Crossroads at Boone United Methodist Church
Messages and Media
from Isaiah 40 and Psalm 139
week 2 of our “God Is” series…
while it would be easier to be able to define God as having ONE attribute, the reality is we will never see God for Who He is, and will never live pursuing the life He longs to give as long as we continue to limit our view of Him.
w/ Vern Collins
from Jeremiah 32:1-15
It’s not that we don’t want to respond faithfully to the life-changing gift that God has given us in Christ…it’s that too often faithfulness feels just too inconvenient.
What if instead of thinking about what it might mean for us now, we begin to think about what God is calling us to in terms of what it might mean for God’s Kingdom in the future?
What if you begin to think of both the little acts of faithfulness and the huge leaps of faithfulness as something might God use to teach you about Himself now as well as plant seeds for growth in the lives of others in the future?
w/ Vern Collins
from Psalm 27
Eugene Peterson speaks of the Christian journey as a, “long obedience in the same direction,” and is quick to note that this world does not encourage such a view of anything, much less Christianity. Impatience marks our interactions with others and with the world around us…and has seeped into our walk with Jesus.
And yet, Paul is clear: patience is meant to be one of the characteristics that marks our identity as Christ-followers. With situations that we want to get to the other side of, or people with whom we have little patience, how is it that we can cultivate this fruit that exemplifies God’s attitude toward us?
What if instead of pursuing a hundred little things (most of which we grow impatient with), you spent the remainder of your lifetime pursuing the One Thing that can change your perspective?
w/ Vern Collins
from Habakkuk 3:17-19
In our series on the Fruit of the Spirit (from Galatians 5:22-25) we look next at the fruit of “Joy.”
What is joy to you? Is it an intense feeling? Is it momentary or is it lasting? Is it the same as happiness or different? Is it some religious outburst or something that resides quietly within?
What if joy were all and none of these things? What if a response of joy had more to do with trusting God whatever your circumstances and offering a response of rejoicing as a result of that trust? How might your perspective on this life change of you chose a response of joy in the midst of trials? How might the lives around you be changed?
w/ Vern Collins
from 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Have you ever struggled under the weight of wondering whether or not you measure up? Have you ever struggled with feeling like you just don’t have what it takes? Have you given yourself over to people or things in order to try and be seen as worthy, or acceptable?
If any of things are or ever have been true, then know that God does not measure you by the standards the world measures, and God is not looking for the same things in you the world is demanding.
God looks beyond the measurable and looks to the heart…and when you begin to embrace that truth, not only does it change the way you approach God, but it changes the way you approach challenges and the world around you.
w/ Vern Collins
from Daniel 3
If someone asked you Who God is, how would you answer that question? How would you describe God to the world around you?
Particularly now when this world is hurting, when so many questions surround the acts of hate and violence that seem so prevalent…what would you tell this world about who God is? How would you describe God?
What if it wasn’t an explanation that this world needed, rather an introduction?
Do you know God in a way that you would allow you to introduce God to this world?
w/ Vern Collins
from Genesis 6:5-22
In week 3 of our “More to the Story” series, we look at one of the most well known stories in all of Scripture…the story of Noah. While there are any number of questions surrounding this account of Noah’s building of the ark and God’s bringing of the flood, we find that there is a questions posed to us…
In this world where we might say (save for a promise and a rainbow) we’re probably due for another wiping of the slate…what if in looking back at the account of Noah, we begin to see it, not as an issue of morality, but one of theology…does creation still allow God to be God? Does humanity still allow God to be God? Are you, in your life, allowing God to be God?
w/ Vern Collins
from Zephaniah 3:14-20/Luke 1:46-55
Advent is about expectation…the expectation that God will continue to fulfill His promises. And if God is still fulfilling His promises then isn’t God still acting…and if God is acting, then things will change? Right?
Right. The problem is we don’t often see it. We look for change in our lives, but don’t see it, we expect our circumstances to improve, but aren’t seeing any thing different…so if God is acting, why aren’t things changing? The question, perhaps, is not whether or not things are changing, but, “are you looking for change in the right place?”
w/ Vern Collins
from Jeremiah 33:14-16
The season of Advent is about waiting, it is about expectation, it is about hope…the hope that things will change, the hope that this is not all there is, the hope that God will act.
Whether it’s something in your life you’re dealing with, or the state of this world we live in…holding on to such hope can seem foolish…
And yet maybe that’s exactly what is needed…a bit more foolishness…a deeper investment in the hope that God will act…because God has been faithful to act before.
w/ Vern Collins
from Joshua 24
Options. Many live in a culture full of options. Options for clothing, cars, the way you spend your time…upgrade options, warranty options, media options, options for the way you connect with others…it is a culture that caters to the consumer.
What if, however, we have become so accustomed to crafting this life to be the most comfortable it can, that we have made optional things that should not be?
Take serving and loving others for example…Jesus never presented it as an option…even in our Old Testament passage from Joshua, we see that amidst the options of lesser gods, Joshua makes it clear that those options are no option at all, really.
What if the way you served was a life style, not simply another option on your list?
w/ Luke Edwards
from Deuteronomy 5:12-15
n an average lifespan (minus the time spent sleeping), you have 394,200 hours to get everything done you need to get done…
A LIFETIME to get things completed…and yet many of us live our lives as if time is slipping through our fingers. “To-Do” lists grow longer or keep getting pushed to tomorrow, calls are left unreturned, emails are left unanswered, the amount of demand continue to grow and time seems to continue to shrink…so how are we meant to keep our heads above the water? How are we meant to do it all?
You’re not. You’re not meant to do it all…you’re meant to abide in the One Who can.
And you begin by stopping and resting.
w/ Vern Collins
