Surfing the Inner N8

We had 8 participants for Session 9 of CrossWay On Purpose, in which we wrapped up the Bible passages we’ve been studying for the past couple months.  Next week we will enter Phase 2 of CrossWay On Purpose, in which we will begin processing all the information we’ve gathered from the Scriptures.  We will sort it all out and draw from it to develop a vision, strategy, and purpose.  I’m so excited about what lies just around the corner!

In studying the last three of the seven churches which Jesus addresses in the opening chapters of Revelation, we completed our ever-growing list.  We examined Revelation 3:1-6; 7-13; 14-22.  We saw that we:

• are to do God’s work
• are to complete God’s work
• are to be alive-and stay alive!
• are to do the right thing for the right reason
• are to fan the flames
• are to strengthen & encourage the remnant
• are to go back to our first love
• are to repent
• are to wake up!
• are to hold fast to what we once had
• are to be real
• are to be authentic
• will be rewarded if we are faithful
• have promises from God
• serve the God who opens doors
• are to be faithful even when we’re weak
• are to be humble, not proud
• are to keep God’s Word
• are not to deny Jesus’ name
• are to endure patiently
• will be rescued from the hour of trial
• will be pillars in the temple of God-He will write on us the names of God, the City of God, and Jesus’ new name
• will never leave God’s temple-we will never be separated from Him
• will spend eternity with God
• are not to be lukewarm
• are to be genuine
• are to have substance
• are not to be complacent
• are not to be self-sufficient
• are to be earnest
• are to repent
• are loved by Jesus
• are rebuked & disciplined by Jesus
• are to open the door and let Jesus in
• are to listen for God’s voice
• are to have fellowship/communion with Jesus
• will sit with Jesus on His throne

I hope to see you there next Wednesday as God begins to clarify CrossWay’s vision!

This morning my dad called and told me that his dad passed away in his sleep last night.  “Popeye,” as we seven grandkids and seven great-grandkids affectionately called him, was 87 years old.

Popeye was born in Mississippi in 1920 and met my grandmother, “Nana,” when he was barely more than a kid.  When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, Popeye did two things in response: he enlisted in the Navy and asked Nana to marry him.  He didn’t make it very far in the Navy because his hearing ability didn’t meet their standards; fortunately, his second endeavor was more successful, and they were married that same month.

Popeye worked for the Hurt Grocery Company in Paragould, Arkansas, all of his adult life.  He only retired because he had to after his pickup was hit by a train in December 1986.  Not only did he miraculously survive that accident (though he was severely injured), but he went on to live longer than any other Hyde in recent memory.

A lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan, Popeye watched every Cards game on TV that he possibly could.  When he and Nana raised my dad and his two brothers (my uncles Hugh and Randy), they created lasting family memories by occasionally making the trek to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play at old Busch Stadium.  To this day, my dad has a special fondness for the Cardinals.  And Popeye continued watching the Cards on TV until he was no longer physically able to.  (In fact, it’s kind of a family joke that he was able to hear the Cardinals games on TV long after he was able to hear my grandmother calling him!)  One year my dad and brothers and I got Popeye a Cardinals jersey with the name “Popeye” on the back, which he still had when he died.

One of the most admirable things about my Popeye was his faith.  He had a Bible given to him at Christmas in 1964 (a year, by the way, in which the Cardinals upset the Yankees in the World Series), and he read three chapters a day in that Bible as long as he was still able to see well enough to read.  I don’t know how far back my spiritual heritage goes, but I know it goes at least as far back as Popeye.

The last time I saw Popeye was about three months ago.  We visited him at the nursing home in Little Rock where he had to move several months before.  As we left, I kissed him on top of the head and told him that I love him.  In a rare moment of clarity, he responded, “I love you, too.  Very, very, very, very much!”

We love you, Popeye, and we’ll miss you greatly.  Thank you for being the steady and faithful man that you were, and leaving behind the legacy that you did.

On Wednesday we had 8 people for CrossWay On Purpose. We’re near the end of the Bible passages we’ve been studying! In Session 8, we looked at Revelation 2:1-7, 8-11, 12-17, 18-29. These four passages cover a special message that Jesus had for four specific churches. And He has the same message for us today at CrossWay. Here’s what we found that Christ wants us to be and to do:

• do good works
• work hard
• repent from sin
• persevere
• discern between true teachers & false teachers
• hear what the Spirit says to the church and do what He says
• not tolerate false prophets
• keep love for Jesus #1
• endure hardships for Jesus
• not grow weary
• not lose focus on basics
• be spiritually rich
• not be materialistic
• not be afraid
• be faithful
• be disciples
• not fear suffering
• we will be tested
• help save others
• go out in the world without becoming worldly
• stay true to our faith
• not be enticed by immorality
• hold each other accountable
• not tolerate false teaching
• avoid sexual immorality
• avoid idolatry
• hold fast until Jesus comes
• be victorious
• do God’s will to the end
• continue doing good deeds
• love
• exercise faith
• engage in service
• grow & increase in good works
• repent of immorality
• keep our hearts & minds pure
• know who we are & Whose we are

We closed with a time of prayer. Next week we’ll look at three more churches in Revelation, then we’ll move on to the next phase of the study.