http://bethcrosby.com/journal.cfm Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:40:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com http://bethcrosby.com/journal.cfm?feature=60351&postid=34564 “God does not allow His people to feel compassion without giving them something to do about it.” I heard that quote by Bob Mumford several weeks ago during my church’s adult education class and it impacted me in a way that was powerful and yet all-too-familiar. Why, you might ask? Well, because it is exactly what happened to me. The Lord confronted me with someone that needed my compassion - and He gave me something special to do about it. Allow me to back up a bit. Two years ago I was attending an independent Christian musician’s conference in Nashville, Tennessee. I had committed myself to do two things during that trip: One, I wanted to soak up all of the knowledge that I could about the ins and outs of music ministry; and two, I wanted to discern the Lord’s will for the next phase of my ministry work. I wasn’t planning to have my heart broken in Nashville, but it shattered into pieces when I was introduced to Jessica. Jessica is from Honduras. She had just turned seven and all she was to me was a photograph on a display table at the conference hosted by Compassion International. As I read her profile and learned of her need for things like healthy food and clean water, Christian education and in her case specialized medical care, I felt very much like what Bob Mumford described. In a split second the Lord had given me genuine compassion for this young girl, and He gave me a way that I could make a difference in her life. I signed up to be Jessica’s sponsor that very day and since then I have had my heart broken time and time again for her and for other children in her situation. Jessica suffers from asthma, and I know that she is now receiving regular medical attention for her condition. I know that she is receiving an education rooted in Christian values and beliefs, and she loves her classes and Bible studies. I know she loves the Lord and is growing stronger in her faith every day – I can see it in the letters she writes to me. And I know that she’s starting to get big dreams from the Lord about her future. She’s a budding artist, too – which is intuitively obvious by all of the glitter-covered artwork I get in my mailbox. Jessica is just one of hundreds of children that are waiting to be sponsored through Compassion International. And about my experience in Nashville – remember what I said about wanting to discern the Lord’s will for my ministry work? He did that very thing by giving me the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Compassion International through their Independent Artist Network. Now at my ministry events I carry photos of faces much like Jessica’s, sharing their stories and their need so that someone else can have the same opportunity that I had – an opportunity to show God’s love and compassion to a child in need. On Sunday, March 15th, my church (Our Father’s House in Albert Lea, Minnesota) will be hosting an Evening of Compassion – a dessert concert by yours truly to share the ministry of Compassion International. The evening will also be a benefit to support an opportunity I have to take a trip to Honduras with this wonderful organization. There, I will be able to participate in the ministry of Compassion International and best of all, meet my Jessica face to face. I can’t wait to give her a big hug and tell her in person how much God loves her and how much I love her, too. I’ll share much more with you at the concert on March 15th. I would love to have you attend. May the Lord continue to bless you as you grow in Him, and may He give each of us the grace to serve Him by giving unto the “least of these,” just as He asks. Grace and peace to you! “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” -- Proverbs 19:17 “God does not allow His people to feel compassion without giving them something to do about it.”

I heard that quote by Bob Mumford several weeks ago during my church’s adult education class and it impacted me in a way that was powerful and yet all-too-familiar. Why, you might ask? Well, because it is exactly what happened to me. The Lord confronted me with someone that needed my compassion - and He gave me something special to do about it.

Allow me to back up a bit. Two years ago I was attending an independent Christian musician’s conference in Nashville, Tennessee. I had committed myself to do two things during that trip: One, I wanted to soak up all of the knowledge that I could about the ins and outs of music ministry; and two, I wanted to discern the Lord’s will for the next phase of my ministry work. I wasn’t planning to have my heart broken in Nashville, but it shattered into pieces when I was introduced to Jessica.

Jessica is from Honduras. She had just turned seven and all she was to me was a photograph on a display table at the conference hosted by Compassion International. As I read her profile and learned of her need for things like healthy food and clean water, Christian education and in her case specialized medical care, I felt very much like what Bob Mumford described. In a split second the Lord had given me genuine compassion for this young girl, and He gave me a way that I could make a difference in her life.

I signed up to be Jessica’s sponsor that very day and since then I have had my heart broken time and time again for her and for other children in her situation. Jessica suffers from asthma, and I know that she is now receiving regular medical attention for her condition. I know that she is receiving an education rooted in Christian values and beliefs, and she loves her classes and Bible studies. I know she loves the Lord and is growing stronger in her faith every day – I can see it in the letters she writes to me. And I know that she’s starting to get big dreams from the Lord about her future. She’s a budding artist, too – which is intuitively obvious by all of the glitter-covered artwork I get in my mailbox.

Jessica is just one of hundreds of children that are waiting to be sponsored through Compassion International. And about my experience in Nashville – remember what I said about wanting to discern the Lord’s will for my ministry work? He did that very thing by giving me the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Compassion International through their Independent Artist Network. Now at my ministry events I carry photos of faces much like Jessica’s, sharing their stories and their need so that someone else can have the same opportunity that I had – an opportunity to show God’s love and compassion to a child in need.

On Sunday, March 15th, my church (Our Father’s House in Albert Lea, Minnesota) will be hosting an Evening of Compassion – a dessert concert by yours truly to share the ministry of Compassion International. The evening will also be a benefit to support an opportunity I have to take a trip to Honduras with this wonderful organization. There, I will be able to participate in the ministry of Compassion International and best of all, meet my Jessica face to face. I can’t wait to give her a big hug and tell her in person how much God loves her and how much I love her, too. I’ll share much more with you at the concert on March 15th. I would love to have you attend.

May the Lord continue to bless you as you grow in Him, and may He give each of us the grace to serve Him by giving unto the “least of these,” just as He asks. Grace and peace to you!

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” -- Proverbs 19:17
]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:40:00 GMT 9FD3103AFB43C0416AB4D62D8D6F449B http://bethcrosby.com/journal.cfm?feature=60351&postid=25700 I like to push buttons. It gets me into trouble sometimes. When I’m having problems with a sound system, I push buttons, turn dials and press anything that can be pressed to fix a sound glitch and most of the time there’s a lot of screeching and hissing in the speakers before it’s resolved. If my computer is giving me problems, I will click a mouse and press keys ad nauseam until either the machine rights itself or I walk away in disgust. I’m not a patient person when it comes to pushing buttons, and often times it leads to some form of mechanical downfall. There’s another person I know who likes to push buttons. He’s good at it, too – he is patient, methodical, and sly. His motives are as hidden as a best-kept secret, and his successes at button-pushing are monumental. Whose buttons does he push? Mine. What triggers is he activating? The ones that initiate doubt, fear, mistrust and hopelessness in the system that comprises my faith walk. Who wields such power to mess with my circuitry? It’s Satan – the author of lies and the one who spends his day getting me to believe them. Satan always knows what button to push in my life and exactly when to do it. When lies knock at my door, Satan pushes the button in my mind that says that I should believe them. When heartache seeps into my spirit, Satan pushes the button that activates the hammer to crush my heart, telling me that my aching will never go away. When I am shamed by my sin, Satan gleefully flips the switch that says I will never be forgiven (or forgive myself) for what I’ve done. Each of Satan’s triggers are perfectly timed, and perfectly designed to steal, kill and destroy. I know – I’ve felt them. There’s one button we have at our disposal, though, that I have found that not only diffuses but destroys Satan’s power to mess with our system. One big button – one that sound the alarms in Satan’s camp and sends him flying. It’s a button we find in James chapter 4: “Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:6) There it is – as big as the Staples easy button. Here’s how to use it: When Satan tells you a lie, submit yourself to God by getting the truth of His word. Resist Satan by telling him the truth of God’s word, right to his face – and Satan will shut up. Satan’s button-pushing in our lives only works because we let it. I think my pastor said it best when he preached on this word the other day – resisting the devil means that you adamantly refuse to cooperate with him. And what believer would want to do that? Like I said, I like to push buttons. I still have much to learn when it comes to buttons on electronics – that will come with training. When it comes to the devil, though, the biggest button I like to push is Satan’s off switch. It works every time. I like to push buttons.

It gets me into trouble sometimes. When I’m having problems with a sound system, I push buttons, turn dials and press anything that can be pressed to fix a sound glitch and most of the time there’s a lot of screeching and hissing in the speakers before it’s resolved. If my computer is giving me problems, I will click a mouse and press keys ad nauseam until either the machine rights itself or I walk away in disgust. I’m not a patient person when it comes to pushing buttons, and often times it leads to some form of mechanical downfall.

There’s another person I know who likes to push buttons. He’s good at it, too – he is patient, methodical, and sly. His motives are as hidden as a best-kept secret, and his successes at button-pushing are monumental. Whose buttons does he push? Mine. What triggers is he activating? The ones that initiate doubt, fear, mistrust and hopelessness in the system that comprises my faith walk. Who wields such power to mess with my circuitry? It’s Satan – the author of lies and the one who spends his day getting me to believe them.

Satan always knows what button to push in my life and exactly when to do it. When lies knock at my door, Satan pushes the button in my mind that says that I should believe them. When heartache seeps into my spirit, Satan pushes the button that activates the hammer to crush my heart, telling me that my aching will never go away. When I am shamed by my sin, Satan gleefully flips the switch that says I will never be forgiven (or forgive myself) for what I’ve done. Each of Satan’s triggers are perfectly timed, and perfectly designed to steal, kill and destroy. I know – I’ve felt them.

There’s one button we have at our disposal, though, that I have found that not only diffuses but destroys Satan’s power to mess with our system. One big button – one that sound the alarms in Satan’s camp and sends him flying. It’s a button we find in James chapter 4:

“Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:6)

There it is – as big as the Staples easy button. Here’s how to use it: When Satan tells you a lie, submit yourself to God by getting the truth of His word. Resist Satan by telling him the truth of God’s word, right to his face – and Satan will shut up. Satan’s button-pushing in our lives only works because we let it. I think my pastor said it best when he preached on this word the other day – resisting the devil means that you adamantly refuse to cooperate with him. And what believer would want to do that?

Like I said, I like to push buttons. I still have much to learn when it comes to buttons on electronics – that will come with training. When it comes to the devil, though, the biggest button I like to push is Satan’s off switch. It works every time.]]> Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:00:00 GMT 62DD688E09A476DBF468351F728FD4BB http://bethcrosby.com/journal.cfm?feature=60351&postid=22497 Over the course of one week, the weather in my area went from a snowstorm that dropped over seven inches of snow on a Monday to a day closing in on sixty degrees on Friday. Only in Minnesota, I say! Now don’t get me wrong – I love sunny spring weather but I have to say I really enjoyed that seven-inch snowfall. Why? The color. I absolutely love a new snowfall that is clean, fresh and dazzling white. I love that stage when the sky finally clears and the sun shines down on the snow to make it glisten to the point where it seems almost electric. Monday’s snowfall was much like that on Tuesday morning – Tuesday was the brightest, sunniest day I’ve seen in months here, and combining those clear skies with the seven-inch snow made me rush to buy a new pair of sunglasses. Sparkling, dazzling, brilliant, blinding white. I think the white I saw on my yard on Tuesday was the whitest thing I have seen to date. But I also know there is a shade of white that is far brighter, far more dazzling and far more brilliant that I can even begin to fathom. That’s the hue of the pure-white robe of Jesus our Lord, and the garment of holiness that He fashioned for me. Isaiah chapter one gives us a glimpse of this hue in a word from the Lord: “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 18:1) You and I, when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, have this invitation from the Lord. It’s an invitation to remove all of the old, filthy, sin-stained clothing we’ve come to know and replace it with the garment of snow-white holiness by His grace. We also have this reminder from Psalm 51 – a reminder that the invitation is not just from the Lord, but the garment of holiness is to be the object of our hunger and longing: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:1-2,7) Think about it now. When we are washed clean by the blood of Jesus, we are washed as white as snow. Even whiter than snow, according to David’s psalm. Because of Jesus and his death and resurrection, my life will shine even brighter than the blinding snow currently on my yard – a brilliant, sparkling, dazzling white show of holiness that only Jesus could produce and only He could give. That thought stuns me and brings me to my knees. How could I possibly be found worthy of this great honor, this great grace? I’m not worthy, but God in His infinite love and mercy chooses to give it to me anyway. My prayer is that my life would indeed be a reflection of His holiness and love and grace. I hope and pray that is your prayer, too. The snow in my yard is just about gone now, melted away by the incredible warmth of the springtime sun today. I say we give our praise to God whose grace and mercy never, ever fade away. Now, off to find those shades…. In His grip of grace, Beth
I absolutely love a new snowfall that is clean, fresh and dazzling white. I love that stage when the sky finally clears and the sun shines down on the snow to make it glisten to the point where it seems almost electric. Monday’s snowfall was much like that on Tuesday morning – Tuesday was the brightest, sunniest day I’ve seen in months here, and combining those clear skies with the seven-inch snow made me rush to buy a new pair of sunglasses.

Sparkling, dazzling, brilliant, blinding white. I think the white I saw on my yard on Tuesday was the whitest thing I have seen to date. But I also know there is a shade of white that is far brighter, far more dazzling and far more brilliant that I can even begin to fathom. That’s the hue of the pure-white robe of Jesus our Lord, and the garment of holiness that He fashioned for me.

Isaiah chapter one gives us a glimpse of this hue in a word from the Lord:

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 18:1)

You and I, when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, have this invitation from the Lord. It’s an invitation to remove all of the old, filthy, sin-stained clothing we’ve come to know and replace it with the garment of snow-white holiness by His grace. We also have this reminder from Psalm 51 – a reminder that the invitation is not just from the Lord, but the garment of holiness is to be the object of our hunger and longing:

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:1-2,7)

Think about it now. When we are washed clean by the blood of Jesus, we are washed as white as snow. Even whiter than snow, according to David’s psalm. Because of Jesus and his death and resurrection, my life will shine even brighter than the blinding snow currently on my yard – a brilliant, sparkling, dazzling white show of holiness that only Jesus could produce and only He could give. That thought stuns me and brings me to my knees. How could I possibly be found worthy of this great honor, this great grace? I’m not worthy, but God in His infinite love and mercy chooses to give it to me anyway. My prayer is that my life would indeed be a reflection of His holiness and love and grace. I hope and pray that is your prayer, too.

The snow in my yard is just about gone now, melted away by the incredible warmth of the springtime sun today. I say we give our praise to God whose grace and mercy never, ever fade away. Now, off to find those shades….

In His grip of grace,
Beth


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