I recently took an interest in studying Jewish tradition and culture and one of the things that was most intriguing to me was the celebration of the Sabbath. I purchased many books on the Sabbath and read and researched on this topic for weeks.  Then Pam and I actually celebrated the Sabbath the way that God intended for it to be celebrated.  It was incredible!  We felt the presence of God in that 24 hours in a way we never have before.  It was one of the most incredible times that we have ever spent with the Lord, especially as a couple.

 I was so enthralled by the experience that I have to share with Crossroads about the truths and promises of the Sabbath. I am praying that God opens the hearts and minds of the people of Crossroads to why He called for us to share in such an intimate way with Him.  Come and find out how you can connect with God in a way that you may never have before.

 I hope to see you all then!

Pam and I have found that every time a new child enters our life our love magnifies and multiplies!  We see each of these children as precious and we like to focus on them individually and see how incredible they are in their own way. It feels as though our hearts grow with love and joy each time a new grand baby enters our lives.

 I believe that Pam was made by God to be a grandmother.  She is a natural; she just enjoys being with the grandbabies, loving on them, and playing with them.  I love watching her love the kids. I know that I am made to be a Grandfather.  God has ingrained in me a love for my grandchildren; a love so sincere, it makes me glad that I am old!

Dear Little One who is being knit together in the womb by our beloved Father in heaven,  welcome!  I was so excited to hear that you were on your way to us.  I cannot wait to hold you and love on you.

 Together they have written an awesome book on marriage, Just How Married Do You Want to Be?   This book is much needed in these tough economic times.  Their insight into what we can do to have the marriage that God wants for us will help any couple who has a desire to improve their marriage. 

 I encourage you married couples to come on the 11^th and the 18^th ready to be blessed!

 One thing that will make this night even more joyful is deciding as a family to bring canned food items to donate to our Food Pantry. This food goes to help families in need in our community.  This would be a great opportunity to include your children and teach them that God calls for us to care for others. On a night when we want them to go around getting treats,  how incredible to also have them share in the giving of treats.

 Whether you feel the President is a great leader or not, in that moment he gave a great answer. Great Leaders “keep their cool” in tough situations.  They do not get rattled or let their emotions go unchecked. 

 I remember sitting in a tense situation with some awesome leaders.  The discussion was beginning to get heated and the stakes were high.  Right then, one of the leaders rose to the occasion. He calmly stood up and took control of the situation by asking profound questions to get to the root of the issue.  As he spoke, his calm and collected demeanor transmitted to everyone in the room and the tension cooled. Soon everyone was looking to him for direction. He was a leader among leaders.

The Bible tells us that we are to have this quality in Phillipians 4:4-7. Verse 5 is tucked within some of the most famous verses in all the Bible and is easily overlooked. However, when we look at this passage as a whole, it gives us great insight as to what great leaders should look like. They are gentle, courageous, and calm,  4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7 (NASB)

 Paul is saying that no matter the time we live in “the Lord is near;” no matter the circumstances or enemies that may arise we are to “be anxious for nothing,” and “have a gentle spirit [that is] known to all.”   That kind of spirit takes courage. Great leaders are courageous. They do not get rattled no matter what the situation.

I found his willingness to take responsibility intriguing.  He could have easily placed the blame on the World market and the fact that there was not a nation on earth that was not tottering on the brink of disaster.  He could have said that many of the reforms he wanted to push through did not go far enough.  He could have blamed the crisis on  the fact that the whole world was suffering from unbridled greed and living in a fantasy world by charging up insane amounts of debt.  He could have said that no one man could be to blame for such a big crisis. However, he did not pass the blame onto any of these things. He said “yes.” The Prime Minister went on to explain that he should have been more aware of the impending doom.   He should have sounded the alarm.  He should have taken more decisive action. 

 At that moment,  whether I agree with his policies or not,  I knew I was looking at a great leader.  Great leaders do not shirk responsibility.  They do not place the blame on others.  When things go wrong in their corporation or with their employees, they assume responsibility.

In the leadership book entitled How Did That Happen? it says that when things go wrong, a great leader asks, “How did I let that happen?” as opposed to, “How did that happen?” A great leader looks at himself first and what he could have done differently.  

 If we desire to be great leaders, then we must, with integrity, be willing to say,  “I am responsible for this mistake.”

 Americans spend around 435 billion dollars a year on Christmas.  The typical family spends $1,500.00. A large percentage of that is charged on credit cards.  We are an over indebted society celebrating the fact that God sent His Son to set us free by putting ourselves in financial bondage. Ironic, isn’t it?  Prov. 22:7 tells us that the borrower is the slave to the lender.

 Our hope this year is that we as a Church family will refuse to use Christ’s birthday as an excuse to enslave ourselves to the credit card companies. I hope that we will commit to only buying gifts that we can afford or making homemade gifts. By doing this, I know that we will be able to focus more on the Lord, on loving others, and on the true meaning of Christmas.

 I  hope that we would take the Advent Conspiracy to heart. This Christmas season, pray about ways that you could do something for those who are in need.  The whole idea of the Advent Conspiracy  is that we give some of what we would spend on Christmas gifts to improve the lives of others. We have put together a special Christmas Catalogue for our Crossroads family which lists opportunities for us to significantly help those who are in need both in our own community and across the globe. I am excited to take advantage of some of these opportunities and really make a difference in someone’s life.

 “What if?…” I think the answer to the “what if” is that we would experience a truly Merry Christmas; With peace on Earth and good will toward men!

 Too many organizations have gone down the wrong path because their leaders have not fostered an environment of transparency.  Instead deceit, duplicity, and dishonesty creep in making the employees or followers uneasy, untrusting, and disloyal to the leadership. We have seen this deceit displayed in different ways:

• Half-truths
• Inflating and exaggerating figures  
• The leader talking about an employee one way behind closed doors but saying something totally different to the employee’s face.
• Pretending to “look the other way” so as not to have to deal with dishonest practices
• Not sharing the truth about a company’s financial state to avoid questions.

These practices do not make for a healthy work environment nor do they cause people to respect the leadership. 

As Christians we know that God calls for us to be transparent.  In Luke 12:2, Jesus tell us, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” Moses, one of the greatest leaders ever, warned “Surely, your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).  Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with the warning, “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14).

 I have found from observation of great leaders and from my own experience that transparency creates trust and people will give their all to a leader they can trust.  Be a transparent leader and keep the lights on!

This week I get to visit those gorgeous girls!  Pam flew out to Syracuse last Thursday and since then, because of wonderful technology, they have been sending home videos asking when Papa is going to be there to play with them!   I get so excited every time I get the chance to see them and have them jump on me! I love throwing them up in the air again and again and taking them on the carousel at the mall (I made Pam promise not to take them on the carousel until I get there)!

The best part of seeing my granddaughters is realizing the love God has for us. I get so excited to love on them and spend time with them and bless them and I realize that is the way God feels about us.

Since the birth of the twins, 3 other amazing children have come into my life: Noah, Maia, and Liam.   With every moment I get to spend with them,  I become more and more aware of the love that God has for me and of the love He has for you.  I am crazy about them and He is crazy about you. 

I praise God for love.  I praise God that with every child that has come into my life,  I understand His love better than ever.  I am so excited to see two of my favorite girls.  

I thank you my Father in heaven for them. I thank you My Father in Heaven for You!