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Compassion

October 15th, 2009 No comments »

This post is a re-visit to my 5,000th Twitter post earlier in the year. I’ve updated it with another moving video that I just saw. That video is down below. Take a few minutes to watch, pray, and consider what you will do.

James 1:27 says:

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

There are a lot of causes out there, but Tina and I have a big heart for the children that are hurting in this world.

Compassion International is an organization and mission that we greatly believe in here at the Cordova house.

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.

Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.

Meet Rafonzel. I first heard about this extraordinary young woman when I took a group of students from Crosspoint to a Student Life camp in Daytona beach. Her story touched me, and changed my life. Watch these videos and you’ll see why…

These are the kids that Tina and I sponsor:

This is Exvin and Lovely Rose. We’ve never met this kids before but we love them and pray for them on a regular basis. It’s amazing to think that a simple $64 a month has help clothes, feed, and educate them over the last few years. We love receiving their letters in the mail and we love to send them notes of encouragement as well. They have been a LARGE blessing in our lives.

So, I just wanted to post, and draw attention to this incredible organization and ask you, would you please consider sponsoring a child?

Get this widget! Compassion – Make a Donation – Sponsor a Child

You can follow Compassion on any of these social networks:

Here’s the newest video that moved me to repost this blog post from another blog I used to run.

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

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Posted in Life, Outreach & Service, Videos

Tags: children Compassion Compassion International help

Heaven is the Face

October 14th, 2009 No comments »

I just finished listening to Steven Curtis Chapman’s new single “Heaven is the Face” which is a touching tribute to his little girl Maria who died tragically over a year ago. I only met SCC a couple of times while I worked in radio, he always seemed like a genuine guy who loved God and loved his family. I was really sad for him when I heard of the the loss of his little girl. I felt like I followed their adoption path from the beginning because of being in the “industry” and reading so many stories about them going back to China to adopt children.

Heaven is the Face is a beautiful song and hearing it reminds me to pray for a family that is still (and will always) deal with the pain of losing a child, while celebrating that she is with Jesus waiting for the rest of the family to come home.

The song and the lyrics are below, and if you want to find out more about the Chapman’s ministry Shoahannah’s Hope, just check out ShowHope.org

Post a comment about the song, Id love to hear what you think!

Heaven Is The Face – Steven Cu…

Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles.
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile.”

Chorus:

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for.
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.
So right now…

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep,
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing.
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms,
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.

Bridge:

But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space.
All the cancer is gone,
Every mouth is fed,
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed.
Every lonely heart finds their one true love,
And there’s no more goodbye,
And no more not enough,
And there’s no more enemy (no more).

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone.
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You,
And we both run into Your arms.

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream.
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive.
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl,
Heaven in the face of my little girl.

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Posted in Life

Tags: Music Steven Curtis Chapman

Best Pastor Appreciation Letter. Ever.

October 8th, 2009 No comments »

The other day I got a bunch of letters in the mail. These letters came from a local Christian School that encouraged students to write to their Pastor and thank them for their hard word and service. I flipped through a few of those letters I received and smiled as I looked at what the children wrote. And then I got this one letter that brought a tear to my eye! Look at what it said:

Pastor Appreciate Letter 1

“You are the BEST pastor I’ve ever had.” I was floored! This was such a touching letter from one of the children at our church and it made my heart warm. As I wiped the tear from my eye, I looked down to see the information portion of the letter, it was a special box for the school administration to read so that they would know where to send these heartfelt tokens of appreciation. And this is what I saw:

Pastor Appreciation Letter 2

PASTOR BECKY!! This letter wasn’t for me at all… it was actually for Becky Russ, a leader in our Crosspoint Kids Ministry. Becky is a faithful volunteer at Crosspoint in many areas, but the impact that she is making in our Crosspoint Kids Ministry will be felt for generations

IMG_0182_2 I’ve had the privilege of seeing what happens at Crosspoint Kids and I wish EVERY one on that team could get a letter like this. The Crosspoint Kids Ministry Team works hard to provide a safe & secure place for kids to grow and connect with God! I appreciate all of them, and I couldn’t imagine what Crosspoint would be without them all.

(Especially PASTOR BECKY!)

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Posted in Crosspoint, Leadership

Top 5 Ways to Maximize Small Group Outreach Projects

October 3rd, 2009 No comments »

100_2933 One of the ways we’ve made Outreach a part of our DNA from the very beginning was through Small Groups. When it comes to building community with Small Groups there is nothing like being able to serve together as a group and hopefully bring other people with you on that journey.

Every semester Crosspoint Small Groups head up a couple of outreach projects and at each of those projects we’ll have some folks who are unconnected take part as well. Here’s a Top 5 on the best ways to maximize small group outreach projects as a small group facilitator:

1. Be an inviter - Your small group should never be exclusive, so these projects are another way to invite people to be a part of your group who might not have felt comfortable at someone else’s home at first. Outreach projects at the part are typically a great first time invite. (see BONUS down at the bottom)

2. Recognize the first timers – Before you begin, find out who has never participated in this type of project before. Don’t think that just because you have drop off donuts a few times before that everyone knows how to do it or how to even explain what they are doing with others. Thank the folks who are there for the first time and share instructions with everyone to put them at ease.

3. Contact AND Follow-Up - This is simple, a phone call reminder the day before and a thank you call the day after will go a long, long way!

4. Celebrate successes and admit failures – Take some time during your small group meetings to share the successes you have had serving others, it will help folks look forward to their time of serving. And while you’re at it, let them know about some of the failures you’ve had. Some reason hearing that you’ve already received some “no thank you’s” or “get outta heres!” will help put people at ease.

5. Debrief – Talk about your time of serving. Let people share their own stories, how they felt, and what they were thinking. It’s also a great opportunity to share some vision about why we do what we do.

BONUS: Make a day of it! – Outreach doesn’t have to just be an “In and Out” experience. Take the opportunity to serve and play with your Small Group. Some of the best experiences as a community come when you spend some time serving the park that you will later hang out in. So hand out some waters, and then huddle up under a pavilion for a group picnic.

100_2916

This isn’t a top 5 about guaranteed results, this is all about making the experience a memorable and life-changing event not just for those who get served, but also for those who are serving!

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Posted in Crosspoint, Outreach & Service

Tags: Crosspoint outreach Small Groups

Where David Allen Gets Things Done

September 29th, 2009 No comments »

David Allen, author of “Getting Things Done” is showing off his work space on this video from Lifehacker.com. I’ve been working hard on following some of David’s GTD principles so this was a good view for me…

Unfortunately, my desk looks a little more like former Vice-President Al Gore’s desk (minus the 3 monitors, and the scary frog.):

What does YOUR workspace looks like?

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Posted in Leadership, Life

Holy Bible: Mosaic releases today from Amazon.com.

September 22nd, 2009 No comments »

Here’s some great info on this special edition:

Each week, as you reflect on guided Scripture readings aligned with the church seasons, you will receive a wealth of insight from historical and contemporary writings. Full-color artwork, quotes, hymns, prayers, and poems enhance the rich devotional experience. Also includes a Dictionary/Concordance, NLT word study system with Hebrew/Greek dictionary.

Key Features

Writings from every continent and century of the Christian Church – Contemporary and historical writings from Christians across the globe such as St. Augustine, Charles Wesley, and Henri Nouwen.

Full-Color Art – Full color art offers another kind of reflective devotional experience, with artwork from contemporary and historical artists.

Center column reference text with word study system – The clear New Living Translation text in this Bible is set in a center-column reference format, with Greek and Hebrew word studies to give you greater insight in study. There are also icons in the margins of the text to indicate which Scripture passages are linked to which writings.

Variety of Reflective Content – The content is arranged so that every week the reader has a variety of content for reading and reflection. Each week follows a theme appropriate to the Church season (such as Advent, Easter, etc). The content included for each week includes full-color art; Scripture readings; a historical reading; a contemporary reading; a prayer, creed, hymn or quote; and space for reflection.

Space for your response to God’s promptings – Add your tile to the mosaic—write or draw your response, prayers and questions in the provided space.

They’re hosting a giveaway today only. Join their launch party and you could win a deluxe edition of Mosaic and an Amazon.com gift certificate for up to $500. See their site for details.

For information on the Mosaic Bible you can go to their web site at:
www.HolyBibleMosaic.com you can also pick it up at Amazon by clicking below:

To participate in the contest click here.

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Posted in Blogs, Books

America’s Got Talent and America’s Got Hope!

September 16th, 2009 1 comment »

Confession: I watch America’s Got Talent. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t know if it’s the variety show aspect of the show or the sappy stories that each of the acts bring with them. (and yes, the only reason I want to go to Las Vegas is to see Terry Fator’s show live.)

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago this one act, “Voices of Glory” (2 brothers & a sister) sang another gospel inspired song. But what interested me wasn’t their performance but rather the reaction of one of the kids (I believe he’s 16) to a question asked by the host. Watch it here:

The thing is… this kid didn’t seem coached or coerced into his answered. These kids genuinely seem like good, decent kids who love and learn from their parents. So, for that I smiled… and yes I voted for them… shut up. I also voted for Recycled Percussion… (Man, I’m confessing way too much.)

Just try to keep your eyes dry during their story:

Anyway, I’m not saying they will win the competition, but they at least have given me hope that their are parents out their doing their God given duty and raising some kids right.

And now… some Recycled Percussion:

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Posted in Uncategorized

The NEW CrosspointLive.com Sneak Preview

September 13th, 2009 No comments »

Soon Crosspoint will have a brand new website!

Thanks to Ericka Watson, who’s a part of our Digital Media Team, and who also blogs at GodKindofLife.com. She’s a freelance writer and taught me a lot about WordPress. Check out her sites and drop her a line she’s available to help you with any website & writing needs!

Well, here’s the site. What do you think?

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Posted in Crosspoint

Tags: Crosspoint other blogs web

Wayne 3.0 – What’s new this fall

September 11th, 2009 No comments »

The pastoral staff at Crosspoint have a saying. Crosspoint is the anvil in which we will all be shaped on. Some days that hammer is huge!

Well this Fall there will be a lot of changes going on in my life. A LOT. As Crosspoint grows I know that my position and job description has to grow and change. So here’s a few of the features that Wayne 3.0 will have by the end of 2009.

I will lead & manage a new Digital Media Team at Crosspoint. No longer will I doing the tasks involved in graphic design, web design, media, email, print, etc. [The job is way too big and there are people out there with greater gifts and talents in this field that are waiting to be used by God!]
A new Outreach Team will be formed, to help plan, coordinate, and equip the people of Crosspoint to “Serve, Reach, Feed, & Build”
A better listener
A feedback seeking machine! [At Crosspoint, we want to have a steady diet of feedback. So I will ask you, please help me be better.]
Clearer communication. [If you're on one of my teams you'll get clear communication with expectations, deadlines, and a desire to hear your heart.]
Short Accounts. [The "duck & cover" method of conflict was never my thing. I will keep short accounts with the people around me so that there could be no foothold of resentment, anger, or division.]
A fire and a passion like never before for God’s word and my personal growth.

Help keep be accountable. Ask me how it’s going.

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Posted in Crosspoint, Leadership

The Nines

September 6th, 2009 1 comment »

If you haven’t heard about the Nines yet it’s really simple – on 09/09/09 TONS of speakers will be given 9 minutes to share their thoughts on Leadership.

It’s for church leaders
It’s all day.
It free. (register here)
It’s a conference that you don’t have to leave your home or office for, you just watch online.
The goal for the speakers is to simply answer this question: “If you had nine minutes to talk one-on-one with thousands of church leaders, what is the one thing that you would tell them?”
I can’t wait to hear what they have to say.