David Crosby Jr.

A Night of Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Tonight is the culmination of our 21 days of prayer and fasting. Here's some information that you need to know:

We are breaking the fast together at 6pm with a church family breakfast.
Breakfast literally means to break - the - fast.
So we will be serving pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit and much more.
Dinner starts at 6pm. Bring your kids and friends It's FREE!
After dinner, we will move into the auditorium for a time of prayer and worship.
I have a special message entitle The Blessing.
We will be blessing men, women, families, youth, and businesses and more.
I will teach people how to bless each other. It's going to be powerful.
Please make every effort to be here!!!

Weekend Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:14:00 +0000

Here are some highlights form this past weekend:

Despite the first snow storm in the Northeast, we had great services. It affected our attendance somewhat but not the spirit of those that made it to our worship experiences.
The worship was off the chain. Love that new song "You are Good" by Ricardo Sanchez. The worship team simply rocked this weekend. So proud of them!
Spoke on anger and used the Angry Birds app as the metaphor. Had a lot of fun for my message opener by launching angry bird plush dolls into the audience with a two man slingshot launcher. What a good time!
Ephesians 4:26 says, "Be angry, do not sin and don't let the sun go down on your anger so you don't give opportunity to the devil."
It's not a sin to be angry. Jesus was angry. It was a righteous anger (Mt.21) as opposed to the anger of man that doesn't lead to the righteousness of God (James 1:20).
Anger is a choice. No one makes me mad. I make me mad.
Whatever is on the inside eventually shows up on the outside.
We need to open our hearts to the infilling of the Holy Spirit so he will exchange my hatred with his love, my depression with his joy, my turmoil with his peace ... Galatians 5:22.
Going into the weekend we had 121 people signed up to HOST a community group this Spring for our new series, 40 Days in the Word. What great spiritual momentum.
Really close to meeting our goal of 200 groups!
I have a HUGE announcement for the kickoff weekend of our 40 Days In the Word weekend February 18/19. Unreal!!!
Had a college girl ask me if she could lead a group in her dorm back in IUP. That's huge. She's already got her dorm friends and suite mates signed up to be part of her group. We will send her the material and she will host the group.
Had another girl tell me God set her free from unresolved anger and bitterness today. She spent her entire childhood being physically abused by her father. She forgive him today and is getting right with Christ. That's awesome!
Had another guy tell me he's tired of blowing up in his anger. He showed me his bruised and bloodied knuckles form punching things. He said he doesn't want to live that way anymore. We prayed together for God to set him free!
Another brand new believer signed up to HOST a community group but she can't make it to the training this Saturday from 9-11. So her unsaved friend from work who agreed to come to her group is actually coming to the training! That's unreal. Unsaved people who haven't ever been to church are coming to a 2 hour training to lead a group about studying the Bible. God is moving!
Don't miss this Tuesday Night Prayer meeting where we will break the 21 day season of prayer and fasting with "Breakfast" (literally means to break the fast) at 6pm (it's free and childcare is available) and then at 7pm we will move into the auditorium for a night of Blessing!
We have a special presentation this Tuesday for a family in the church. We are going to give honor to whom honor is due. Don't miss it.

Are We Having Church Tonight?

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:32:00 +0000

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!

Tonight is going to be a great night for church. The snow storm has passed through and the church parking lot is plowed. The sky's and the road will be clear tonight.

So, if you've been cooped up in your house all day ... go shovel your walk, clean off your car and get the kids together and come on out for church tonight!

I'll be sharing a powerful and practical word on how to deal with anger!

See you tonight.

Faith and Healing Nite @ PCC

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Tonight @ 7pm we will meet together for a night of worship and prayer. We welcome special guest speaker, Austin Jones, a young missionary-evangelist with a passion to reach the lost and elevate the name of Jesus.

Austin is a dynamic, anointed preacher. Also, God has blessed him with the gifts of faith and healing. If you need a miracle or know someone who does than do whatever you have to do to get here tonight.

God has been moving in a tremendous way in our church during the season of fasting and prayer.

Tonight promises to be a little time of heaven on earth. I hope to see you there.

Please come expecting God to do something big!

3 Things Every Leader Must Do

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Below are 3 essential elements of every leaders life.

1. Evaluate

leaders are responsible to ensure that the right people are in the right place within the organization
leaders help team members to lead from their strengths and play the appropriate role that will best help the organization advance the mission

2. Equip

leaders make sure their team members have the necessary tools to complete the task
leaders resource their team with coaching, development opportunities, educational experiences so that they can function to the best of their ability and beyond

3. Encourage

leaders exude encouragement into everyone on the team by believing in the people they lead
leaders help team members build an unwavering confidence that they can fulfill their dreams and organizational goals

A Prayer For Our New Campus

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:47:00 +0000

PCC is launching a new church plant this year in the Stroudsburg / East Stroudsburg area. That means we are going multisite. We will continue to be one church but will meet in two locations: Mt. Pocono and Stroudsburg/E.Stroudsburg.

Here are some specific things you can pray for as we prepare for this bold initiative for the glory of God. Thank you for your partnership in prayer.

Leadership

Pray for God to raise up Godly leadership to lead this new campus: specifically for a campus pastor, a kids ministry director and a worship leader. These leaders will in a large degree determine the success of this endeavor.

Laborers

Pray for God to raise up hundreds of volunteers who will be willing to serve and sacrifice for the cause of Christ at this new campus. The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few ... So pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers.

Location

Pray for God to go before us and open up the doors for a facility where we can meet, worship, pray, grow and introduce people to the transformative power of Jesus . Ideally, we would like to rent a permanent facility. We are also exploring portable options such as meeting in a school or theater. We need God to direct us and give us favor with a facility.

Lost

Pray for God to give us a great harvest of souls for this new church plant. After all, this is what the church is all about ... people. Please agree with us in prayer for an avalanche of unchurched people to collide with love of Christ in this new church and forever be changed.

New Message Series

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:58:00 +0000

This weekend we kick off a brand new messages series called d"Yeah, There's An App For That..."

It's going to be a fun, practical and insightful look at the life apps God wants us to download in order to be successful in 2012.

This weekend is "You Version" and we will looking at the value of committing to a daily Bible reading plan.

You don't want to miss it! Bring a friend!

Promises, Promises, Promises

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:04:00 +0000

"Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, "If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there." Nehemiah 1:8

During this pivotal time, Nehemiah reminds God of the promises He made concerning the people of Israel. What an audacious thing to do!

Does God need to be reminded of His promises? Does he struggle with amnesia? Is He a forgetful Father? Absolutely not.

But we see all the greats of the Old Testament offer these prayer-reminders to God. Abraham did it. Moses did it. David did it. All the prophets did it.

My daughter recently reminded me of a promise I made to her. I love that my kids remember the words I speak into their life. It does my heart good to keep a promise. As a father, nothing makes me happier than to bless my kids and make good on my promises.

Our Heavenly Fathers feels the same way. He's not a distant or detached father that forgets His promises. No. He's trustworthy - worthy of our trust. And He always delivers.

Did you know the Bible contains over 7000 promises from God? Claim the promises of God for 2012. Pray the promises. Speak the promises over your life, family, business and future.

Don't forget: For every problem in life, there's a promise from God.

Spiritual Emphasis Month

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:02:00 +0000

This January we kick off our annual Spiritual Emphasis month here at PCC. (That's not to say we don't emphasize spirituality the other eleven months.) Rather, we dedicate ourselves to seeking the Lord in a season of 21 days of fasting and prayer at the start of the year.

Here are a few benefits of Spiritual Emphasis Month:

1) Clarity - Extended seasons of fasting and prayer help to eliminate distractions and unnecessary activity. This yields greater clarity and focus for important future decisions and direction.

2) Unity - Prayer binds the hearts of people together. The church or family that prays together, stays together. United we stand but divided we fall. Prayer unites.

3) Humility - The spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting are incredibly humbling. You quickly realize just how little control you have in life ... whether its with a fork or an act of faith. God blesses the humble.

4) Productivity - Fasting and prayer brings a supernatural level of success and productiveness into your life that otherwise would be lacking. God grands success to those that seek him.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:45:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to all the faithful volunteers and friends of Pocono Community Church.

Thank you for your tireless effort and commitment to reaching our community for Jesus.

Because of your ministry, about 2100 people attended our 5 Christmas Eve services where over 200 people made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. Also, hundreds of pounds of food was donated through our "Canning Christmas" outreach to help those in need.

I pray you have peaceful time with friends and family this Christmas. Thank you again for your commitment to changed lives!

A Pocono Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:47:00 +0000

Join the PCC Church Family this Christmas Eve for an inspiring night of music and hope.

Enjoy complimentary hot cocoa and cookies, live music before and after the service, and Christmas carolers. You don't want to miss this exciting night where we celebrate the birth of Christ!

Christmas Eve Eve - Friday, Dec. 23 - 7pm, 8:15pm (Spanish)

Christmas Eve - Saturday, Dec. 24 - 2pm, 4pm, 6pm

Merry Christmas from Pocono Community Church!

Israel

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 05:30:00 +0000

I'm currently making this post from my hotel in Haifa, Israel. This week I'm in the Holy Lands with a small group of pastors touring the land and spending time with Jacob's Hope.

Jacob's Hope provides compassion ministries and outreach to the Jews living around the world. Some of their outreaches include medical supplies and treatment, emergency supplies, food distribution and more.

Specifically, they have 6 warehouses positioned strategically throughout Israel that are designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of Jewish people. Interestingly, 25% of Jews in Israel live below the poverty line. Another 25% live at or just above the poverty line.

Apparently the lion share of the Israeli governmental expenses go to the national defense and understandably so. Israel is completely surrounded by its enemies. Only last week two missiles launched from Lebanon landed only miles from my hotel.

This is my first time in Israel. It's amazing to be in the land where Jesus' lived and walked. The Bible literally comes to life before your eyes. I'm totally expecting this trip to be a life changing experience.

More to follow ...

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:08:00 +0000

Psalm 73:1 says, "Truly God is good..."

Here are some things I'm truly thankful for this Thanksgiving:

A merciful and forgiving God
A Savior who came full of grace and full of truth
A purpose and vision to give my life to
A wife who is my absolute best friend
Four children that are the center of my joy
Supportive and encouraging parents
A loving grandfather that prays for me everyday
A great brother and sister
An exciting church to lead that loves the lost more than anything else
Church volunteers that are willing to sacrifice and serve despite the cost
A truly phenomenal staff that gives 100% every day
Trusted friends who tell me the truth, see me at my worst, and love me in spite of it all
A great coach who challenges my thinking and effectiveness
The great outdoors where I like to spend time away from the office

Weekend Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:25:00 +0000

Here are some of the highlights from the weekend at Pocono Community Church:

*PCC provided almost 150 families with Thanksgiving Baskets and hand delivered them to homes in need. What a demonstration of generosity and kindness. So proud of our staff and the hundreds of volunteers who donated their time and resources for this outreach.

*This past weekend was "Commitment Weekend" at PCC. Hundreds of people gave sacrificially and made three year commitments to our new outreach and develop initiative, Unstoppable.

*Early reports of the Unstoppable Commitments are nothing short of miraculous.

*Our Unstoppable goal was 2 Million to be given over 3 years. Before this weekend, 1.2 million was already given in advanced commitments. God is up to something BIG.

*Eph 3.20 - God is able to do exceeding and abundantly more than we dare ask or think.

*I can't wait to announce the miracle of generosity on Victory Weekend on the December 10/11!

*My wife, Bekah and I were incredibly humbled as we watched so many faithful people in all 5 worship experiences come forward and give their gifts at the altar. I'll never forget that display of generosity...ever.

*God says, "If you can't give willingly, then don't give at all." This weekend was about a "coalition of the willing" not a "coercion of the unwilling."

*God doesn't expect us to all give the same amount. But He does expect us to give with the same attitude.

*Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." In other words, what's in your heart is more important than what's in your wallet.

*So cool to meet 4 new East Stroudsburg University students in our worship experiences this weekend. They are totally psyched about PCC coming to ESU and want to join the launch team. This is gonna be good.

*Looking forward to next week when we will celebrate Thanksgiving together as a church family with extended time of worship and communion.

Excelerate Leadership Conference

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:49:00 +0000

Just wanted to get the word out to pastors and church planters to register for this new leadership conference, Exclerate. It will be held at Glad Tidings Church in Reading, PA.

Looking forward to being there with many of my ministry friends and sharing my heart on reaching the unchurched and hearing from some other great speakers. Don't miss it!

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:30 am – 9 am
REGISTRATION | NextGen Center

9 am – 10:30 am
MAIN SESSION | NextGen Center
Structuring Your Church to Reach Lost People
David Crosby, Jr.

10:45 am – noon
BREAKOUT SESSIONS [choose from six]

Topics include:

Creating a Missional Church | Eran Holt
Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Planning | Bryan Koch
“RPM’s” Kids Small Groups are a “Real Powerful Ministry!” | Todd Bube & Andrea Dascalescu
Creating a SERVE Culture that Attracts New Volunteers | Deb Bube
Developing Group Life in Your Church | Scott Kramer
Launching a Multi-Site Campus | Steve DeFrain, Jr.

Noon – 1 pm
LUNCH | Sacred Grounds Grille

1 pm – 2 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION | NextGen Center
Structuring Your Church to Multiply and Plant
Tom Rees, Gerry Stoltzfoos, Jeff Leake, Steve DeFrain

2:15 pm – 3 pm
CLOSING SESSION & PRAYER | NextGen Center
Where Do We Go From Here?
Bryan Koch

3 pm
CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

A Short History of PCC

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Unstoppable

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:31:00 +0000

This weekend PCC launched our new initiative, Unstoppable. Here's the video roll in for the series. A huge thanks to the creative guys that made it happen. You guys are amazing.

Snowtober

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Due to the snow storm, we had to cancel our Saturday evening service.

The water baptism service, planned for tonight, has been rescheduled for next Saturday, November 4th.

The MonsterBash will be tomorrow during our regular Sunday worship experiences at 9, 10:30, 12 and 2pm. Don't miss out on all the fun, candy, games and more. Each service will also include an action-packed Gospel presentation.

Please make every effort to attend our 9 and Noon worship experience tomorrow to free up space in the 10:30 worship experience. Thanks again!

Daniel Fast Day #11

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Psalm 35:13 "I afflicted myself with fasting."

The first time I read this verse written by King David I was like, 'Totally feel ya bro. This fasting thing is tough on the body."

But then I realized that the word "affliction" is best defined as "humility."

To fast is to truly humble yourself. It's amazing how much my body and my physical appetite can control my life. It's humbling to realize that there are things in my life that have been brought to the surface during this season of fasting. It's caused me to deal with certain attitudes, reactions to particular people or just my disposition and general demeanor.

But fasting is bring my flesh under submission to my spirit - or better yet - the Spirit of the Living God inside of me. Fasting will truly position anyone to deal with the junk in their life and obtain victory for the glory of God.

I'm so glad we are half through this fast and I'm excited to see all that God will do in us in the second half. Don't give up!

Daniel Fast Day #9

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:58:00 +0000

Here are some of the specific things I am fasting for:

For clarity of vision in life and ministry
For a successful Unstoppable Initiative, including clarity on what Bekah and I are to give financially over the next 3 years
For my family and their health and for the development and growth in wisdom for my kids
For the church elders, staff and their families
For unity in the church and commitment to the vision
For the lost in our community. That we may reach more for Jesus in the next year than ever before.
For a spiritual hunger to be awakened in our church that we may go to a new level of faith and growth.

Daniel Fast Day #6

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:29:00 +0000

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 6:5

It's no secret I enjoy a great meal. But after every feast, I'm always hungry again in less than a few hours - never truly satisfied.

You don't realize how powerful your hunger for food really is until you fast. Simply denying myself the food I eat on a typical day has awakened a giant in my gut. The first few days of the fast my flesh was screaming to be satisfied.

Interestingly though, the more I've prayed and fasted the quieter those hunger pangs became. Now almost a full week into the fast my insatiable desire for food has almost been tamed. What's more than my appetite being in check is that I have a heightened sense of taste for the food that I do eat.

What's true of my physical nature is also true of my spiritual nature. I sense a renewed desire for God's Word and spending time in his presence. There is a heightened spiritual sense in each moment as I experience the Spirit of God with me through the day in conversations with my wife, as I parent my kids, and go about my work and ministry to others.

Here's the kicker: at the end of each day there is deep satisfaction with the time I've spent in God's Word and in prayer. God truly does satisfy those who hunger for more of Him and His Word.

Daniel Fast Day #5

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:46:00 +0000

My friend Sam died today.

Daniel Fast Day #4

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:17:00 +0000

"Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart." Psalm 119:2

God promises to bless the person who does two things:

1) Stay in the Word.

In other words, don't be distracted by the things of this world. Stay in the Word of God. Keep His testimonies. Don't let your faith be derailed by the cares of this world and the pursuits of the flesh. Refuse to jettison your faith and chunk your character for the pleasures or possessions of this momentary life.

2) Seek Jesus with passion.

The Bible says God will bless you if you seek him with your whole heart. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." (Mt. 6:34) Make my relationship with God through faith in Jesus the top priority of my life. The ability to cultivate spiritual intimacy with Christ will provide the pathway to blessings in this life and the next.

Daniel Fast Day #3

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:56:00 +0000

Today I'm praying and fasting for my friend Sam. Sam and his wife, Charlotte, are founding members of Pocono Community Church. For the past nine years, Sam has been a faithful friend and source of encouragement. He is the Treasurer of the Elder Team and serves as a part of the Greeter and Prayer Team, as well.

Last week Sam went to the hospital because he had been bleeding internally and experiencing a great deal of pain. In the past week, the doctors have discovered that Sam has Stage IV cancer that has affected his liver, pancreas, lungs and brain. His body showed no sign of cancer only 4 months ago in a CT Scan. Last night Sam's health deteriorated and he was taken into the ICU where he suffered a stroke and further complications.

As of now, Sam has been taken to hospice where all they can do is make him as comfortable as possible. Please pray with me that God will be merciful and compassionate and that His will be done. Also, please pray for Charlotte and Sam's children and grandchildren. May the God of all comfort be their peace.

Daniel Fast Day #2

noreply@blogger.com (David Crosby) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:45:00 +0000

1 Chronicles 21 tells of a time in King David's life when he was directed to offer a special sacrifice to the Lord. When someone tried to step in a relieve the burden of his sacrifice, King David said, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 1 Chronicles 21:24

Some have asked me if giving up soda or chocolate was "enough" for God to bless them during this time of fasting and prayer. I think King David makes it clear that whatever we do for the Lord should require significant sacrifice. If it doesn't cost you something, then it's not worth anything.

What are you willing to give up for God?