Good News of Jesus with them!

As a part of our Global Awareness Conference, David Nelson, the founder of Crossing Cultures International, shared from Romans 15 reminding us and encouraging us that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary purposes, specifically to reach the people of our world who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ

The past year has been a novel year filled with ups and downs. Whether we look at things globally or in our personal lives it is undeniable that the events has shaped us. It is the providence of God that has led these things to come about and it is my hope that we see that God is in charge of all things and guiding us to our ultimate end which is to be made into the likeness of His Son Jesus. Join us as we unpack the providence of God as seen in Proverbs.

This month in our ongoing series of personal testimonies, we hear from Nancy Schmoyer. Nancy remembers being aware of Jesus but not understanding why he had to die. Eventually through the witness of a college student, she came to faith in Christ but didn't know if God had a plan or purpose for her life or how to find that out. After surviving a terrible car accident, she knew God had to have a plan for her life. She began to attend a bible study that lit a passion for the Bible and eventually married the teacher!! Now after 35 years of ministry in the United States and in India, she confidently believes she is blessed in every way!

With Christ's last words to His disciples He gives them their final instructions -- GO! Today, Pastor Tim talked about how Christ assures us that we go in His authority when we GO and that he promises to be with us as we go. With that in mind, Pastor Tim challenged us with two photos, one of the backside of a mosaic full of loose threads and the other side of the mosaic that reveals a beautiful picture, encouraging us that all of us are loose threads that make up the beauty of the Gospel and that each of us are expected to GO and do our part of creating the mosaic.

This week Dr. Michael Breece did a great job of teaching us the power of our words! Teaching from Proverbs 18:21, he helped us understand that we can train ourselves to use our words for the benefit of others. And while teaching us how powerful our words can be, he reminded us of how damaging they can be as well.

We had the pleasure of hearing from Jack Heverly today in our ongoing series of testimonies from members of our church family. Jack's process of coming to Christ was slow and took time. But he can distinctly remember the events that brought him to his decision point. His story is one of encouragement to so many of us who are eager to see family and friends come to faith in the Lord Jesus!!

This week our nation anxiously awaited the verdict of the George Floyd trial. With the announcement came responses of all kinds - but very few were fully satisfied. God's image in us makes us care about justice being done fairly and right. But man's perspective on justice is based on man's experiences, culture and worldview -- and never provides a unified opinion. We are left unsatisfied and disillusioned. BUT GOD, gives a perspective to His people that allows to understand and relate the justice of the world while we wait on His perfect justice in another day and time.

When Jesus rose from the grave, why did He linger here on Earth instead of going straight to be with the Father? This week, Pastor Tim suggests that one thing Jesus was doing in that time between his resurrection and his ascension was dealing with the doubts and fears of his followers. His appearances to Peter, Thomas and the others were intended to remove doubt and to assure them of His love and purpose for them even though they fled in His hour of need. Many of us today still struggle with doubts and fears. God is not offended or angry at us when that is true. Instead he desires to reconcile those doubts and fears through His Word, His Spirit and His people.

On the day of the resurrection, two followers of Christ were walking home to Emmaus, discouraged and disillusioned about the events of the past few days. All that they thought was going to happen seemed lost, their hope destroyed. But as a third traveler joins them, he begins to explain from the Scriptures what was to happen to the Messiah. Soon enough, the two discouraged travelers discover their new companion is Jesus himself. Jesus adjusted their expectations, He realigned them with biblical reality and that changed their total perspective. Are you discouraged? Pastor Tim has some suggestions for you today if you are!

As early as 5 B.C., mankind has been searching for a way to retain youth or even to gain immortality. Why? Because we fear death. There are many reasons why people might fear death, but when Christ came back from the dead, He made it possible to not be afraid of death ever again, but instead, to see death as the door to an eternity with God and life everlasting!

When Jesus reaches the Garden of Gethsemane and begins to cry out to his Father, perhaps there is no more fuller portrayal of his human nature. This scene in his life has much to teach us, from his relationship with the disciples to his relationship with his father and his absolute obedience that wins us our freedom!

Today Jarred Cain, our Youth & Worship Director, shared his testimony with us. If you come from a family that was impacted by divorce, you might relate to Jarred's story. Even through the hardships of broken relationships, God had people in his life that Jarred trusted who challenged and encouraged him along the way. Ultimately, after rejecting God's grace for many years, Jarred gave up the struggle to find purpose and freedom in Christ.

From the very beginning of Jesus' public ministry at the wedding in Cana, he spoke of "his hour" and most often said 'that it had not come.' But when you read the Upper Room Discourse and get to chapter 17, things change. Jesus now says, "His hour has come." Those two words equate to the purpose of his earthly life -- to die for the sins of mankind.

As Jesus shares his final thoughts before his arrest with the disciples, he warns them of coming persecution. In John 15, the Lord gives them 6 reasons the world will hate his followers. Today, Pastor Tim challenges us to understand that Jesus was not just speaking to the eleven that night, he was speaking to us as well.

As we continue to study John 13-17, Jesus explains that he must leave so that His Father can send the Helper. Jesus gives some insight into who the Helper is and what He will do and as the Lord explains this, the trait that He mentions most is that the Helper will reveal truth. Pastor Tim talks about why revealing truth might the most important aspect of the Helper's ministry at that time -- and why it's equally important for our time as well.

On the last night with his disciples, Jesus pulls his disciples aside and spends the evening sharing with them a sort of 'last will and testament' giving them encouragement and instruction for the difficult and confusing days to come.
In our study of the Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17), Pastor Tim studies the six times the Lord said, "These things I have spoken."

John 13:35 makes an amazing statement, "By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” At a day and time when the messages about the church and from the church are confusing, Jesus gives us a way to communicate with the watching world -- by our love for one another.

If the story of Snow White ended after the poison apple it would be a terrible story. But it didn't. After she ate the poison apple there was much more to her story.

Perhaps you feel like your life has had more than it's fair share of hardship and pain. That may be, but your life (your story) is not over yet. There is so much more to come and as a Christian your story will end with wonderful joy and satisfaction! Today, Pastor Tim encouraged us with the promises of what is to come at "the end of our story."

The hardships and difficulties of life can be unrelenting. Some seasons of sorrow can seem like they will never end. It's in those times that God's Word can be most comforting. This week Pastor Tim takes us into 2 Corinthians 4 where Paul helps us find comfort and purpose in our sorrow.

This week, Daniel Marzari taught from Romans 6 about dealing with sin in our lives. Everyone sins, but how can we have victory over sin? How can we break free from cycles of sin in our lives? Paul answers our question with two of His own: What have we gained from sin? And what do we lack in Christ? If we are satisfied in God and not by sin, we CAN walk in obedience!

If you were raised in the church and found yourself going through the motions of religion apart from a real relationship with Christ, then you'll relate to Nate's story. He shares how he found himself being in a church but not growing in Christ. As you listen to his story, you'll hear how God used people of faith to guide him to a place where his faith is real and growing.

Do you fear death? What is our hope in life and death? Do you know the hope that you cling to after such current events that we have experienced? If a neighbor or a passerby came up and asked you to give one word that would make all the difference and change everything, what would you say? My hope is that that word would be Christ. Christ Alone is our hope in life and death.

Doubt. Fear. Anger. Confusion. Just a few of the emotions Americans experienced as they saw the events of January 6th on the steps of the United States Capitol. For Christians, what are we to make of all this? What is there to learn from this about ourselves and our faith?

Today Pastor Tim taught from Psalm 146 to help us find a godly perspective in the midst of the chaos and confusion of the week.

This week, Nate Garrison taught from 2 Samuel 9 about how God's covenant love for his people is demonstrated in King David's treatment of Mephibosheth, King Saul's grandson. It was typical of the day and time to eliminate all possible threats to a new king, but David kept the covenant he had made with Jonathan, breaking with the tradition of man, but demonstrating the covenant love of God.

Michael Breece took the pulpit this week and led us in a study of how truly amazing Jesus really was. He takes us through several instances where the Bible records the reaction of those around Jesus as being "amazed" and what that might have meant to them -- and what it should mean to you and I.

In 1883 the Krakatoa volcano emitted the loudest sound known to man since that day. The facts surrounding that event are truly amazing, so much so that it is hard to imagine it's true. But as hard to believe as that natural event might be, the fact that God, in the person of Jesus His Son, set aside His glory to take on mortal flesh. Pastor Tim teaches from John 1 to remind us of how astonishing the truth of Christ's birth really is!

"Do not be afraid" is a frequent encouragement found in the Bible. It occurs four times in the Nativity story! This week, Pastor Tim lead us through a study of those passages and how those same words, "Do not be afraid" speak to us and how God's truth and promises are the antidote to our fear. (PS: Daniel was never in the fiery furnace!! It was his three friends!)

This morning we were blessed to have True Light Recovery ministry with us in our service. One of the ladies, Crystal, from True Light shared her story. It's was powerful!! She openly shares her journey from addiction to sobriety and how God has used biblical community to support & guide her along the way.

Genealogies are largely ignored by most readers of the Bible. But we know from 2 Timothy 3:16 that all of scripture is useful for instruction. So what can we learn from this list of names? Plenty! This week Pastor Tim leads us as we dig into that long list of names and helps us to find the eternal value of them!

Just like observing communion is an important reminder for followers of Christ, Christmas can also remind us of some important things about Jesus. This week, Pastor Tim spoke on how Christmas reminds us of the great humility of Christ and how God rarely takes us on the path we think he will lead us down or the one we want to travel.

The reliability, faithfulness and goodness of God is what sustains us and keeps us in His family. The story here in 1 Samuel 12 is challenging and encouraging one. It reminds us to serve, thank God for His goodness and to not forsake the King for empty stuff that can't deliver.

The wisdom of God confounds mankind. Even His foolishness is wiser than man's best wisdom! A proper understanding of the wisdom of God will help His disciples find rest and satisfaction in the most difficult circumstances!

You can't talk about 2020 without talking about COVID 19. But when we look at this year we have to admit that it was God's provision for our church that stands out! God used the virus to demonstrate His ability to provide in every situation! The highlight of 2020 is not the virus or elections or civil unrest, it's the way God provided -- above and beyond -- before we really understood the needs we had!

It's always great to hear how God has shaped the life of someone. This week we had the great pleasure to hear from Joel Van Sant. Joel was raised in a Christian home and trusted Christ as a young boy. But it took awhile for him to find direction in his life. His story is one of how family influences our life choices and how God guides us to places where we can be uniquely used by God. (Hint: Joel is a chaplain in a federal prison!)

The topic of God's love is vast! Where do you begin to give justice to a topic that is often misunderstood and taken out of context? This morning, our guest speaker, Joel Van Sant, helps us to consider some of the most basic elements of God's love and even at a "basic" overview, we are left in wonder of the depth and breadth of the love God has bestowed on us.

This summer the streets of our cities have been filled with protestors marching and demanding justice. That desire for justice is something that is found in the heart of every man, woman and child. Why? Because we are formed in the image of God we share his character for wanting to see justice applied to the issues of our world. No where is God's sense of justice seen more clearly than the death of Jesus. God's demand for justice was satisfied in the substitutionary death of Jesus!

Another attribute that only God has, is that He is spirit. No body, Just spirit. It totally aligns with His eternal nature and the fact that He is present everywhere, all the time. Our point of application for this attribute is this -- since God is spirit and with us at all times, what does mean to how and when we relate to Him?

To say that God is sovereign means he has total control over everything. . Psalm 103:19-22 teaches us that He has control over angels, over all creation, over all spiritual principalities, over mankind. So that means He causes all things to happen or He allows things to happen. Today, Pastor Tim helps us understand how God allows things to happen and yet is still in control. He also explains how God uses you and I to fulfil his plans.

God is near. He is ever present. He is not one to create and step apart from his creation. He knows the names of every star and knows all the birds and creatures of the field. He even knows us in the womb. He is all powerful, yet ever near us. How is that possible? What a great God! Even more, God knows us for who we really are. He knows the darkness of our heart. Knowing that, even before we were born, He still made provision for our salvation at His own expense -- the death of Jesus.

To say that God is everywhere all the time is an understatement. But to think of Him as being equally and fully present at the farthest reaches of the universe -- billions of light years away -- and with you right now at the same time is mind boggling. What does that mean to us in our day-to-day life?

Throughout the Bible you'll find God referenced as "God Almighty" and every time you read that it's telling us that God is all powerful. Paul writes that God's power is "Immeasurable" and the Psalmist tells us to be in awe of his power. What is truly incredible is that the very power God used to speak the universe into creation, is the power He makes available to us!

"God is good all the time" is more than an often quoted phrase to Carl Payne. It's been the guiding principle of his life. This week, Carl shared how the truth of that phrase served him through his tenure in the military during the Vietnam War, throughout his professional career and later in life in the passing of his wife and more recently when he was diagnosed with malignant cancer.

Perhaps you've heard that God is immutable. That's not a word we use very often, but what it means is that God does not change. In a world that is constantly changing, having one thing that is constant and certain is a comfort. That 'one thing' for Christians is God himself! He is never changing. This week, Pastor Tim discusses why that is important and what it means to our daily life that God never changes.

Isaiah found himself in the presence of God and recorded the only words he heard as being "Holy, holy, holy." The mere words of mankind fall short of describing the "otherness" of God. This week Pastor Tim uses the story of the death of Uzzah in 1 Chronicles 13 to remind us of how we can make the holiness of God an unimportant thing and the need to grow in our awe of Him.

"From everlasting to everlasting” you are God." It is unimaginable to think of anything apart from time. We can not escape thinking about everything in the context of time. And yet, God is not limited by time. He is eternal -- the creator of time, the master of time.

The difference between an idols we create and the true eternal God are His attributes. Eternal, holy, unchanging -- the list goes on and on. No idol has those attributes and the only way we can know our God is to know and understand His attributes. We can move from the golden calves we create to embrace our Father God as we understand who and what He is.

Scripture is always right. And our nation needs the truth of Scripture right now! But few of us really want the instruction Paul gives us in Romans 12 -- do not pay back evil, respect all men, do not take revenge, overcome evil with good. God's standards are always higher than ours and not usually the way we would resolve conflict. But God is like that, always surprising us and working in ways we could never imagine.

Faithfulness matters. And you can see the power of faithful parents and grandparents in the lives of children in the testimony of Heather Adler. Her story is rich with the influence of not only her parents but of grandparents and others of her extended family. Consider the legacy you are leaving to others who are coming behind you after you hear Heather's story!

There is a lot of room for disagreement these days -- politics, COVID, racism -- to name a few things. And the church is not exempt from disagreement!! How do we love each other when we are in such disagreement with each other? Our differences are an opportunity to exhibit God's love!

We are so familiar with so many of the biblical stories that we read them without considering what is behind the story and between the lines. A great example of that is when we read of Jesus selecting His disciples. We seem to think the men he selected somehow were in complete agreement on values, politics and even the Jewish faith. But that is far from true. Consider Peter, a devout orthodox Jew, opinionated as he was, having to get along with Matthew, a tax collector, despised by largely the entire Jewish community. Our churches are no different. Full of people with various beliefs and convictions. How did Jesus bring his disciples into unity. How does He bring our churches into unity?

David was anointed king of Israel long before he ever sat on the throne. It was years before that ever happened. What was he doing in all those years? Waiting. When we wait, God uses that time of waiting to make us and shape us. Think of it as God is making a tool and he is taking his time to craft us for his purpose.

There is a lot of unrest in our nation right now and many of us have very strong opinions about what is happening in our streets and why it's happening. This week Pastor Tim speaks to us about how we are citizens of heaven passing through this world. We don't have to agree with each other but we do have to live in harmony with each other. Our opinions should never get in the way of Gospel or discredit our testimony before others.

Many people struggle with the knowledge that life is lacking something. They do "right things" trying to feel better about themselves, but there is no amount of good things we can do to lift the weight of our guilt and shame. The only way to accomplish that is through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul writes in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are found in Christ!

This morning Janice Buckley shares how God used various life events to bring her into a loving relationship with her Heavenly Father. From the loss of her father to random church information left on her door, she speaks of the patience of God as she was finding her way into His family.

When you consider all the stars of the universe, the depths of the oceans, the majesty of creation and yet there is man. God in all His glory went beyond our imagination when He gave up His own Son for our benefit. That declares His great love for you and I!

Sprinkled or dunked?

As a baby or later in life?

Is there anything supernatural that happens?

There can be lots of questions about baptism. This week, Pastor Tim provides answers to some of the more common questions and issues surrounding this ancient practice.

NOTE: Due to a technical problem in the service, the sound quality is not as good as we usually hope for. Sorry for that!

If the church does not speak into the issues that divide our nation we are leaving a void that the world cannot sufficiently fill. The world can only pass another law, usher in another government, march in another city -- all of those can never bring the lasting transformation that Jesus brings. And that is why we must have a biblically-based conviction on these matters and share them when we can. We must consider what others are living through and allow their experience to influence our understanding of the world beyond ourselves and most importantly, what does the Bible say about all of it.

There are many opinions about what makes a church safe to attend as all of us move back toward meeting together as a church again. The potential for division is real. But the Lord Jesus has given us direction and guidance on how to love each other in order to avoid division. Today we look at Romans 12 for that guidance.

Among the great enterprises man could attempt, none compare to the Great Enterprise that God has set before his church -- to give every man, woman and child the opportunity to hear the Gospel in their own language with the hope of many coming to faith in Christ.

This week Pastor Tim explains why the Great Enterprise is so great!

James Gilardi is a high school senior that has experienced a great deal in his short life. Abandoned by his parents, living on the streets, foster care, adoption and finally a life changing experience with Jesus. Pull out the tissues and take a chair for this one.

Paul wrote, "When I am weak, then I am strong." He is referring to the power of God at work in His people when they allow Him to use them in their weaknesses. This week Pastor Tim shared the story of Elinor Young, who survived childhood polio and grew up to serve God among the Kimyal tribe in the mountainous interior region of Irian Jaya. Her Kimyal friends gave her the name of "Bad Legs" referring to her polio-weakened legs. They believed her 'bad legs' were a sign that God loved them so much He sent her to share the Bible with them. The lesson to learn is that God will use all of us just as we are, unpolished and broken, to draw others to Himself!

Throughout the Bible we find stories of people who were going about their daily life when God used them right where they were. God is still doing that today -- even though there are restrictions on the way we live our life. But circumstances like a virus don't hinder God, instead they are a vehicle for him!

We are not limited by the quarantine. God is creative and eager to use anyone that wants to be used. Don't waste the quarantine! There are opportunities at hand that will be gone when social distancing is a thing of the past. Ask God to use you!

As we close our study of Genesis, we can look back on the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and find life lessons in their stories. But more importantly, we can look and find God's character in their story. We are never more safe and more certain of our place in the circumstances of our world then when are depending on God and His character!

As Jacob prepares to leave Canaan and enter Egypt God appears to him in a dream and assures him that He is going before him as he leaves the land of his forefathers. In speaking to him, God makes provides for Jacob the reassurance he needed to know that he was trully following God and that God was with him.

God makes those same provisions to you as well. Read His Word. Listen to Him and learn how he is walking with you during these uncertain days!

In our text today, Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers. Instead of lashing out in anger or vengence, he comforts his brothers. He tells them not to "be grieved or angry" for what they did because God used their actions for the good of all of them.

Joseph's perspective on the wrongs done to him allowed him to not be angry or bitter for his years of suffering. He saw that all of that was used by God to provide salvation for their entire family.

What is your perspective on the difficult circumstances you are in? God is able to bring good from bad. He is sovereign over the virus, your unemployment, your fear -- no matter your situation, God knows about it and wants to use it for good. Do you believe that?

There are lots of people who claim to "know" what the Bible says and who Jesus is. But unless you investigate those claims for yourself your eternal destiny hinges on what someone else thinks they know. You need to be sure for yourself.

This Easter, Pastor Tim teaches from Matthew 28 and draws our attention to 3 observations from the text that should be true for all of us.

In our ongoing series of Crossing people sharing how God has changed their lives, we are glad to have Dan Andros share his story with us. As you listen to him you'll what many who follow Christ say, "Growing in Christ, becoming mature in Him, takes time." Dan is very honest about the way Christ convicted him and brought him to pivotal places in his life of change. Enjoy his story!

As the impact of Covid19 continues to spread, more and more of us are finding ourselves concerned about our finances. Will we be able to pay our bills? Keep our house? Keep the car? How will we manage if we don't have a job?

As we've said many times of late, God's Word is eternal and has the supernatural ability to apply to every circumstance -- even the circumstances of your life today.

This week, Pastor Tim looks at several passages that remind us that God is in control and longs to prove Himself able to handle all our cares and needs.

A lot of people are sitting. Waiting.

Waiting on all kinds of things. To hear about the kids school. To hear about a job. To hear about a diagnosis. But if it was COVID19 it would be something else, because in this life we are all waiting, every day, on something -- the grocery check out line, traffic, report cards -- the list is endless.

But if we think that the virus going away and life getting back to normal is what we are really waiting on, we are mistaken. God tells us to wait on Him. When we do that we find out that He has a plan and a purpose for every situation in life and He is working that plan to perfection. Waiting on God means we can escape the anxiety of a pandemic and peacefully wait on God's perfect plan to work itself out.

During these days of livestreamed services we are including the music set of our service. To get to the sermon fastforward to the 8:40 mark of the podcast.

This week was our first week of live streaming our service due to COVID-19. We made changes to the service to better accomodate the live stream format by only including three songs. And those songs sounded so great on the recording that we've included them on the podcast. Skip forward to the 18:40 mark if you want to just listen to the sermon.

Throughout history, the Church has stepped into the disasters and epidemics of the day to serve and minister to those who are suffering and their loved ones. By doing this, Christians demonstrated that they understood the teachings of Christ when He spoke of the the good Samaritan or of ministering to the "least of these."

And now here we are Church. Will we step into our moment of history to love and minister to those who are out of work, in fear of dying, suffering from the loss of a loved one? Will future generations look back on what we do now and take encouragement from it?

How should our faith influence how we respond and feel about the spread of the Coronavirus. What does the Bible say about the situation our world finds itself in? Well, if you look up 'Coronavirus' in your concordance you won't find anything there! But God's Word is timeless and universal. The principles we find in the Bible extend to all situations and events throughout history. This week Pastor Tim taught from Ephesians 5 to help us deal with our fears and with our attitudes toward other people.

In Genesis 43 & 44 Joseph's brothers return for more food and must face Joseph again. It's in these chapters that we see the story of Joseph turn from being about Joseph and being about Judah becoming the true leader of the family. Jacob was the father figure to all the sons. Joseph had the power of Egypt at his command and all the resources that comes with that. But it is Judah that becomes the central figure of the story. In doing that we see how God used the events of Joseph's life to save the 'family of promise' as He continues to fulfill the promise of descendants to Abraham.

After many years of separation, years of injustice and years to consider "what if" -- Joseph finds the brothers who betrayed him bowed before him. The opportunity to extract justice is in his hands, to treat them as they treated him. It's been said that Joseph proved his character and integrity when he was wrongly accused by Potipher's wife and again when he was forgotten and left in prison. But in reality, the true test of Joseph's character and integrity was in that moment that he could extract justice and vengence and didn't. Chapter 42 is an extraordinary story!

Geri Secrest shared her testimony for us this week. She has been a member at Crossing for nearly 14 years, having served as our church secretary for a few years and more recently serving in Son Country, our children's ministry.

There are two great themes in her story: the power of the choices we make in our life and the difference it makes when we actively participate in a local church. Her story demonstrates how God has moved in her life and answers our prayers, even the prayers we pray as young teenagers!

After 13 years of languishing in slavery and prison, Joseph goes from a forgotten Hebrew prisoner to second in authority only to Pharaoh. God's favor on Joseph continues to benefit him as God gives Joseph the correct interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. This surprising change of events is a total turnaround in the life of Joseph. Now Joseph is in position for the fulfillment of the dreams of his youth and the preservation of Egypt as the looming famine gets ever closer.

Joseph's story is important in the grander story of God keeping His covenant with Abraham to give him an everlasting possession of the land and of descendants that will cover the earth and bless all mankind. But as that story is being told and fulfilled there are lessons to be learned. This week as Pastor Tim teaches through Genesis 39-40 we take time to pay attention to some of those lessons.

This week Pastor Tim picked up our study of Genesis by reminding us how God's covenant with Abraham to give his descendants the land of Canaan is the central theme of the book. As we compared the story of Joseph in chapter 37 with Judah's story in chapter 38 we were challenged to consider how God works out His plans and how different that is from what we think it should be. His ways are higher than ours!

Graeme Burgan also served as a speaker for the Worship Summit. Graeme is a professor at Cairn University as well as the Executive Director of Csehy Summer School of Music. His topic was "What We Sing." He gave a great overview of different aspects of a worship service and how they determine the song choices we make for our church services.

In our Sunday morning session of our Worship Summit, Dr. Master answered the question, "How do I sing praise while I am in great suffering?" He teaches us from Job 42 and helps us to understand how Job came to the place of praising God in his suffering and we can do likewise.

Our final session of the day for the 2020 Worship Summit featured our speakers for the day, Dr. Master and Graeme Burgan plus three worship leaders -- Dan Loch, Jarred Cain and Deion Payton. Ben Best served as our moderator. The questions were submitted by those in attendance at the Summit.

Dr. John Master joined us as one of our speakers for our 2020 Worship Summit. His topic was "Why We Sing." Going through the Bible beginning with Cain & Abel's offerings, Dr. Master taught from several biblical examples of worship and how we can understand them for ourselves.

To appraise something means to define its value or to evaluate its worth. So when we 'appraise' God we consider His qualities and promises and deeds and the only response is -- to praise Him. But consider this thought, CS Lewis suggests that the epitome, the consummation of praise is to share what is praiseworthy. That's what we do we come together in our church. We gather to share God's qualities, promises and deeds. We take praise to its ultimate level by sharing all that is wonderful and beautiful about God when we participate in corporate worship in our churches.

Growing up in a home where religion was not prominent, Kelly Plexico was first introduced to Christ when she was 19 years old. Eventually she trusted Christ and states that she experienced peace for the first time. Kelly shares her story of how God has led her through obstacles and how the Holy Spirit has guided her in tangible ways during those times. Enjoy Kelly's story as she shares about relying on God through all seasons of life.

This week, in preparation of our upcoming Worship Conference, Pastor Tim directs our attention to the origin of worship in our lives -- it only happens when we've experienced God in a personal and impactful manner. Worship is our response to the revelation of who God is, of His character or His deeds. It comes from the inside of us and overflows ourwardly through our words, attitudes, thoughts and actions.

This week our guest speaker was Peter Berzin. Given that it was the first Sunday of 2020 Peter addressed the resolutions people typically make at the beginning of the year and asked us to consider making resolutions that would count more for eternity and benefit our spiritual life in the year to come.

It's been said that the gospel is shallow enough for a child to play in, yet vast enough for an elephant to swim in. Too many of us have a limited understanding of the vastness of the gospel. It is more than our means to salvation, it is the means to our daily life in Christ. We need to daily remind ourselves of the grace God has bestowed on us and learn to live in that truth!

Immanuel, God is with us. We sing about it. We read about it. The angels proclaim -- and it's TRUE! We needed Jesus to come and take on flesh in order for Him to make a way back to God. At the same time, we need Jesus to be more than human! We need him to be God in flesh! The only way man can be redeemed to God was for God to come as man in the form of Jesus!

"Peace in our time!" has been proclaimed by many politicians but it has never been true. Peace has proven itself to be elusive and momentary, whether it is among nations, in our homes or in our hearts. Isaiah proclaimed that the child born to us would be called Prince of Peace and establish a peace that would be everlasting.

As we continue our study of Isaiah 9:6 we come to the title of Everlasting Father. The passage points us toward more than meets the eye. Yes, it is speaking of a Father that will last forever, but it also speaks of the Father of Eternity -- the orignator of Eternity! There is so much in this title! So much to embrace and learn from and to grow into!

This Sunday we were really excited to have the ladies from True Light Women's Recovery Ministry with us in our service. And it was especially great to have Nina Hershman, the Kensington House Manager for True Light, share her story of how watching the faith of others impacted her and lead her to place her faith in Christ herself. She shares a great story of addiction, recovery and faith!

Our Christmas sermons this year are focusing on Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah from chapter 9, verse 6. Our focus this week was the title of Mighty God. Enjoy Pastor Tim's sermon on the inexplicable nature of the might and power of Jesus.

Our Christmas sermons this year are focusing on Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah from chapter 9, verse 6. This week Pastor Tim spoke on two of the titles for Jesus that Isaiah wrote about: Wonderful; Counselor. Jesus is most wonderful! And He is a marvelous Counselor. Enjoy this meditation on the nature and personality of our Lord.

The last portion of James 5 is complicated and controversial. Does James intend for the reader to believe that God will heal every illness we bring before Him? Or is there another manner of being "sick" that James is writing about? Or, is there something else that James is addressing in this passage?

In chapter 5, James addresses the sin of the wealthy. Their sin was not that they were wealthy. It was what they did with their wealth. God blesses us so we can bless others. Who are you blessing with your wealth?

If ever there was a verse that gets misused and is misunderstood, it's James 4:11-12. Is it OK to judge other people? What does the Bible really say about this. Today we look at our passage in James but we also take in what the Jesus said in Matthew 7 as well as other passages to gain a deeper understanding of this most misunderstood topic.

The bottom line to cheating on God is making ourselves the center of the universe -- instead of allowing God to occupy that space. As James continues to address man's desire to usurp God, he challenges the common mindset of mankind that everything should revolve around them. Meanwhile, scripture repeatedly points our attention to the fact that Christ is the center of everything!

James addresses the infidelity of his readers telling them that being 'friends with the world is being an enemy of God." Pastor Tim puts this verse in context as he demonstrates the ways we become friends with the world and forsake our relationship with God. In particular, he addresses all the activities we allow ourselves and our children to get involved with that take away from our devotion to God.

James leaves no room for doubt or discussion -- conflict happens when we want things and don't get them. This happens between nations, tribes, political parties, spouses, parents & children, neighbors and in our churches. The answer doesn't lie in getting what we want but in loving others more than ourselves -- in being concerned for their needs more than mine.

Why would understanding the marriage customs of ancient Israel be important to you and I today? Because those customs are an exact pattern for the manner that Jesus will return for His bride, the Church. He promised that he was going to prepare a place and that he would one day return to take his bride with Him. That is how the ancient Jewish groom was with his wife as well. Enjoy this great time in the Word with Dr. Jerry Schmoyer.

The tongue is small but mighty and uncontrollable unless, that is, we draw on the "wisdom from above" and walk in the Spirit and allow God to form our words and our actions. This week, Pastor Tim taught from James 3 that it's only God's Spirit that can overcome the power of our words and transform our behavior to be more like Jesus.

How much does God care for us? How close are we to Him? Bette Jo uses 1 Samuel 25 and the example of Abigail to illustrate the great love God has for His own. "You are safe in the care of the Lord your God, just as though you were safe inside his purse!"

1 Corinthians 18-2:5 is a fascinating passage about the power of the Gospel. And in those few verses Paul says something about his own presentation of the Gospel -- that he presented it "in weakness and in fear and in much trembling." What an astonishing statement for the Apostle Paul to make! When we consider this passage as a whole, we must reconsider all the slick and clever ways we try to share the Gospel and realize that perhaps all our clumsy ways of sharing Christ is the EXACT way God wants us to do it! In our fear and trembling, God is strong and the message is proclaimed!

This Sunday we were priviledged to have Rich Timmons share with us about the mandate and the ease of sharing Christ with others. Through the story of his own testimony, the instruction of the Word and the encouragement of his own example as well as many others, Rich sought to motivate us to be active in sharing the Gospel with others.

Pastor Tim continued our study of James 2. This week we explored the relationship between works and faith. Pastor Tim closed our time together by using the examples of Abraham and Rahab as examples of how our faith is demonstrated by our works. How Abraham's faith compelled him to give up what was most important to him and how Rahab's faith caused her to risk her life.

Our passage this week brings us to one of the more controversial NT passages. Is James teaching that works are necessary to be saved? Is he teaching that works are necessary to stay saved? People have interpreted this passage in a variety of ways. Sometimes people will conclude that works confirm our salvation, a conclusion that can leave some Christians doubting their salvation. This week, Pastor Tim speaks on why we can be sure of our salvation apart from our works.

This week we had the opportunity to hear Lenny Pickar share his salvation story and talk about how he has growth in Christ. It was really encouraging to hear him speak about how "I never experienced any miracles or stuff like that. It's just always been Jesus in my life." Enjoy Lenny's story and share it with someone that might need to hear it!

James opens chapter two by immediately confronting those who would play favorites in the church -- honoring some over others. The illustration he used was of favoring the rich over the poor. But playing favorites goes further, much deeper than that. Don't you find that you favor those who look like you, think like you, act like you, agree with you -- and the list goes on and on. But the heart of the matter is this, we usually favor those that we feel we will gain something from. Ask God to help you search your heart and reveal this to you as He needs to!

Isn't it hard to realize that we are too often a 'hearer' more than we are a 'doer'? The way to know if we are doing God's Word is to spend time "looking intently into the perfect Law" and allowing it to reveal those deeply hidden prejudices and hatreds that we find it hard to realize or to wrestle with and overcome. God's Word is that mirror of our heart that we all need to see how sinful we are -- but also to see how graceful Jesus is!

This week we were honored to have Mitch Forman with us in our service. Mitch serves with Chosen People Ministries. His teaching was more than great insights into John 3. It was great insights on having a discussion with your Jewish friends about spiritual issues.

Everyone is tempted. But not everyone understands where temptation comes from and how it effects the life of a Christian. James points the blame for temptation at our hearts, at our desires that hook our hearts then drag us away into sin. James states that God does not tempt, instead he is the Father of Lights who gives perfect gifts. He gives the perfect gift in his son Jesus. And we are the showcase, the first fruits, of all the glorious attributes of Jesus!

This week, in our testimony series, Bruce Gurney shared his story. As you listen to his story you'll hear three things that Bruce has tried to pursue in his life: eager to serve, available to serve and obedient. Bruce honestly shares how God has moved in his life in many different seasons of ministry. And in each season he had a desire to apply his faith in any situation he was in. Enjoy Bruce's story!

In our passage today James refers to different stations in life to help his readers grasp that God has a perspective that they need to understand and embrace. He addresses the poor man and the rich man, helping them to see and understand that while in this world their lives are very different but before the Cross they are on equal footing. Jesus sees them the same way -- as men who have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, who have equal blessings in Him. These blessings help us not to see the situation as it is, but as God sees it!

As we explore James 1:5-8 we learn a lot about the character and nature of God -- that he is generous, to all, without judgement and the only way to interact with him is by unswerving faith. All of that is demonstrated as he offers wisdom to his children.

As we begin a study of the book of James, we immediately are challenged in the first four verses, "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when we encounter various trials." These words immediately challenges us to reflect on what is important to us and what is the purpose of trials. What we learn is that when we oppose the trials in our life, we are actually opposing spiritual growth in our life!

It was great to have Greg Shipley in the pulpit this Sunday. He chose to address ten great reminders about life with God. Some of them were, "All things work together for good—but maybe not for your good." "Nothing you do makes a difference—and everything you do makes a difference." "Things turn out the way God wants them—not the way you want them" There were several others and all of them are worth considering in your walk with the Lord!

The average American lives 78 years. And those years pass by in a hurry. This week Pastor Tim spoke addressed that as he looked at how quickly life passes by and the urgency that should create in our lives. He used the short life of the early American missionary, David Brainerd, to illustrate the huge impact one can have when they understand the brevity, urgency and tyranny of time. Brainerd was only a Christian for eight years and only in ministry for four years yet his life has been an example and inspiration to many of the giants of our faith.

Jonah is one of those Old Testament minor prophets that many don't think has much to offer the modern day reader of today. But it does! Matter of fact it has much to say to us today. This week Pastor Tim uses the book of Jonah to challenge us about our personal walk with Christ. How committed are we really to being true disciples of Jesus? Do we seek his purpose and plan for our life before we seek our comfort? Our does our comfort come first?

(This week our sermon follows the testimony of one of our church family members. So you'll hear that being references as you begin listening.)

Crossing has supported the ministry of Joe & Laurie Darrow in the Kensington section of Philadelphia for nearly 30 years. So it's always great to have Joe with us teaching us from the Word on a Sunday morning. This week he taught from Ephesians 1:1-14. He used the story of his own salvation as well as stories from their ministry in Philadelphia to help us better understand the amazing, mind-boggling scope of God's grace and mercy. God's grace extends to us not because we are special or talented or better but because of God's love for us and his forgiveness does not mean that he forgets our sin. It means he chooses not to remember it. Wonderful news!

The reign of King Saul was marked with poor decisions that he made based on fear. Each time fear compelled him to act, his actions were in disobedience to God. Isn't that how it works out for you and I as well? So how does God instruct us to deal with our fear? Time adn time again, God says the same three words, "I am with you." God never promises to remove us from danger. He never promises to give us a solution. But He always promises to be with us in every circumstance we encounter in life. The antidote for fear is God Himself!

This week Joan Harris shared how prayer has made a remarkable difference in her life. She was raised in a Christian home and believed in Christ at the age of 14. Her story emphasizes the role prayer has played in her life and how she has come to understand how God works through prayer -- although not as she always expected. She has seen how God used hard thing to teach her the truth of Romans 8:28 and how when prayer was answered with "No" that wasn't a bad thing because God is always at work -- even when we can't see it.

Linda Brescia recently shared how her faith in Christ influenced her perspective on having cancer and the treatments that followed her diagnosis. With wit and humor, humility and honesty, she did an excellent job of communicating her thoughts and struggles and victories since her diagnosis.

Scott Brubaker makes four great points about evangelism and closes with a strong encouragement to all of us!

Evangelism is a process superintendent by God but impacted by people.
God desires my obedience in evangelism, not my opinion.
As God's servants we must move from apathy to action.
Perform your role in the process of evangelism, not God's.

"If we order our lives to focus on the role God has given us in evangelism and be clear on the gospel -- what God is asking people to do to become His children -- we can be sure that God will honor His word, and our obedience in evangelism will not only be successful but an adventure of seeing Him work in the lives of others he has called us to!"

In the course of 24 hours Jesus was betrayed time and again! Betrayed by one of his own disciples. Denied three times by Peter. Ultimately, all of his disciples abandoned him in the Garden. The masses of people who had welcomed him to the city only days before demanded his death on this day. Finally, as the day was ending and his life was draining from Him, God the Father turned away as well as the sin of humanity was laid on the Lamb of God. And in all that, Jesus remained faithful! No matter how unfaithful we may be, Jesus will never fail us or forsake us.

Scott Brubaker recently shared his story of how everyting on the outside of life was great but on the inside he was insecure and wanted to know if there was more to life. Everything he tried never overcame the doubts and fears of his heart. It was only after he understood the free gift of Christ that those fears and doubts were put to rest. Since then, his faith in Christ as carried him through more than the typical circumstances of life as he has dealt with the loss of a teenage child and brain cancer.

What will your funeral be like? Funerals always have a sense of sadness about them. We grieve the loss of our loved ones. But for a Christian, a funeral can also be highlighted by hope and anticipation as we know that our loved one is with Christ and we will see them again. But that is only made possible because Christ defeated death and rose from the grave. It was in that unique moment that had never happened before and will never happen again that mankind was given the hope of resurrection.

As we near the observaton of Good Friday and Easter Sunday our sermon this week helped us prepare our minds and hearts for the mystery and glory that God packed into the unthinkable sacrifice of Jesus. All the Old Testament points toward Him and the fulfillment of prophecies through the centuries. In particular this week, Pastor Tim discusses how the Leviticus sacrificial system and the tabernacle and temple pointed to the death of Christ and all that was accomplished in that.

Why is the resurrection of Christ necessary? What does it accomplish? This week Pastor Tim addresses that question as we prepare to observe the Easter holiday. Sin has separated us from God and resurrection is the only way to provide an remedy to that problem!

There is no shortage on books and blogs about how to have a good marriage. But much of what is out there is bad advice based on one person's opinion. This week John Ashton, one of our Elders, pointed us toward one book that has had the same advice on marriage for over 2000 years. John took us to the New Testament instructions to husbands and wives and how both have important roles to play in a successful and godly marriage.

How we interact with each other says a lot to a watching world. One area of note is our relationships. Do they reflect Jesus? Are we different in the way we resolve conflict? Is forgiveness a hallmark of how we treat each other. While the saving message of the Gospel is the core of our message, we don't want our relationships to distract from it. Instead, we want them to attract people to ask about the Gospel.

So often those sins that are so difficult to overcome are ones that remain secret and hidden. God knows that about sin and knows we need His provision to deal with our sin. One of those provisions He made are our fellow Christians. Paul instructs us to bear one another's burdens and James tells us to confess our sins to one another. This week Pastor Tim discusses why these passages are so powerful in dealing with the sin in our lives.

This week we had the pleasure of hearing Ruth Hartliep share how God has worked in your life. From multiple moves around the world to different job situations and a growing family Ruth shares how God has met her in every circumstance and each time provided perfect peace.

No one looks forward to having to talk to someone else about sin in their life. We find all kinds of reasons to not do it. But what if someone was drowning? We would do everything in our power to rescue them. Well a friend in sin is a friend that is drowning. Why are we willing to look away as they 'drown' in their sin? These difficult conversations are one of the many ways God transforms us.

God places a high value on relationships, on you and I being involved with other people. This week Pastor Tim looked at what we can learn about relationships -- with God and with others -- from the Great Commandment and the Second Commandment in Matthew 22.

God's Word is useful to us in many ways. Paul sums up perhaps the most important ways in his second letter to Timothy when he says that all Scripture is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness and then he goes on further to say, "so the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." For those who are serious about being equipped we must realize we can't do that apart from God's Word!

This week Pastor Tim shared a few comments to set the tone of our ministry fair that took place in our morning service. He challenged us to consider two reasons for serving as we toured the different ministry opportunities: Service helps me know and love Jesus better & Service helps the onlooking world see Jesus in us.

John Ortberg does a great job of highlighting the influence Jesus and His church has had on the world in the last 2,000 years. This week, Pastor Tim challenge us to consider how each of us can continue to carry out the movement to influence the world right were we live, in our local community.

When Jesus stepped away from the table and began to wash the disciples feet he redefined what it meant to be "God in flesh" --- Because Jesus was God He served! As His disciples, we too must be servants and our service must follow His example. It will be costly and inconveniet to us. It should build up the church and it should exemplify the gospel.

In the closing session of our 2019 Equipping Conference, Matt Rogers speaks from 1 Peter to demonstrate our great responsibility to diligently pursue God in His Word. He reminds us that God's wisdom cannot be found apart from God's Word and that we will spend the rest of our life mining the glories of the Bible and never hit bottom. God longs to give His people truth as long as they pursue it.

In session 2 of the 2019 Equipping Conference, Matt Rogers walked us through the first two arrows of the 7 Arrows bible study methodology -- "What does the passage say?" and "What did the passage mean to its original audience?" Matt did a great job of explaining each arrow and provided working examples to help us grasp each step better.

The emphasis of the 2019 Equipping Conference was equipping ourselves through study of God's Word. To help us focus on that our guest speaker was Matt Rogers, author of "Seven Arrows: Aiming Bible Readers In The Right Direction." Session 1 set the stage for the 7 Arrows study method by reviewing the necessity & benefits of diligent Bible study.

In session 3 of the 2019 Equipping Conference, Matt Rogers introduced Arrows 3 & 4 -- "What does the passage tell us about God?" and "What does the passage tell us about man?" by walking us through passages using those steps.

Matt Rogers entertains questions alongside of Pastor Tim & Pastor Steve about how knowing God's Word fits into the life of each disciple of Jesus.

The fourth session of the 2019 Equipping Conference, Matt Rogers introduced us Arrows 5, 6 & 7 -- "What does the passage demand of me?"; How does the passage change the way I relate to people?" and "What does the passage prompt me to pray?" As he had done in the earlier sessions, Matt used practical examples of how to apply each arrow to different passages.

Pay attention to Doug Wright's story as he tells of unique events and times when God intervened and moved in his life. It's especially clear to see how 2 Corinthians 1:4 has been proven true in his life where God uses the circumstances of the Wright family to equip them to help other people go through similar situations.

Being equipped as a Christian means that we become like Jesus, that we grow into the full measure of Him. Many Christians would have you believe they don't struggle in this process, but the Apostle Paul was very real about his struggle. Just read Romans 7! But in the midst of the struggle God gives us grace in overwhelming measure!!

Christians are called to be ambassadors for Christ, to represent Him in every arena of our life. What does it look like for us to live our life strategically? This week Pastor Tim shares some examples of strategic living highlighting one story of a strategic ministry that has resulted in three generations of Christians that call Crossing home.

"Failure to launch" is the phenomenon of adult children that remain living in their parents' basement and don't progress in their natural development -- and it's happening in our churches! Too many Christians are satisfied to remain the basement of our Heavenly Father's house instead of following Him in a life of sacrificial service.

This week Pastor Tim began a new series on Crossing's mission statement, "To Be and To Make Committed Followers of Christ." He challenged us to 'move out of the basement' and begin to live lifes with an urgency to follow Christ.

How can you and I have peace amidst turmoil? By coming to a deeper understanding that the One who fulfills ancient promises is the one that stands with us when life's circumstances are worrisome and threatening. Michael Breece does a great job of showing the relevance of ancient prophecy to our lives today.

Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Magi -- all of them had to travel from somewhere to be in Bethlehem for the event we know as The Nativity. The Magi had to travel a great distance. The shepherds not so far. But on this Christmas Eve Pastor Tim challenges us to consider how far we are from Jesus. He is always near. We only have to answer his call to ask Him for the forgivenss of our sins and be reconciled to God.

In Luke 2 the angels announce to the shepherds that they "bring good news of great joy" as they tell them of the birth of Christ. That's great news! But when is good news not good? When it's not delivered. This week Pastor Tim challenges us to consider if we are faith in proclaiming the Good News.

Imagine there's a gift under the tree with your name on it. Would you leave it there unopened? No, everyone wants to open a gift with their name on it! Unless the gift is Jesus. People throughout the ages have rejected the gift of God in the form of Jesus His Son. Today Pastor Tim discusses the reasons why people reject the gift off God.

From Genesis 3 to Isaiah 7 to Micah 5 the ancient prophets spoke of one that would come to save the people. When arrived he was rejected. Today, by faith, we look back on Christ's first appearance with saving faith that causes us to look forward ourselves at his second coming when we shall see him face to face.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that the angel tells Mary twice that she is "highly favored." We typically translate favor as meaning preferential treatment. But in God's economy, His favor often equates the world's disfavor. How do we reconcile this truth?

Chapters 35-36 wrap up the story lines of Jacob & Esau as God sends Jacob to Bethel. These chapters name the children of each of the brothers and set the stage for the story of Joseph. Throughout these two chapters we find God's patience with Jacob -- over 30 years to bring him to the place of actually becoming the father of the nation of Israel. We see God's forgiveness of Jacob's deception and manipulation as He fulfills ancient promises originally given to Abraham, We see God give Jacob a new beginning with a new name, Israel. But we also see consequences for our actions.

Luke 7 records the story of the woman with the alabaster jar of perfume that cleans Jesus's feet with her tears and hair while a pharisee looks on with disdain. The woman felt the full burden of her sin. The pharisee was well aware of her sin also, but not his own. So Jesus shares a parable that dramatically compares the woman's gratitude to the pharisee's and reveals she is the one that is truly more righteous. In his sermon, Pastor Tim asked us to look inside and see how much like the pharisee we might be.

From the brink of divorce and a shipwrecked life, Greg shares how God patiently waited and worked with him to renew his life. Greg says it best when he shares, "The best part of my story is that God has delivered me from my addictions." Greg's story is a great example of how God not only cleans us up from our addictions and destructive behaviors but actually transforms our life.

This week we were pleased to welcome an old friend and co-laborer in the Gospel to Crossing as Val A. provided an update on her ministry and how God is at work not only in the city where she lives but also around the world.

Chapter 34 is a transitional chapter in Genesis, moving from the story of Jacob to the story of his children, in particular, the story of the rape of his daughter Dinah. It's in this tragic event that we learn just how much Jacob's flaws have been passed down to his children as Dinah's brothers take revenge on her assailant. In their reaction we have our point of application from this chapter -- exactly what does our circumstances reveal about how much we need to grow in Christ or how much we have grown in Him.

FYI: At the 30 minute mark there are comments about something the listener can't hear on the podcast as a phone went off in the service and the owner couldn't turn it off.

Jacob had several memorable life events, but perhaps the most notable of them is the sleepless night he had on his way home just before meeting his brother Esau. God interrupts his sleep and wrestles with him through the night. It's not until Jacob is helpless that God blesses him. This week Pastor Tim challenged us to take our hands off our life circumstances and trust God with them and allow Him to prove Himself faithful. What life circumstance are you wrestling with that you need to let God take care of?

Genesis 31 reveals Jacob's spiritual growth as God calls on him to return home after serving Laban for 20 years. Our text reveals two things about God -- His constant grace and forgiveness as he calls wayward Followers back to Himself and the manner that He does that by using circumstances to awaken our hearts to listen to him through His Holy Spirit and His Word.

Genesis 30 records the controversy between Jacob's wives as well as the controversy between Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban. While living life for over 14 years far away from home, under the dominance of a deceptive father-in-law and jealous wives, God is at work, changing Jacob and shaping him for the role he will have a father of a new nation. God is at work in your life as well in the mundane days of your life. Take encouragement!

"Ok Lord, I'm yours." With those words Bud Ciotti trusted Christ with his life. But when you listen to Bud's story you can trace God's hand throughout his life. From being an "average everyday punk" through his years in the Navy into beginning a family and suffering the loss of infant twins -- God was instilling a "drumbeat" in his heart that still shapes and influences his life to this day.

Tim Keller, in his book "Conterfeit Gods", writes that Leah is the 'greatest casualty' in Genesis 29. This week Pastor Tim Shared some of Keller's insights and related them to our everday life -- always wanting Rachel, but waking up with Leah.

In one of many fascinating stories in Genesis, Jacob is deceived into marrying the wrong woman. He confronts Laban by asking, "Why have you deceived me?" Seven years earlier Jacob had been the deceiver as he stole his father's blessing from Esau. Now Jacob's father-in-law has dealt falsely with him and denied Jacob what he wanted. The seeds of deception Jacob had sown finally produced fruit as Laban deceives him!

David Nelson, Founder and President of Crossing Cultures International (CCI), was with us again but this time he brought friends! David had five men that serve as ministry coordinators and church planters from Southeast Asia with him in our service. We had the great opportunity to hear how each of them came to Christ and how God was working in their ministry and their homeland.

Genesis 28 closes with a statement by Jacob that begins with the word "If" (verse 20). Some interpret this statement as Jacob laying down conditions on God in order for Jacob to serve Him. Others understand the passage as Jacob declaring his loyalty because of God's promises to him. Which "IF" are you? Will you only serve God if He meets your conditions. Or do you serve God because of His promises and goodness to you?

Greg Shipley has a way of speaking that is equal parts winsome and raw honesty. He's the latest Crossing person to share how God has been at work in their life. He boiled down the main points of his testimony to: I'm still a sinner; Life is not a bed of roses; this world is not my home. Enjoy hearing the story of God's work in Greg's life!

One of the most heartbreaking stories from Genesis is the treachery of Jacob to steal Esau's blessing from Isaac. Esau's emotion jumps off the page at you. But many, if not most of us, have experienced similar agony. Some people seem to live a life of lingering agony as they seek to fill the heartache and pain of their life with things of the world -- things that only cause more pain. Psalm 46 instructs us to "Be still" and let God be God in our live. Let Him deal with our loss and sorrow as only He can.

Genesis 25 records the birth of Isaac's sons Jacob and Esau. Their relationship is 'unique' from the beginning! It's easy to find the fault in both of them. But is it as easy to see how we can be like them as well?

Genesis 24 is the story of Abraham sending his servant on a mission to find a wife for his son, Isaac. But built into the story of a servant on a mission are two things: #1 - Abraham's servant is a great model for us as we serve Christ. We can learn alot from him. #2. Even though the servant had a job to do, God was at work every step along the way with him -- as He is with us!

Raised in a Buddhist home in South Korea, MinSoo Bossard was never taught about Jesus -- except for one time! She happened upon a man teaching children about Jesus and giving away pamphlets about Him on the street one day. Looking back MinSoo believes that is the day she first heard about the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus. It wasn't until she moved to the United States and enrolled at Penn State University that she encountered Jesus again. It was there during her studies at the university that she came to faith in Christ. Enjoy her story of transformation!

Recent news headlines have carried the headlines of church leaders who have failed in their duties to shepherd their flocks. Christians look at these leaders and are bewildered by how such moral failures could come about. As you read the stories there is one factor that continues to surface -- the lack of accountability. The lack of people that these leaders had to answer to on a regular basis for the way they lived their lives. But it's not just our leaders that need this type of accountability. ALL of us do. Who are you accountable to?

While the obvious sins of Abraham's life was only a few and not terribly obvious, the sins of his sons and grandsons where. Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Ishmael, Judah, not to mention Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. They all committed terrible sins. But for many of us, that is just real life -- that is our life. Today's message vividly points out the way our sins trickle down to our children but there is hope -- "But God!"

We are true worshipers only because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Nestled in the story of God's call to Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, is the statement in Genesis 22:5 where Abraham says that he & Isaac are going up on the mountain "to worship" and "we will return." Today in our sermon we explore how the essence of worship is sacrifice and the deep faith Abraham had learned in all the years since God's original call on his life in Genesis 12.

Do you ever wonder why God made Abraham & Sarah wait so long for Him to fulfill his promise? Do you ever wonder why you are waiting so long for something you have been praying for? It's not that God has forgotten you. It's not that he is ignoring you. It's just the opposite. Every minute, every second that Abraham and Sarah waited on God to fulfill His promise of a son was packed with eternal purpose and intent. And the same thing is true for you. Take heart, God is at work in your life even when you can't see it!

The right way to understand Scripture is not to look at every passage as a stand-alone story but to seek to understand the story in the context of the bigger story of the Bible. That was the goal of our sermon this week as we read of Abraham's deceit about Sarah being his wife. Why is it important for us to know this story? What is there that we can learn from this story that we can apply to our lives today?

Jeremy Bossard was raised by godly parents and attended church growing up. But that is no guarantee about what to expect as one becomes their own person as they begin to leave home and learn life lessons for themselves. While Jeremy had a firm foundation, it was his years in college when his personal discipleship really took off and he learned to make the faith of his family his own. We're thankful for Jeremy and his story of how God has and is transforming his life!

In Genesis 18 God pays a visit to Abraham and Sarah and once again confirms the promise of a son to them. But as Sarah hears that she is to give birth, she laughs to herself in disbelief. God addresses her doubt by asking if anything is too difficult for Him to do. It's a great question! One that applies to your life today!

What is freedom? Most identify it as no limitations or the ability to do what you want. But the greatest freedom comes in the context of a relationship with Christ and in Christ, we are not free to do as we please. We are free to serve others, which means a great deal of self denial. What does it mean to be free in Christ then? Todd Domke walks us through an understanding of the freedom we have in Christ.

"Only God" -- that is the theme of the story of how God has intervened in the life of Linda Brescia. Time after time, Linda shares how circumstances looked impossible in her life only to watch God open doors that she didn't know existed and present solutions no one imagined. Her story is the story of God's faithfulness in her life.

This Sunday, as John Ashton leads us in the Word, we are privileged to have over 100 CEF student workers in our service as they prepare for a week of ministry in the greater Philadelphia area. John teaches us on the ministry of reconciliation and how it is at the heart of the Gospel message as man is reconciled to God. But reconciliation goes further as God expects us to be reconciled to one another as well.

This week one of our student ministry teams did a cardboard testimony sketch before the sermon -- which was a perfect lead-in to Genesis 17. In chapter 17 God restates the nature of his covenant with Abram and even states when the child will be born and that Isaac will be his name. But there's more! God institutes circumcision as the sign of the covenant. Abraham demonstrates how changed lives are shaped by our obedience.

This is the second of a two-part series on the Judgement Seat of Christ. Scott Brubaker highlights how the Apostle Paul's greatest concern was pleasing the Lord Jesus and gaining a "crown that lasts forever." His sermon does a great job of helping Christians understand the eternal value of living an intentional life here on Earth. He breaks it down into three elements: What we do. Why we do it. How we do it. He also touches on the way we view our money and how we do and don't use it in ways that reaps eternal rewards.

Many Christians might appear before the judgement seat of Christ and wonder why they didn't know that the things they did on Earth as a Christian mattered when they arrived in Heaven. In a two-part series, Scott Brubaker unpacks the truths around this significant event that every Christian will experience when they arrive in Heaven. He does a great job at distinguishing between eternal rewards and eternal life and explaining why it matters so much about how we live our earthly lives.

This week our sermon time followed our baby dedication, which is appropriate as we study chapter 16 and Abram and Sarai's ongoing unmet desire for a baby for themselves. But instead of waiting in faith for God to provide, Abram and Sarai took a 'shortcut' to having a child. Shortcuts never work out. They are always our effort to fulfill something that was God's job to begin with. Waiting is never easy, but it's always best!

This week we were blessed to hear the story of God's work in the life of Melissa Ciatto. Melissa is the third in our new series of "Transformed Lives" -- where a member of our church family shares how God has changed their lives. For Melissa, God has been at work through broken relationships and divine friendships to bring her to the place she's at today. Enjoy Melissa's story of God's grace in her life.

Doubting God's promises is an experience every Christian has had. Abram was doing just that in Genesis 15 as he asked God, "How will I know?" The answer God gave Abram is the same answer He gives us today -- "I keep my promises, BELIEVE me."

As we study the life of Abraham, we see how God tested him on multiple occasions. This week Pastor Tim looked at seven of those tests and taught how God uses tests to reveal the areas of our lives we need to grow in and how each test is an invitation to know God at a deeper and more trusting way.

Genesis 14 records the story of Abram rescuing his nephew Lot after being taken captive by invading forces. As Abram brings Lot home along with all the others who were taken captive as well as the possessions take, he is met by the King of Sodom who wishes to reward him. Abram's response has a few teachable moments in it! When we look close enough at how Abram replied we learn how to too can make decisions that will please God.

The story of Lot is nestled into the story of Abraham. He provides drama and intrigue to this portion of Genesis. He is so dramatically different than his Uncle Abraham. And yet, even with all of his bad choices and apparent character flaws, Scripture states that Lot was righteous. And actually, this mixed bag of faith and flaws is exactly what I'm like. What about you?

Abram arrives in Canaan and journeys through the land. Along the way he calls upon God and worships Him until . . . a famine strikes the land! This man of faith now has his faith tested and fails. Instead of relying on the God who brought to this new land he decides to "go down to Egypt" to seek refuge from the famine. This episode of Abram's life is God testing and building the faith he will need when God makes the ultimate request of him -- the sacrifice of Isaac.

How did God Intend to bless "all the families of the earth"? (Genesis 12:3) In Christ! The good news of His death and resurrection was to be spread to all the nations of the earth by His followers. His last words were to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. The ancient promise of Genesis 12 was given hands and feet in Matthew 28!

We were grateful to have Ellin Jones share the story of God's grace in her life on Easter Sunday. She shared an inspiring story of how through life's difficulty a fervent desire to follow Christ and seek His character in her life carried her through each season of life.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ gained more for mankind than can be understood this side of Heaven. But there are three things we can understand and benefit from -- the forgiveness of sins, hope in the midst of trouble and a certainty about the future.

Good Friday was only good for the guilty. The Justice of God demanded payment for sin. So a just and loving God sent His innocent Son to pay the penalty for rebellious mankind. Good Friday was not good for our heavenly Father or for His only Son. But it was good for you and I.

Missionaries & martyrs, simple housewives & students, presidents & pastors -- all of these and thousands more have taken courage from knowing God keeps His promises. This week Pastor Tim teaches through the covenant of Genesis 12:3 and how it impacts our daily life.

From Genesis 12 to Genesis 25 at the time Abraham dies, God is progressively revealing himself to Abraham -- and to us. This week, Pastor Tim looks at each name God uses for Himself to further reveal His character. How is God revealing Himself to you? Where is He leading you as He does so?

Genesis 12:1-5 is one of the most important passages of Genesis, perhaps of the Bible. We see the plan of God unfold through one man -- Abram. God promises blessings to him, his descendants and ultimately to all families of the world. He also promises blessings and curses -- Pastor explains how they are still in place today.

This week we paused to review the first eleven chapters of Genesis and considered whether such an ancient book is still relevant to our faith, especially at times when we are working through sorrow and loss in our life.

The first entry in our Transformed Lives series is the story of how a good Jewish boy from North Philly came to place his faith in Christ. Larry Newman shared how the events of his children's birth, 9/11 and his wife's unswerving faith brought him to finally trust Christ.

The sin of pride motivated mankind to build a tower to the heavens and disobey God's instruction to spread out and fill the planet. So God spread them out Himself and in doing so established individual people groups and nations. And that same pride that inspired the tower still motivates mankind to act with racial injustice and hatred. All the while believing that man has the ability in himself to remedy those injustices. But the Church is the steward of the only solution to racial hatred and strife: The Gospel of Jesus.

Genesis takes a decidedly "R Rated" turn in chapter 9 as we study the sin of Ham and the resulting curse on his son, Canaan. Chapter 10 demonstrates the sin of mankind and the desire to be like God continues even after the flood.

In Genesis 9 God gives instructions to Noah as He 'reboots' creation. Along with the instructions is a promise and a reminder -- He will never destroy the world by a flood and the rainbow will serve as His reminder of the promise. But why does it matter if God keeps His promises?

Session 6 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, addresses the difficult issue of evil and God -- If God were all good, as you say, He would want to deal with the problem of evil. And if God were all powerful, as you say, then He would be able to deal with the problem of evil. Obviously, evil exists, therefore He is either not all good or He is not all powerful, or maybe He is neither. How would you handle this line of thinking? Listen to the final session of the Equipping Conference for the answer!

Session 4 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, trained us with a handful of effective maneuvers, which he calls 'Tactics'. Whether you are shy or outgoing, this session will help you get in the game and make an impact for Christ.

Session 3 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, demonstrates that moral and religious claims are objective despite assertions to the contrary by our confused culture.

Session 2 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, presents an interactive and engaging presentation of how an atheist might present their viewpoint and counter the claims of Christianity. This session includes a lively Q&A session!

Session 5 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, engages any and all questions of our audience.

Session 1 of our 2018 Equipping Conference. Our guest speaker, Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason Ministries, speaks on the major reason students are walking from their faith: intellectual doubt and skepticism. In this session, Tim gives practical solutions to help families and churches give real answers to the questions our students are asking.

Our sin doesn't stop God. It doesn't cause Him to pause and try to figure out Plan B. Instead He redeems our sin for His eternal purposes and uses the consequences of our sin in the process of sanctifying us. It's just a further demonstration of God's incredible power and sovereignty!

All of us have sin in our life. ALL of us. Like everyone on Earth has sin in their life. But not everyone has hope while they are struggling with their sin. This week Pastor Tim spoke on the all-encompassing nature of sin as well as the hope we have for this life as we struggle to walk in obedience to Christ.

Wisdom is portrayed in Proverbs as a woman calling out to anyone who will hear. Meanwhile, Folly is also portrayed as a woman who calls out to everyone as well. But Proverbs 4 teaches us to be be very proactive in acquiring wisdom and avoiding folly. This week Pastor Tim walks us through Proverbs 4 and encourages us to pay attention to the way we live our daily lives as a means to gain wisdom.

It's the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018. Where are you in your walk with Jesus? If you are like most of us 2017 ends with a fair share of unmet goals and an ongoing struggle with sin in our lives. Take heart! There is great encouragement to be had from God's promises to us.

Jesus didn't come because we invited Him. He came because we needed Him. The Creator of the universe came to save His creation.

When a politician wants your vote they will visit your community and visit a few local businesses to try to convince you that they are just like you -- just common people, then they leave. When Jesus came to Earth he came among the common people as well. And he lived his whole life among common people. His birth was announced to the most common, the most lowly of people -- the shepherds.

The cast of characters surrounding the birth of Jesus are few. But among those few people, Joseph stands above most of them. When we realize there is no record of anything Joseph ever said, one could ask why we remember his role in the Nativity story. It all comes down to his actions -- to his unflinching obedience to God.

Luke 1 records the conversation between the angel and Mary as he tells her God has chosen her to give birth to Jesus. That was a serious interruption of the plans Mary had for her life. Has God ever interrupted your life with an unexpected event or circumstance? This short passage has a lot to teach us about how to respond when God interrupts our life.

The very heart of our faith is forgiveness. Each of us were forgiven and we are supposed to forgive others in the same way. In today's sermon, Pastor Tim challenges us to not only forgive but to bless those who have hurt and offended us.

People are never excited about going somewhere or doing something when they are largely unaware of what to expect. Worse yet is when the little information they may have is wrong. That is the way it is with many of us in regards to Heaven. New Testament writers continually point us to look to the next life, to Heaven, for comfort, hope and endurance. Because of that, as followers of Christ, we need to be sure of what we know about Heaven and be excited about it!

"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." This command from Paul to his beloved disciple Timothy extends to you and i as well. God's plan for making disciples is so simple and straightforward -- men and women walking through life together in faith.

As part of our service on November 12th, Mark Smith shared the story of how he came to Christ as a teenager, then years later walked away from his family, his relationship with God. Now after more than 25 years in a destructive lifestyle, God is rebuilding his life!

This week we paused our current series to consider how we are doing as a church. But to do that we have to determine what is the measuring device or standard we should use to know that. We believe a transformed life is that standard. Are people's lives being changed? A part of today's service includes stories from several of our people whose lives are being changed by Christ.

Paul writes that we are stewards or managers for God. This week we explore what it means to manage something for God. What are the things God has given to us to manage and what does it look like to manage something for Him? You might be surprised at some of the things God asks us to manage for His Kingdom.

Twice Paul mentions being an Ambassador of God. What should that look like in our everyday life? This week Pastor Tim shows us how we are citizens of a different Kingdom and gives us two ways to live as His ambassador.

Our lives are supposed to give God glory. To most of us that sounds like an intimidating task! This week, Pastor Tim gives us four ways to help us understand how to better live for God's glory.

Based on Greg Koukl's book, "The Story of Reality", Pastor Tim talked about five words that can help us understand how and why things happen the way they do in our world -- God, Man, Jesus, Cross, Resurrection. Koukl believes these five words "capture the meaning of our humanity and of all human history from beginning to end." We hope you will agree after listening to Pastor Tim's sermon.

Our purpose statement at Crossing is, "To be and make committed followers of Christ." But to do that and know if you are succeeding one needs to know what a committed follower of Jesus looks like. This week Pastor Tim offers 7 suggestions that might help us become 'committed followers of Christ.'

David Nelson, Founder and President of Crossing Cultures International (CCI), provided a great update on the ministry of CCI as they continue to equip and train pastors around the world. This week David uses Philippians 1:27-30 to encourage us to live a life worthy of the Gospel.

When we talk about giving, finances, tithes and stewardship in our churches there are a lot of things that could be said. This week, one of our church Elders, John Ashton, said some great things about this subject! Does God 'need' me to give Him money or does He enjoy working with me when I give to Him like a father does with his son? John gives us some great things to consider in the area of giving our resources back to God. Enjoy!

Ephesians 4 is pretty clear about the expectations of every Christian: to be equipped for the work of service. This week we talk about the necessity of being equipped and it's impact on our daily life.

How do we reconcile the Creator of the universe being sent to serve the creation? Yet that is what Jesus did. As His disciples we too are to follow his example of service. This week we talk about how opportunities to serve others never revolves around our calendars, our preferences or our comfort zone and how service is a huge means of transformation into the image of Christ.

From the earliest chapters of Genesis we see God sending people to facilitate His plans and purposes. Abram, Moses, Gideon, Isaiah --- Jesus! Then in John 20:21 Jesus sends you and I. Being sent is essential to being a disciple of Jesus. NOTE: The scripture reference in the sermon is not correct. It should be Mark 5.

Jarred Cain, our Youth Director here at Crossing, was in the pulpit to preach for the first time this week. He did a great job of challenging us to consider our daily life and sacrifice in light of God's all encompassing glory and greatness!

This week, Michael Breece bring a message about the grace that God freely gives to the believer on a day to day basis. This is a challenge to do more with the grace of God than to just thank Him for our salvation. Listen in as we discuss what we do with grace after we become a child of God.

This week, Todd Domke shares about what it means to be set apart for the work of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” To be set apart (or sanctified) is to live as a new creation. As believers, we should act different than we were before we were believers. It’s a process. Each day, we should be growing to become more and more like Christ.

This week we look at 2 Corinthians for our insight on the nature of the local church. Paul begins the letter and closes it with the theme of comfort -- especially how we receive comfort from other Christians. But we can't receive comfort or give it if we are not involved in our local churches. So consider this: we don't come to church just for ourselves. We come to church for others. Others need us to be there. Don't be lax in attendance and participation in your local church!

Many become confused about the standing before God on those days when nothings seems to go right -- when we have wandered from the instruction of the Lord and obedience to Him. At those times what we believe about God's promises to us and our standing before Him is critical. If we don't believe rightly it's so easy to be defeated. This week, Scott Brubaker does an excellent job of clearly pointing to the biblical foundation that all of us must stand on in hard times.

In our second study of grace & eternal security Scott Brubaker does a great review of the biblical basis for our assurance.

This week Scott Brubaker, one of our church Elders, begins a three part study of grace and eternal security. Our eternal security, that assurance that NOTHING can take away our salvation, should be reason for great encouragement in difficult and bitter days. In this study, Scott sets the stage for next week's biblical review and the third week's comparison of salvation and sanctification.

Like many churches the beginnings of the church in Philippi was small -- and unlikely! It consisted of a Roman soldier and his family and a Jewish woman and her family -- not a likely pairing! But from this dubious gathering grew a church that Paul praised. The book of Philippians has much to teach us about unity!

Every year since 2010 Crossing has hosted Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) as they train students to share the gospel with children. This year 130 students lived on our campus for ten days. They do training for three days then do Bible Clubs throughout the greater Philly area. This year they held over 30 Bible Clubs and shared the Gospel with nearly 1100 children. This podcast is an overview of the ministry + two testimonies and prayer time for their ministry.

John 4 begins with the conversation Jesus had with the woman at the well then moves into Jesus talking about the farming principles of sowing and reaping. What's the connection? Perhaps the connection is that process of raising a crop has many similarities to evangelism and seeing people come to faith in Christ.

It is always a special time when we can recognize a new Elder here at Crossing Community Church. John Ashton, our newest Elder, received a charge from Scott Brubaker, one of our current Elders, then John spoke. We closed the service with a time of prayer by our Elder Council for John, his family and his service in our church family.

How would you define a healthy church? By it's programs? By the building or the budget? What does the Bible say about what makes a church healthy? This week we look at several passages in the epistles to see what a healthy church looks like and consider a few of those factors as we look at Crossing to see how we are doing.

Paul compared the church to the body. Peter wrote of the church as a building with a foundation, a cornerstone and 'living stones'. Even Jesus spoke of 'building' His church. These metaphors for the church provide keen insight into how the church should function, but even greater insight into who leads the church!

There are areas of life that God has not given us explicit instructions on. These areas are often referred to as 'christian liberty.' How can we know when it is appropriate or inappropriate to participate in these questionable issues? The best rule of thumb: we are not to live to please ourselves.

The typical responses to dealing with other Christians in our church who are in sin seem to boil down to three scenarios: Go & confront; go and ignore; and finally the thing it seems we do the most -- just avoid the person. Avoidance in relationships kills relationships. Christ calls us to love even when it is awkward. We are called to step into that awkwardness!

Whatever God is doing in your life, He is doing that in our church as we others to see and witness what God is doing. Being at church, in a small group, a bible study -- in relationship -- is important. It's how God intends church to function.

In our study of the local church this week we looked into Scripture to see how Jewish wedding customs at the time of Christ tell us a great deal about what it means for the church to be the Bride of Christ. Spoiler alert: it all boils down to remaining faithful.

This week we begin a new series focusing on the Church. It is the Bride of Christ -- glorious and wonderful. And at the same time, it is a mess much of the time. People get hurt, confused and angry. God uses all that and more to sanctify people and bring glory to Himself in the local church.

On Sunday afternoon, April 23rd, we gathered to remember and celebrate Cheryl Ann Shipley and the Lord Jesus that she loved and served. Each of her children as well as Greg, her husband, shared during the service. While this recording does not include the congregational singing or the music that accompanied the power point presentation, it does include the piano solo by Charis. "Glory be to God in the highest!"

Fake News is all the rage but it's not a new thing. Thousands of years ago the Apostle Paul was addressing the 'fake news' that Jesus never rose from the dead. On this Resurrection Sunday we look at history and Scripture to confirm the truth -- that Jesus did rise from the tomb!

All the players were assembled. All the agendas were presented. Pharisees, Romans, true followers of Jesus, the disciples, those seeking a new Jewish nation and the sight seers -- all the elements for a perfect storm. And in rides Jesus on a donkey. Such a seemingly simple act, but in reality is like a match on gasoline. Jesus confronts every agenda and assumption as He proclaims Himself as the Messiah!

Exactly what did Ham do that was so wrong? This week we explore Genesis 9 and take a look at this puzzling passage. Nestled in this passage we find eternal truth for parents and children.

This week our guest speaker was Mordechai Wiseman. He is the Chairman and CEO of Israel Firstfruits Center for Economic Advancement. He spoke to us about what it means to be a priestly servant leader in order to manifest the Kingdom of God here on Earth through prayer, repentance, submission and discipleship. It was a strong challenge to move from being an 'observer' to a 'server.'

In Genesis 9 God makes a covenant with Noah. Later He'll make other covenants with Abraham, Moses and David and finally the New Covenant will be instituted by Jesus Himself. Why are covenants important? What do we learn about God from them? Be encouraged as we are reminded that God demonstrates an everlasting faithfulness towards us. He can never break His promises to us!

Joe Darrow, our missionary in Kensington, shared today about how he is seeing faith jump from the book of Hebrews into every day life in many aspects of his family and his ministry -- from K&A in Philly to the Congo!

Rich Mears, a long-time Crossing member and one of our missionaries, shares about how God is using soccer to bring children to Christ all over the world. Enjoy his stories of children in Bensalem and Haiti trusting Christ as well as the time he was shot while serving in Haiti.

Genesis 9 is packed with learning opportunities! This week we focused on Genesis 9:6 where God states that whoever sheds a man's blood must pay with his own blood. How does capital punishment line up with the Christian position on abortion and war?

Genesis 8 begins with these words, "But God remembered Noah." Don't we all need to be reminded that God NEVER forgets His people. Even if we have been floating in an ark for a really long time, God has not forgotten you!

As the story of the ark unfolds in Genesis 7 it's natural for there to be a lot of questions. How did all those animals fit on the ark? How were they fed and cleaned up after? How did Noah get all of them on the ark? But God didn't give us all those details. Instead we must focus on what we know -- for that is what is important to God, therefore it should be important to us.

God has been accused of being a "moral monster." Many feel like they can't reconcile the violence of the Old Testament with the message of love in the New Testament. Today Pastor Tim walks us through several passages from the Bible to answer some of these questions.

While the story of Noah and the flood is a story of judgement it's a story of compassion and sadness as well. In our study of Genesis this week we see the broken heart of God over the corruption of His creation.

It was a great day for our church as we commissioned Steve Adler as a new Elder for our church. Todd Domke introduced our service. Pastor Tim was asked by Steve to provide his commissioning charge. Finally, Steve provided a rich sermon from Psalm 23. He did a great job and we praise God for providing new Elder leadership.

Genesis 6 reveals the full extent of the corruption of the human race. And in some way the Nephilim play a role in the corruption of God's image bearers. This week we explore who the Nephilim were and why they existed.

Genesis 4 closes with a short list of the generations of Cain. Chapter 5 is only a genealogy of Seth. "He was born. He Died." -- what is there to learn from that? But Paul teaches us that ALL scripture is inspired. So let's get inspired by this genealogy!

The murder of Abel by his brother Cain is not a separate story from Adam & Eve's sin in the Garden -- it's a continuation of their sin. As we study the spread of sin into the family of Adam we should examine our own hearts for the spread of sin in our lives.

Intertwined with the punishment for the sin of Adam and Eve is a promise -- an eternal promise. We expanded our study of Genesis 3:14-24 so we can see how God will fulfill His promise to redeem creation.

Our study of Genesis continues to reveal how relevant this ancient book still is today. What is marriage? What is gender? There is absolute truth to these questions that provide reassurance to a society that is deeply confused.

This past Sunday the Elder Council of Crossing Community Church presented Steve Adler as a candidate to serve as an Elder at our church. As a part of our process at Crossing, every candidate shares their testimony before the church family. Please keep our church and Steve in prayer as he goes through this process.

It was a volatile week following the election of the 45th President of the United States. Many of us are asking how did we get to such a divisive place in our nation. Why are there people marching in our streets. The answer is as simple as it is complicated. Genesis holds the most profound look at so many of our current cultural struggles.

You hear it all the time, "I can't vote for that candidate." Or people say, "I'm voting for the lesser of two evils." How are we to decide how to vote. What guidance does the Bible give us on this matter? Consider the direction of our nation if we continue on the path we are on now. Don't vote for a candidate. Vote to stop the current direction of our nation. God does give us guidance on how to vote that way.

God proclaims His creation as "good" yet we read of a serpent that obvious is not good tempting Eve. Who is the snake and what can we learn about him. This week we pull back the curtain to see who is behind the temptation of Adam and Eve.

Genesis 1 is the cliff notes of creation. As we refer to Isaiah and Job we have the wonderful opportunity to hear God talk about the creation process!

Too often we read Genesis as book of teachable stories. But it's far more than that. It's the very foundation of our faith. From this book flows so much of what we believe and do in daily life.

Sukkot, or The Feast of Tabernacles, was instituted by God as a way of reminding Israelites in every generation of their deliverance by God from Egypt. Ari does a wonderful job of teaching us the significance of Sukkot to Christians, as this ancient holiday foreshadows the work and actions of Christ's return.

Joe Caracappa concludes our summer study of the book of Romans this week. He points out to us that Romans opens the same way it closes -- by drawing our attention to the glory of God. This is a great overview of the glory of God!

Paul continues to help his readers transition from the doctrinal beauty of the first eleven chapters of Romans to real life application -- and it all begins with how to think differently.

This morning Rob Quanstrom leads us through a study of Romans 12, the chapter that transitions from doctrine in the first eleven chapters to real life application of that doctrine in daily life.

As we study Romans 11 Michael Breece focuses on the question of God's plan for His chosen nation Israel. He takes us back to Genesis 15, into Zechariah and ends in Revelation 19 as he ties together God's plan for His people.

Michael Breece tackles the doctrine of election as he teaches from Romans 10 this week. Is God totally sovereign or does man have free will? Is it possible that both can be true?

Michael Breece takes over preaching duties as he unfolds the beauty of the Gospel from Romans 9.

Perhaps those who are best able to attest to the truth of God's Word, especially certain promises, are those who are living out those truths in their life. This week Greg Shipley teaches from Romans 8 and spends extra time with verse 28, "all things work together for good." His sermon is especially powerful as he applies the passage to the life of his own family as they face grave health concerns.

This week Greg Shipley teaches how righteousness is given to us through the death of Christ.

Greg Shipley unpacks the truths of Romans 5 for us this week by teaching that God's grace not only abounds but "superabounds" in our lives. Our sin is no match for the grace of God!

In our study of Romans this week, Greg Shipley does an excellent job of explaining the saving nature of our faith. In particular, he takes a detailed look at the faith of Abraham and all of it's imperfections and explains why it was still "reckoned unto him as righteous."

Our youth ministry wrapped up summer camp this week and brought Freddie Coile home with them to serve as our guest speaker. Freddie, a gifted evangelist, has been ministering to Crossing for over 20 years. Everywhere he speaks, he has one message: Have you trusted Christ? This week he shares the wonderful news of God's gift of salvation and how every man, woman and child can experience it!

This week in our summer series on Romans, our teacher, Greg Shipley, teaches from Romans 2-3 showing us how Scripture teaches no man is righteous and is only justified by faith.

Greg Shipley kicks off our study of Romans, which is our summer preaching series. This week he focuses on chapter 1 and the power of the gospel to save all who believe.

This week we had nearly 100 CEF staff & students with us in our service. Pastor Tim took the opportunity to encourage them as well as our church about the importance of children's ministry and the far reaching impact of the gospel.

Has life left you beaten and battered? Feel like you could use a little comfort? This week Pastor Tim teaches from Isaiah 40 where God comforts to the nation of Israel -- and you and I.

This week in our study of the prayer life of Paul, we look at Paul's prayers in Ephesians 1 & 3 which touch on the "surpassing greatness of God's power."

When we pray who are we praying to? Many of us begin our prayers by saying, "Our heavenly Father." Do we really think of what that means. This week Pastor Tim shares how adopting his own two children teaches us about the great, unmatchable love God has for you and I that makes Him a great Father -- one that we can pray to with confidence.

This week we began a new sermon series focusing on the prayer life of the Apostle Paul. We focused on the four major themes of his prayers and compared our prayer life to them. How similar or different are the things we pray for to what Paul prayed for?

"Have I not told you" -- a phrase God used as He reminded Joshua to be courageous and put away all doubt or fear. Time and again, God has promised His abiding presence with us in any and all circumstances!

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my . . . voting choices." Our lives should match up with the principles of God's Word. We should think, speak, act -- and vote in accordance with God's standards. This week we take a look at a few of the principles we can use to guide us as we decide how to cast our votes.

There is no perfect political candidate. There's only Jesus.

Final words are important. They are rarely impromptu or random. Instead they are intentional and have great purpose. What were the final words of the risen Savior? Surely they must have been important. This week our sermon explores Christ's final words and their importance to His followers.

What if we changed the end of some of our most beloved stories? What if Snow White was never kissed by the prince? What if Jesus never rose from the dead? Jesus triumphed over death when everyone thought the story was over. Praise God it wasn't! Overcoming death means our faith in God is not in vain!

He was one man on a donkey riding into a city for a religious celebration. What was it about that day that makes it worthy of remembering over 2000 years later? It was the willing arrival of Jesus not to celebrate the Passover lamb . . to to become the Passover Lamb!

In the parable of the Rich Fool Christ challenges the greedy heart to consider that riches on Earth can't compare to riches in Heaven.

Our guest speaker today was Ari Hauben of Chosen People Ministries. The sermon begins with a video of Ari's story of finding the Messiah in Jesus. He tells his story of how the message of atonement took on new meaning when he learned that Jesus was "The Lamb of God" that took away the sins of the world -- that Jesus was "The" Passover Lamb of annual Passover celebration.

The "Lost" parable communicates the grace of God in a beautiful way. None of the characters in the story -- the sheep, the coin, the younger son and the older son -- deserved what they received. But God gives not because of merit but because of deep abiding love.

The key to great love is understanding the great forgiveness we've received. The parable of the two debtors is a beautiful example of gratitude and worship.

Jesus, the master teacher, taught service and sacrifice to his disciples. Paul wrote about his example -- an example highlighted on the cross.

This week we follow up from our Winter Bible Conference asking the question, "If I'm sent, what do I do when I get there?" Pastor Tim suggests three things to focus on in our daily life.

In our Sunday morning session of the 2016 Winter Bible Conference, Bob Borcherdt challenged us to consider our walk with God and the submission that should be our reality when we refer to Jesus as our Savior, King and Lord.

In the second session of the 2016 Winter Bible Conference, Bob Borcherdt highlights the importance Christ gave to the Kingdom of God in his teaching referring to it more than 160 times. He also challenged us to consider the difference between deployment and employment, asking us who do we work for.

Our guest speaker for the 2016 Winter Bible Conference was Bob Borcherdt. Bob's passion for taking our faith to the marketplace is a perfect fit with Crossing's value of being a 'sent people.' Among many great points in this session Bob speaks about challenging the mental maps in our thinking that keep us in captivity in our thinking and limits us from seeing the full story line of the Bible. He also introduced us to the Hebrew word "avodah" which is used for work and worship.

eployment and where the word 'worship' comes from and it's relationship to the word 'work.'

Each person in your life right now is someone God has put there for eternal purposes. God is so intentional! In addition to living as 'sent' people, Pastor Tim also speaks about how resolving conflict with each other is attractive to a watching world.

There are many things in this life that get in the way of following Christ. Pastor Tim uses a bag full of objects to illustrate how easily we are distracted from a wholehearted pursuit of Jesus.

Bob Beck is the founder of House of Adonai, a faith-based recovery house in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Today we were blessed to have him share how God changed his life and turned him from chasing an addiction to following Jesus.

Today, Dr. Michael Breece speaks from Ephesians 2 on our identity in Christ -- what it should look like and the influences that pull us away from fully embracing "Christ in us."

A clear and concise gospel explanation is absolutely necessary. But a lifestyle that backs up that gospel message is necessary as well!

The letter to the Colossians has been theological in nature in chapters one and two. But chapter three turns the corner and we find ourselves with some very specific practical instruction on living out our 'completeness in Christ.' And it's all about relationships!

Complete in Christ. How is that possible? What does it mean? What does it accomplish?

Were have we come from and were are we going was the theme of our service today in preparation for the annual Members Meeting. We continue to build momentum for becoming an "equipping church" as we begin to close 2015 and look for new things in 2016.

In our relationship with Christ we bring nothing, He brings everything! It is being "in Him" and "with Him" that we gain all that we need. We are made complete in Him!

"In Jesus all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" Colossians 2:9. All of God in Jesus! But the battle to diminish that truth has been going on for thousands of years and it is still being waged today!

How do we know truth when we hear it? What is the standard by which we should live? Our culture is redefining truth. Changing truth because it is uncomfortable doesn't change truth, only our relationship to the truth.

This week Pastor Tim provided an update on some of the new ministry initiatives of 2015 as well as a vision for what it could mean for Crossing to be an 'equipping church' and . . . what it would cost for that to happen.

David Nelson, the Founder and President of Crossing Cultures International, does a great job of describing four steps to becoming a disciple who makes new disciples. Listen in on his sermon and find out where you are among the four steps -- and where you could be!

Ambassador. Follower. Slave. Witness. Servant. All of these should describe a disciple of Christ. As Believers we should regularly ask ourselves who we are following; who we are serving; who is our master; who do we represent; who are we a witness for. The only acceptable answer is Jesus.

It's great to hear from Rich & Carol Mears and catch up on their ministry in Haiti and the new things God is doing in their ministry.

In Colossians 1 Paul speaks of a mystery that has been hidden for past ages and generations. As he writes he reveals that mystery is Christ living in His people.

In Colossians 1 Paul writes that he "rejoice(s) in my sufferings for your sake." Can you and I say the same thing? How did Paul arrive at a place in his life that he could say that?

Speaking from 2 Corinthians 4, veteran missionary and bible teacher, Greg Shipley, spoke to us about what it means to be pressed but not broken; to be at a lost but not lost nor abandoned. Finally, Greg speaks about how we manifest the life of Christ in the struggles of our daily life.

There are many that would say that our passage today teaches that a Christian can lose their salvation. We take a look into this idea to see what God's Word really says about it.

Our newest Elder, Todd Domke, speaks on living in a post-Christian world and addresses Christianity's claim of accurately diagnoses the brokenness of mankind.

The best resolution to conflict in a relationship is peace. In the case of the conflict between man and God, God sought that resolution through the death of His own Son. In Christ we are reconciled back to God!

What we know and believe shapes what we think and do. Therefore, if we come to a fuller understanding of the supremacy of Christ, that understanding should have a huge impact on our thinking and actions!

It's easy to take the focus off Christ and place it on ourselves or something or someone else. When Paul writes about "walking in a manner worthy of the Lord" in Colossians 1, he's talking about a life that is transformed by faith in Christ and directed by obedience to God's Word.

What is behind the long hours, the money, time, discomfort, and possible unsafe areas we minister in? Paul answers that question in chapter one of Colossians, Paul says, "whatever a person is like, I try to find common ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let Christ save him."

Our universe is set in place in such a way that if anything shifted any at all it would be disastrous. Who keeps everything in place? God's glory is demonstrated in His creation is wonderful ways!

It's not uncommon to feel like your spiritual passion has been lost. Elijah struggle with it. David did as well. So what is prescription for lost passion?

A fool is one that doesn't learn from their mistakes. And they make lots of mistakes. But all of us play the fool at different times in our life. Listen to this week's sermon to see when you are most like a fool!

No matter what our circumstances are. No matter what the world throws at us -- the LORD is our portion.

The most important issue of your life is not your training or experience or skills or talents or who you know -- it's your drive to know Jesus!

Isaiah begins chapter 40 with the words, "Comfort, O, Comfort my people." The chapter ends with a promise of transformation and being carried along by God's power. The verses between verse 1 and 31 tells you how that happens!

To win a race you must follow ALL the rules. Saul thought that partially follow the rules set out for him by God would be enough. It wasn't. What are the rules of the 'spiritual race' God has laid out for you and I?

There aren't many characters in the story of Jonah -- God, Jonah, some sailors, the people of Nineveh, a big fish, a plant and a worm. But dig a little further in the story and you will find you and I are in the story as well.

1 Samuel 3:10 records Samuel's response to God's call -- “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Is that how you typically respond to God? Many of us are more like Moses or Jonah, we disbelieve or disobey.

This week we look at Genesis 50:20 and Joseph's statement on his life. How does anyone come through hardship, suffering and abuse and believe there can be good come of it?

Ever since the fall of mankind people have been running and hiding from God. Meanwhile, God is always pursuing and offering forgiveness and reconciliation.

God demands justice for our sin. But He also provides payment for our sin in the substitutional death of His own Son, Jesus. It's too amazing to fully understand. It's too amazing to not accept!

Our best motivation for living an urgent life is when our hearts are captured by all that we have and will have in the next life as opposed to the rubbish we cling to in this life.

Paul instructs the church at Corinth about building on the foundation of Christ. There is no other foundation to build upon. That is determined. What we build on it is not.

This morning we look at James 2 to learn about the purpose of good works in a Christian's life. What we learn is that good works are never required for salvation. Instead they are an expected result of our salvation.

If the cure is not applied to the disease it does the afflicted person no good. Faith is the means by which God's cure is applied to the spiritual ailment of mankind --his sin.

It was with great pleasure that Crossing welcomed the Lord's Love Evangelical Church of Philadelphia to our service this Sunday. This Korean church plant began meeting at Crossing this week. We took time to pray for them and for the persecuted church of North Korea. After our time of prayer Scott Brubaker continued his series on the uniqueness of God's saving grace!

"The sins I can't forget are the sins God can't remember." So began a great message by Scott Brubaker on the freedom God's grace gives those who accept the free gift of Christ's death as their payment for sin. It's not by our works, but only by His grace!

A few months ago a man was caught between a subway car and the platform. After multiple attempts to pull him out only the unthinkable finally rescued the trapped man - the crowd of onlookers actually pushed the subway car far enough to free him. What a crazy idea -- but it worked. Using broken people like us to preach salvation to the world is an equally crazy idea. But God's power at work in us makes it an idea that works!

Anxiety is a reality for everyone. What we do with our anxiety determines whether it is good for us or bad for us. Paul's letter to the Philippians has a prescription for anxiety written by the Great Physician.

Psalm 139 reveals the depth of God's knowledge about you and I. He knows every thought we have, every word we say, every thing we do. While that is truly amazing and hard to fathom, even more amazing is that after know all that about you and I, God still loves us!

Our guest speaker for the 2015 Winter Bible Conference was Jim Walton. Jim hosts the website, The3rdchoice.org where his goal is to offer legitimate dialogue about faith questions and spiritual matters. His third session addressed the question how God can be good when He appears to be immoral and murderous to many people today.

Our guest speaker for the 2015 Winter Bible Conference was Jim Walton. Jim hosts the website, The3rdchoice.org where his goal is to offer legitimate dialogue about faith questions and spiritual matters. His final session with us was a question and answer session.

Our guest speaker for the 2015 Winter Bible Conference was Jim Walton. Jim hosts the website, The3rdchoice.org where his goal is to offer legitimate dialogue about faith questions and spiritual matters. His first session addressed what the Bible has to say about homosexuality.

Our guest speaker for the 2015 Winter Bible Conference was Jim Walton. Jim hosts the website, The3rdchoice.org where his goal is to offer legitimate dialogue about faith questions and spiritual matters. His second session addressed the relationship between science and the Bible.

As we begin a new year it's always good to consider how we can make 2015 count for eternity more than we 2014 did. Today's sermon explores 3 points that can help us do that.

Jesus came to Earth, sent from His Father, with one goal -- to die for the sins of mankind. Our sermon explores the many passages that connect the coming of Christ with the death of Christ. He came to die!!

We had the very special opportunity to host a prayer meeting for Scott Brubaker's co-workers. The service included an update from Scott, readings from the Bible, the Gospel and closing thoughts from Pastor Tim. (NOTE: The prayer times were not recorded)

When God calls you into His work, how do you know it's going well? As humans we gauge success on how others respond to us. But in God's economy it's not that way. This week we explore what it means to be successful when we join God in what He's doing around us. This service also features an update from Scott Brubaker.

Following Jesus will cost something. Christ said so and history has demonstrated it true. So what compels someone to forgo the comforts, desires and attractions of this life to follow Jesus?

Watching loved ones suffer can leave us with uncertainties about what we understand about God. This week we learned that Scott Brubaker, one of our Elders, has to undergo brain surgery to remove a mass. We set aside our plans for the service and spent our time reflecting on how God might be using Scott's illness to deepen our faith.

There are many rewards of following Christ but in our sermon today we focus on three of them. In addition to these three we also look at what we shouldn't expect from our walk with Christ -- for all things to work out the way we think they should!

An ebenezer, a memorial of God's power and provision. Today we learn about how God provided our church campus. We were also encouraged to consider instances in our life when God had powerfully acted and raise an 'ebenezer' to memorialize that event.

This Sunday Greg Shipley teaches from Matthew 9 about compassion. what is it? Why don't we extend it to others? How Christ helps us extend the compassion He gives to us! This Sunday also features the testimony of Bob W about how the Experiencing God study has effected his life.

The relationships and people in your life are there for a reason. God is at work among them and anxious to work through you and I to impact their lives.

Self-centered living is always at war with a God-centered life. One of the benefits of living a god-centered life is that we choose to seek God's perspective in our circumstances. This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to going through difficult times and suffering!

Many of us get intimidated when we think God would have some huge task to entrust to us. But in reality, the most major work God wants to do is one IN us! Do we overlook that?

This week we begin a new sermon series based on Henry Blackaby's book, "Experiencing God." Our first sermon explores whether the question of God's will for my life is really the right question to be asking at all!

Although Chris had recently lived in North Carolina for several years, his family wanted to have a memorial service for him in Bucks County, PA where he had grown up. Chris's love for life gave us many stories to share and memories to relive. We also encouraged each other with the promises of Jesus Christ, that He had welcomed Chris into his eternal heavenly home -- and that same welcome was waiting for all who know Christ as their Savior

If you were unable to join us for Chris Raymond's Memorial Service you can hear all of the service but the musically portions of it here.

This morning's sermon follows the awards presentation of our children's missions reading program. We ask the question, "Is it enough to lead ordinary normal lives or does God call each of us to huge world-wide accomplishments?"

Always creative, thought provoking and application-oriented, Mark Nichols challenged us to honestly consider if we believe God can use each and every one of us.

Greg Shipley takes us through Hebrews 12 and draws great insight and application from the passage, especially regarding Christians and their sin.

In 2 Corinthians 4-5, Paul explains that while this life is difficult, those difficulties don't compare to what is to come for Believers in Christ. In the same passage he also explains the motivation Christians should have in their service for Christ -- accountability and Christ's example!

Paul teaches that comfort is not meant to only benefit us, but it should also be a comfort to others. Therefore, the comfort we receive in our difficult circumstances become a well we draw from as ministry to others.

Circumcision served as a symbol of the Law. Opposed to that was the Cross, the symbol of grace!

Bear one another's burdens -- this week we considered how to do that as a church to one of our Crossing families and assist them in their time of need.

Bud Ciotti, one of our Elders, took a turn in the the pulpit & challenged us to consider how God would have us make Paul's instruction to "bear one another's burdens" a reality in our life.

What does it mean to "walk in the Spirit?" How does walking in the Spirit nullify the power of the flesh in my life?

This Sunday was our Student Service -- the annual service that honors our high school graduates and is run by our student ministry. Dr. Michael Breece, who teaches weekly for our student ministry, provided the Sunday sermon based on lessons learned as Joshua and the nation of Israel cross the Jordan River and capture the city of Jericho. Michael opened the service in costume dressed at Joshua!

Gary Bailey shares his experience of living this life in the flesh by faith! The power of sharing how God is at work in our life is huge! It encourages the family of God and gives others the courage and inspiration to live likewise!

Paul said that the proper use of our freedom was to love others and serve them. He also warned his readers not to use their freedom as an opportunity to do wrong. The simplest summary of how to abuse freedom is to consume it for yourself -- to do as you wish without regard for those around you. This sermon touches on many issues.

God redeems us from the slavery of justifying ourselves and sets us free from that burden through faith in Christ and His justifying work on the cross. But warns us not to use our freedom to satisfy our own desires. What is the guideline on how to use freedom? Love of others. Loving others gives purpose and form to our freedom and makes sure we don't abuse it.

Sarah is considered a woman of faith, having given birth to the child of promise, Isaac. But Sarah faltered in her faith, she gave into the fear that all of us experience. Isn't it great to know that God doesn't set us aside when we falter. Instead he gives more grace! Thank God for His never-ending supply of grace & mercy!

This Sunday service started off normal enough. The only different than usual was the testimony of Igal Abir, the brother of one of our church family. Igal has been struggling with cancer and in that struggle has seen God move in his life in miraculous ways. What happened next was one of those unique and wonderful church experiences. Open sharing of how God has been working in the lives of others took place for the next 35 minutes. This podcast only records Igal's testimony.

God didn't redeem us from the Law to set us free and turn us loose. NO, He redeemed us and adopted us!

The followers of Christ through the centuries have impacted society & culture in innumerable ways. Why? What is it about following Jesus that has compelled His followers to do the unthinkable & impossible? HOPE is the answer! The Man who conquered death and gave hope to all mankind overwhelms the imagination of His people to live out His principles in ways that have changed history!

Every year Crossing Community Church and A Church of Living Hope come together to observe Good Friday. This year Pastor Paul Shumski preached on the "3's" of the final phase of Jesus' life: 3 hours of darkness, 3 phrases spoken from the Cross, 3 supernatural events, 3 days in the grave.

Paul answers the question that his reader has to be asking by this point of his letter, "If faith is how man is justified, what was the purpose of the Law?" That's a great question! This week we learn the answer!!

The covenant God made with Abraham was based on, "God will, God will, God will." While the law men live by says, "You shall, you shall, you shall." One is built on a relationship the other is built on performance. One is built on belief, the other on doing.

Paul continues to point the Galatians back to grace. In chapter 3 he reminds them of how they arrived at where they were in their spiritual journey -- it was by faith! Then he shows them that faith has been the foundation of their faith going back to Abraham.

Law + My Sacrifices = God's Favor. That was the equation that Jews lived by for hundreds of years. But God introduced a new equation that totally took man's efforts out of the equation. Man could no longer "earn" his righteousness. Now he was asked to 'believe' -- Believe + Jesus' Sacrifice = God's Favor!

Change is hard. After having all aspects of life be shaped by the Law for hundreds of years, Jewish Christians come to grips with what it means to be Christian. Does it mean that Gentiles must be Jewish to follow Christ?

In this opening chapter of Galatians, Paul writes to establish a base line of what the Gospel is and what it isn't and how no human flesh influenced the Gospel message God gave him.

Galatians is a letter written to correct false teaching about the nature of the gospel. To understand the letter as a whole, we have to have a firm understanding of what Paul taught was the true gospel.

Law, faith, freedom, the Holy Spirit -- topics that Paul addresses in his letter to the churches of Galatia. This week we review these themes in the book of Galatians -- especially the theme of freedom!

Scott Brubaker, one of our church Elders, does an outstanding job of explaining our church's belief on the uniqueness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Grace is a word that we use a lot, but is it a word that we understand? As we begin a study of Galatians we discuss how the word is used and how it is intended!

Our minds and hearts wander. Every day we have to redirect them toward God and His purpose for our life. Joe Caracappa suggests a list of 11 biblical concepts that provide structure and guidance for transforming our minds in a Christ-like manner.

On Sunday morning Robert Walter of Chosen People Ministries taught about Jesus' teaching on Israel. It was a great lesson that took us from 2 Samuel, Ezekiel and into Luke.

Robert Walter, our guest speaker from Chosen People Ministries, made a great presentation taking us from Genesis to Romans demonstrating God's eternal relationship with His chosen people Israel.

Dr. Michael Breece teaches us how we share in God's glory as we trust and obey Him. A great message!

Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus -- the key characters of the Nativity story. We know a lot about Jesus. We learn about Mary as she interacts with the angel and her cousin Elizabeth as well as from her prayers. But Joseph, he never speaks -- yet we can learn a great deal from this speechless man!

Many of our most favorite Christmas Carols have great truth in them. That is especially true of the 3rd verse of "Joy To The World" as we sing about the curse of Genesis 3. How does the birth of the Christ Child relate to the curse? Every curse has a cure! Jesus is our cure!

In this episode of our Heaven series we explore the of free will in Heaven. Will we have free will? Will we be able to 'choose' to sin in Heaven?

As we wonder what we will do in heaven we know that Christ has said that we will rule & reign with Him. Won't it be wonderful to be a part of a kingdom that is perfect in it's justice and righteousness!

When Jesus speaks of "making all things new" in Revelation 21 what is he speaking about? In the 4th sermon in our series on Heaven we look at Randy Alcorn's comparison of what creation was like before the fall and how God will restore it in the new heaven and new earth.

Week 3 in our "Ever Wonder About Heaven" series has us exploring what Heaven will be like. Will we have bodies? Will we eat? What will we be doing?

A compass gives direction and guidance. Heaven can serve as a compass for our life on Earth. As we struggle with the pain and suffering of this life, heaven can give us hope -- even joy!

Will you get a halo, wings and a harp when you arrive in Heaven? This week we begin a new teaching series that focuses on the things people believe about Heaven and contrast that to what the Bible teaches about Heaven.

Grace is amazing. It is freeing. Christians who live in the grace provided by Christ experience the 'abundant life' He promised!

Pastor Tim discusses five ways that we often fall into sin.

In writing to the persecuted churches of Asia Minor, Peter encourages them to live a life that proclaims the excellencies of Christ (2:9) by living lives of submission to one another.

Greg Shipley, an Elder at Crossing Community Church, leads us through a study of the history of Israel from Obadiah that reveals brokenness and conflict and how we can learn from that today.

Pastor Tim considers the media reports that ask if the current Syrian conflict fulfills biblical prophecy.

What is the role of you and I in taking the Good News to the least reached people of the world? Scott, one of the missionaries supported by our church leads us through the Scripture for this study.

What is the goal of your faith? How would you describe your faith? In this sermon we study Hebrews 11:1-3 to learn what the goal of our faith should be.

Perspective -- everyone has one but only God's is right and provides the best guidance. Dr. Cam Garven teaches from Habakkuk and reflects on recent events in his own life to instruct us on God's perspective.

One could characterize the change that the Holy Spirit does in our life in many ways. Pastor Tim chose to focus on one aspect of the character of Christ as the main way to that we might demonstrate our life has been transformed.

A great sermon on ministry among the nations!

How do you understand the times of spiritual failure in your life? How do you get through those times? (The end of this audio file was corrupted. Sorry for the inconvenience.)This sermon features two videos. If you would like to see them you can find there at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nifq3Ke2Q30 and at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ8Ttq76e7Q.

Today we looked at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and explored the 'lofty arguments' that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. We also explored 8 biblical concepts that help our spiritual transformation process.

Beads & trinkets are inexpensive and worth very little. The enemy of spiritual growth and transformation is the "beads & trinkets" of our life -- stuff that ultimately will be meaningless and worthless.

Gaining a fix for our souls can only happen when we realize how broken we are and how unable we are to fix ourselves.

Tools work great when you use them as they were intended and when you know how to use them correctly. This sermon addresses how the Bible is a tool in the process of spiritual transformation.

When we approach God in prayer go beyond King, go beyond Creator, to Abba Father -- Dad!

A great message on equipping the Saints for ministry along with a report on the work in Thailand & Cambodia.

"You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise."

How do we understand those Psalms that pray harm and bad fortune on others?

How long does it take to live a life well?

The Lord is my Shepherd.

"Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!"

“For you fill me with awe; wonderful you are!”

Using Psalms to understand tragedy. Presented the week of the Boston Marathon bombing.

"Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart."

"Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters--a pathway no one knew was there!"

The epic story of the Creator redeeming His creation!

Just as the blood on the doorpost warded away death on that night of the first Passover, the blood of Christ over the door of your heart wards away eternal death.

Report from Crossing's first trip to Israel.

Paul's suggestions to restore vitality to our spiritual lives.

Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries, gives an engaging presentation on Purim & the book of Esther.

Today's message looks at the example of Christ's service as our model for serving.

The short book of Habakkuk has much to teach us about that it looks like to live a transformed life.

Did you know you are "sent"? Each of us are sent to the people already in our lives every day. But are you equipped to love and serve them on behalf of Jesus?

As a follower of Jesus, we are called to orient our life to the desire and will of Jesus.

Evangelist Freddie Coile, speaking at our 2013 Winter Bible Conference, leads us through a study of the blessings Christians have when they are placed in Christ.

In the 2nd session of our 2013 Winter Bible Conference, Evangelist Freddie Coile, teaches from John 3:16 to discuss the simple message of salvation.

Evangelist Freddie Coile leads us through session 1 of our evangelism training workshop.

Evangelist Freddie Coile leads us through session 2 of our evangelism training workshop.

Evangelist Freddie Coile opens our 2013 Winter Bible Conference sharing from his own life as well as the life of the Apostle Paul.