Eric Offstage

Crazy, Perfect Things People Have Said About the Crossing

Over the last couple years people have said some pretty interesting things about The Crossing.  I thought I would share some of my favorites. 

-  "The Crossing is a church that doesn't totally suck."  16 year old girl who hates church explaining to a friend why she semi-regularly comes to the Crossing.  I thought about getting that put on a t-shirt.  The Crossing doesn't totally suck.  We only partially suck.  How funny would that be.      

-  "The first time I came to the Crossing I wanted to punch Eric in the head."  From a young adult who is now one of our drummers. 

-  "I learned at the Crossing that God is the shit."  (one of my favorites)  From the wife of a alcohol and meth addict.  This was her way of expressing that if she could just remember God every moment of her life and listen to Him she would be so much better off.  Both she and her husband have given Jesus the leadership of their lives and been baptized.   Her husband is making good progress out of his addictions.  

-  "The Crossing is the 93X of churches.  They totally rock."  From a young adult trying to explain what our music style was like to his friends. 

-  "The Crossing is as easy to get into as a whorehouse in Bangkok."  (another one of my favorites, someone just told me this on Tuesday).  This was from a guy trying to express to me his understanding that we are a church for absolutely anybody.  And he nailed it.  At The Crossing no one gets excluded.  It doesn't make a difference what struggle or issue you have, what skeletons you have in the closet or what you presently believe.  You are just welcomed as you are.  Addict, gay, straight, young, old, drunk, sober, rich, poor, white, black or purple.  Everybody gets to come in.  Everyone is welcomed and loved as they are.  And then everyone is pointed to Jesus who will change their lives.  That is what we are all about.  We are as easy to get into as a whorehouse in Bangkok.  I LOVE IT!

Here's to hoping we always have people out front smoking, always have swearing in our church lobby and always have people meeting Jesus in our service!!  I love this church!! 

Yesterday We Moved the Office!!

After having the church office in our home for 4 years, the Crossing offices have finally moved out!  This is huge deal.  Our family finally has a private home!  My smallest son Aidan can not even remember what it was like to have a house without people walking through all the time to use the bathroom.  This is such a huge blessing and gift of God to be able to separate our work from our private lives. 

Our nine staff members now have actual offices with desks rather than being crammed in the back of my garage.  Thank you to all of you who pitched in yesterday and helped us move and donated some desks. 

Our new offices are located at our Saturday night worship venue (the Alliance Church) on the second level off the gym.  If you need to see any of us, park in the lower parking lot and come in the main doors and go up the stairs to the second level.

This is so cool!!  God is amazing.  We have offices!!

 

    

Heaven would be Hellish without Jesus.

(This thought came to me from reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan.)
Imagine for a second you went to heaven and got everything you could ever want --  Big, beautiful house; all the food and beverages you could ever drink; a cool job that you enjoyed; and tons of hobbies to be involved in. 

(So for me, I would get a huge log cabin on a lake, a big beautiful boat, time every day to small-mouth bass fish, my family would be close by, Sam Adams would be on tap in the kitchen, and steak and seafood would be on the grill.)  That is my dream of the perfect heaven. 

Now imagine your perfect heaven.  No wants no needs, no issues.  You get everything you ever wanted. 

Now imagine Jesus wouldn't be there.  Would you really care?  Would you really even notice?  I don't think most people would.  Most of this world is so consumed with our own wants and needs and we doesn't really care that much about having Christ.     

But that is what Jesus wants from us.  He wants to be our first love (Rev 2:4).  He wants you and I to be consumed with wanting to be with him and do life with him.  He doesn't want you to follow him just so you get what you want. 

He wants you to love him simply because he is everything to you.  He wants to be your "pearl of great price," and your "treasure buried in a field" (Matt. 13:44-45).  He wants you to be willing to give up everything so that you can have him.   

A heaven without Christ really is not heaven at all. It is hell.  A place with no Jesus where people  selfishly get whatever they wanted. 

See to truly be a Christ follower means you choose Christ, and want to know him and be with him above all.  Or in the words of Paul, "I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering." (Phil 3:10.)   

That is what Christ wants from me, and that is what I want my heart to be consumed with.  I want Jesus more than my own personal heaven.  I want friendship with Christ more than all the junk I think I want.    

If your idea of heaven isn't really about Jesus, I would suggest you have forgotten what matters most.  Maybe it is time to remember that life without Christ is really hell.  Maybe it's time to return to your first love. 

Sunday Night Mind Dump

This weekend went pretty well.

• I made someone dry heave with my poop kid story first service on Sunday.  That was interesting.
• Nobody seemed too bothered by SHUT THE HECK UP!!  That's cool.
• I said "get some gonads" second and third service.  Teddy almost fell off his chair, he was laughing so hard.  I didn't know gonads was such a funny term.
• The "Move Ditch" Encore was well received.  I saw tons of people rapping in the room.      
• Over all I think Rut Busters has been the best series we have had all year.  I really felt like God showed up, and tons of people have been changed or moved because of these talks.  I hope and pray people continue to make changes with their thinking. 
• Communion, I thought, was really powerful too.  Only the cross of Christ can give us "real change we can believe in".  Such a powerful truth.   
• Anyway, another good weekend.  I am honored to lead such an awesome bunch of creative, passionate, outside-the-box Jesus followers.  I am so privileged and blessed to pastor The Crossing. 

Crazy Love - Francis Chan is the man

I read a ton of books each week.  I believe that if I am not reading I am not growing, and I will have nothing to offer our people on the weekends.  Most of the books I read I would consider average, but every once in a while a book comes along that is totally mind-blowing.  

Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" is one of those books.  This book has been an awesome breath of fresh air for my soul and has really begun to refresh me spiritually and emotionally. 

For all of you out in electronic land, I would strongly recommend you pick up a copy of this book.  It really isn't so much on love as it is on the wonder of following Christ and living every second passionately, completely, radically for Him. 

I think over the next few weeks I will begin a new series here on this site, of things that have really struck me from the book.  This way I can remember what I am learning and some of you that read this might find it helpful as well. 

So here goes, here is my favorite thought in the whole book: 

1.  WE ARE EXTRAS IN GOD'S MOVIE. 

Think about a great movie for a second.  What is an extra's job?  Basically it is to not get noticed.  An extra's job is to be in the background and make the main character of the movie look good. 

That is exactly what our role in life is as well.  Our job is to make God, the main character of life, look good. 

Think about it.  Life is really God's story.  It is His movie, and He is the main character.  Everything that exists, (according to Colossians 1) exist by Christ and for Christ.  He is the star of the movie.  He is the main character of life, and we all are basically extras. 

How does an extra wreck a movie?  They draw attention to themselves instead of to the star.  Extras wreck stuff by trying to get noticed, be great and be the star. 

Same is true for our lives.  We wreck God's movie of life and destroy God's plan for us if we try to make ourselves the star.   

Life is not about us or for us.  Life is about God and for God.  Our job is to make our small bit part in God's film make Jesus (the main character) look good. 

That is why I exist, to make Jesus look fantastic.  My role is to get people to go:  DANG! Jesus is awesome!!  I am not here to get the camera on me or make people like me or even notice me.  I am here to do my part in the background to make Jesus look like the star that he is. 

What a cool thought.  How can I make Jesus look great today?  What can I do to say like John said, "He must become greater, I must become less." 

That is the goal of my life.  To be an unnoticed extra, so God gets noticed!! 

 

Move Ditch -- Rut Buster Talk Intro Video

This past weekend Josiah Early and Dave Phelps made one of the funniest intro videos to a talk we have ever done. So many people have asked for it that I decided to put a link up on the blog.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM9ESsbSyk8

Eric Victory Dance and Weekend Mind Dump

This past weekend we had FREAKING AWESOME SERVICES!!  God totally showed up all 3 times we did church and it was so cool to be a part of it.  Here are some of my random thoughts from the weekend in no particular order.

 

1.  Well over 100 people this weekend made decisions to repent and surrender to the leadership of Jesus Christ! 

Heaven was dancing like crazy yesterday.  People who have been very far from God for a long time, finally surrendered and have decided "God knows what is best for me."  Those decisions make every bit of our work worth it!! 

 2.  The small groups winter quarter sign up was a success. 

Props to all you small group leaders for working so hard on your booths to get people to come to your groups and grow in their faith.  (Specifically I noticed the Biker Group.  A ton of people signed up for that deal which is really cool.)  YAY God! 

 

 3.  Our first daughter church launched yesterday with 137 people in attendance. 

WAY TO GO EXCHANGE CHURCH & ERIC WHITMAN!! You guys did a stellar job getting that thing off the ground, and I know that God is going to really use that church to reach a ton of people.  I am totally going to figure out a way to get down there some weekend.  Anyone have friends in Minneapolis who need a good church?  Check out www.theexchangechurch.com & send 'em there.WAY TO GO

 4.  "MOVE DITCH" was one of the coolest videos we have ever made for a Crossing service. 

I laughed my butt off every time I watched it.  Josiah great job with the song.  Dave--way to go putting together one of the funniest things I have ever seen done in a church service.  If you missed the video, it'll be on our website and YouTube by Wednesday.

  Anyway...  Thank you God for using The Crossing again this weekend.  I feel so privileged to be a part of this awesome church.  All the praise goes to you Jesus. 

 

Church Planting Kicks the Crap Out of You

Today, like I do once a month, I spent the day with other church planters around the Twin Cities.  The guys that come to these meeting are some of the coolest, courageous, passionate, risk taking people for the kingdom of Christ that I have ever known.  One of the reasons I got into church planting was because I admired these guys so much.       

They all totally love Jesus, and have put everything on the line to see His name honored all over our city. 

None of them do church the same.  They all have their own vision, ideas, dreams and theological distinctions, but all of them work their butts off to see broken, hurting, seeking people find Christ.

One of the things I love most about these meetings is the honesty.  Each person gets a chance to share how his/her church is doing and how their life and family is holding up. 

And once again, I was reminded that church planting kicks the crap out of you. 
See, we church planters are on the front lines.  More people come to Christ in church plants than in older, already established churches.  That means that if any group of Christians really piss Satan off, it's us.  He is always out to destroy us, so we stop reaching people and become ineffective for Christ.   

Today I listened to how Satan attacked pastors' marriages, stories of kids that have totally gone AWOL; stories of health problems and financial problems and staff conflicts and attenders that have stabbed their pastor in the back. 

These pastors are on the front lines, and they take all kinds of abuse month in and month out, for one reason--  JESUS CHRIST!! They are all just overwhelmed with the love of a God who is for them and not against them, and they want as many people as possible to experience that love. 

Most of these guys could make a ton more money and just kick back and relax and be self centered with their lives, but they keep at it, through the good times and the bad, because Jesus is worth it, and lost people matter to God.

So to all you guys that I met with today:
I respect you.  I know how hard you work, and I know how much you love Jesus.  You are my heroes.  I am watching you, so don't quit, don't give up.  If you go down I might go down.  I am praying for you.  Keep at it.  Jesus is worth it.

And for all of you reading this that are church attenders at The Crossing or some other church:
If you know a pastor or staff member that is working their arse off for the kingdom of heaven, will you stop and thank them?  Write them a note, send them an email, call and tell them.  They play hurt and abused all the time, and a little thank you note or a word of encouragement or a prayer over their life would mean a lot. 

I know, because many times I am the one going to church planters' meeting, beat down, with the crap kicked out of me, and I just have to play hurt, because Jesus is worth it. 

HELP!! My Crossing Peeps I need your HELP!!

We were totally in overflow mode this last weekend at our 10:30 service.  It was packed to the max, and the overflow family theater was almost full as well.  We ended up having to put first time visitors at 10:30 in our overflow space, which of course is not ideal. 

The services on Saturday and the 9:00 on Sunday have plenty more seats available--so would you help spread out our crowds a little more evenly?  It's hard to reach seeking people at 10:30 if the space is already filled up with our regular attenders.

If you are regular attender, would you please consider making Saturday night or the 9:00 on Sunday your service of choice?  And when you bring a friend, bring them to one of those two services.     

I know you want to see people come to Jesus--so if you could inconvenience yourself on their behalf, that would be great. 

We will also be adding another Saturday service starting on February 14th.  (That is easy to remember because it's Valentines Day.) 

So go to church on Saturday--or early on Sundays!  Thanks!! 

7 Non - Negotiables Of Leadership from Perry Noble

Pastor Perry Noble just published a list of the top seven qualities of a spiritual leader and I thought they were fantastic, so they are posted below.  Enjoy.

#1 - Passion
I'm not talking about false excitement over an event that you would not attend if you were not on the payroll at the church!

But rather raw, unfiltered, emotional and unapologetic passion...a white hot fire inside that consumes, controls and configures us into who Jesus has called us to be and what He's called us to do!

Be warned-passionate people make for easy targets because no one has to guess what they stand for! However, passion, if handled correctly, can be one of the best friends a leader can have.

#2 - A Desire to Please God
One of the first verses I ever memorized was Galatians 1:10. I remember reading it and feeling like it literally jumped off the page...and something inside of me kept screaming, "You are going to need this verse for yourself if you are going to be truly successful in ministry."

A true leader in church would understand that God is our Leader...and in a passionate pursuit to please Him you and I will often disappoint people.

We can't please committee's and Christ-a choice must be made.

#3 - Wisdom
James 1:5 has been a verse that I have also had to cling to as a leader! What a promise!

God has called us to wisdom...so...as leaders I feel that we need to be doing as much as possible to learn...that means going to conferences, reading books...and not being afraid to meet with and learn from people who "aren't like us!"

What are you personally doing right now to grow and develop yourself as a leader? To add to your wisdom?

I am in the process of connecting with other church leaders...in the past several weeks I've been involved in numerous learning environments with people who know SO MUCH MORE than me...and God has used each experience to shape me in an awesome way.

If all we tell our people is what we know...and we lead out of our limited knowledge, never seeking wisdom from others or God-then we will raise up some very shallow people.

#4 - Courage
I don't think the tag "leader" should be put on anyone who hasn't had to make tough decisions on a consistent basis.

I once heard Andy Stanley say that a leader isn't necessarily the first person to see an opportunity, but rather the first person to act on what they see.

So true! There are lots and lots of people who see what is wrong with the world, church, etc...however, very few are actually willing to do anything about it.

Leaders step up and make the hard calls...even when it's unpopular.

On a side note-courage is NOT the absence of fear! There have been so many situations in my leadership journey here at NewSpring that have just about caused me to pee my pants!

However, courage is KNOWING what God has called you to...and then DOING it...not knowing the outcome...but KNOWING who is in control of the outcome!

#5 - Humility
This is a tough one because...well...one cannot actually brag that they are humble!

Too many times in the past I know that this was a quality that was NOT in me! I wanted the credit for all of "my ideas!" If something went right and I was involved-I wanted people to know about it. If an element of service programming went well and it was my idea...I took the credit.

And then one day I had a conversation with John Maxwell that ROCKED MY WORLD...he said to me,

"Perry, you are where you are for two reasons. The first is the favor of God. The second is the giftedness of God. And Perry, please understand that God didn't owe you either of these. You are where you are because of Him!"

DANG! When it comes right down to it...I don't have good ideas-God gives them to me. I don't have the ability to think or act...OR LEAD...unless HE leads me!

John 15:5 is SO true...and I have no right to boast in anything that I feel like I accomplish!

If a leader doesn't care who gets the credit...but is obsessed with God getting the glory-awesome things can happen!

#6 - Honesty
One of the things the corporate world has seen lately is a lack of integrity...and the lie that "this is my life and how I live it doesn't really impact anyone else" has been exposed over and over and over again!

As leaders-we've got to be honest with...

* OURSELVES - how are you doing? Really? Can you keep up the pace you have right now? What changes need to be made?
* OTHERS - is everyone around you doing a good job? Is there a tough conversation that needs to be had-but you won't because you are afraid of the outcome?
* GOD - Is life and ministry REALLY "all about Him?"

#7 - Simplicity
I once heard Ed Young say, "If you want to impress me as a leader-don't tell me what you're doing, tell me what you're NOT doing!"

DANG!

I think a leader who is worth his (or her) salt will admit that they are not good at everything...and as a result they will stop trying to be.

Reality is that everyone of us only do a few things well...and our leadership will be maximized when we focus on what God has gifted us and called us to be rather than what everyone else in the church expects us to be!

I can't do everything...but I can do something...and the something that I can do...I will do!!!

What is on your plate that you KNOW you aren't good at? You hate it? Go ahead and admit it because everyone around you already knows it and are probably praying that you will stop it anyway!