As I pause, get quiet, and put it all in perspective: the good, the bad, the comfortable, the uncomfortable, I cannot help but conclude that Father God is at work bringing all things into His purpose and will for my life.  I can't really tell you the exact time and place when I stepped into this phase where I am trusting Father, but lately I have noticed a distinctness that is emanating from deep within.  I now see how faith, which is granted from the Father, is important to living as Disciples of Christ.  As the bible teaches, it is impossible to please God without faith.  Moreover, with faith, you and I can speak to mountains and command them to move and they have to obey (Mark 11:22).  It is good to know this truth.  Believe me, over the years I have had many opportunities to speak to mountains in my life.  However, here recently I experienced the need to trust God while living this life. 

Over the years while having faith to speak to mountains in my life, I was still frustrated deep within by the fact that there were so many mountains and "why so many?" They seemed to have no contextual significance in my life, just roadblocks by satan (small "s") or so I thought.  However, as I mature, I know that Father God is Sovereign and all things in my life are working within His scope to bring me where He wants me to be.  In other words, He is using it all.  My trials do have context to my life.  God is producing His character in me.  God is establishing His mindset with every difficulty.

Therefore, I don't waste energy and time pondering about why I am in uncomfortable situations, or why this or that.  I am learning to trust Him when:

• People come in or out of my life;
• In hardship or in ease;
• People applaud me or speak against me;
• In success or in failure;
• In plenty or in lack;
• I am sure or not sure.

What I am saying is this, "I trust Father God" because He said He would never leave me, nor forsake me. (Hebrew 13:5)

Finding a Needle in a Haystack

by Pastor Edward Welch II

            We're in a world where there are many false gods and this world is set up in a way that teaches our youth to worship them.  Whether its fashion and keeping up with the latest trends, money and greed, the opposite (or sometimes the same) sex and lust, or fame and the famous, our youth are bombarded with lies on a day-to-day basis.  Finding the real God and His truth can sometimes seem like finding a needle in a haystack.  This is why our youth ministry at Crossroads International House of Worship (CIHOW) is called Reality Check.

 In a generation where just about everybody claims to "keep it real", our job is to help them find and see for themselves what really is real.  Our youth hear music everyday that boasts about greedy and promiscuous lifestyles and these same rappers and singers claim to speak the truth.  Our goal is to point them to the Word of God for absolute truth.  We want them to see the truth that will stand in any situation and is consistent through every generation.  We don't attempt to hide them from the world they live in.  In fact, we dive into it.  We dive into the world and check it for reality by using the Word of God.

            Sometimes even in the most obedient child there is a disconnection in their knowledge of the scripture and their mentality and how they react when confronted by the world.  In Reality Check Youth Ministry, we aim to create a safe atmosphere where the rubber meets the road, where scripture meets their personal philosophy, and head knowledge connects to the activity of their limbs.  We don't want to hear the "church answer" in our meetings.  We want to see The Church activated in their lives.  We aren't satisfied with memorized scripture.  Our goal is to help them understand the Godly principles behind the scriptures and apply them to day-to-day life.

            Being a youth can be a tricky stage in life and each youth has to make a decision about what he or she will believe.  They dive into the "haystack" called life everyday.  So, our aim is to grab some hay and expose its true worth and then present the "needle" and remind them that this is what they are really looking for.

Crossroad's Big Back to School Bash

By:  Bria Martin

     Crossroads Ministry had its first annual Back-to-School celebration on Saturday, August 11 at Pastor Joe Jackson's home.  The celebration was to "jump start" children in the community as the first days of school approached and included giving out school supplies in which the children will need throughout the school year.  In addition to the overwhelming amount of supplies that were donated and given out, were all the makings of a big "family" picnic.  Despite the scorching heat, the children and adults were kept entertained with space jumps, music, good food, water guns, snow cones and just a whole lot of Back-to-School fun.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34

This is exactly what CrossRoads International House of Worship (CIHOW) has done:  taken up its cross and followed Christ.  CIHOW has been having evening worship service every Sunday at the Quality Inn and Suites on Ellis Avenue and it has truly been a time where our cup has been overflowing.  Sunday after Sunday has been filled with intense worship and life-changing teachings.  You can sense the awesome Spirit of God when you walk in the building.  Pastor Joe Jackson is a man of God who emphasizes bringing people to the reality and presence of God. Continue Reading...