Last night, we sat like we always do behind the ballroom and went over a list about how the night was supposed to look. Stephen Sapp was speaking, so he shared some things he was going to touch on. All of a sudden, the room came to a complete stop- like the way Zach Morris used to say, “Timeout” and everything would pause. Well, instead of Zach saying stop, God did. This happened when Sapp leaned in and said, “You cannot take a day off from God.”
I have taken short cuts in every form and fashion of my life- whether with school, work, family, or just in LIFE. For once, I have realized that I have taken a short cut on God. I guess I kind-of bought into the lie that told me I didn’t have to put in as much as I wanted to get out. See, the struggle I have is this: when people look at me, there is a certain expectation they hold for me; it has been this way my whole life. People think I have it all together and that I have found some secret balance to life. They take and they take, and they take some more. But it is my fault; I have led a life like the “Yeast of the Pharisees”- In Matthew 16, the Bible says to, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees”. In this text, God pointed out how yeast puffs things up. By nature, yeast draws in air and when it heats, the air expands. Well, being "puffed up" is like being proud…full of air and no substance, like a Pharisee. Jews couldn't see the glory of God because they were blinded by the “glory” of the Pharisees.
I shared my struggle last night to a friend at IHOP, and crying like a baby, I told him that next week I was going to share about what a man of God should look like. Upon studying this, I have realized that I am not as close to God as I thought I was; my pride has fooled me once again. How can I share about being something, when I miss the mark on “that something” daily? After we had eaten and gone home, he text messaged me and it read something like this: “Break the façade and fallacy of the man who has it all together so that they can see the God that does.” Today, he shared with me the passage in Matthew 16.
I say all this to fill you all in (or at least those of you who will actually stick to reading this to the end) of a few things. Just because we are in ministry and look like we have things under control does not mean that we do…because we don’t! The fact that people assume this however, allows us to hide in the image that they see. The problem with this arises when one day God says, “You can not take a day off from ME!” Don’t get me wrong, my whole life has not been a lie. I am just saying that I have distorted the glory that God has in store for you, as children of God; for that, I sit here in sorrow staring at a screen.
For the people like Simeon Rodgers, I am forever indebted to you. To be able to open your heart in a way that allows God to infiltrate and speak to someone like me, who is drowning in the wreckage of life, is a wonderful gift. You paint the picture of what a man of God truly looks like…Thank you. For the rest of you out there, next week I promise to get out of the way and let God have the stage. I pray that you will prepare your heart for the message HE has in store for each and every one of you. I believe in his Truth, and it is because of him that I am able to have an awakening like I had today. Till next time…
From me to you,
Christopher Reynolds
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A Promise
Ok, ok…this blog entry is a day late; I realize that, and I apologize for my procrastination. Now that we have all acknowledged my faults, lets move on to something a little more serious.
I have made many promises in my life; I have also broken many promises. Sometimes, I even make promises that I know I cannot follow through with. For the most part, I think promises are silly. Why cant we just say something and do it?? Is our word not good enough?? Anyhow, I say all of that to tell you this: The morning my sister died, I made a promise to myself. In this promise, I vowed to always tell the people closest to me what they mean to me; I promised to always encourage as many people as possible. I am a very emotional person, and through my emotions, I hold my true friends very close. I realize that I gain strength from the people that surround me and I never want to forget that. Without my friends, I would have never gotten out of my bed on July 17, 2005. Without my friends, I would have never been able to hold my head off my shoulders after Katie and I broke up. If it were not for my friends (and most importantly, my family), I would have never been able to open my eyes to the Glory of God that was surrounding me…even if I did not feel it at the time.
We (Jesus followers) are the body of Christ. We are called to love each other and if we do not do that, we are completely missing the passion of Jesus. I fully believe that if we desire to feel Jesus’ presence more often, we need to begin to act like him. Jesus came to the world to personify love. If we are followers of Jesus, we will try our best to imitate that same love.
A little bit of encouragement can go a long way. If you haven’t done it in a while, call a close friend and tell them you love them, or give some encouraging words to someone who has helped you in the past. You’ll never know how much someone means to you until they are gone- I have learned this through more than one experience.
To Kevin, Sapp, Joel, Chris P., Chris K., Scott and Maggie: you’ll never know the impact you have had on my life. The way in which you led me back to Jesus is something I will cherish forever. Thank you for coping with all of my emotions and enduring the burdens I could not bear. I love you all, and I am eternally grateful to you.
-Brian Witham
I have made many promises in my life; I have also broken many promises. Sometimes, I even make promises that I know I cannot follow through with. For the most part, I think promises are silly. Why cant we just say something and do it?? Is our word not good enough?? Anyhow, I say all of that to tell you this: The morning my sister died, I made a promise to myself. In this promise, I vowed to always tell the people closest to me what they mean to me; I promised to always encourage as many people as possible. I am a very emotional person, and through my emotions, I hold my true friends very close. I realize that I gain strength from the people that surround me and I never want to forget that. Without my friends, I would have never gotten out of my bed on July 17, 2005. Without my friends, I would have never been able to hold my head off my shoulders after Katie and I broke up. If it were not for my friends (and most importantly, my family), I would have never been able to open my eyes to the Glory of God that was surrounding me…even if I did not feel it at the time.
We (Jesus followers) are the body of Christ. We are called to love each other and if we do not do that, we are completely missing the passion of Jesus. I fully believe that if we desire to feel Jesus’ presence more often, we need to begin to act like him. Jesus came to the world to personify love. If we are followers of Jesus, we will try our best to imitate that same love.
A little bit of encouragement can go a long way. If you haven’t done it in a while, call a close friend and tell them you love them, or give some encouraging words to someone who has helped you in the past. You’ll never know how much someone means to you until they are gone- I have learned this through more than one experience.
To Kevin, Sapp, Joel, Chris P., Chris K., Scott and Maggie: you’ll never know the impact you have had on my life. The way in which you led me back to Jesus is something I will cherish forever. Thank you for coping with all of my emotions and enduring the burdens I could not bear. I love you all, and I am eternally grateful to you.
-Brian Witham
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The Time is Now
It seems that we always want to put things off until tomorrow. Things like: I will call him tomorrow, talk to that person tomorrow, pray tomorrow, etc. I have found in my life that the things that I put off are the things that make me uncomfortable. I have time to watch 24 (who doesn't) or ESPN, I have time to play my PS2, and I of course have time for my wife and well you get the picture. I usually tell myself I have less time to pray, help the poor, mentor people, and share Christ with others. I am convinced though that no other time in history will you or I have the opportunity we do now to influence the people that are around us right now. Only God knows who will be in your classes next semester, who will be your co-workers next year, and what friends will come and go. I believe many of us really want God to do something extraordinary through us but many times we miss the fact that He uses the everyday ordinary life to do that. In my heart, I desparately want to live for something greater than myself and I hope that is your desire as well. True satisfaction begins when we start to live for God's purposes instead of our own and realize the time is now.
The time is now to pray.
The time is now to give.
The time is now to love.
The time is now to change a campus and to change the world.
Kevin Campbell
The time is now to pray.
The time is now to give.
The time is now to love.
The time is now to change a campus and to change the world.
Kevin Campbell
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
In Love??
Many of us went to the Passion conference earlier this month. Most of us can say that it was an amazing experience and hopefully, something that changed our lives forever. There were many things that were said that could have potentially changed someone’s life, but the thing that has been on my mind and heart ever since is this one question: “Are you in love with God?” It was a question asked by a speaker named Francis Chan, and my first response was, “Heck yeah, I’m in love with God.” That question wouldn’t leave my head. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if what I was answering was really true. I loved God, but was I in love with God? In his message, Chan talked about meeting his wife. He talked about how life was when they first met…he was crazy about her and everyone around him knew it. I know from experience that when I’m in love, people around me can tell a difference. Just the other day I was talking on the phone and without me even telling her, my mom knew exactly who I was talking to. She could tell because, as she put it, “When you’re with her, you’re always so giddy.” -That sounds so much worse now that I typed it out than it did when Mom actually said it. At any rate, what she was saying was that she could tell that I was in love just by the way I acted…even while talking on the phone.
I wonder if the people I come in contact with everyday can tell that I am in love? If they can, do they know who it is I’m in love with? You see, I’m more than happy to do lots of little things in order to make the person I’m in love with happy, even if it’s only for a little while. When we are in love with someone, we are willing to make fools of ourselves, or stay up late talking, or drive wherever just to see that person. We don’t think, “Oh crap I have to do this,” or “I have to go there!” Instead, we’re excited just to get the chance to spend time with them. Unfortunately, I don’t think this in love attitude is the same attitude I have with Jesus Christ all the time…and he is the very one who gave me life AND allows me the opportunity to love. I pray that God renews in me a love for him and a passion for the things of him.
Now my question to you is this: Are you IN LOVE with God??
Adam Hanes
I wonder if the people I come in contact with everyday can tell that I am in love? If they can, do they know who it is I’m in love with? You see, I’m more than happy to do lots of little things in order to make the person I’m in love with happy, even if it’s only for a little while. When we are in love with someone, we are willing to make fools of ourselves, or stay up late talking, or drive wherever just to see that person. We don’t think, “Oh crap I have to do this,” or “I have to go there!” Instead, we’re excited just to get the chance to spend time with them. Unfortunately, I don’t think this in love attitude is the same attitude I have with Jesus Christ all the time…and he is the very one who gave me life AND allows me the opportunity to love. I pray that God renews in me a love for him and a passion for the things of him.
Now my question to you is this: Are you IN LOVE with God??
Adam Hanes
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Power of the Spirit
Romans 8:26-27 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”
Last Tuesday, January 16, Kevin Campbell, Brian Witham, and I sat in Kevin’s living room faced with a calling. This calling was something that God had been laying on our hearts for a while and we knew it was time to act on it! We decided that from then on, in everything we do, we need to first set up the foundations of prayer. In the moments that followed, we began to plan out the service that you experienced last night… and up until last night, the excitement within me to carry out this calling was hard to contain. As the night began, I realized that the only line of communication I had with God was missing. It was sort-of like the feeling you have when the only person you can count on in a time of crisis doesn’t pick up the phone…desperate! This time however, I knew the problem was on my end of the line; it was not his end that was missing the dial tone! Every word that left my mouth felt as though it had hit the ceiling and died. Now, Satan had become a bigger focus to me than God, and he was conquering me every step I made as I traveled to the destination of prayer picked for my team. Then it hit me…Romans 8:26-27. I knew that even when I couldn’t find the right words, inside of me lived the spirit of the God I cried out to. Whenever my connection to God is weakened by my SIN, or whenever my words become a threat to Satan’s plan, the Holy Spirit will intercede for me- this turned my whole night upside down (lets face it, His words were much better than mine, and he knew my heart and the will for my campus all at the same time)! I am pretty sure that the Holy Spirit might have a few steps up on me!
So to God: I thank you for the gift of your spirit! To everyone that was apart of last night: I thank you for your willingness to gather together with one voice! And to Satan: Ha-ha, MY GOD REIGNS FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER! You might believe you won a battle in my life…but I hate to break it to you, my God wins the war!!
From me to you,
Christopher Reynolds
Last Tuesday, January 16, Kevin Campbell, Brian Witham, and I sat in Kevin’s living room faced with a calling. This calling was something that God had been laying on our hearts for a while and we knew it was time to act on it! We decided that from then on, in everything we do, we need to first set up the foundations of prayer. In the moments that followed, we began to plan out the service that you experienced last night… and up until last night, the excitement within me to carry out this calling was hard to contain. As the night began, I realized that the only line of communication I had with God was missing. It was sort-of like the feeling you have when the only person you can count on in a time of crisis doesn’t pick up the phone…desperate! This time however, I knew the problem was on my end of the line; it was not his end that was missing the dial tone! Every word that left my mouth felt as though it had hit the ceiling and died. Now, Satan had become a bigger focus to me than God, and he was conquering me every step I made as I traveled to the destination of prayer picked for my team. Then it hit me…Romans 8:26-27. I knew that even when I couldn’t find the right words, inside of me lived the spirit of the God I cried out to. Whenever my connection to God is weakened by my SIN, or whenever my words become a threat to Satan’s plan, the Holy Spirit will intercede for me- this turned my whole night upside down (lets face it, His words were much better than mine, and he knew my heart and the will for my campus all at the same time)! I am pretty sure that the Holy Spirit might have a few steps up on me!
So to God: I thank you for the gift of your spirit! To everyone that was apart of last night: I thank you for your willingness to gather together with one voice! And to Satan: Ha-ha, MY GOD REIGNS FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER! You might believe you won a battle in my life…but I hate to break it to you, my God wins the war!!
From me to you,
Christopher Reynolds
Monday, January 22, 2007
Ready to see a change
I am in love with Jesus. I want nothing more out of life than to serve my God with a passion and intimacy that cannot be contained or comprehended on this earth. The God who sought me out of darkness ought to have my complete devotion. The God who rescued me from the pit of Hell longs for my attention. The God who lived a perfect, sinless life, who gave that life as a sacrifice for my filth, deserves all of my affection.
The word “Christian,” is defined as “One who follows Christ.” However, if you were to ask a random person what a Christian was, they would probably give you an image of someone who regularly goes to church on Sunday. I wonder why we, as believers, have gone from people who would follow Jesus Christ anywhere to a group of nice citizens who simply attend church on Sundays. I am not totally sure, as I have pondered this question in my head for quite sometime now, but I think the answer lies in our true devotion. I think that if we (Christians) truly followed the heart of Jesus, outsiders would see us a lot differently. If we knew in our hearts that our sole purpose in this life was to glorify God, and nothing else mattered, then we would live a life that was much more radical in nature.
I am ready to see a change in the lives of the people who call themselves followers of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” In Christ, we have been made new, and though the power of his blood, we have been set free. We should never be satisfied with a single church service on Sunday morning, but we should desire to offer everything we have, every second of the day, as a living sacrifice to God. When the body of Jesus begins to act like Jesus, we will begin to affect everyone, everywhere…then, and only then, we will begin to see the change that God wanted his people to bring.
-Brian Witham
The word “Christian,” is defined as “One who follows Christ.” However, if you were to ask a random person what a Christian was, they would probably give you an image of someone who regularly goes to church on Sunday. I wonder why we, as believers, have gone from people who would follow Jesus Christ anywhere to a group of nice citizens who simply attend church on Sundays. I am not totally sure, as I have pondered this question in my head for quite sometime now, but I think the answer lies in our true devotion. I think that if we (Christians) truly followed the heart of Jesus, outsiders would see us a lot differently. If we knew in our hearts that our sole purpose in this life was to glorify God, and nothing else mattered, then we would live a life that was much more radical in nature.
I am ready to see a change in the lives of the people who call themselves followers of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” In Christ, we have been made new, and though the power of his blood, we have been set free. We should never be satisfied with a single church service on Sunday morning, but we should desire to offer everything we have, every second of the day, as a living sacrifice to God. When the body of Jesus begins to act like Jesus, we will begin to affect everyone, everywhere…then, and only then, we will begin to see the change that God wanted his people to bring.
-Brian Witham
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Let the songs we sing be the prayers we bring
Father I know that You’re alive
You came to fix my broken life
And I sing to glorify
Your holy Name
Jesus Christ
You bought my life with the
Blood that You shed on the cross
When You died for the sins of men
And You let out a cry
Crucified now alive in me
These hands are Yours
Teach them to serve as You please
And I’ll reach out desperate to see
All the greatness of God
May my soul rest assured in You
I’ll never be the same
No I’ll never be the same
'Cause I know that You’re alive
You came to fix my broken life
And I sing to glorify
Your holy Name
Jesus Christ
You’ve changed it all
You broke down the wall
When I spoke and confessed
In You I’m blessed
Now I walk in the light
In victorious sight of You
Let Your fire fall down
Let Fire fall down
On us we pray
As we seek
Let Your fire fall down.
Let Fire fall down
On us we pray
Show me Your heart...Show me Your way...Show me Your glory
Show me Your heart...Show me Your way...Show me Your glory
You came to fix my broken life
And I sing to glorify
Your holy Name
Jesus Christ
You bought my life with the
Blood that You shed on the cross
When You died for the sins of men
And You let out a cry
Crucified now alive in me
These hands are Yours
Teach them to serve as You please
And I’ll reach out desperate to see
All the greatness of God
May my soul rest assured in You
I’ll never be the same
No I’ll never be the same
'Cause I know that You’re alive
You came to fix my broken life
And I sing to glorify
Your holy Name
Jesus Christ
You’ve changed it all
You broke down the wall
When I spoke and confessed
In You I’m blessed
Now I walk in the light
In victorious sight of You
Let Your fire fall down
Let Fire fall down
On us we pray
As we seek
Let Your fire fall down.
Let Fire fall down
On us we pray
Show me Your heart...Show me Your way...Show me Your glory
Show me Your heart...Show me Your way...Show me Your glory
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Great news/ some encouragement
Hey guys! As most of you know, Crosspoint launched its first podcast January 8th. Since then, 102 of you have joined us through downloads- praise God for that. Is is my prayer that you enjoy these podcasts, but I also hope that you share them with others. I do not say this in hopes for more subscribers; I say this in hopes that in a technically sophisticated society such as ours, Crosspoint will be able to extend far beyond it's four walls of UWG. We, as a team, will continue to seek ways to infiltrate you with passion for Jesus because we believe that this passion will in turn influence society!! I also have some wonderful news to report to you today: The ministry of Crosspoint is making a differnce outside the student center. Through some unknown internet sources, either facebook or other blogging sites, a couple of people are beginning to minister to others in some very unique ways. It is very encouraging to know that poeple who come on Monday nights dont just sit and listen; they take what they have learned and apply it to their lives in oder to influence their surroundings!.... SO, to those people- we as a team are greatly influenced by you, and greatly encouraged by your desire to follow God!
Last week we announced, in part, the calling we felt to plant a Crosspoint in the Douglasville area. If you would like more information about this, you can find it on our Podcast. Upon pursuing this calling, we ask that you continually lift us up in prayer. The Bible tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is holy and effective, and we are going to need all the blessings we can get!! Thank you all so much for the obedience you are showing to the word of God. Thanks also for the continuing encouragement you give us!
From me to you,
Christopher Reynolds
Last week we announced, in part, the calling we felt to plant a Crosspoint in the Douglasville area. If you would like more information about this, you can find it on our Podcast. Upon pursuing this calling, we ask that you continually lift us up in prayer. The Bible tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is holy and effective, and we are going to need all the blessings we can get!! Thank you all so much for the obedience you are showing to the word of God. Thanks also for the continuing encouragement you give us!
From me to you,
Christopher Reynolds
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