Dear Crossing Family,

I have a confession. I just have to be honest. Last month, I spent five consecutive days in Disneyland. You read it right… five days. I know what you’re thinking. How could a grown man do such a thing? Is that not torture? But it was easy… I have children. But truth be told, I am a huge Disney nut and still believe in the Disney magic. As I wandered through the “Happiest Place on Earth”, you can’t help but make some poignant observations about people. Sitting on a park bench one day having caught a breather from the frenzy that can be Disneyland, I engaged in the fine art of people watching. There were certain categories that people fit into. And these categories seemed to parallel the varied approaches to life. Some were just overwhelmed by the whole experience. They were frantically darting about with no clear plan or destination, just moving from place to place, experience to experience. Others were first-timers and appeared to be confused. They were the ones standing in the middle of Main Street as the crowd poured past, baffled as to which direction to go so choosing to just stay put. Still others had just had enough. The frustration on their face and the meltdown evident in their voices revealed an end of the line mentality. Finally, there were those who clearly had a strategy. They stood analyzing the map, plotting their course, and laying out their day.

Here’s the observation that stuck with me. With all these various strategies for exploring the happiest place on earth, there was an inherent unawareness of everyone else around them. Though the park was filled with people (believe me, it was full), everyone was moving in their own direction, struggling for their own place and to accomplish their own agenda. At The Crossing we are convinced that life is actually to be lived with an acute awareness of our surroundings and with a clear commitment to impacting those surroundings for Christ. Whatever season or place of life we find ourselves in, Jesus is our example that the culture we have been placed into is to be engaged. We are part of God’s plan for the redemption of the world! As The Crossing, our mission is to partner with you to discover Jesus and the journey. This summer we will be continuing on that journey together.

Now I recently discovered a new word, “Staycation” which means a vacation that is spent at one's home, enjoying all that home and one's home environments have to offer. This year with all of the economic challenges many are facing, a lot of us will be doing just that. So while you may be staying close to home, the summer promises to be a great experience here at The Crossing as we strive to stay cool and survive the heat together. On July 6th we have a special guest, Todd Clark who will be speaking and challenging us with the message, “Risky Business.” In the month of July we unveil a compelling series, “Adventures in Missing the Point”, journeying through the Jesus’ narrative in the gospel of John. Slogans, labels, and sound bites do not always present the incredible message of the gospel as a loving, accessible reality. It might be that you are frustrated or even embarrassed by the reputation of Christianity in parts of our culture. This series will hopefully begin to answer the question, How did the public perception of Jesus’ followers get so far away from His teachings? Together we will journey with Jesus and hopefully discover anew the best ways to engage our culture and communicate God’s love as he so effectively did. Again, stay cool and prepare for an incredible summer at The Crossing.

Blessings,
Lee Coate