We are super excited to be hosting David Soesbee at our church this weekend! Here is a little excerpt from his bio…
Dave and I have had a couple of extensive conversations and I am grateful to have him be a new part of my life and the life of Crossover! David, Welcome to Crossover and may the Holy Spirit use and continue to use you to speak The Way, The Truth, and The Life, into a people that God longs for! Love you Man!
Have you ever had a moment where you couldn’t really find the perfect words to describe what you were feeling? I am in one of those moments…mostly because I am in awe of what God is doing in your life and how so many of you have answered the Call to carry out the will of God in your life in this community.
It has been one year since we started having worship services corporately at Crossover. A work that was created by God to serve the territory we have been given. In that years time God did some crazy stuff…
To do what God has called us to do is not easy. It means you have to COMMIT…
…to getting involved in people’s lives.
…to exposing yourselves in faith to those who may reject you.
…to being different.
…to being willing to risk it all for the sake of one.
…to press thru when it gets hard.
…to becoming uncomfortable on a regular basis.
…in humility to lower yourselves below others, putting them first and you last.
…to accepting the fact that God always has a better way.
…to living the scriptures as Jesus set forth.
…your heart to the things of God.
As we start our year in 2011, God has some extraordinary things in store for our community!
Being willing to COMMIT will be the Key to witnessing Jesus perform amazing feats by your efforts. As we start the year with a season of fasting, part of my prayer is that you will commit to do whatever it takes, no matter what that looks like or how much you are ridiculed, to impact peoples lives for Jesus Christ!
I Love You ALL!
Chris
Yes, I am a Dirty Job junkie! Garrett and I love to watch that show. That guy can find some of the most horrific, nasty, gross, jobs on the planet. Wonder why he hasn’t done one on the church yet?
BLASPHEMY! I don’t think so. As a matter of fact, I think it’s blasphemy that the greatest majority of our churches today aren’t getting dirty! Now don’t go getting all hot under the collar. When truth is spoken, listen. If there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that a quick reaction is usually a sign of a guilty conscience.
Think about what I am saying to you. For the most part, more specifically and especially, in the traditional southern “bible belt” region, we contract out the dirty work. That is what we do, it is what we have done, and if we aren’t careful that is what we will continue to do. I am not saying it’s a bad thing to give to missions, to give to Lottie Moon, to give to World Hunger, to give to the Cooperative Program, to give to the IMB, the list is exhaustive! But what I am saying, is when we use these as contracting tools, then its wrong. When we give because we don’t want to get dirty, we don’t won’t to get personally involved, it is wrong. It’s an excuse to remove the “hands on”, real life, compassionate, demonstration of Jesus Christ’s love for you out of your church.
For some reason or another we have developed a federal government mindset to outsource the labor. “Oh, let’s give a set monetary figure to an organization then we want have to get dirty, we want have to deal with the baggage that comes with investing in peoples lives, if we do it for one we’ll have to do it for all; then we can focus on making Sunday mornings perfect.” Ha! for most churches, like the church of Jesus’ day, it has become too perfect! Not a thing out of place, a set of rules that the most diligent person can’t keep, and no reason to GET DIRTY.
It is clear to me, by the teachings of Jesus, that if we are to remotely attempt to be like Him, then guess what!
WE NEED TO GET DIRTY
There are people literally under our noses, in our backyards, around the corner, down the street, across the tracks, that are suffering! Poverty levels are at an all time high, Unemployment levels all time high, Suicides on the rise, Homeless people in small towns, and the most Hungry people we have ever seen. Roll up your sleeves, swallow your pride, lower yourself, put others first, and get involved in their lives. Really get involved! Invite them to your house for dinner, pay a bill, become a mentor, by your own hands administer the Grace that has been freely given you. When Jesus said in Matthew 25:40 “in as much as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me” I don’t think he meant give me your money so someone else can do it.
But that’s a Dirty Job!………………………sign me up!
