24 12, 2018

The Incarnation…a post by Rich

By |2018-12-24T16:45:31-05:00December 24th, 2018|Advent, Beauty, Body, Emmanuel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, Incarnation, Particularity, Relational Design, Trinity|1 Comment

As we turn our minds and hearts to the birth of our Savior this Christmas season we are reminded again of the significance of the Son of God’s incarnation. The descent of God in assuming human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ is history’s game changer.  Malcolm Muggeridge expresses it this way, "Thanks to the great mercy and marvel of the Incarnation, the cosmic scene is resolved into a human drama. God reaches down to relate himself to man, and man reaches up to relate himself to God. Time looks into eternity and eternity into time, making now always

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17 12, 2018

Baking Christmas Cookies…a post by Joy

By |2018-12-17T15:01:52-05:00December 17th, 2018|Advent, Community, Emmanuel, Fear, Future, Grace, Living in the now, Matthew 19:13-14, Now, Waiting|2 Comments

Baking and decorating cookies is a Christmas tradition that I have done with my children, my grandson, my great nieces here for Thanksgiving, and with other children throughout the years. Connecting with my own “inner child” while making cookies with the children brings a lot of delight to me. It’s wonderful that God created us with the ability to be child-like at times. It’s a way that we  can  “step into” exemplifying that part of Christ. Amazingly, God chose to send His son into the world as an infant to live and experience the life of being a child before growing

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18 12, 2017

Ornaments of Christ…a post by Joy

By |2017-12-18T20:35:19-05:00December 18th, 2017|Advent, Beauty, Character, Community, Gift, Gifts, Grace, Holy Spirit, Particularity, Presence|1 Comment

One of our family traditions when we are able to be together at Thanksgiving is to go to a Christmas tree farm the following day, go on the “hayride” tractor to choose the tree, then 1-2 members of the family collaborate to cut down the tree. Hot apple cider is usually served at the farm, then we head home to “trim the tree.” Hanging the ornaments on the tree is a reminder of life that we have lived together for each has a particular meaning or memory attached to it.   Glass ornaments that are from one of our grandparents’

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11 12, 2017

The Waiting Game, an Advent Reflection…a post by Jim

By |2017-12-11T16:44:01-05:00December 11th, 2017|Advent, Emotions, Listening, Silence, Waiting|0 Comments

What is the proper etiquette for how much time it should take to answer a text? An email? Snail mail? What about a voice mail? Seems like response time is shortening in our culture. If I send a text I can wonder what is up if a person doesn’t get back to me within 60 seconds! At most an email shouldn’t take longer than a day before I get a reply. Last week was the first week of Advent, the days before Christmas day when we do our best to prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord.

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4 12, 2017

Advent and the Particularity of God’s Love…a post by Rich

By |2017-12-04T17:24:46-05:00December 4th, 2017|Advent, Beauty, Faith, Grace, Heb 1:3, Humility, John 14:9, John 8:12, Letting Go, Particularity, Romans 5:8, Surrender, Trust|1 Comment

The season of Advent is upon us and as Christians we turn our hearts in preparation for the coming celebration of the birth of the Messiah, our Savior. A theme we often attended to here at CrossPoint is the particularity of God’s love. Thomas Oden considered the incarnation the “scandal of particularity.” God in his wisdom makes himself know to us in and through a very particular Jewish man. But there is more to the scandal than God simply making himself know in Jesus. The crux of the scandal is that this Jewish man, with a real family history

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28 11, 2017

Thank God for God in you…a post by Tom

By |2017-11-28T18:28:40-05:00November 28th, 2017|Advent, Community, Grace, Thanksgiving|0 Comments

This Sunday kicks off the first week of advent.   It seems like we just downed the last of the leftover turkey and now we are wading into Christmastide! This holiday season there are ample opportunities to be thankful. We can be thankful for all kinds of things such as material possessions, health, relationships, and the simple pleasures of life. However, the Apostle Paul begins his letter with a hearty thanks for God’s operative work of grace in the lives of those he cares about in Corinth. Paul is thankful for the God he sees at work in his loved

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21 12, 2016

Merry Christmas from CrossPoint…a post by Rich

By |2016-12-21T05:33:24-05:00December 21st, 2016|Advent, Community, Relational Design, Sacramental Perspective, The Relational Soul, Trinity, Trust|1 Comment

We at CrossPoint Ministry wish you all a very Merry Christmas. In a world polarized by and riddled with fear there is no greater message than of the one who is called “Immanuel” God with us. The Christmas story is magnificent in many ways. The angelic announcement to the shepherds of “good news of great joy,” the noble humility of Mary and her words “let it be to me according to your word,” and Joseph’s dream marked by the angelic voice saying, ‘She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his

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12 12, 2016

Giver of Gifts…a post by Joy

By |2016-12-12T02:27:56-05:00December 12th, 2016|Advent, Gift, Thanksgiving, Waiting|1 Comment

As far as the eye can see, people across the world are experiencing the Advent Season as a time of waiting. Waiting in line for seasonal cups of coffee, waiting in the check -out lane with the newest toy or electronic gadget, waiting for gifts to arrive in the mail on time, and waiting for the beautiful Christmas Eve service that ushers in the dawn of another Christmas day celebration. It seems that “waiting” is just as much a part of the Christmas season as all the other events. In fact, maybe having to wait is actually a gift

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29 11, 2016

60 Years Gratitude and Thanksgiving…a post by Jim

By |2016-11-30T01:18:06-05:00November 29th, 2016|Advent, Gratitude, Self-Clarity, Thanksgiving|1 Comment

This past weekend was as special time for me and my family. My son and his wife and son (my grandson!) as well as daughter came home for Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful day together. But the weekend also included another very special occasion. My wife celebrated her birthday for the 60th time! Consequently, there was another special meal with lots of cake! Besides the obvious reasons for expressing thanksgiving motivated by a sense of deep gratitude I was reminded of God’s faithfulness through the years. Specifically, my birthday gift to Joy was a slide presentation of her 60

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30 11, 2010

Surprised by the Shepherds

By |2014-11-17T19:32:33-05:00November 30th, 2010|Advent|0 Comments

Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, the 4 weeks of preparation for the celebration of the coming of Jesus. Luke 2 records the appearance of angels to shepherds who, in turn, told everyone who would listen what they had heard and seen. Using shepherds as the first spokespersons of the One who brings peace on earth is instructive. Meditating on the implications serves to prepare our hearts in Advent. Two things surprise me about the shepherds being God's choice to 'advertise' the coming of the Savior. First, shepherds were the last group in that society who would be

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