Go to GoodSearch and Support our Church!

Here's an easy way to raise money for our church. Just start using Yahoo! powered Goodsearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search! In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, Goodshop.com, where you can shop at more than 2,600 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to Crossroads Community Church. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to your cause! You can also enroll in the Gooddining program. Eat at over 10,000 participating restaurants nationwide and you can earn up to 6% of every dollar spent on the meal as a donation for our church. Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com/. In the "CAUSE" box, type the name of our church as "Crossroads Community Church - Athens" and you'll be set up to earn money for or church! You can also read about Goodsearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal. Thank you SO MUCH for helping our church raise money in this very simple way! ~Post by Kay Dillard

Coach vs. Critic

I have always loved watching the TV show called AMERICAN IDOL. I just saw a commercial advertising that the new season will start soon. When American Idol first started, Simon Cowell was one of the judges. When he didn't like a performance, he was very critical. Many times, his comments were arrogant, hateful, and hurtful. He was usually "right," in that if he said the contestant couldn't sing, most would agree. However, it was the WAY he said what he said that made it very offensive to me and to other viewers. I was glad when Simon left the show, but others have joined the show who have also said hurtful things to those who auditioned and performed. I always felt so sorry for them wondering have adversely those comments hurt them and affected their future. In between AMERICAN IDOL seasons, I have enjoyed watching THE VOICE. During a recent show, after a "judge" gave positive feedback to a singer, that person commented to his "judge" that he always said positive things. The "judge" replied: "My place is not to criticize you because I am not your judge. I am your coach, and I am here to teach and encourage you." After hearing that statement, I started thinking about the spiritual significance of those words. As Christians, we are not called to criticize others; we are called to teach and encourage them. That would apply to a variety of relationships: parent to child, spouse to spouse, employer to employee, etc. What would you rather be known as: a COACH or CRITIC? I think most of us would say COACH. Well, here's something to ponder: if we were on trial and the only evidence that was presented was our words and behaviors, would we be found guilty or innocent of being a COACH? Only if our actions are in line with God's will for our lives, would we be able to be found "guilty" of being a couch. Lord, cleanse my heart and mind, and help me to be a good teacher and encourager, uplifting your children, my brothers and sisters. ~Posted by Kay Dillard

THE KING AND PRINCE

I found a dog Tuesday... or did he find me? I was driving home. Traffic was at a standstill on both sides of Highway 53. As cars moved very slowly, I thought there must have been a wreck. When I arrived at the "scene," instead of being a wreck, there was a huge dog in the middle of the road trying to get someone to open a car door for him. No one else had helped this dog, so of course, I opened my door and let him in. Little did I know what I would experience simply by saving this dog. After unsuccessfully trying to locate the owner, I took the dog home. I put notices on FaceBook, Twitter, and in the local papers. My husband Mike also called the local veterinarians about this lost dog. As the night progressed, Mike and I started talking about keeping the dog if no one claimed him. Mike came up with a name for him: "Prince." The dog was so loving, so happy, so full of joy. He continually licked me in the face and on my hands and arms. Most people would not like that, but I loved it. It was as if he was trying to show me how glad he was that I found him. After I bathed him that night, he continued to give me sweet doggie kisses. It was really wonderful to be loved so deeply. The next morning, I stopped by a veterinary clinic to determine if he had a microchip that would identify his owner. He did. Instead of being glad, I felt a sudden sadness. I realized then that I was really, REALLY hoping to be able to keep this dog. Later that afternoon, the owner picked him up. After the owner took the dog home, I felt such a loss, such a void. As the afternoon went on, I couldn't stop thinking about him and our 24 hours together. When I saw that huge lost dog looking for someone to take him in, I wanted to save him. Then I started thinking... I wanted to save a dog; God desires to save a lost world. I loved it when that dog gave me sweet doggie kisses; God loves it when His children show Him how much we love Him. I experienced a loss when this dog left me; God is saddened when any of His children walk away from Him. Some would say that is it better not to love at all if you end up losing that love. Others would say that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I tend to agree with the latter line of thought. I'm glad I rescued this precious, loving animal. I'm glad that he was in my life, even if just for one day. Time spent with him reminded me that our Lord desires all to be saved and is overjoyed when even one who was lost comes to know and love Him. There is NO LOVE that compares to the Father's love for us... Absolutely none. I haven't mentioned the dog's name. The owner told me his name is PRINCE. I smile at the "coincidence" that the name we were thinking of giving him was actually his real name. It is a common name, though, if you think about it... each of us who is saved is a son or daughter of the Most High King which makes each of us a "Prince" or "Princess." I'll be praying that your master will always unconditionally love you and meet all your needs, Prince. I'm so very thankful that I can say My Master does that for me. ~Kay Dillard

I had an interesting phone call today. A person driving by our church was highly offended by our church sign and wanted to make sure I knew about it. This person is a stranger to me, and I don't know if our paths will ever cross again, but the conversation left me a little conflicted. I don't know how I feel about offending people. As Paul teaches in 1 Cor. 8, we should lay down our own freedoms if necessary in order not to offend. On the other hand, speaking the truth can be offensive to some -- even the cross is called "offensive" (1 Cor. 1:18-25). I'm going to change our church sign today, partly because I simply don't like offending people. (It is also time to change it, regardless of the situation.) Even if it takes a bit of creativity, I think it's possible to find an encouraging and uplifting message that also can make you think a little. Because in the end, that's why we have a church sign. We have a message that the world needs to hear! So, if you are the person who was offended by our church sign, please know that we didn't mean to offend. And thanks for noticing. To everyone else, you're dying to know what the sign said, aren't you? I guess that will have to be for a later blog. Pastor Chris

God-moments at the Movies

Don't you love those moments where God speaks to you when you least expect it? It happened to me just a few days before the kids started back to school -- we were watching a movie together, taking advantage of those dwindling nights without an early bedtime! I had redboxed (I hear that's the cool new term) the movie "Life of Pi," expecting it to be a family friendly, feel-good story. Secretly, I wondered how much I would enjoy 2 hours of a boy and a tiger on a boat! Little was I prepared for what I would experience. Not only was the movie visually beautiful, but it brilliantly set the stage for some deep exploration of faith. The Holy Spirit quickened me to research the popular response to the movie, and I was blown away by the comments that viewers were making about the movie. I wanted to jump into my computer screen and preach to them!! The response to "Life of Pi" exposed where many in this generation stand when it comes to matters of faith. We must enter the debate. We have to be willing to join the conversation. It is vital that we realize we have ALL of life's answers in Christ, and that our society desperately needs answers! Thus, "Finding God at the Movies" -- our new Wednesday night series -- was solidified in my spirit as our fall Bible study! And, boy, am I excited about it!! After our first couple of studies, I am so thankful for the input and excitement; there is a real buzz about Wednesday nights! So, if you love movies -- and love when the movies prompt God-moments -- come visit us on Wednesday nights at 7 PM all this fall! Starting in September: "Les Miserables" -- I can't wait!

How Long Will You Lie There? (Prov. 6:9)

I love to read and study my Bible at home when no one else is around. When is that? Well, when I was working as a school principal up until about 7 years ago, I had my devotionals from 4:00 - 5 or 5:30 am every day before I went to work. Then after I retired, I settled into a routine of starting them whenever I got up, usually around 9:00 am. That worked so well for me! Alone all day.... Mmmmm... It was so peaceful and I was totally in charge of my time. But, nowadays, it's a challenge. First, my husband Mike is retired now, too, so he is at home a lot and likes to get up early. One thing that is to my advantage, though, is Mike is a pastor, too, so he likes to go to his downstairs office to read the Word, study, and pray several times a day. Me? I like to sit on the recliner side of my den couch, spread out my journals, Bibles, and other resources, and read/study while our little 3 year old girl "Prissy" sits beside me on my left and a good cup of coffee sits on the end table to my right. Over the past three years, I've had some additional challenges to my time and to my life. From Dec. 2010 - Dec. 2012, I battled stage 3 breast cancer. I'm cancer-free now and I give God all the glory and all the praise for healing my body and for giving me a BRAND NEW PERSPECTIVE about what is really important in life. The next big challenge came ten months later when Mike and I both were blessed to be able to bring my 90 year old mom home to live with us. What a huge blessing! Also, what a huge lifestyle change and challenge to my time! Finding ALONE TIME to pray, read, and study became a greater challenge now than ever before. This past week seems to have been "peak season" for tugs on my time. My dear husband and his brother have been spending a lot of time together over the past couple of weeks... a blessing and an answer to prayer for which we are both very grateful! Sometimes Mike and his brother are out of town tonight (like right now). Of course, the more Mike is away, the more challenged I am to keep "the main thing the main thing...," i.e., to keep a regular and significant devotional time. This morning, Mike wasn't home and my mom was still asleep, so it would have been the perfect time for me to get up early and enjoy an extended quiet time/devotions. But, I was lazy. Instead, I woke up and stayed in bed thinking about how wonderful my pillow-top mattress felt. Then after my brain woke up a little more and the gears started turning, I began to think about everything I wanted to accomplish today... and yes, "quiet time with The Lord" was on that mental list. However, what did I choose to do? I decided to keep enjoying my comfortable bed, pick up my phone, and check communications to me via texts, emails, and FaceBook. After about an hour of that, I decided to get up and spend what time was "left over" before my mom got up. Bad, right? Just wait... I knew Pastor Morris' sermon tomorrow was going to be based on Proverbs 6, so after getting settled on the couch with my Bible and my big cup of coffee, I started reading. I got a spiritual "wake up call" when I got to verse 9 which reads: "How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?" Wow... I stopped and focused on that verse for a while, obviously thinking about how long I laid around in bed this morning during the perfect "primetime" for daily devotionals. Boy, was I surprised! But, why? Don't I ALWAYS expect to hear from God every single time I pray, read His Word, etc.? Ouch... My first "emotion" was guilt, but I quickly kicked it away and got excited. Weird? Not for me... I got excited because I know that The Lord disciplines those He loves (Deut. 8:5; Prov. 3:12; Heb. 12:6). Guilt is from Satan; CONVICTION is from The Lord. I want conviction... and I need His discipline. I thought back to an important lesson I learned from a dear pastor friend of mine years ago: your priorities are not what you SAY they are OR what you THINK they are... Your priorities are what you DO. In other words, at the beginning of each day, you may say, "My priorities are A, B, and C"... but at the end of the day, if you DID "X, Y, and Z," then THOSE THINGS --X, Y, and Z-- WERE YOUR PRIORITIES. You CHOSE to do those things in light of everything. I've had the wonderful opportunity to spend some beautiful quality time with The Lord both this morning and this afternoon while my mom rested. I'm just like all of us... I'm human... and that means I'm challenged, regardless of my circumstances and daily responsibilities, to TAKE TIME to spend quiet time with The Lord. Notice I said TAKE time and not MAKE time. I can't MAKE time... Only God makes time, and He made 24 hours in my day which is the same amount of time He made in each of our days. But even thought I can't MAKE time to do what is truly important, I can certainly decide, plan, and TAKE TIME to do those things. After all, at the end of each day, when I reflect back on what I actually DID, then and only then will I know my true priorities. Then and only then, will I truly know whether or not the day was truly well spent... And whether or not I am putting FIRST THINGS FIRST. Blog written by Kay Dillard

Just One Touch of His Hem

Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43 

If you missed our worship service on June 9, you missed an inspirational interpretive dance of the song entitled "One Touch."    You can find it on YouTube at 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slixOo1yh_E&feature=youtu.be '

  

The song illustrates the Biblical story of a sick, anonymous woman who suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years, which rendered her legally unclean.  She wanted to be healed.  She desired to throw herself at the feet of Christ and tell Him what she needed.   However, because she was deemed "unclean" and because of the crowd surrounding Jesus as He was walking by her, close contact with Him was almost impossible.  Therefore, desperate to be healed, she pressed in and hoped that, without being noticed, she might simply touch the hem of His garment. Who was this woman with such a powerful faith? 

As soon as she touched the hem of His garment, she was healed.   When the woman touched Christ’s garment, He felt that “virtue had gone out of Him.”   He turned around and asked, “Who touched me?” The disciples were surprised at Jesus asking such a question, given the crowd of people that day.  It was no surprise that her touch went unnoticed by most everyone else.  After all, she was one of many who touched the Master that day as he walked down the street.  The difference was this:  

one touch of faith could not be hidden from Him. 

A strength she had not known for 12 years renewed her physical body... and she knew that it was Christ who had made her well.  

The crowd who listened to her confess to Jesus that it was she who touched Him also heard the Savior say,  "Daughter, your faith has saved you...  go in peace.”  

What aspect of your life troubles you today?  Perhaps you've been ill for quite a long time, as the lady in this story had been.  Maybe you're experiencing unhappiness in your marriage or strife within your relationship with a friend or family member.  Could it be that financially, you are experiencing difficulty?  Whatever it is in your life that overwhelms you, just one touch from your Savior could change your circumstances... maybe even change your life forever.   Press in...don't be shy... don't worry about others... Don't worry about your illness... Reach out and with just ONE TOUCH, invite the Master to heal you!

       Matthew 9:20-22

       New International Version (NIV)

        ²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and 

       touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

        ²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said,“your faith has healed you.” And the 

       woman was healed at that moment.

      

Touch His Hem for what you need today!

~Kay Dillard

Decisions, decisions, decisions!  Right now, I'm facing some tough decisions.  They're not fun ... they cause stress ... and I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend I don't have to face the hard decisions. 

Ever been there?  Join me this Sunday morning as we explore God's Word on the matter in a sermon called "Bad Advice."  Want to read ahead?  Check out 1 Kings 12 and 13!

See ya then!

Pastor Chris

Life-Changing Praise or Worship Songs

What Praise or Worship song has touched your life dramatically? One song that has recently made a difference in my life is "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North. If you haven't heard it, listen to it and let me know what you think.

What song has been inspirational to you lately? I'm looking forward to reading your posts!

-Kay Dillard,
Crossroads Community Church

FATHERS DAY at Crossroads Community Church

We welcome you to visit Crossroads Community Church in Athens, GA this coming Sunday.  It's FATHERS DAY and we will be recognizing all Fathers.

In addition, we have a special speaker, Bob Armstrong, who will be delivering the message.

As always, Pastor Chris Bailey and our Praise Team will lead us in worship with amazingly inspirational contemporary music.

For further information, visit www.crossroadsathens.com, email us at crossroadschurchoffice@charter.net or call our church office at 706-543-4650.

We hope to see you Sunday!  Come as you are.
~ Kay Dillard

Hello, everyone!

This is the NEW blog for Crossroads Community Church in Athens, GA. 

We'd love to let everyone know that we are having Vacation Bible School this week and YOU are invited to come!  The flyer below gives you the information you need. 

If you have any questions, you may call our church at 706-543-4650.  Hope to see you tonight!