Here comes Christmas!!

Hey everyone! Just a reminder that Christmas is not about everything you have to get done in the next few days.

Take some time to worship at the manger of the little baby that would one day die for your sins.

Take time to be quiet and let Him speak to you.

Take time to sing a Christmas carol...REALLY sing it!!!

Take time to help someone out.

Take time to be with your family. And then...

...repeat, as often as you can. It'll help you stay focused on the important stuff.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

How to tick someone off... Luke 19:5-7

So I was reading the story of Zacchaeus today and the last portion of the story really struck a chord with me. Maybe it will with you, too...

Luke 19:5-7
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

What stuck out to me is the fact that what caused Zacchaeus great joy caused a lot of other people to complain. The reason it grabs me is that I realized today that I have a hard time doing anything that could tick someone off because I don't want people to dislike me.

The second thing that stuck out to me goes a little deeper with that vein of thought. You see, it is important to realize that if you're gonna tick people off, you wanna make sure that you are messing with the right people. Jesus went out of His way to bring joy to people who were hurting, like Zacchaeus. He also didn't mince words with people that used religion to control others or gain clout.

God help me to be the kind of person who brings great joy to the Zacchaeus's of the world. Help me to not be afraid of the crowd of complainers that will never be happy anyway. You are my source and the reason I exist. I want to please You!

Thanks!
jeremiah

Sickness...BLAH!!!

Ok...

So I was sick for the better part of this week. I am back on my feet after a toe-to-toe with some nasty flu bug and I am alive, and wiser for it.

Let me explain...

On last Friday (Nov. 20, while I was still healthy) Cori and I attended the ARC conference in DC and were blessed beyond words by the ministry of this church planting group, their heart for the everyday people and for the planters who will reach them. During one of the sessions on spiritual foundations, Billy Hornsby, the founder and energy behind ARC, stressed the importance of prayer in the life of a church planter for his own health, vision and strength to carry out this call. I nodded my head and even tweeted about how I was gonna make prayer a higher priority in my life. Here's what I learned:

A tweet does not make prayer a higher priority in my life..I do!! I feel as if this sickness was a direct result of my failure to make prayer a permanent priority in my new vision as a church planter. That's why I am renewing my commitment to pray over my family, my health and my vision so that I can stay active for God with more consistency and clarity in the coming months.

There's more though...I need you! God has also showed me the power of covering prayers from those who are walking with me through these experiences and I am asking God for several people to join in prayer over my family, integrity, health and ministry as I make this huge leap to bring more people into God's family. So, will you join me by simply checking this blog once a week? During that time, I ask you to pray for protection over my family and for whatever God is doing in me that week.

That's it!! Please comment back (or email me) if you plan to do this so that I know who I can lean on in times when I need the prayers of saints offered in my direction. Thanks for considering it!

jeremiah
www.theintersectioncommunity.com

Location, location, location...

Alright, I have had so many questions swirling around where the Intersection is going to be! Many have been asking me what community will be affected by this passionate group of crazy Freedom Valley people that want to start a new site. Therefore I have decided to post this blog to dispel any rumors or control any misinformation that may be circulating at this time.

Drum roll, please....


The Intersection is going to be...somewhere cool. That's all I can tell you for sure right now. I have looked at several locations in Adams County over the past 5 months and have created a short list of possible locations that I have included below.

Obviously, I did a poor job of dispelling any rumors. However, the real reason for this post is to ask you to pray with me. I know that we are called to Adams County, but the exact location (township, borough, etc.) is still unclear to me. I would love God to appear to me in the clouds and say to me with a deep, God-like voice "Go here...," but He hasn't yet. I need God's wisdom to decide from this short list.

Gettysburg
37 N. 4th St. (Formerly the Elks, behind LaBella's)
The former boxing gym on Washington St. near the intersection with Middle St.
Gettysburg Recreation Park
Gettysburg College Student Union Building
The Outlets (at the intersection of Rt. 15 & 97)
New Oxford
"The Ox" (Near the Cross Keys McDonald's)

This is not a complete list of the properties I have researched, but these are the front-runners and the ones that capture my imagination the most. Please pray with me that God would reveal His heart enough for me to make a wise decision in this matter. Any feedback is appreciated...I would LOVE to hear your take on these properties or any others that would make a great church that I haven't thought of.

Blessings!
jeremiah

1st Letter of Clement-"Greater things have yet to come..."

I was reading the 1st letter of Clement today as a study of the 2nd generation of church fathers and it struck me how the present day church faces many of the same challenges that the church of Clement's time faced. By the time Clement entered the scene in the Third century, the church had already become embroiled in meaningless arguments and had largely fallen away from the spirit of Christ's teachings and works that characterized the church in the Book of Acts. They had become dogmatic, regimented and territorial. In fact, the Acts generation was dying off as Clement spoke up in these two epistles that bear his name.

Although they are not considered to be inspired, I was struck by a key phrase that stuck out to me as I read. Throughout the letter he describes "lowliness of mind" as a prerequisite to getting the church back on track. It seems to be a way of life that gives others the benefit of the doubt and refuses to draw unnecessary lines of distinction between people with different beliefs and manners, customs and traditions. It always assumes the best and never takes record of wrongs...sound familiar? 1 Corinthians 13..., anyone...?

I believe that "lowliness of mind" is a starting place for revolution in the church, and I have the goal in my sights. May God once again resurrect the Acts generation in our time and may Christ's love be the underpinnings for the greatest move of God the world has seen yet. (Ephesians 3:16-19)

"God, I am asking you to reveal what it means to be meek and lowly of mind in this generation and raise up everyday leaders who exhibit this characteristic as a general rule. You can start with me if You want to..."

Greater things have yet to come. Greater things are still to be done...

jeremiah

ACTS 10- God's Justice...

So, Cori and I were reading Acts 10 this morning and we have some things that stand out to us in regards to how the church should operate in the world today. With unemployment at an all-time high and people everywhere struggling to keep afloat in life, the church has an opportunity like no other to extend God's justice to those who hurt most. The bottom line is that we are living in the perfect age to begin a new kind of Christian crusade that will give rather than take, heal instead of destroy.

Looking at Cornelius in this story, we see:

• He was already praying and taking care of those in need around him (God's justice)
  
• These daily habits in his life attracted God's attention and favor
• God knew that he would be obedient to the word God had for him
• God used this man's obedience to open the door for the Gospel to come to a whole new group of people

What can we, as a church, learn from this passage? Cori and I believe that we need to restore the understanding of "works" in the church today. You see, in our urgency to be defined by grace, we have had a tendency to sweep works under the rug. When Jesus shares the story of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25, he makes it clear that the only thing that separates the two groups of people is what they did (and didn't) do.

Of course, I do not want to downplay the role of grace and salvation, but I think that we have lost touch with the theology of works in relation to grace. Let's become a church that is known for it's works of mercy, compassion and justice....a church that attracts God's attention, every day.

The craziest weekend...ever!!!

I am glad that I survived...the craziest weekend ever! Between surgery, family life, new responsibilities and careful coordination of several tasks and volunteers, I feel like I have been stretched to the ultimate limit...but I've been here before.

Cori's surgery was a success and I thank God for her. She is the most beautiful woman in the world and she has taken the firmest of steps to live in a healthy way. Much love, Cori!!!

I also thank God that He loves me enough to make me grow and challenge the status quo in my life. I may have nearly exhausted myself this weekend, but I must remember that my strength comes from the Lord and that He is pleased when I am not ok with staying the same.

So...as I look to this weekend I realize that if I am stretching my faith for great things, I must sacrifice myself greatly! Therefore, I can say truthfully that I hope this coming weekend will stretch me even more!