Crossroads - Weekend Messages

When it seems like everything is changing or shaken up in a way you weren’t expecting, it’s important to go back to the foundation. Back to what you know is true. Back to who you know you are. Back to who you know God is. As we move forward in a new year, with all that happened in 2020 still heavy on our minds and hearts, let’s remind ourselves of our foundation––who God is and who we are as a res...

Although we’re embarking on a new year (and let’s be real –– we’re relieved to head into 2021, right?),  we can’t deny how much the events of 2020 disrupted all of our lives in tons of different ways. We’re still dealing with the effects of all that happened! At Crossroads, we know God wants to do a unique work of restoration in us individually and as a church family in this new year, and we’re se...

In every great story of fiction, we find a few key characters: there’s always a hero trying to head home, and there are always characters trying to help or hinder the hero. In the same way, our own choices can either help or hinder our journeys forward. Reliving the past makes us our own worst enemies––it keeps us stuck, often in shame or regret, and unable to progress! As 2020 winds down, if we l...

In a year as tumultuous as 2020 has been, it can be hard to see where God has been at work. As we pick up where we left off in the Christmas story, we’ll find encouragement for all the problems we face, no matter how big or small––because it’s in some of the humblest circumstances that God works in the most unexpected and powerful ways. And when Mary saw God at work, it inspired her to write a bea...

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would give birth to the Messiah, the news was both wonderful...and terrifying. Mary would have been publicly shamed and humiliated and probably disowned by a lot of people in her community. So what did she do? She jumped right into humble service on behalf of someone else. Crazy, right? If we follow her example, we just might find a joy we ne...

Because we’re so familiar with the Christmas story, it’s easy to forget Mary was probably a teenager when Gabriel showed up and told her she would give birth to the Messiah. She wasn’t wealthy. Nazareth was a small town. No one in the Christmas story was “special” by worldly standards. God’s majesty and sacred presence came to a very humble place. Part of the hope of the Christmas story is that Go...

It’s a funny law of the universe––as we thank God for what we have, we naturally start to become less greedy and more generous. Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday we celebrate in the United States, it’s a way of life and the “antidote” to some of our deepest issues! As we study Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9 together, we’ll find the key to our own cheerfulness and our generosity to others lies in...

You always know when someone smells either really good or really bad, right? What’s funny (and cool) is, as Christians, we’re supposed to carry the “fragrance” of Christ into the world. The idea is, wherever we go, we “smell like” Jesus––we make people think of God when they observe how we live! To do that in the best way possible means we have to let Jesus lead our lives, both individually and as...

Most of us are never just satisfied with our lives “as is.” Sometimes that means we need to practice contentment...but other times, this is actually a good thing, because on some level we’re all longing for transformation. The beautiful news is that Jesus wants to transform us as we walk with him! And that takes shape in lives that produce beautiful results––more on this in our next message from C...

In our current cultural moment, we all kind of just define ourselves however we want, right? We build our identities on various principles, passions, goals. The bummer thing is, how we understand ourselves drives how we live and why we do what we do, so if what we’ve built our identities on crumbles...everything else does too. That’s why the only certain place to root our identities is in Jesus Ch...

God never saves us for isolation––he saves us for community. In a world divided along every line imaginable, Jesus is truly unique. He brings together people from wildly different cultures, backgrounds, languages, and ethnicities to form a relational network called the church, God’s family, the body of Christ. It means none of us is ever truly alone, and we have a good and loving leader we can loo...

Who is Jesus––really? Whether you love him or hate him, everyone has an answer to that question. A great teacher. A prophet. A healer. A wandering troublemaker. A divisive rabbi. All of these answers are true in one sense or another, but eventually, we all have to take a side on the most controversial of Jesus’ names: Son of God. Is Jesus really God? Whatever your answer is, it’s time to take a se...

Becoming a Christian is a staggering event! Listen to this message to find out ten reasons why. What we will discover has the potential to change the way we do life. This is a message you don’t want to miss!

Every broken place in our lives is an opportunity for healing, and no healing is impossible. Broken relationships are some of the most painful places we inhabit in this life. That’s why, when we’re confronted with broken relationships, we can take courage and find great comfort in knowing Jesus is the great Reconciler. He reconciled us to God, and he is more than able to reconcile our relationship...

The Bible uses some pretty big language to talk about Jesus…Preeminent. Firstborn of creation. Humbled and exalted. What does it all mean? And, what difference does it make in our lives? Understanding who Jesus is makes all the difference in the world. In a world that’s constantly changing, uncertain, sometimes overwhelming, Jesus is hope and truth and love who doesn’t change. This weekend, join u...

We’ve all got those friends who are super blunt and say the things we were thinking about but didn’t verbalize. Jesus is kind of like this, but often he asks questions instead––the kinds of questions that get us to say those things that are on our minds and reveal what’s truly going on in our hearts. When we let God’s words to us (including his questions) hit our hearts, we open ourselves up to gr...

It’s no surprise to any of us––words are incredibly powerful, no matter who’s saying them. But words that come from God are the most powerful of all, which is why it’s so amazing that God chooses to share the power of his own words with us in the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy. For some of us, tongues and prophecy are mysterious, foreign...maybe even a little weird! Whether you regularly...

We’ve all had those times where we didn’t realize the power contained in something we thought was insignificant…small choices that turned out to be big decisions. Little acts of kindness that made a huge difference. Or our words! Words are such a seemingly small part of who we are, but they have the power to make or break us. If it’s ever felt like an impossible task to get your tongue under contr...

Even if we’ve never acknowledged it, the reason words are so powerful is because they reveal what’s in our hearts...The worst part of regretting your words is knowing where your heart was at when you misspoke –– or knowing where someone else’s heart was at when they said what they did to you. Our words alter reality for people, and every time we open our mouths we have an opportunity to bring to l...

Here’s something crazy: at the most basic level, being a follower of Jesus is about experiencing the blessing of God...Talk about a life upgrade! There’s two places we get hung up when it comes to God’s blessings: sometimes, we don’t want to let God bless us. Or if we do, sometimes we don’t work to bless others in turn. As we wrap up our journey through the Psalms of Ascent, we’re taking a deeper...

It’s not hard for any of us to imagine how unsafe life can feel sometimes: people hurt us, plans fall apart, we face problems we don’t know how to deal with. As we follow Jesus into unsafe territory, even if he doesn’t move the mountains for us, he climbs with us. And as his children, we know God will always hold us, comforting us in his arms, no matter what we go through. Because the God of the u...

Sorrow or feelings of overwhelm take a ton of energy...In fact, when things get really bad, it’s hard to think about anything else other than how badly we want something –– anything! –– to change. And that’s when it can be so tempting to take matters into our own hands and start living in a way that’s ultimately not God’s best for us...we can end up with serious regrets! The key to living out God’...

If you’re experiencing suffering that seems impossible to change, you’re the perfect candidate for a miracle. One of the amazing promises Jesus gives us in his Word is that sorrow is momentary. So if you’re facing impossible pain, you’re in the middle chapters –– God’s writing an end to your story that is beyond what you can imagine now, but is totally beautiful and full of joy. In this weekend’s...

When times are hard, the worst thing is feeling alone. That’s why your support system is essential, and having people who can stand with you and for you helps. The beautiful thing for the follower of Jesus is we have the corner on the market for the best support system ever because God is our Great Defender. When we’re down, we can take encouragement in knowing God fights for us! Even if everythin...

If you don’t know your destination, it doesn’t matter what kinds of directions you’re using. But when you have a specific outcome in mind, you’ll follow whatever steps –– no matter how specific they are –– to get there. Our focus always determines what direction we take...so if we could just get our focus right, we’d know the right steps to take through life too. In this weekend’s message, we’ll z...