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.

The group continues to be favorites in live concerts as well as on radio throughout the country. Their smash hit, I Can Pray, will be recognized at an upcoming BMI awards event as the most played song on southern gospel radio for 2008. The new record titled Hold On, will be released to retail on July 21st. Look for it at your favorite retailer or visit http://crossroadsmusic.com.

Pictured are: L-R Studio musicians Jeremy Medkiff, Tony Creaseman and David Johnson; group members Eric Dove, McCray Dove, David Hester; musician Danny Crawford; Executive Producer Chris White; group member Jerry Kelso

However, I was reading a daily devotion by Greg Laurie that was based upon Genesis 19:26. Greg Laurie wrote, “Who was Lot’s wife? We don’t really know a lot about her, not even her name. We assume that she met Lot in Sodom. We can safely conclude that Lot’s wife was not a believer. It’s clear she did not want to leave Sodom. She wanted to steal one last glance, and it cost her everything. The book of Genesis tells us what happened that day. While they were fleeing, she looked back and became a pillar of salt. When Jesus said to His disciples, ” ‘Remember Lot’s wife’ ” (Luke 17:32), it was a warning to not look back.

I do not want to forget about where I came from, or what I have accomplished over the years. Although, I have no desire to look back at or relive the pain, struggle or sin. We have reached the digital era, we are the microwave society, and my endeavor is not to be left behind, but to move forward to glorify Christ in all that I do. I love camping, and woodstoves, I still enjoy looking through my old cassettes and vinyl records dating back to grade school, junior high, high school, and college, but I also understand that there comes a time to press forward, and move into the new era. I praise God that I work for a company that strives to move forward as well. So listen to some sample clips, download a few items or drop by your local Christian retailer, and ask them for a Crossroads CD that Trav has sent them. Peace, Blessings, and Joy…

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.