Eric Offstage

A Look at the Past Year at The Crossing

Ever been on a whitewater rafting trip? If you haven’t, it is such an adrenaline rush. There are crazy fast rapids, and sudden stomach turning drops, moments where feel like you are suspended in mid air, followed by a huge wall of water that just about drowns you.

It is amazing. It is one of my favorite experiences. The guide yells something like GET READY GET READY GET READY! and then you just hang on and ride.

That is what I feel like this year has been like at The Crossing. It feels like we got into this little rubber raft with God, and then He took us through all the twists and turns and drops of a Class 5 rapids. It has truly been one of the most phenomenal rides I have ever been on.

Over the last 12 months we have seen:

• hundreds of people commit their lives to Christ

• 64 people baptized

• an attendance high of 1,275 for Easter

• a growth rate of 19% over last year

• the addition of 4 full time staff members

• and the blessing of a new building with the capacity to reach 4 times the number of people we have so far.

If you thought last year's ride was fast and furious, wait till you see the set of rapids God is pushing us down this year. I hope you have your helmets on and are strapped in tight, because the launch of this new year of ministry is going to be even crazier than the last one.

Here come the rapids:

• Our Grand Opening weekend for our new Elk River campus is September 12-13. It is going to ROCK FACE OFF!! We are praying for well over 1,000 people to be in attendance.

• We launch a second campus in Zimmerman on October 25, and we are expecting great things from Chris and the crew there.

• We may add another venue in February if God brings us the leadership, manpower and cash to pull it off.

• And most importantly, I believe that this year we will reach more people who are far from God than we ever have before.

God is about to do something HUGE with the Crossing. I can hear the sound of the rapids coming... So as your guide, I'm yelling: GET READY GET READY GET READY!!

3 Steps to Real Lasting Change

As a leader, I am having to constantly make changes to our organization.  I also know that everyone in our community and world would love to make lasting changes in their lives as well. 

BUT CHANGES ARE HARD!!   9 out 10 times when we try to make a change either in our personal lives or in an organization, we fail and we end up back where we started, never getting the change we crave. 

Why?  Why is it so hard to create lasting change?  The reason is because we don't understand how change works.  See, to make a lasting permanent change you have to go through two steps:  CHAOS AND CONFLICT. 

Think of it like climbing a set of 3 stairs.  Step 3 is your goal.  It is the change step you desire.  in an organization maybe it is a structure change.  In yourself maybe you are trying to kick an addiction or change the nature of a relationship.  But step 3 is the change your desire.  Now, to get to step 3 you must ALWAYS go through steps one two, and these steps are chaos and conflict. 

Let me explain. 
1.  Chaos. When you head in a new direction in life, you immediately create a mess.  You are changing things up, and that is messy.  You may not like where you life used to be but at least you were used to it.  Heading towards change immediately causes all kinds of chaos.  THAT IS ALWAYS STEP ONE!

For example:
Let's say you want to stop drinking.  To do that means you can't go to the same bars or hang with the same people you used to hang with because they enabled you.  To stop going to these places and hanging with these people will create all kinds of chaos in your life.  You will have to try to figure out what to do with your time and who to hang out with. 

Most people hate chaos so much they just go back to old hangouts and old friends and right back to drinking again.  You have to lean into the chaos, embrace it, and stay with it if you want the lasting change.  Chaos is your friend.  Don't run from it. 

2.  Conflict.  The second step when you seek change is conflict.  Many people are used to the old you, and they will be seriously put off by the new you.  This will create tension in your relationships.  People will seek to keep you from becoming who you know you need to be.  LEAN into the conflict instead of away from it. 

If you run from conflict you will resort back to your old self and never get the change you want.  However ,if you lean into conflict and remember the change is worth it, you will get the change you desire. 

Many times I have had to change things about our church, our family or myself.  And in every situation there has always been chaos and conflict.  The times I leaned into these, I got the change I craved.  The times I ran from these, I resorted back to my old ways. 

To get change you must walk up the steps of Chaos and Conflict.  DO it.  It is so worth it. 

Thankful...

Finally I am back to work at the church I love, serving the God I love.  I had a great 10 day vacation and had some awesome moments with God and the family. 

• We spent a week at a cabin out in nature.
• I hung out with my wife and didn't talk about church much at all.  (That was awesome.  I have the coolest hottest wife EVER.)
• I drove to Iowa and saw my parents and grand parents with the two boys.  (I have 90 year old grandparents still living in Sheffield Iowa.)  That was really cool to spend some time with my family. 
• Kelly and Holland flew to south Alabama to see her parents and grandmother who is also 90.  They are staying down there for 5 more days.   
• I took the boys to an amusement park for a day.  (We rode rides till Braden and I got sick.  We do great on roller coasters but get so sick on spinning rides.)  Aidan rode his first upside down coaster and loved it. 
• I saw my sister and brother in law who I haven't seen in months.  They live in Mound and he works for Crown College as the Athletic director. 
• And most importantly I rested and spent time with Jesus.  I have a great new theme verse I took away from vacation.  I can't wait to preach on it.  (probably in late August.)  

All in all a great vacation.  I told someone this past week:
"This has been the best year of married life ever."  I am so thankful and grateful for my marriage and family and church.  Kelly and I have been married more than 14 years and it really does get better and better and better as time goes on when you keep Jesus at the center of your marriage and you seek to meet each others needs.

And now today I sit in my office and look around and realize I work with great people, serve at an awesome church, and get to be part of an amazing move of God in the north-west suburbs. 

I am truly blessed. 

All I can say is that it is because of Jesus and his love.  I am a foolish, selfish, pride-filled, broken man, but God in his grace has chosen to love me and bless me anyway. 

I will keep seeking him, proclaiming Him, finding and removing sin from my life and heart and honoring him in all I do and say. 

Jesus I love you and thank you for faithfulness goodness and grace.