Archive for June, 2008
June 30, 2008
Yesterday was a great day at Crossroads.
Here are some of the highlights: (1) A lady named Beverly gave her testimony, telling how God has worked in her many struggles to keep her close to Him; (2) A powerful video called “This Hand” was played to commemorate the communion service [you can check it out at www.sermonspice.com search for "this hand"]; (3) I preached (which is always a highlight, ha!) on Psalm 23:3 which you can check out at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html; (4) a lady named Sue was baptized at the conclusion of the service; and (5) we had a ”Chili Cook-Off” as a fundraiser for students going to church camp. It really was a great day—very powerful, very moving.
Serveral of our regular attendees were gone, but we continue to have lots of guests and returning guests, so that helps weekly attendance. With some extra outside support and special fund-raising we finished the month in the “black” which we haven’t done in several months, and we ate into our deficit a bit, which is also good. We received a really nice e-mail from some first-time guests yesterday afternoon that was very complimentary of Crossroads and indicated that they intended to make Crossroads their church home—which is awesome. And a man named Bill pulled me aside after church to tell me he was ready to be baptized into Christ and wanted to do it next week while his mother visited from out of town—again, awesome!
This weekend we also had Duane and Jean, some of our old friends (old in age and kind), visit us. It was so good to visit, reminisce, and encourage one another. Also, the high school youth group came to our house for the evening to swim and have fun (about 15-20 students in all). So, it was an exhaustive yet exciting weekend. The Lord’s blessing was evident this weekend and now we’re looking forward to another great week.
I hope that the Lord’s blessing will be evident in your lives, this week, as well!
Posted in church, religion | Tagged Communion, crossroads christian church, Joliet IL, matt summers, Sermon Spice, Testimony | 1 Comment »
June 23, 2008
A few weeks ago my wife, an RN, had an accident at work.
She was giving a shot when she accidentally stuck the needle through her patient’s arm, and into her own hand. Yes, that’s right, stuck with a dirty needle.
In the nursing field this is not a good thing. Both the nurse and the patient go for immediate blood tests—looking for various diseases in both the nurse and the patient that might be passed from one to the other such as HIV, Hepatitis, STDs, etc. Luckily for my wife, her patient was an 80 year old lady in pretty good health except for diabetes.
However, there was some unexpected news. When the doctor was explaining my wife’s blood test results he asked, “Did you know you were pregnant?”
“What?”
“Congratulations, you’re pregnant!”
“Are you kidding?”
“No kidding, Mrs. Summers, you’re pregnant.”
So, that’s the accident; and let me tell you, it was a big one! But accidents are often blessings in disguise. And so we are praising the Lord for this one.
PS: She is more than 12 weeks along and is due January 4th…, but I’m pushing for December 31st for tax purposes! January 7th would be okay too.
Posted in Family | Tagged accident, pregnant, surprise | 8 Comments »
June 20, 2008
Depending on your political persuasion you might have some highly respectful nicknames to describe our President or you might have some rather negative ones that reveal your dissatisfaction. But how about this nickname: SHEPHERD? As in the “The president is my shepherd.” Sound strange? Is the president’s job to lead, protect, and defend our people?
I have fond memories of my high school football coach, Brit Williams. He was a good man and a good coach. He protected our players and equipped us success. He knew us personally and took an interest in each of our lives. He spent countless ours teaching us. he commanded our respect. And for some players who were less fortunate he even helped provide for basic needs. When I was playing high school football I could have said: “The coach is my shepherd.”
Of course I cannot forget my parents. They provided for my needs growing up. Did they make mistakes? Sure. But they fed me, they led me, they loved me, they educated me, they clothed me, they protected me, they sheltered me, they nurtured me, they guided me, and they kept my best interests in mind. Growing up I could have said: “My parents are my shepherds.”
But what did the poet/king David mean in Psalm 23 when he penned the famous words: The Lord is my Shepherd? That’s the question that we’ll begin to answer this weekend in a new sermon series entitled “The Shepherd: A Brief Study of the 23rd Psalm.” You are welcome to listen to this sermon series at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html, starting 6/27/08.
Posted in Politics, church, religion | Tagged Coach, crossroads christian church, Joliet IL, matt summers, Parenting, President, Psalm 23, Psalm 23:1-2, Shepherd, Shepherding, the Lord is my Shepherd | Leave a Comment »
June 17, 2008
Sunday was Father’s Day. And it was a great day in that we celebrated Fatherhood. We began the service with a Letterman-esque Top Ten List on being a Husband/Father; a Crossroads Partner named Bob led a communion meditation that discussed God as our perfect Father who gave up His son for us; I preached a sermon on Excellence in Fatherhood from Genesis 21-24 (listen at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html); and we ended the service with a challenge and blessing for fathers. It was Father’s Day.
It was also the end of a sermon series called “Almost Famous Families” that was received really well. We preached two sermons on parenting, two sermons on marriage, and a sermon on staying faithful to God as a family. I think it was one of the better Family Series I have preached. We had lots of good responses, all sermons on CDs disappeared from the welcome center, and it was evident that the Holy Spirit used this series to instruct and convict.
What has surprised me in this process is the lack of understanding about healthy families. After talking with the folks each week it occurred to me how very messed up so many families in our sphere of ministry really are—probably more so than what is common in mid-western, bible-belt America (which I am used to). I’m just trying to communicate God’s high-standard for family with God’s grace toward those who seek Him and still fail. It’s a fine line.
Attendance was just OKAY. It has dropped a bit since Memorial Day, which I guess should be expected since it’s Summertime and since we have such a high percentage of unChurched people who attend Crossroads. I haven’t heard our numbers for offering, but it has been a bit low for the last six weeks or so. We do have some big expenses coming up rather quickly, starting this week with the construction crew fixing/working on our parking lot.
Also, we have two ladies who are going to be baptized into Christ this week—which is very exciting. I am getting ready to start a new series this week from Psalm 23 called The Shepherd. We have an Outreach Event this weekend at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life which is a nationwide fund-raiser for cancer research. We are going to give about 1000 bottles of cold water to all those walking the Relay. We also have a kid’s ministry event at Splash Station. Soooo, it’s going to be a very busy week.
But I’m looking forward to seeing God at work in our church and in people’s lives. He is awesome!
Posted in Family, church, religion | Tagged crossroads christian church, Father's Day, Joliet, monday morning quarterback | 1 Comment »
June 13, 2008
The Andy Griffith Show is one of the all-time great television situational comedies. It first aired from 1960 to 1968 and spent much of that time in the top ten in the Nielsen Ratings. And in the 40 years since its final episode it has never been off the air, still playing in syndication to this day.
I, for one, still enjoy watching Deputy Barney Fife bumble and stumble his way around Mayberry. And I still laugh when Otis (the town drunk) checks himself into the County Jail on Saturday nights to detoxify. I still get a kick out of Goober pumping gas for the locals while listening to the latest gossip. And I still appreciate Sheriff Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, who successfully balances his duties as a citizen, his career as a police officer, and (most importantly) his responsibilities as a dad.
In playing the part of Sheriff Taylor, Griffith really does offer a positive image of fatherhood. And that is sorely needed in a culture that often disregards the importance of dads. Just about every modern day television show portrays the dad as aloof, irrational, goofy, and unnecessary (apparently we’re all just another Homer Simpson waiting to happen). Meanwhile the consensus of sociological research indicates just the opposite: the importance of fatherhood cannot be understated. Therefore, we need positive images of fatherhood more than ever.
In the Bible we find many wonderful images of fatherhood—none more important than the imagery of God as our perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing Father who is full of grace and truth. And in Genesis 21-24 we discover another positive image of fatherhood as we examine the relationship between father Abraham and his son Isaac.
This Sunday we’ll be studying their relationship; learning that Abraham was an excellent father to Isaac in that (1) he cherished his child; (2) he protected his child from predators; (3) he led his child to love the Lord; and (4) he helped his child make healthy choices.
And we’ll also make several points of application such as: we need to (1) set high moral standards for our kids; (2) constantly communicate them to our kids; (3) help our kids achieve the standards by being involved in their lives; and (4) restore our kids when they fail to achieve our (and God’s) standards.
You can listen to this Sunday’s sermon beginning June 17 at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html. It should be a challenging message for all the dads out there this Father’s Day.
Note: I must thank my dad, Tom Summers, for making such a positive impact on my life, and for doing his best to be a good dad, then and now. Growing up, my friends were always jealous of me for having such a thoughtful, wise dad. I’m sure this particular father’s day weekend (and birthday) is difficult for him—but we love him dearly and are praying for him. And, truly, I am blessed to be his son. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!
Posted in Family, church, culture, religion | Tagged Abraham, Abraham and Isaac, Andy, Andy and Opie, Father's Day, father's day sermon, fatherhood, Genesis 21, Genesis 22, Genesis 23, Genesis 24, importance of fatherhood, Isaac, Mayberry RFD, Rebekah, Sarah, The Andy Griffith Show | 1 Comment »
June 11, 2008
For the past 30 years the American Church has waged a hard fought battle against the progress (or decline?) of American Culture. Lobbying for elections, picketing for social reform, developing coalitions such as the Christian Right, producing ultra-conservative news shows like the 700 Club, rallying most Bible-believing Christians to one Grand Old Party, etc., etc., etc. The intent (I think good) was to keep the American cultural basically Christian in values and morality. There was probably another intent to use the American Government as a platform for spreading Christian ideas throughout the world (probably not so good!). Of course, all this has resulted in increasing polarization and hatred between the conservative Christians and the liberal Secularists. Thus, “Culture War.”
As a conservative Christian leader, several things are evident to me: (1) the Christian Right didn’t really fight the good fight; (2) the GOP wanted Christian votes but not so much Christian values; and (3) the Culture War is coming to an end and social entropy seems to be the victor.
Interestingly enough, the Bible never sanctions Christians as “Culture Warriors.” Instead God tells us to “Pray for kings and all those in authority so that you may live quiet lives,” in 1 Timothy 2:1-2. And more importantly commissioning us, not to affect elections, but to affect eternity for as many Souls as possible by making Disciples (Christ-followers) by “Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” in Matthew 28:19-20.
Jud Wilhite of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas writes: “The perception of hypocrisy emerges when we start fighting the “culture war”—meaning we attack people’s behavioral patterns rather than love them as people. Or we lobby to legislate morality. In Las Vegas, where I live, the culture war is over. We lost. Let me repeat: we lost. Now our calling is to love and accept people one-on-one, caring for them where they are. Our role is subversive as we carry the light and love of Jesus into the casinos, clubs, and streets of our city. We’re trying to flip the perception of hypocrisy by being honest and straightforward about our faults and our hope for transformation in Jesus. And we’re joining our community in a different culture war—one that attacks poverty, crime, addiction, and pain. We are active in helping the homeless, we’ve declared war on child hunger in the Vegas valley, and we are showing our faith by our actions, even if imperfectly” (UnChristian, David Kinnaman, 61-62).
As I see our culture in decline I am agreeing more and more with Jud Wilhite. It seems the culture war is lost. Which I suppose is okay because we can finally get focused on the more important thing: recovering people for God!
Posted in Politics, church, culture, religion | Tagged Poverty, conservative, republican, democrat, liberal, secular, matt summers, culture war, Christian right, Christian Coalition, Jud Wilhite, GOP, legislate morality, recovery | 1 Comment »
June 9, 2008
It’s official. Another Sunday is in the books. Everything at Crossroads seems to be positively progressing.
Attendance was down yesterday, but with severe weather in the forecast and Nascar at the Chicagoland Speedway, just down the road, I suppose it was to be expected. We seem to be hitting an ebb and flow of attendance where we work our way into the 200’s in attendance for 4 to 6 weeks and then we drop to 175 or so for two months. Then we build back up and then we drop down. It is no doubt related to space, and cramped space at that. We are very much looking forward to the launch of multiple services this fall—that should alleviate the ebb and flow of attendance.
Financially, we are still keeping our head above water, although May was a really poor month. We received about ten thousand dollars less than we spent. And with several large, unbudgeted needs arising we are simply trusting the Lord to provide for us through some generous Benefactor(s). Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised at the giving at Crossroads, and then after a weak month I am reminded that our church is comprised of mostly un-churched people. But I’m not complaining. Reaching out to un-churched people is precisely why we exist.
I preached a sermon called “Forbidden Love: The Story of David and Bathsheba.” Which was a bit provocative, but was received well. We learned part of David and Bathsheba’s story (2 Samuel 11-12); we learned several important ideas about healthy marriage from the Bible (Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Corinthians 7); and we planted some seeds for developing a godly worldview in our city and culture. One lady even asked if we could get her an expedited copy of the sermon on CD so that she could share it (and the outline) with her network of friends. That made my day! (www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html)
Also, we have 4 different adults who want to be baptized. But there seems to be no urgency for them as they want to have friends and family here to witness. I understand the desire to experience baptism in the presence of loved ones, but at the same time I see a sense of urgency in Scripture that corresponds with the extreme importance of baptism in God’s plan for the salvation of every person. (Note: One of these folks came into the Church office, shortly after I wrote this blog, to be baptized into Christ. PTL!)
All that being said, I see God at work in people’s lives and that lets me know that Crossroads is growing and developing into a healthy, bible-based, fellowship of people who are trying to get connected to God and to each other. It seems that we really are helping people live for, love, serve, and share Jesus.
Posted in church, religion | Tagged baptism, church, Crossroads Christian Church Joliet, David and Bathsheba, Jesus, live, love, matt summers, preaching, serve, share | Leave a Comment »
June 6, 2008
Al and Peg Bundy, from the 1980’s FOX sitcom Married with Children were probably the most dysfunctional television family couple since Ralph and Alice Kramden of The Honeymooners. They were awful at parenting, corrupt as people, horrible to their neighbors, and as selfish as they could be. Al was a deadbeat husband, Peg was a deadbeat mom, and their kids were a great big mess. Of all the famous television families, I cannot think of any that were more dysfunctional than the Bundy Family.
In fact, Married with Children was so offensive to my parents that it was banned from our household when I was growing up. First, the entire sitcom was really raunchy. Second, it portrayed traditional marriage as an awful thing. Third, the children were seen as a hindrance to a happy life. And fourth, it just didn’t fit with our family values. So Married with Children was strictly forbidden in our home and if we were caught watching it, well, there would be hell to pay.
But then again, if you want a good example of what not do do in a marriage, you might want to check out the Bundys—kind of like the marriage of King David and his mistress Bathsheba. Found in 2 Samuel 11-12, the story of David and Bathsheba is another one of those provocative, r-rated Bible stories. It’s a story of marital infidelity and forbidden love. And it’s one of those stories that you might want to check out if you want a good example of what not to do in marriage.
From the story we learn a number of mistakes and errors committed by David that led to his downfall: (1) he should have been working; (2) he shouldn’t have been looking; (3) he should have been listening to wise counsel; (4) he should have been confessing rather than covering; and (5) he shouldn’t have been surprised by God’s displeasure. The marriage of David and Bathsheba is a good example of what not to do!
But what does God want us to do? Or in other words, what is God’s vision for a healthy marriage? I’m going to preach on four elements this Sunday: (1) marriage is the union of one man and one woman for all time; (2) marriage is built for mutual encouragement; (3) marriage is built for mutual enjoyment; and (4) marriage is best when the couple is mutually submissive.
And if you want to listen to this sermon you can check it out at www.crossroadsofjoliet.org/listen.html. You can also listen to a song that corresponds with this sermon that Mick Murray, our Creative Arts Minister, wrote this week called “The Fall of David” at www.myspace.com/mickmurraymusic.
Posted in Family, church, culture, religion | Tagged 2 Samuel 11, Al Bundy, Alice Kramden, David and Bathsheba, divorce, healthy marriage, infidelity, marriage, Married with Children, mistress, Peg Bundy, Ralph Kramden, sermon, The Honeymooners | Leave a Comment »
June 3, 2008
Pagan is a word that has been used for centuries to describe unbelieving, secular, hedonistic, narcissistic people. It’s like a religious insult lobbed at those who operate outside of any religious community and therefore can be described as secular. In fact, pagan was an ancient word used to describe polytheistic people (people who believed in many gods). So, if you’re a Christian who ascribes to the “Shema” (Belief in only one God, the god of the Bible), you could not possibly be a pagan, right?
Think again and think hard.
Jesus said that His followers who “run after” food, clothing, and shelter have become “pagans” by serving two masters: (1) the God of the Bible and (2) the god called “Money,” and Jesus also said you cannot serve both (See Matthew 6:19-33). If you run after food, clothing, and shelter with a consumer’s passion you cannot possibly be a Christ-Follower. You might think you are a Christ-Follower but in fact you are a pagan.
In his book Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsh writes, “Consumerism is thoroughly pagan. Pagans run after (seek, desire, want; search for, look for) these things. Seen in this light, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover, Big Brother,and other lifestyle shows are the most pagan, and paganizing, shows on TV. Even the perennial favorites about renovating the house paganize us, because they focus us on that which so easily enslaves us. In these the banality of consumerism reaches a climax as we are sold the lie that the thing that will complete us is a new kitchen or a house extension, whereas in fact these only add more stress to our mortgages and our families” (p. 110-111).
In proper light then, how many of us are true Christ-Followers and how many of us are merely pagans? You decide.
Posted in Politics, church, culture, religion | Tagged Forgotten Ways, money, paganism, pagan, consumer, consumerism, worry, Jesus, polytheism, monotheism, shema, secular, narcissistic, Bible, Queer Eye, Extreme Makeover, Big Brother, Alan Hirsh, secularism | 2 Comments »
