Sunday Night Thoughts

We had yet another amazing day at PCC! Today was Celebration Sunday. We were celebrating all that God has done in and through PCC during our fall Finacial Peace series. Here are some of the highlights:

• We had over 140 salvations during the 8 week series
• Today we baptized 129 of those people
• 700 adults got plugged into our community groups this fall
• Our tithe was up 22% since we started the series and up 64% over last year
• 3 teachers who came to PCC earlier this fall as a result of the Teacher Appreciation Outreach gave their heart to Christ and were baptized today
• I baptized 2 of my personal friends who just gave thier heart to Christ this fall at PCC
• Over 300 volunteers showed up to serve meals to the community this Thanksgiving
• All of us is better than one of us. We accomplish more working together than as individuals
• It's really fun to give
• Generosity is contagious, it captures the heart and imagination of our community

Thanksgiving Outreach

Just a quick shout out to all the PCCers and local blog readers to invite your friends to have lunch with the PCC family this Thanksgiving Day. This is a local servant evangelism outreach where our express desire to help those that are in need or just alone for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tons of PCC volunteers will be here on Thanksgiving to welcome our guest and serve them a free lunch. I'm so proud that PCC would spend part of their day serving this community. Love you guys! You're the best.

Again the come and go lunch will be held this Thursday from 11-1. If you are coming to serve, don't forget to bring a dessert.

10 Reasons Your Going to Fail

I came across this post by Tony Morgan entitled 10 Reasons Your Going to Fail. I thought it was worth sharing.

10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail

1. It’s not your passion. If it doesn’t make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you’re trying to sleep, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.
2. You don’t have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)
3. You’re waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You’ll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.
4. You’re not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.
5. It’ll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you’re not.
6. You’ve had success in the past. I’ve watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It’s risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.
7. You’re unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline. You can’t build a healthy marriage if you’re unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?
8. You won’t build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.
9. You won’t have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.
10. You’re afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You’ll let negativity distract you. You’ll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you’ll find success.

Williams Website

I took off yesterday to spend time with my family and with our new boy William. We had a relaxing day just being together as a family. I turned off the cell phone and took a break from email too. Talk about a refreshing day.

You need to unwind regularly and recharge your battery. It's amazing how a little rest goes a long way.

On my day off, I also spent some more time with my Mac and built Will a website. You can check it out here.

Another William Video

Sunday Night Reflections

1. Enjoyed preaching at PCC today. Great services. The worship was the amazing. We are so blessed to have such talented musicians and vocalist who lead us in worship.

2. Came home and totally collapsed on the couch. I literally haven't slept in like 5 days. It was so good to be in my own bed again.

3. Pastor Matt did a great job team teaching with me today. I appreciate his help on a difficult weak to pull a message together.

4. Baby William is a great cute little butterball. He only cries if he's hungry or wet. What a kid. He wants to eat just about every hour. Poor Bekah.

5. My other kids, Kate, David and Henry are all recovering from colds. They haven't been able to shake this cough and fever stuff. We're doing our best to keep them away from Will.

6. I'm really excited about the Celebration Service coming on Nov. 29th. We are going to baptize tons of new followers of Jesus, share stories of life change and celebrate all that God has done through this Financial Peace series. If you haven't been baptized as an adult, it's time to go all in.

7. Can't wait for our Christmas series that begins the first weekend in December. We are calling it "Radio Christmas." It's going to be a creative, fun and powerful series to invite your unchurched friends to attend.

8. One of my friends came to church today and they loved it! It's so awesome to have a church that you can invite your friends to.

9. I'm so blessed to Pastor PCC. Thank you God for this awesome opportunity to be part of such a great church.

10. Bekah and I are praying about what we can give in the special Christmas offering next week. I know God is going to do bless us if we are obedient to do what he tells us to do.

Home Sweet Home

Baby William

Baby William Crosby was born at 3:51pm on November 12, 2009. He weighed 8.13 pounds and is 19 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well. Dad is still a little frazzled. God is good.

Bekah in Hospital for Delivery

Time Questions

King David said, "My times are in your hands." (Ps. 31:15) In other words, David said, "every moment of my day belongs to you, God, as well as my life as a whole." That fact challenged me today as I read it. It made me ask some tough questions about my life.

For example:

• What do I need to start doing?
• What do I need to stop doing?
• Where should I spend my free time? How does that impact my entertainment choices?
• What about my family? Am I spending both quality time and quantity time with them?
• Am I investing enough of my life in my ministry - to my family, to my church, to my neighbor, to my community.

I think the statement "My times are in your hands" also carries with it the implication that I need to make my life count. Eternity hangs in the balance. To waste my time is to waste my life. In other words, what I live "for" is far more important than what I live "on." My prayer today is for God to help focus my life so that I can make the most of it for Him.

Ministry In The Margin

Much of the ministry of Jesus was unplanned. He walked by a funeral one day and saw a widow and drew out of that scene some profound truths of His Kingdom. On another instance, he looked at a field of flowers filled with sparrows and made spiritual application for how we are to simply trust God. One day at a wedding he changed water into wine and began his public ministry with supernatural power and spiritual truth.

I find the most significant moments for ministry come in the margin in life - the times that are unexpected and unplanned. When I make a run to the store and bump into someone I know and God gives me an opportunity to share Christ's love with them standing in the check out aisle. Or I meet a complete stranger in need and I'm able to be Christ's hands extended to them. This is ministry in the margin of life.

I pray that God's Spirit makes me more and more sensitive to these unplanned and unexpected opportunities in life to give a helping hand, a timely word of encouragement or a listening ear on behalf of Christ.

Am I too busy to minister in the margin of life? How can I be more sensitive to God's Holy Spirit during my everyday? If I am too busy, what can I do to slow down enough to notice the needs around me? Just some thoughts I'm wrestling with today.

Best Hiring Practices

I recently did a podcast interview with my good friend, Dick Hardy. Dick is the founder of The Hardy Group, an organization designed to help pastors with everything but preaching.

The podcast dealt with best practices for hiring new staff.

You can check out the podcast here.

Happy Birthday David III

Today my oldest son, David III, turns 4 years old. I'm so proud of this little guy. Sure, he can be a bit mischievous from time to time, but he has such a sweet spirit. We're celebrating this evening with a Spiderman birthday party. I can't wait to give him his presents. Then on Friday the rest of the family will join us for another fun time in honor of David.

As I look forward into the future, here are some of the things I pray for my son:

*That he has a heart fully devoted to God

*That he fulfills Gods purpose for his life in his generation

*That he develop his God-given gifts for God's glory

*That he makes wise choices

*That he surrounds himself with good friends

*That he defends the defenseless

*That his heart will burn to reach the lost for Christ

*That he have a love for knowledge and do his best in academic pursuits

*That he would develop a love for music and learn to play an instrument

*That he keeps laughing and enjoying life

*That he will always stay close to his mother

*That he looks out for his older sister and younger brothers

*That he finds a great Christian girl someday and has a family of his own

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is Pastor Appreciation month.

I want to give thanks today for Pastor Matt (PCC's youth pastor) and Pastor Ronnie (PCCs Creative Arts Pastor). These guys are hard working, loyal and incredibly gifted men of God. I'm blessed to be able to have them on my team and partner with me in reaching the Poconos for Christ.

All you PCCers please be sure to send them a note of thanks and a word of encouragement this month. They give so much of themselves to this work.

I'm also incredibly grateful to lead Pocono Community Church. There is no place I'd rather be and no people I'd rather lead than PCC. I love our church.

Book Recommendation

My friend Nelson Searcy's new book, Ignite, is an excellent read on creating a culture of evangelism in your church. Nelson is a master at systematizing just about anything. In Ignite, he's done it again by presenting a full orbed evangelism system for your church.

Ignite is packed with practical insight on how to reach out with Christ's love through servant evangelism, big days to break growth barriers and much more.

Congrats again, Nelson, on your new book. I know its helping tons of pastors out there just like it helped me and PCC.

Winners & Losers

A Winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn something

from them; a Loser resents those who are superior and rationalizes their

achievement.

A Winner explains; a Loser explains away.

A Winner says, "Let's find a way; a Loser says, "There is no way."

A Winner goes through a problem; a Loser tries to go around it.

A Winner says, "There should be a better way to do it"; a Loser says,

"That's the way it's always been done."

A Winner shows he's sorry by making up for it; A Loser says, "I'm sorry,"

but does the same thing next time.

A Winner knows what to fight for and what to compromise on; a Loser

compromises on what he shouldn't, and fights for what isn't worth fighting

about.

A Winner works harder than a loser, and has more time; a Loser is always

"too busy" to do what is necessary.

A Winner is not afraid of losing; a Loser is secretly afraid of winning.

A Winner makes commitments; a Loser makes promises.

The Skunk Test

Apparently a skunk got ran over on main street in our little town of Mount Pocono. Poor critter. I drove over the road kill wreckage on my way to the gym Monday morning. Not a pleasant smell at 6am in the morning - well, anytime for that matter. The nasty aroma of this furry creature known for its stinkyness while alive (much worse once dead) wafted into my car and about made me toss my cookies. Working out makes me nauseous enough. I don't need any help from a dead skunk.

That was four days ago. On my way to the gym today the skunk still laid in the middle of the road. I thought the township crews that have been working right on main street all week would have got rid of the skunk by now. Here's to wishful thinking. I can only assume that "road kill removal" wasn't part of their job description.

This got me to thinking, "how often do we do the same thing in our churches or homes or office complexes all the time." We walk by trash without picking it up. We walk by people without a greeting them and looking for an opportunity to make them feel comfortable in church. We tell our kids who are desperate for our attention, "Not now, later." We walk by the nursery or other ministry area that is understaffed and we say, "That's not on my job description ... That's not my ministry." Meanwhile, whether we realize it or not, our environment stinks. But we are so consumed with our own little world we don't even notice.

Jesus said, "go the extra mile." In other words, don't just do what's expected of you. Go beyond the requirements and expectation. Seek opportunities to serve even if it's not "in your gift mix." Take a cue from Rebekah in the Old Testament who handled a little road kill of her own - well, actually they were camels. But she did more than what was asked. It landed her a husband and put her in under God's favor and blessing. Yeah, roadkill may stink, but someone has to remove it. When you take that initiative you turn a selfishly foul smelling world into the sweet aroma God intended it to be all along.

Stress Less

So we are in this Financial Peace series and we're talking about how God wants to exchange our stress with His peace. Nothing will stress us out more than financial pressure and debt. There is no denying that this is a tough economy and a lot of people are feeling the pinch. That can lead to a ton of stress.

Here some recent things I discovered about stress.

• 43% of all Americans adults suffer stress-related adverse effects.
• 75-90% of all health care visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints and disorders.
• 1 million workers are absent each day for stress related complaints. That equals 25 billion lost work days annually. All because of stress.
• That’s why God doesn’t want you to live with stress. He wants you to experience his peace.

What are you stressing about today? Your financial situation? A relationship? A health issue? Focus less on your problems and more on the solution - Jesus. The Bible says, “God keeps in perfect peace, those whose minds are stayed on him.” Trust more. Stress less.

Sunday Night Reflections

Here are some thoughts on another great day at PCC.

• Financial Peace series is in full swing. Tons of people made solid commitments to become debt free, financially and spiritually.
• The Hezekiah Walker song at the end of service, "Faithful" was awesome. Thanks worship team for such inspiring worship.
• The media team did an awesome job today too. The video roll-in was stinkin' hilarious. Thanks for creating such a fun atmosphere at PCC.
• We are memorizing Hebrews 13:5, "Live your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have."
• God isn't into get-rich-quick schemes. The reality is the we didn't get into debt over night and we're not going to get out of it overnight. It's going to take time, sacrifice, hard work and a change of heart. But all things are possible with God.
• There is no true peace in life without Jesus in your life. He IS our peace.
• Many prayed to make peace with God by accepting God's debt cancellation plan - Jesus on the cross. Col. 2:14
• So excited about this series and what God is doing in our community groups this fall. So grateful to lead PCC. What a great church!

Men's Retreat

PCC has a great event coming up for ALL men THIS SATURDAY. It’s called ‘Discipleship Boot Camp’. This Discipleship Boot Camp will deliver the power and truth of relevant, life-changing, field tested ministry to men through the form of teaching and multi-media presentations.

It will take place Saturday, October 17th @ Brooklyn Tabernacle and the cost is only $30.00. That price includes your transportation & breakfast! You can register NOW by calling 839-3459. There are only a few spots available, so please act fast for this great time of fellowship and discipleship. The bus will leave at 5:30 AM.