Oh What a Song Can Do

In times of worship, isn’t it amazing what can happen to your soul in the midst of singing one song?  Some Sunday mornings, I enter harried from ushering three dressed and fed children into the building.  Other days, I enter breathing deeply from a morning sinning in anger.  Still other days I enter weak, feeling totally inadequate in all God is calling me to do.  Yet I have experienced priceless moments when I’ve quieted my heart long enough to start singing a song that reminds me of truth and places all my circumstances into proper perspective.  God has such power to change the state of my heart in a matter of minutes!

I think everyone probably has a couple songs that just always seem to “getcha.”  You know the songs I am referring to–the ones that are full of just the right words and flow to just the right sound (as if the writer was thinking of you when creating it).  Then there are the songs that surprise you and just hit you here and there at just the right time.  I have recently been reminded through other people just how affective music is in ministering to God’s people.

As my husband Doug embarks on his journey in songwriting, it can honestly be tempting to me at times.  You can probably imagine that it takes a considerable amount of time to write all the lyrics and the music, and then there is the “refining stage,” and the “starting over stage,” and the “that sounds like another song stage.”  AAHHHH!  Though songwriting is a tough discipline, it has proven to bring much joy to Doug in the process of meeting with God and pouring over the project to get it just right.  I know others who are aware of what songwriting entails and just how much humility has to go into it.  Imagine creating something you love only to have it dissected and torn apart.  Doug is so extremely humble in his songwriting.  He loves to use his gifts for the good of God’s people.  He goes after other musicians to critique his work constantly.  Doug so respects the other musicians and pastors in his life that he doesn’t hesitate to make changes based on their input, which means laying down his own preferences.  He is always amazed when the church is able to use a song that God helped him create.  God has helped him.

I, like Aron Osborne, love Doug’s songs.  I’m so proud of how he has walked with grace in an area where selfish ambition is knocking on his door, but not entering.  In a manner of a few weeks Sovereign Grace Ministries is putting out a new CD on the psalms, and guess who’s on there . . . ?

 

Apply the Word - Sexual Gratitude

Dave Harvey once shared that an important focus of Sovereign Grace churches is “applied theology.” The apostle James puts it this way “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Here at Crossway we believe the Bible is God’s Word and as such should be taken seriously when it comes to putting truth into practice. This past Sunday Peter preached a very clear, grace-filled message on Ephesians 5:1-7. The theme of the message was because we are called to grow up in Christ we are also called to sexual gratitude.

The book of Ephesians calls us to maturity in many areas, not the least of which is in the area of our sexuality. As Christians we are called to be different from the world in the way we view and practice sex. We are to be love-givers, not pleasure-takers. The world defaults to sexual lust which is an expression of the sin of covetousness. Covetousness is an idolatrous attempt to take what doesn’t belong to us. If we persist in this path the scripture says that God’s wrath is against us. If, on the other hand, we turn to God and imitate him as beloved children (verse 1) then we find grace in the gospel to learn from him a new way of living.

As an aid to applying this important message to our lives may I encourage you to visit our Church website and take advantage of the resources provided there. Recently we have added a weekly application worksheet entitled Apply the Word that provides a simple outline and excellent discussion questions based on the message. May I encourage  you to listen to the message from Sunday if you have not already heard it by going to the Sunday Sermons page located here.  

An additional resource included with this week’s sermon is Carolyn Mahaney’s Modesty Heart Checklist.  It’s a very worthwhile resource for fathers of daughters and for all women.

 

Seasoned with Salt

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I thank God for the evidence of grace I see at Crossway Church.  You welcome guests with much genuine joy and your speech is consistently gracious and seasoned with salt.

I have the opportunity to converse with many guests that attend Crossway Church.  I hear a resounding theme in all their comments; “I experienced a genuine love and warmth from these people”.  It’s very exciting to hear that others are experiencing the grace of God in our midst.

I am reminded of the passage in 1 John 3:16-18 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Here is a note we recently received from a visitor…

“Just a note of heartfelt thanks:

My wife and I were visitors to your church yesterday and we absolutely loved everything about Crossway! We felt a genuine love from the moment that we walked through the doors.  The worship and the message brought me to tears, which I truly needed in my spirit…Your staff and members without a doubt, have Christ in their hearts, because we could feel Him through you, and we thank you for that. The love didn’t stop there, we had several invites from many members, Pete, and Kurt, to go to the picnic, which we did.  We really had a great time, and we can’t wait till next Sunday! Thanks again to all of you that took time out of your day to let Christ’s love flow into our hearts.”

This is just one of the effects of being a Cross centered church.  Thanks for living out the Gospel.

 

The Singles at Your Place

Over the summer months while the married couples are studying When Sinners Say I Do the singles of Crossway are meeting in the homes of the pastors for series called Your Place. I asked Sara Rankin if she would do a guest post on their recent meeting last Wednesday. Be sure to check out the link at the end for her comments on the earlier meetings.

The third meeting of the Singles Summer Series took place this past Wednesday at the Iron Hill Brewery in Lancaster. Fourteen singles were richly treated to drinks, dessert and discourse by Brian Vanderweide, a pastor at our sister church, Covenant Fellowship. After a fond introduction by Doug Plank, Brian first thanked everyone for attending and communicated gratefulness and respect for the pastors of our church and their hearts for the church and for the singles.

Brian led us through the text Philippians 3:1-11 with the goal of assisting us in discerning what is priceless and worthless in God’s eyes. The word “priceless” can be overused for different things (Mastercard commercials) and can dull our senses to what is truly priceless. For something to be priceless, other things will need to be worthless. Why? Because everything can’t be priceless. Sounds simple, but in order to discern between the two, we will have to (1) guard against influences (v. 2-3) that will tell us what is priceless and worthless, (2) identify those things that are worthless (v. 4- and (3) continue to know (v. 10-11) and pursue the One who is priceless - Jesus Christ. The fruits of discerning between the priceless and the worthless in our lives, will be experiencing Christ’s power to overcome sin, experiencing joy in suffering and trials and sharing in the resurrection of Christ when He returns or call us home.

At the end of the meeting, Doug thanked Brian for speaking with the singles and he left us with a question to ponder and respond to. Doug asked us to consider the things in our life that we consider “priceless” - things that we devote our time and energy to or find our identity in - job, assets, financial status, relational status, etc. He then challenged us to repent of treasuring things above Christ, and to turn to Christ and find that he is truly priceless and everything else is worthless.

Thank you Brian, Doug and the pastors for an enjoyable evening!

Be sure to read about previous Your Place meetings here(1) and here(2).

 

Baptism Sunday

“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”‘ Acts 2:38

Yesterday afternoon, well over one hundred people gathered on the church farm property to witness the baptism of seven youth from Crossway. Each of these young individuals stood to make an outward declaration of an inward reality. That reality is that each of them have repented of their sins and declared their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. To each of you we want to say, “Congratulations! We commend you for your faith and obedience and welcome you with joy into the family of God!”

Christi Lynne Boronow

Cole Buckwalter

Jacob Lewis

Marshall Miller

Megan Oliver

Michael Kappen

Simon Wilhelm

What we believe about Water Baptism.

 

 

True Confessions of the Virtuous-Older-Woman Wannabe

Recently, Bill and I were in a social setting that was relaxed and warm.  It was one of those beautiful moments when you’re with friends talking and laughing, but also sharing from the heart.  This is the good life!  This is the picture that all the TV commercials try to paint.  It could only have been better if we had been around a fire on a beach. Sadly, these warm moments are often the places where my pride pokes it’s head up for an “appearance”.

Something was said, and in an effort to be witty and funny I responded by flipping the words around to make an unexpected joke.  We laughed…….but not everyone laughed.  The Unseen Guest did not.  I could feel the nudge in my heart. I calmed the sudden disturbance in my soul. But I could not shake it.  A few days later as Peter preached I could hear the Lord remind me of that moment with my friends.  I could hear Him whisper, “I don’t like it when you do that.”  It was simple.  Clear.  To the point.  The Holy Spirit was bringing gentle correction to me. The words I had used bordered on being coarse.  The Lord was putting His finger on my tongue and telling me that He doesn’t like it when I use it that way. He wants my words to be sweet and life-giving. His words brought me life, and hope, and even encouragement in the midst of adjusting me!  (How does He do that?  Lord, make me like You!)

This one moment fits into a bigger work that I can see Him doing in me.  He’s giving me a picture of the life-giving influence that we can have as older women. He wants to use us to bring strength and support to those around us. He wants to help us bring comfort and help to many. He wants to make us women of virtue and humility as we serve others.

Yet, as older women many of us have had disappointments and bitternesses that at times scream to be validated and acknowledged.  Unmet expectations of what life “should” be like in these years can leave us sour and jaded.  Our prideful heart can become discouraged as we have to “yet again” humble ourselves and confess our faults.  But the wisest posture of our hearts will always be to look at self-pity as no friend–but as the vile enemy that it is.  It would rob us of the joys that are to be ours in these years of our life.  We have the BEST years ahead of us.  The Sovereign One has marked out the BEST course for us.  Humility is our best friend.  It always will be!  And the opportunities to “lift up the hands that hang down”  will bring us a joy and satisfaction that we will be amazed at.  We will find our life as we lose it.

So I’m a wannabe—-I want to be a woman that others can rely on for graciousness.  I want my heart to be sweet.  I want my words to bring encouragement and life.  But we all know (because we’re old enough to know!!) that only the Savior can make me into this.  Jesus, please do this miracle!  And I’ll probably never see it until the “other side”—-but may I keep running after it.

photo by The Glass Tide

 

There’s a Baby in Mommy’s Belly

As Lori’s pregnancy winds down into its final months, I’ve been interacting more with our 18 month-old son, Aaron, about how his world is about to be radically rocked.  ”Aaron,” I’ll tell him, “there’s a baby in Mommy’s belly.  Say ‘hi’ to the baby.”  Sometimes he’ll kiss her belly, sometimes he’ll pinch it; but he’s never quite sure of what he’s supposed to do with this particular bit of news.  He’ll usually smile wryly, his head cocked to the side, and look as though he’s deep in thought.  He generally views Daddy as a reliable source; but there’s precious little evidence of a baby from his point of view.  I suspect he has a hard time believing it.

His reaction reminds me of my typical reaction to the thought of heaven and eternity.  I know that I have it on good authority that there I will be in God’s presence forever (cf. John 14:1-3); but it seems just a little hard to believe.  Popular conceptions of heaven don’t help–who wants to play a harp forever?  And I’m doubting the whole cream cheese & bagels thing, too.  In the end, I suspect that I think so little and so lightly about eternity because all too often it just doesn’t seem very compelling.

Thankfully, we have God’s Word to confront our wrong understandings and to remind us of true and ultimate realities.  Lately, I’ve been struck by the beauty of just four verses near the very end of our Bibles, in Revelation 21:1-4:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Think of all that is represented in these verses.  All of the realities of man’s Fall in the Garden have been undone.  Sin and death are defeated.  Disease is rendered impotent, pain is no more.  All of the types and shadows of this world which pointed, however helpfully, to Christ have been fulfilled.  Our deepest joys that we have known on this earth will seem petty in the light of seeing our God face to face and finally knowing, once and for all, what it means to be “his people”.  In light of all of these truths (and many more), it is only appropriate that we live the remainder of our days pregnant (pun intended) with expectation.

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him

1 Corinthians 2:9