Crossroads executive Chris White explains it this way: “Have you ever met a person who lives life challenged everyday by being confined in a wheelchair, walking on crutches, or struggling with debilitating disease, yet they are the first to offer a big smile and a ‘Praise God’? Many people living with these circumstances are prevented from living a normal life, yet their testimonies about God’s goodness to them shines through and brings joy to those of us who go through life without such constraints. When you meet someone like that, you stand there humbled and many times ashamed, because we often think our little trials in life are so big, when really they are nothing compared to what these people suffer with daily. In many cases, these people have needs in their lives covering a wide range of concerns. Maybe they need food. Maybe they need help paying their heating bill in cold winter months. Maybe it’s help paying for a medical device or, maybe they would enjoy a basket full of music they cannot afford to buy. We will focus on those that are ‘challenged,’ yet are the first to bring joy to others, through their positive approach to life with their smiles and their love for the Lord,” White concluded.

Here is the way the challenge will work. Crossroads is asking that if you know of an individual that fits the criteria described, please forward a short paragraph with this person’s story to challenge@crossroadsmusic.com. Each submission will be considered and a selection made each month. The selected beneficiary will be contacted and ask to tell the story of their plight. Crossroads will then publish the selection via a press release, so that thousands are exposed to their story. Each story will be posted at crossroadsmusic.com. Since needs will vary, Crossroads will ask the selected person to share what would benefit their lives the most, so that the company can provide help accordingly. If that person desires, Crossroads will publish their contact information so that anyone that wishes, can give something themselves, to these deserving individuals. Crossroads looks forward to blessing others…for being a blessing.

Please be as brief as possible with any submissions. Thank you.

Some of the Crossroads staff with toys going to the Toys for Tots campaign

Crossroads allowed me to partake in the Toys For Tots Campaign. Crossroads pulled together to help bring joy to several local children by donating gifts this year.

Again to see a company that would be so generous, and selfless is such a joy. The Word of God says in 1 John 3:16 (AMP) “ By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him].

Prayerfully all of these little ones are in homes with good Christian parents that have just been involved in a temporal setback. If not I pray that the setback sees their parents finding Christ through generous hearts this year, and move in Christ toward an ultimate comeback in Christ!

Being blessed and fortunate, I pray that we all would take the opportunity to make a small sacrifice in order to make a larger than life difference to someone in need. I want to thank God for His daily blessings, and lessons of love, and compassion through Crossroads.

May we all look to bless his name by blessing others… Merry Christmas to all!

This past week saw a few close friends, and members of the Crossroads Family and Community go home to be with the Lord. Jerry Salley’s father went home to be with Christ, Mrs. Shelia Heil’s mother also had her homegoing this past weekend.

I had two friends go home after a struggle with cancer the week before, and with each service it just doesn’t seem to get any easier.

Mr. Kelso did something that not many people would have the strength to do, and what no one could do without the Holy One! He not only spoke about his love for his son, but also sang ”To God Be The Glory,” and played the piano from his heart ever so graceful. Quite a few souls asked for prayer and professed to wanting that personal relationship with Christ at this service. It was a blessing!

I have heard people say at many services, “That they are sorry, and know it is hard to lose a loved one.” Some people simply say, “Good-bye.” I did not witness anyone say those things at Brandon’s service, but instead the pastor told the guest that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. With that knowledge we should know that you can’t be lost at anytime when you know Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that all of these saints (Brandon, Jerry’s father, and Ms. Shelia’s mother) are happy and eternally rejoicing now.

With that I will conclude with the thought of a young man at Brandon’s service using the Hebrew term that says it best…”Lehitra’ot!” The Hebrew term for “I will see you soon.”

To each family, we love you, and pray that God comforts you, and grants you peace through a difficult time.

Many of you are familiar with our friend Keena, who has opened her home to 8 foster teenagers and who has frequently posted her experiences on this site. She and the kids recently invited us to their home for Sunday lunch and they attended the Sunday night service we sang in that night.

At the end of the service, we all joined the congregation for a fellowship meal. (Have you noticed several of my stories involve food?! Hmm.) The church staff directed us to a reserved room. We discovered six young men sitting around a table. They offered to get up so that we, Keena and several of the kids could sit down, but we all ended up crowding around the table together.

As we got acquainted, these guys in their 20s began telling us about their lives. They live together with a group leader in a small house as part of a discipleship training program. They voluntarily participate in a strictly regimented schedule with Bible study and prayer as their main activities of the day. They shared their testimonies with us, stories of all different backgrounds of drug abuse, imprisonment, personal tragedy and emptiness. As they spoke, you could see a thousand questions arising in the foster kids’ minds.

The boys asked if they had to do push-ups. The girls asked how they had enough space for all their stuff. Then the real questions started.

“How did you get off the streets?”

“Do you miss being with your family?”

“Do you just pray and read the Bible all the time?”

As these kind young men told the kids how the Lord had changed their lives, you could see the light bulb coming on for the teens: They are just like us.

No matter who you are or where you’ve been, there is someone just like you who has already been there, someone who can show you where to go. That person may be “showing up” for you right now! Are you watching? Share that story with all of us here.

A small group of family and friends gathered around the grave on a cold Monday morning.  After we sang, I watched the faces of the grieving family as the pastors each spoke words of comfort.  They talked about her life, the kindness she showed to others, and what a faithful wife and mother she had been.  They also spoke about her faith in Christ and the fact that she knew she would spend eternity in heaven.

I couldn’t help but think, as I stood there, that this is what our lives come down to. Did we know and love Christ? Were we faithful? Did we love others? All of the accomplishments, recognition, accolades, and awards, we receive in this life, are for the moment, but how we lived our lives is what matters.

Steve’s father was a man of God, a minister of the Gospel. He was in the early stages of dementia, but he would witness every day to neighbors and anyone he came in contact with. Countless lives have been affected for Christ because of his faithful service.

Live life today to the fullest. Make every moment count for Christ and for those around you. As George Gaither, Bill’s dad, once said,” This is not a dress rehearsal.” We only have today. Make it count.

If you knew you only had one day to live, how would you spend it? Tell us what you would do differently.