Tomorrow is the beginning of the season called Lent.  Originally Lent was a time of preparation for those who were to be baptized, a time of concentrated study and prayer before their baptism on Easter Sunday. Since these new members were joining the community of faith, the entire church was called to preparation. Fasting and giving things up to prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection was a part of this journey called Lent.  Also, this was the time when those who had been away from God would prepare to return. In the early church, on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, ashes were used to mark the forehead of people who had made public confession of sin and were returning to the church. Later, the imposition of ashes was extended to everyone because “all have sinned” and everyone is called to return to God.  As friends and family of Crossroads, we will be preparing for Easter in a few distinct ways. Our staff is committed to this way of observing Lent and we invite you to join us

1. Daily Prayer (Mon-Fri): Beginning on Ash Wednesday join Midday Prayer services on any or all of the days during the Lenten season @ 12:15-12:40pm weekdays in the Crossroads Chapel Café. Enter in silence, pray the great prayers of our faith, confession, repentance and salvation from the scriptures, and then leave in silence, listening to God’s voice.

Or… if you can’t come in person to Midday Prayer

2. Join Midday Prayer via the web or e-mail by subscribing to our daily blog for the Midday Prayers.

3. Weekly Fasting: Tuesday evening at sundown to Wednesday evening at sundown. We will be fasting and praying for the miracle of Salvation to visit our friends and family. Prayers will be offered for Resurrection miracles in our community. A prayer request box will be in the Café’ Monday -Friday and at the Prayer Room in the Auditorium on Sundays.

God bless you as you prepare to celebrate the Miracle of the Resurrection!

Blessed Christmas

 From Our Family to Yours

Thank you for journeying with us this Advent Season.  Our hearts are so full of gratitude for this group of people who opened their hearts with desire to pay attention to what God might say each day.  Continue to make room for Christ and you will be at home in your own soul.  As you open your hands in worship, emptiness will be far from you.  When you bow your head in reverence, the Lord will lift you up and make His face shine upon you.

We pray that you and your family will experience the miracles of the with-God life this Christmas and all the days of your journey home.   

You are the beloved of God on whom His favor rests… never forget that.

With Love, 

The Loughrige Family 

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given:  

and the government shall  

be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be  

called Wonderful, Counsellor,  

The mighty God, The everlasting Father,

The Prince of Peace.  

Of the increase of His government and peace  

there shall be no end, upon the  

throne of David, and upon His kingdom,  

to order it, and to establish it with judgment  

and with justice from henceforth even for ever.  

The zeal of the LORD of

hosts will perform this.”  -Isaiah 9:6-7

Friday, Day 26: The with-God life

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

Thought: In the last 24 hours… we threw a Christmas party for our staff, counseled a grieving family, prayed healing scriptures with a family who received the news of a rare and aggressive cancer, officiated a funeral of a 47 year old husband of 29 years-father of 3 children and 3 grandchildren and finally… just now finished praying with a woman after her radical mastectomy.  Life is full of celebrations, questions, grief’s, fear and HOPE.  Merry Christmas, Solemn Christmas… whatever is happening for you this year, Christmas is hope in the birth of Christ… the with-God life.  He is the thrill of hope, the promise of God’s presence in this world and in eternity.  Without God there is no hope!  We celebrate the hope of Christmas because the One who came as a baby has given us the opportunity to be born again.  Don’t miss it… humans can only produce human life but the Holy Spirit gives us every thing else we need in this life and the next.

Practice:  Offer God all of your life… your gratitude, your pain, your questions, your hope.  Allow yourself to be born into the hope that is born of the Spirit of Jesus.  Live the with-God life this Christmas… invite Him into all you see, hear and experience.  Let Christ be born in you anew.

Prayer:  Jesus, I see the holy night you were born as the hope for my new birth.  I receive the birth and ultimately the death of Christ as the hope for the forgiveness of my sins, the healing of my body and the hope for all of my tomorrows.

O! Holy night! The stars, are brightly shining,

This is the night of our dear Savior’s birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error, pining

Then He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees! O hears the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was Born;

O night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another,

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall he break,  for the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy, in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name!

Fall on your knees! O hears the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was Born;

O night divine!

Blue book (Lectionary) Reading:  John 3:1-8

©csloughrige2011

Wednesday, Day 25: The with-God life

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 17-19

Thought: Getting our US in gear. Have you ever wondered what your purpose is?  Paul said God is ”entrusting to us His ministry”…  meaning the responsibility belongs to us… yes US! That phrase stops us in our tracks.  God reconciled us, not counting our trespasses, now entrusts all of us with this ministry of reconciliation for the sake of other peoples eternity.  US… that is God’s only plan.  The with-God life has the “US factor”.  So now what? 

Practice:  Who does God want you to share the message of reconciliation with today?  This week?  This Christmas?  Invite someone to lunch, to life-group, to church.  Jesus is counting on us.  Let’s get our US in gear.

Prayer:  Reconciling Savior, I am looking for people to share the message with.  I choose to say yes to the ministry of reconciliation.  You have no other plan but US.  I open my heart and my mouth.  I pray for the people I will share the message with… let salvation come to their home this Christmas.  Amen.

Blue book (Lectionary) Reading:   2 Corinthians 5:16-21

csloughrige2011

©Advent Music 2011-by Don Coppo