crossroads

about heaven, earth and the journey in between

The One Thing 09/04/2025

The One Thing Deuteronomy 30:11-16 In order to grow in our spiritual walk, it will be helpful for us to distill our need down to the one, most important thing that God is speaking to us about. So we have to figure out that most important thing for ourselves. So what is: The one thing you’ve heard One goal you’ll set One action you’ll take Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/38049775

The Personal Potholes 09/01/2025

The Personal Potholes Hebrews 5:11-14 We all face potholes on our road to Christian maturity. These potholes set us back, and oftentimes we don’t see them in our own lives. Here are some potholes that we often deal with: You’re not smart Proverbs 12:15; 26:12 It’s not that you’re not smart, it’s that you’re not listening Romans 12:2a Matthew 5:21-22 Your vision is bad Matthew 6:22-23 Three lenses you see though: Your insecurity; Your desires; Your pain You’re a runner Genesis 3:8 Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/38049435

The God Complex 08/18/2025

The God Complex Matthew 4:1-11 There are usually two ways the enemy tempts us: he gets us to doubt our identity in God, or he gets us to believe in our identity outside of God. But ultimately, we have to make the decision to believe and do what we want - Satan can only tempt, he can’t force us to do anything. Yet it is all too easy for us to press into the idea that we can, in a sense, be our own gods. In order to combat this temptation, we must recognize: Your God complex There can be only one Only God can rule: rightly, effectively, and justly Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37857965

Back To School 08/10/2025

Back To School Psalm 78:1-8 What should we do for our kids as they go out into the world for the school year? We must tell them The praiseworthy deeds His power His wonders Generations The next generation Their children Children’s children Why? Their trust in God Not forget his deeds Keep his commands Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37751905

Spring Forward: Generosity 08/03/2025

Spring Forward: Generosity 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 Generosity applies to both God and people. God has called us to be generous toward him, but he has also called us to be generous to our fellow neighbor. There are at least three areas where we can spring forward in our generosity: Finances Time Grace Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37654535

Spiritual Blindness 07/30/2025

Spiritual Blindness John 9:1-41 #1 WE HAVE SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS · Identify Them: o cultural o familial o trauma o expectations · It Undermines: o your spiritual life o how you perceive God o Biblical authority o your ability to mature and disciple #2 WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE · Act On It o be all in o testify o even if #3 JESUS IS MESSIAH Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37573455

Spring Forward: Effort 07/27/2025

Spring Forward: Effort What are the things that get your best effort? Ecclesiastes 9:10a (NASB) Paul’s “Race” Acts 20:24 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Hebrews 12:1-3 2 Timothy 4:7 What areas do we need to turn it up? Intimacy (to be close to God) Transformation (to be like God) Surrender (worship of God) Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37563395

The Greatest Commandment 07/26/2025

The Greatest Commandment Matthew 22:34-40 The 10 Commandments Exodus 20:3-17 The Shema Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Loving God rightly requires using all our different faculties as we show love through various means. Our heart loves with feeling and emotion. Our soul loves with will. Our mind loves with logic. How do we love god with heart, soul, and mind? Know God with your heart, soul, and mind. /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37563270

Spring Forward: Uncomfortableness 06/25/2025

Spring Forward: Uncomfortableness 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 How do we make living in uncomfortableness part of our daily lives: Live with standards, not heroes Live for heaven, not comfort Live with present day faith Live for the next opportunity Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37144490

What to give the Father Who Has Everything 06/17/2025

What to give the Father Who Has Everything Mark 8:34-38 It’s pretty clear what God is asking us for. There are a number of gifts we can give to God: Deny yourself Live an “others-centered life” Take up your cross You “can’t save yourself.” Follow Him “Go where he went.” Your Life Give God “every part.” Your Boldness “Share the Good News.” To sum it up, what do you give the Father who has everything? What is asked Your best 100% Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/37036700

Spring Forward: Communion 06/10/2025

Spring Forward: Communion com·mun·ion /kəˈmyo͞onyən/ Noun a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death. the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 So what should we do as we take communion: Remember Embrace Examine Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36932570

Spring Forward: Fruit 06/01/2025

Spring Forward: Fruit John 15:1-8 We are just branches connected to the vine. We can’t be his disciples if we’re not connected to the vine… that is, God. The purpose of being a branch connected to a vine is to bear fruit, but a branch on its own cannot bear fruit. When thinking about our connection to God, we need to ask ourselves a few questions: Are you bearing fruit in your life? Galatians 5:22-23 Are you bearing fruit in their lives? Are you bearing fruit for his mission? Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36808840

Spring Forward: Identity-Part 2 05/19/2025

Spring Forward: Identity-Part 2 Genesis 1:26-27 Judges 6:11-16 We all like to give ourselves different identifiers. Whether we identify with a hobby we enjoy, or something we spend too much time thinking about, or sometimes even our weaknesses that we think define us. That doesn’t necessarily go along with our identity as set by God. So how should we determine our true identity? You are who God says you are. Often finding our true identity requires shedding a false one. Who you really are is only discovered/revealed/achieved in a walk with God. Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36620445

Spring Forward: Prayer 05/04/2025

Spring Forward: Prayer Mark 1:35 Matthew 14:22-23 Matthew 26:39 Luke 11:1 John 17:6-26 Prayer was supremely important to Jesus. Multiple times in the gospels he’s recorded to have gone off alone to pray. So how do we spring forward in prayer?: Pray Prayer is the opportunity: to worship God to connect with God to affect his will on creation. Pray more. Pray regularly. Pray continuously. Stop treating it so lightly Seek God’s desire: for you. for them. for the world. Add WEIGHT to your prayer. Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36430275

Spring Forward: Identity 04/24/2025

Spring Forward: Identity John 20:1-29 John 21:15-19 Which of the characters in the Easter story best resonates with the identity that defines us? “The disciple whom Jesus loved” Mary “Doubting” Thomas Simon/Peter The fleeting nature of failure The necessity of honesty The power of repentance Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36274135

Spring Forward: Worship 04/22/2025

Spring Forward: Worship Luke 19:28-40 The characters presented in the story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry illustrate several different ways people tend to worship Jesus. Which one do you look like most? How do you worship? Do you worship at all? Do you worship because of what you get from Jesus? Do you worship because you know about Jesus? Do you worship because you’re with Jesus? Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36258635

Spring Forward: Grace 04/08/2025

Spring Forward: Grace 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 Hosea 6:6 Ephesians 4:32 - 5:2 Matthew 5:43-45 Jesus has some very tough standards for us to live like him. He calls us to love others not just as we love ourselves, but as he loves us. He even calls us to love our enemies. His grace was demonstrated by his death on the cross so we could share it with others. So what is grace to us: Grace isn’t deserved Grace is healing Grace is worship Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/36048285

Spring Forward: God-Help 04/01/2025

Spring Forward: God-Help Genesis 1:31; 3:1-5; 6:5; Deuteronomy 5:33 Matthew 5:21-22 2 Corinthians 5:17 Romans 12:2 Ephesians 4:17-24 When we gave our lives to Christ we didn’t simply join a new religion, we became a new creation. But instead of living like it, we like to do things ourselves. But when we try to fix everything on our own, it can have unintended consequences. Here are some warnings about self-help: Self-help is often self-centered Self-help can easily become self-worship God-help, on the other hand, works in a different way: God-help is a God-first system God-help is the only help that actually works Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35955105

Spring Forward: Hope 03/24/2025

Spring Forward: Hope 1 Corinthians 13:13 We spend a lot of time in church talking about faith and love, but not much talking about hope. We all need to strengthen our hope. 1 Kings 19:1-18 If you want to build hope in your life, you have to: Remember Reinforce You can’t live by someone else’s faith, but you can certainly rest in its shadow. Refocus From the natural to the SUPERnatural Look for the glimmers Live in the glimmers Open your eyes Worship Denounce the Delusions Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35832640

Spring Forward 03/17/2025

Spring Forward Colossians 2:1-7 What does it look like to “spring forward” in different areas of our lives? Grow down Spring forward Get more light Strive for new growth Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35720105

Growth: Spiritual Allergies 03/14/2025

Growth: Spiritual Allergies What is an allergy? An allergy is where your body reacts strongly to something that may be harmless to others. We all experience spiritual allergies… things that aren’t sins in and of themselves, but that can lead to bad decisions… Things that overwhelm our spiritual immune system. How do we deal with spiritual allergies? Avoid 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Proverbs 4:14-15 Praise 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Change your focus Philippians 4:8 Support, encouragement, and accountability Proverbs 27:17 Hebrews 10:23-25 Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35682465

Growth: Prayer and Maturity 02/24/2025

Growth: Prayer and Maturity Prayer Matthew 21:13a Most Christians don’t pray, or don’t pray very much. We miss out on the power of the one who says to us, “I’m right here listening.” So what does it really take to grow in prayer? Pray Pray consistently Pray continually Pray for others first Pray first Maturity 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 How do we grow in maturity? Identify the childish Get an outside perspective Identify maturity Move Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35402960

Growth: In Faith 02/19/2025

Growth: In Faith Daniel 3:7-18 We all have some kind of faith, or we wouldn’t be going to church or listening to sermons. So what does it look like to grow in this faith: Life change Moving from noun to verb Becoming an “even if” Christian Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35344815

Growth: Love 02/09/2025

Growth: Love 2 Peter 1:5-8 Colossians 3:12-14 John 15:13 Love Is much more than a feeling. It is a choice. And because of that, it presents us opportunities to grow. To grow in LOVE is to: Grow in the ability to give our lives to others. Grow in the ability to give our lives to others who don’t like us. Grow in the ability to give our lives to others who are against us. Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35213460

Talk About Windshields 02/04/2025

Talk About Windshields Luke 11:33-36 Having a dirty windshield is a lot like having sin in your life. Sin makes it hard to follow God in much the same way that a dirty windshield makes it harder to see where you’re driving. Sin makes it hard to see Clean the Inside Deal with the damage Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35142725

#GOALS: Find Rest 01/27/2025

#GOALS: Find Rest Matthew 11:28-30 Genesis 2:1-3 Deuteronomy 5:12-15 Psalm 46:10a As we long to be our own god, we wear ourselves out until our souls are weary. Only by taking up Christ’s yoke can we find rest. There are several categories we should consider for rest: Find rest from your work Find rest from your striving Find rest from your battle Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/35023520

#GOALS: Make Peace 01/21/2025

#GOALS: Make Peace Matthew 5:9 For a lot of us, it’s much easier and much more common for us to be troublemakers rather than peacemakers. But if we want to follow Jesus, we have to go against that temptation. There are four ways we can endeavor to be peacemakers: Make peace with people Make peace between people Make peace with your circumstances Make peace with God Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/34936825

#GOALS: Expand My Worship 01/12/2025

#GOALS: Expand My Worship Matthew 25:31-40 The idea of worship is so much more than something that happens for a couple hours on a Sunday morning. It encompasses our whole lives - all that we do for ourselves and for others. The way we treat one another becomes the way we worship God. There are several ways we should think about how to worship outside the church: Worship through my relationships Worship with my service Worship in the giving of grace Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/34827740

#GOALS: Connection 01/07/2025

#GOALS: Connection 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Paul wants the Corinthian church to understand that they have been newly created when they give their lives to God. The same is true for us… but sometimes we still live like the old is not gone. So if we want to live like the new new creation we’ve become, we should think about making these goals for 2025: Strengthen my connection. Embrace the traditional. Engage the personal. Eliminate the disconnectors. Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/34753125

Encounters: Herod 12/27/2024

Encounters: Herod Matthew 2:1-12; 16 Like Herod, it can be hard for us to give up our power, our authority, our possessions… our lives. But Jesus came to do just that. We might be able to relate to this quote: “I know God is working in me, but right now I’m so uncomfortable with myself, and the changes God is making in my heart feel like an attack.” Every work of God in us requires us to lay down our crowns Sometimes the thing God is doing feels like an attack. Every work of God is good; even when it costs. Crossroads – about heaven, earth, and the journey in between. Connect with us Website: YouTube: Facebook: /episode/index/show/michael1/id/34626590

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