40 Days to Change My Life

It is day 4 of my 40 day commitment to deny my physical body of food so that I can hear God's voice more clearly. The picture to the left pretty much sums up how my physical body is feeling at this point, but my spirit is LOVING it! Have you joined us? Are you fasting something too? If you are reading this, it is because you have some sort of invested interest in what God is doing, either in me or in the Intersection. So read on and let me tell you what God is up to through this church-wide fast...

Earlier this year I said that greater things were in store for us at the Intersection. Not just for the church, but for the personal lives and spiritual growth of everyone who would be attached to us when He takes us to those greater things. The fact is that the greater things God wants to accomplish in our world start with the greater things He is accomplishing in us as individuals, families and teams.

So let's dig in! Let's enjoy this season of fasting and allow God to heal us and bring us to that next level so that He can do a greater thing in our community and the world! Believe me, the Intersection is called to be a world-changing group of believers and we need the Holy Spirit like never before so that we can stretch our faith over the next month and a half. This will allow us to believe for things we haven't yet even dreamed possible. Reply and tell me what you are doing to participate in our fast along with what you are asking God to do in you and your family during this time.

It's 40 days to change our life so God can help us change our world!!

The Next Big Thing For The Intersection.

Look at that crazy bunch of people! Camped outside the Middle School gym doors early on a Sunday morning in September 2010 because God wanted to do the next big thing through them. We believed God could use us to do something great...AND HE DID!! The Intersection was conceived out of a time of great discomfort for Cori and I. But look at it now...God is faithful!

God has really been making Cori and I uncomfortable again these days. Oddly enough, I am good with that now because I know that as soon as I start feeling discomfort from Him, there is sure to follow a season of growth that confirms His word to me. After that, I will begin reaping a harvest that comes back to me in the measure I let him make me uncomfortable. This has been the pattern...over and over again.

The more my faith stretches me, the more seed I plant. The more seed I plant in faith, the greater my harvest. Sooooo, this time I am going to try and relax a little more knowing the momentary pain or sacrifice that I make is not a sacrifice. It's more like a deposit...in the most reliable bank or trust fund you could ever imagine. So why WOULDN'T you make the biggest investment you could!

So here's the deal...in the next couple of months, I am going to roll out the next big thing for the Intersection. I believe that what Cori and I have heard from God could drastically change the way church looks. What if the church wasn't just about Sundays? How would that look? What would the church do on Monday, Tuesday...Friday, even. I cannot wait to roll out the dream for our next season of ministry at the Intersection. You don't want to miss it either...stay tuned!

Things To Pray About

Cori and I are so thankful for all the people who pray for us, our family and the ministry we have given our lives to. The Intersection family has some amazing opportunities on the horizon that need a lot of prayer covering right now. Would you fast and pray with me about the things that I want to mention below...




1. Impressions Of Christmas (Dec. 16, 17,18)
Please pray that all the details would come together and that everyone involved would be able to plug in and perform their tasks with excellence. Also pray that God would use this show to connect new folks to the life and power that comes from relationship with a Christ-centered church and new family over the Christmas season.
2. "Give It Away" Message Series (Starts this weekend)
Please pray that a spirit of true generosity would rest upon our congregation as we go into the Christmas season and beyond it so that we can make a difference in the world around us. We are going to be teaching giving, and a God-centered approach to our stuff that will equip us to live the blessed life.
3. Leadership transitions and promotions
There are some big changes coming to our leadership team as new faces step up to take new posts and take new territory as a result of our leadership blast this past Saturday. Pray that each new leader would be empowered to serve in the specific area they feel called to. Also, pray that Pastor Jerome and I can have the discernment to help these new leaders step up to their "serve spot". I am asking God to help everyone in our church find that one place at the Intersection where they can be connected to their purpose.
4. Christmas Eve Service
Please pray with us as plans come together for us to share a special experience on Christmas Eve. Please pray that we would be able to meet at the school and help us believe that many friends and family would come out and experience Christ on the only night many of them would ever come to church.
5. Prayer for Stronger Families
On a personal note, I have been asking God to make me a better father with His heart for my wife and children. I am asking for supernatural grace to be the best priest and protector for my family and my prayer is that other families would be drawn together in strength because our fathers are stepping into greater faith and consistency in their faith walk.

2011 is here!! So Now what?

Does it ever feel like it's easy to start the year with excitement and anticipation? Have you ever wondered where that excitement goes around the third week of January? For some of us, the dream of a great year may even get bogged down before then. I have experienced it time and again and I know that many of you can relate to losing the "I-Can-Do-This!" feeling that culminates in your New Year's resolutions falling flat.

A couple years ago, I realized that the reason I experienced the slump in the past was because I had failed to turn my resolutions into sustainable vision and goal setting for the entire year. Since that time, I have made it a high priority to put my (personal and ministry) goals and vision for the New Year into writing as quickly as possible each January.

This year I am going public with our vision as a leadership team at the Intersection. We believe that God has established 2011 as a year for us to grow deep in faith, family and community. As a church, we have set our faith on that same, larger vision which will manifest itself in 6 definable and measurable goals which include:

* Identify 8 new church system leaders
* Standardize the plan for Set-up and Tear Down
* 100 new decisions for Christ
* 35 confirmed baptisms in water
* To have a partnership class in place and working by the end of the year
* To get the Kids Mobility Center up and running by the End of May

I'd love to hear your feedback on this plan...or, if you want to share your own goals and vision for 2011, I would love to read about them!!

Religion is too complicated!!

Hey all you cool people!!

2011 has arrived and with it comes all of our hopes and dreams for “getting it right” in the New Year! Many of us make resolutions to get in shape and get organized. Others feel that we have let our love for God grow cold and so we look at the New Year as a chance to get our spiritual lives in order...that’s where The Intersection comes in!

We have begun a primal journey with a new message series that can help all of us take the complicated out of faith! If you feel that Christianity has become too “hard to get” causing you to become “lost in the weeds” of complex faith, we want to help you find a new, simple start to a relationship with God!

“Primal” will help us all get “back to the basics” of faith in Christ as we look at the prime commandments of Jesus to...love God and love people. It can be that simple!!

Join us at 10am on Sunday morning at the Gettysburg Middle School for this exciting new look at the simple message of Christ and YOU could find your hope and faith renewed for the New Year!

Blessings in the New Year!
jeremiah

It's a Wonderful Life!!

Giving isn't just for Christmas anymore!

Over the past couple of weeks at The Intersection, we have been working on what it means to have a "lifestyle of giving". Living with an open hand and saying goodbye to lack in our everyday lives. "It's a Wonderful Life" is becoming a message series with impact, redeeming the "Scrooge" that lives in all of us. There is a better way to live...

"A life lived for others has the kiss of God..."

This phrase is becoming our rally cry for the Christmas season and beyond at the Intersection. My prayer is that we will be more audacious givers on December 26th and 27th, than we ever were on Christmas day. Check out what we are doing by going to the "Media Online" section of our website at www.theintersectionchurch.net

Much love to all of you! Please comment back if you have been challenged!

Upcoming Leadership Events!!

The next Catalyst Meeting is going to be held at Freedom Valley York Road on December 5th @ 6pm. You are invited to join Cori and I as we discuss ministry and leadership concepts as well as time for fellowship and food. I especially want you administrative types to join me as we talk about ministry processes and qualifications for leadership. Please join us as we grow in our ability to lead God’s people at the Intersection!

Also, mark your calendars for March 17th as we will be having a one day, training and enrichment event with a person who has influenced me deeply. His name is Matt Keller and his passion for Jesus is only matched by his passion for church planting teams. That day will lead into a weekend with Johannes that will revolutionize your life! If you want to grow as a minister and leader you will want to set aside that week in March!

The Tale of Two Houses (An allegorical thought...)

This is the tale of two houses...

The first house was on a hill at the edge of town. Everyone in town “knew” about the house, or rather the one who lived there. Old Man Gray had been there as long as any of the townsfolk could remember even though no one could ever remember seeing the old man. The house was even older than it's owner and its age, and years of neglect could be clearly seen...

...in the broken shutters
...in the paint that peeled over every inch
...in the broken and damaged windows.

Rumor had it that the place had been “haunted” by the ghost of it's previous owner. In fact, it had become a topic of daily discussion at the local taverns and diners. Kids walking home from school quickly ran past it because of it's reputation and frightening lack of appeal.

Everyone in town knew the stories that swirled around the old Gray place. They all assumed that they knew what was in there. In fact, townsfolk called it “The Ghost House” because they were so sure of who lived in the house now. This old house had become defined by the “ghosts” that had taken up residence

The second house was on a hill on the other side of town. Everyone in town “knew” about this house as well, or rather the one who lived there. He was a kind person called White, who took meticulous care of his property. The fence and shutters had a perpetually crisp coat of white paint. The yard was clipped and welcoming to people who passed by. It had not always been that way, though.

The story about town was that White paid entirely too much for the old house when he bought it. Although that may have been true, the old man continued to pour thousands of hours and dollars into the remodeling. Townsfolk watched the transformation with curiosity for years, wondering what White was up to.

It was clear that he was a good man. They could see it in the way he took care of the place He lived. They could see it in the way he invited people into his house. Even when his house was “a mess” from remodeling, he would go out of his way to live his life openly, and humbly ask his guests to "excuse the mess." Truth was, the townsfolk began to say “that house would have crumbled down to the ground if White hadn't of purchased it.”

The moral of the story:
1. Both houses had a reputation in town
2. Both houses were defined by the ones who “lived” there
3. Both houses were a reflection of the one who “lived” there


Who lives in you?

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
1 Corinthians 6:19

Listen to the sermon at www.theintersectionchurch.net/listen-online

The Spirit of Power

In Acts 1:8, Jesus makes a promise to His bewildered disciples before He returned to the Father. He said, "...but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalen, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the world".

Wow. Can you imagine the confusion and doubt that must have surrounded this group of fisherman, and otherwise "everyday people" when they heard this statement? Granted, most of them had already traveled to places that they never would have dreamed because they said yes to following Christ in His earthly ministry, but the ends of the earth?

Christ wasn't just changing the rules, He was changing the game! Not only does he tell them that they are expected to impact the entire world in a very literal sense, but he also explains that a "ghost" will now lead them. Can you see them all standing there with their gaping jaws and their confused glances?

The cool part is that this slack-jawed group of people standing on a hillside did just what Christ commanded! In fact, they became known for their ability to "turn the world upside down." But it cost them everything to follow Christ...

Here's the thing...The game hasn't changed since that time. Christianity was never meant to be a noun. Christ expects us to change the world in a quite literal sense and He has given us the promise of His Spirit to accomplish this task.

This week at the Intersection, I am going to introduce a whole new group of people to the Holy Spirit and we are going to line ourselves up with Christ's mandate to change the world. Will you join us at 10am? Whether you need a refilling to change your life or you need power to change the world, I believe that God's Spirit will be present to baptize His people once again...

Interpreting your dreams...

Have you ever had a dream that messed you up?

I mean, REALLY messed you up! I have had dreams that have left me saying "what was that all about?" We're talking dreams that would make Jim Morrison proud, complete with congressmen in tutus (don't ask)! The thing is, dreams in the night can be attributed to eating the wrong thing before bedtime.

The dreams that God gives us cannot be dismissed so easily. Whether you have a dream to become an artist, carpenter or a congressman (without the tutu), there are just times when your dream does not make sense. So what do YOU do when a dream doesn't make sense? How do you interpret the dreams you have when things just don't seem kosher?

Too often we interpret the obstacles in our lives as roadblocks to our God-given dreams in life, but nothing could be further from the truth! God's word teaches us that bad circumstances are the incubator of God's promises in your life. God-dreams are meant to be interpreted in the midst of adversity and it is adversity that will bring a God-dream to maturity. This is why James could say "...when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." (James 1) He realized that God-dreams require faith which only grow as it is tested. A friend of mine always used to say, "You'll never know that you have faith, until you are in a good fight." He was right.

How does this post help you look at your current circumstances?

Are there places you have been misinterpreting the dreams God has given you?

For the full sermon, go to www.theintersectionchurch.net

Got Nightmares?

All of us have had a nightmare or two that had us rattled...These scary dreams are based in our most primal fears and they can stop us cold. In time, however, we can usually shake off the fear and get back into the swing of things knowing that the nightmare is not our reality.

But what happens when our nightmares ARE our reality? Many of us live in nightmarish fear that our mistakes will catch up to us. Whether it was a bad decision, a broken relationship or abuse that stunted our development in life, these nightmares can kill us slowly with no hope of recovery.

The word of God teaches us how to deal with debilitating fear in our lives. This past weekend, we took a look at what happens when nightmares become reality. There is a remedy found in God's word that can set us free from fear as we give control of our lives over to the Dream Giver.

II Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind."

I John 4:18 says "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear."

God is love, and so the bottom line is that fear cannot control you when God does...

Check out the sermon at theintersectionchurch.net

Grand Opening this Sunday!!

If you have lost yourself in the disappointments life throws at you everyday and you desire to regain a powerful, passionate life, filled with joy and purpose, you need to join us this Sunday morning! Whether you have given up on church, or God in general, I am asking you (on a very personal level) to give God (and church) another chance with me.

We are a relational church where you will be safe to explore your own perceptions of faith, life and creativity in the light of God's Word.

All the work has been done for you and this is the week that we have been praying toward for months. I believe that many people will have their lives completely revolutionized this Sunday! You could be one of them! It's time to "Dream Again..."

Please join us this Sunday (Sept. 19th @ 10am at the Gettysburg Middle School) for a life-transforming experience with God! You don't have to stay where you are, but it's your choice.

Back in the Saddle

Wow!

I haven't blogged in a long time...mostly because the pace of life has been blistering but also because of a lack of scheduled time to do so. I am sitting here typing this and yet, my mind is screaming at me to think about the next thing I have to do...

So I will stop my mental to do list for the next few moments so that I can share some good stuff that is worth celebrating! First, our family celebrated two birthdays since the last time wrote. Sam turned 6 on the 20th of June and I turned "mmmfrrfmmrr" the day after his birthday. I can't say that I feel any different. It's pretty much "my life BEFORE thirty" and everything after...

It's everything after that I am pretty excited about! My wife, Cori has lost so much weight in the last year and I am SOOO proud of her for that. She seems like she is really starting to catch her stride and take off in new ways. The kids are growing like weeds and full of opinions and ideas that make me laugh and cringe all at the same time!

The Intersection got an open door to begin services in the Gettysburg Middle School starting in August which will be a fantastic step in the life of our young church plant. I am thrilled and anxious all at the same time, but I have a great team around me and I am turning ALL of that anxiety over to my Father. He is in control and I have nothing to worry about!

Finally, Harvest Cry 2010 took place last week and it was a powerful time of faith and restoration! We saw over 150 people give their lives over to Christ (50 of which were baptised) and there was a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our midst which is just the start of some really BIG things to come. Anyways, I have to celebrate and thank God for those things because He alone can bring this kind of change and restoration! Thank you, my Father!!

In case you missed the Marriage Ref

In case you couldn't make it to the Marriage Ref night at the Intersection, here's a peak at what you missed...


Meet the Krunkenheimers...



Meet the Skynards...

The Marriage Ref @ The Intersection

This is what's happening @ the Intersection this week! There will be some hilarious surprises...Join us at 6pm on Sunday night at Freedom Valley!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZj9Q0bFo3k

Prayer for location breakthrough...

Take a look at this prayer update...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuI18kRvfrU

Special stuff for moms this Sunday!

Hey moms, bring your families to the Intersection this Sunday night at 6pm for a free family photo done by our very own Ken Trout!! Watch this video...



...or click on the link below to find out more!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqviby88WEA

See ya Sunday!!
jeremiah

Up and down and back again!!

Hey everyone!

It's a wild time at the Intersection right now!! My wife, Cori, and I just returned from our ARC assessment in GA where we were challenged and built up in so many ways. We can't thank God enough for the time we spend with the men and women that make up this powerful group of Kingdom thinkers and church planting enthusiasts!! You are a blessing to us!

The days following our return to the "burg o' Gettys" have been filled with extreme ups and downs, but God is still in control and I am learning to follow Him more closely every day. Our friend, Kevin came into town for a few days to visit with us and work through his own call to plant a church which was a great time filled with laughter and great discussions.

While he was here, we got a call from Michael Smith at the ARC telling us that we had been received as an official ARC church plant and have begun the process that will follow our time in GA as a result! That is all wonderful news, but I did say we had some downs, too...

Within an hour of my call with Michael from ARC we paid a visit to the man that owns the Dubb's Karate building (the building we had greatest interest in) to see if we could move forward on getting a lease agreement. In short, he found someone else to rent the space we were looking at with better terms, which means we need to start asking God to show us another location...and I KNOW He will.

Although it felt like a set back at the time, I am convinced that God has something greater in store for us and the city of Gettysburg! The ups and downs of church planting are getting more extreme, but I sense such a peace in the midst of it! I don't know what I would do without God in my life at times like these!! Let's keep focused on our God and His mission for us!

jeremiah

Heading to GA this weekend!!

Dear Friends,

Cori and I will be on our way to Buford, Georgia for our Church Planter’s Assessment with the Association of Related Churches this Sunday night. The Intersection will be happening as usual with a meal at 5:30 and a service starting at 6pm. We ask you to be praying for us over the next few days. We believe that the partnership we are beginning with the ARC will be a powerful tool in our hands to reach many more people with the love and creativity of the Father God.

In three weeks, we’ve raised nearly $8,000 with many of our people making faith commitments in addition to that amount to help us reach our first goal of $15,000. We are so close!!! Would you consider stretching your faith along with those who have already given at the Intersection so that we can reach our initial goal?

I know that there are so many good causes to give to during this time so thank you all for being so willing to stretch yourself (and your families) as we grow! With your help, The Intersection could be able to make the move to a building of our own by the end of May! If you are interested in helping us financially, checks may be made payable to Freedom Valley with “Intersection Start-up” in the memo and of course, we always desire your prayers!

Thanks!
jeremiah

Introducing the Power of One!!!

Here is the video for our latest project to share the truth of Jesus' love with others! It includes pictures of our leadership team and represents what God has done so far in our group of faith adventurers. You can give to the "Power of One" at any time!

Email me at adamsrescue1@gmail.com if you can help us reach our goal of $63,000 for start-up costs at the Intersection...