Crossroads Celebration Church

Spring Break, has never been a pleasure trip for me. In college one year I helped my father-in-law tear out the guts of a hog confinement. So early in life I learned that it wasn’t always about exotic beaches and swimsuits and drinking games.

In fact the pleasure has been to accomplish something other than studies and help someone else out. Now that I am back at college this time as a teacher, I still get spring break. And again it is fun to do something totally different than correct papers and exams and prepare for daily lessons. This week I have some young friends of mine, Jeni and Rachel are on their spring break and we are spending two days painting the set for the local community theater. I tried getting one of my college students to join us, but he is home helping his parents fix the siding on their house.

The only exotic I will get this week is some 1800 Russian scenery, that I get to make up in my head. And I don’t usually think of Russia as a warm get-away spot. The good news is that for March in Iowa we are to get 72 degrees.

If you are local to Ankeny check out the Neil Simon play “Fools” it runs the last two weekends of April and the first weekend of May. You will know that the set was a spring break project for several people looking for something different to do and to help out someone else.

Mark Tuttle is pastor of Crossroads, a Free Methodist Church in Ankeny, Iowa

Last weekend I spent some time with some awesome youth in a retreat called Chrysalis. A friend of mine gave a talk on prayer. He used an illustration of driving some distance and listening to Chuck Swindoll on the radio and as he was moving away from the tower, he was getting static. He prayed for God to bless him with the rest of the message. The static went away and he heard the message till the end very clearly. As soon as Swindoll was done, the radio went to all static. What an awesome God.

Also over the weekend, I was talking with another friend and saying that I was trying to photograph eagles on the Des Moines River, but they were too far away for my camera. It is a nice camera but not the expensive kind with the long zoom. My friend said, ask God to be the zoom and bring the eagles closer to you for a closer picture.

I was also in prayer this week about a career change and trying to decide what to do. So I laid a fleece before God in hopes of getting an answer. Lord, bring an eagle up close to my camera so I know you want be to continue doing what you called me to do. Today, the eagle came closer and seemed to almost stand still in the air so I could get my close up shot of the eagle. Maybe we shouldn’t test God that way, but I recall God telling us to test his faithfulness in Malachi about money and tithing.

So today, God was my zoom on my camera. God affirmed my calling and answered my prayer. By the way I got several closer shots of the eagle. What’s next? I saw a mink crossing a log while I was waiting for the eagle. Didn’t get a picture of it, but maybe that will be my next prayer.

Actually, as I look back on this week. God has blessed me immensely with answered prayers and answers I didn’t even think about praying over. All week, all I could think about was the majesty of God in the image of the majestic eagle. Enjoy.

Mark Tuttle – pastor at Crossroads – a Free Methodist Church in Ankeny, Iowa

We are finishing a teaching series in worship at Crossroads Church in Ankeny. We have been studying the film “Fireproof” and using scripture about how to love each other and God. This week Caleb has been saving up for a big boat and yet he donates $24,000 to buy his mother-in-law a hospital bed and a motorized wheelchair. It is about sacrifice. And the big question is what daring act of sacrifice are you willing to make to help someone else out?

Will you spend time to visit someone in prison? From my experience this one is a time sacrifice.

Will you help someone pay their bills or mortgage? This could be a sacrifice of money. I know “Fireproof” is only a movie, but the idea of $24,000 is a lot in my kind of budget. But I know it is a blessing to help someone else out with $50 or $100 or even $1,000, if it can make a difference in their life.

And the cool part is that making a sacrifice for someone is blessing them, but it will also bless you.

Are you willing and able to do a daring act of sacrifice this week for someone else? Talk to your family and friends and ask, “How can I help you?”

The robin has always been my best and favorite sign of spring. This week we have had 40′s and 50′s and even 60 degree weather the week before Valentines Day. The huge amount of snow has melted and is almost gone from the landscape. My father has seen five robins in two sightings where he lives. I am certain that I have heard the robins myself several mornings. But alas, I have not seen one single robin. They have been tormenting me. My hearing is dulled by a cold and yet I hear robins, but do not see. The forecast is for 6-8 inches of snow tomorrow, but I still believe the sign of spring is still out there, despite my lack of seeing what my heart longs for.

Isn’t that faith! Believing without seeing. I know that the spring flowers are just waiting to come up. I know that my father wasn’t lying about seeing his robins. I know that the trees will bud soon. The signs are always there and the seasons are like clock work. These are the witnesses of spring. Why do we not trust the witnesses of the resurrection? Many reliable friends and followers of Christ were there to see and believe. I know that I believe even though I wasn’t there to see. How about you? Do you have faith?

I have really been enjoying going out hiking in the woods this winter and last Sunday I got my family to go with me. My daughter and wife went hiking and my son and I played disc golf in the snow. Now my 23 year old son was goofing with his discs and saw an opportunity to slide down a snowy hill. He sat on his disc which is not much more than 10 inches in diameter. A really small sled.

So when we met up with the girls they decided to join in on the fun. They experimented with two and three and four discs. So the afternoon was spent playing in the snow and inventing new games. The real blast was disc golf sledding.

Mark Tuttle is pastor at the Free Methodist Church in Ankeny, Iowa. Come join us for some zany fun.

New Years Resolutions can be difficult. Who keeps them anyway? So I decided I would quit smoking. That was an easy one since I haven’t touched a cigarette since I was in high school thirty years ago.

Ok. So I am getting back to my daily devotions with God. It feels good. I read today about maybe why God chose Zachariah and Elizabeth to bear the prophet John the Baptist for God. It was because they “lived a clear conscience before God.” That’s what I want to do. Live a clear conscience before God. That’s my New Years Resolution. So it’s reading my bible daily, journaling and prayer. I also am getting my health in order and getting my blood sugars back to normal with diet and exercise. That feels good. I have been enjoying some winter hikes and taking my new camera out for photo opportunities. [Got an eagle in a corn field yesterday driving up to Waterloo].

I am also getting out to meet new people in the community. My family and I have signed up to help with the local theatre. Tonight my son and I will help build and paint sets for the upcoming play. It will be good volunteering locally and meeting new people. Hopefully making some new friends.

All of these things – dedicated to God in and through my life, I hop and pray will become part of my clear conscience before God.

What is your New Year’s Resolution? Does it include God in your life?

This Sunday, December 14, 2009. I have a small gift that everyone attending Crossroads will receive. I am so excited about this gift. I will give you a hint: It is red. You probably already have one like it. However you may not have the cool design of the one I am giving away. There is a story attached that helps make it a great gift. It has something to do with making the possible out of the impossible. If you are curious, you will just have to come and get one for yourself.

Well, the third morning in a row I was outside for a winter hike. I didn’t play disc golf this morning, but just for a nice hike down to Saylorville Lake. It was peaceful and beautiful. Great exercise. As I was hiking I picked up a hiking stick from the 2008 flood. And it got me to thinking.

Have you ever been to a national park or someplace that has warning signs not to pick up rocks or things and take them with you? I can imagine in some beautiful places it would be tempting and if everyone did it, there wouldn’t be anything left of the beauty.

As I was thinking about my new walking stick and the places I have been that have these warning signs, I was thinking that not matter what we should always take something away. I’m not talking about stealing or disobeying the signs, but at least mentally taking something away. If I didn’t collect a stick or a rock I would take away the experience, the beauty, the refreshment from the walk, the whatever it might be. I think all of us should consider what we take away from a moment or an event. The coach or player, win or loose, can take away pride of the game and accomplishment and team spirit or something they learn from the game or the competitors they were up against. Students, even if they didn’t learn to solve a new math or science problem, could take away relationship building from their peers or teachers. I always ask the students, young and old, what they learned today or this week. Most times I get, “nothing”. But if they think about it, they problem learned about life in the classroom or the hallway or the cafeteria and they have something to take away from the day or the week. Business people often complain, I worked all day, but didn’t accomplish a thing. But perhaps they can take away the frustration and learn from it.

I don’t care if we are stuck in traffic or changing a diaper or watching the paint dry, I think we can always find something to take away from the moment.

This week I have taken away renewed interest in being outdoors in the winter for exercise. I have taken some deep breaths of fresh air. I have taken away some reenergizing moments for myself and hopefully improved my health a little. I have taken away some great icy photo’s of the outdoors. I have learned from my students on the day they took their finals. I have increased my friendships this week. I have a greater hope for tomorrow and faith for today.

What are you taking away from everyday life’s moments?

Are you a list maker? I know Santa’s checking his list by now. I’m pretty sure I am on the naughty list, its hard being good every day.

I was thinking about our other list for the holidays. You know the list of Christmas Spirit. So here it is?

Sung a Christmas Carol? Yes No Baked holiday goodies? Yes No Given a gift? Yes No Given to charity? Yes No Driven by holiday lights? Yes No Decorated your home? Yes No Spread holiday cheer? Yes No Been Scrooged? Yes No Shared at church? Yes No

Sorry, I had to add the scrooged. My neighbors have this awesome outside light display with music and computerized lights. Someone cut their speaker wire the other night. Really it wasn’t that loud. But some Grinch or Scrooge came along to steal Christmas Spirit. [An aside - we had two stretched Hummer limo's drive through last night to look at the lights. Talk about looking at lights in style. Go Bob!]

This is the time to give and share, not steal and spoil. Make sure your list for Christmas Spirit includes lots of ways to love and spread the Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind. See you in worship where we can hear the Great Christmas Story about perfect peace.

It was warmer today. Yesterday was 8 and today it reached a balmy 23 degrees at 8:30 this morning. And yes I enjoyed the winter disc golf so much I had to go again today. I went to the Ankeny Disc Golf course east of I35. And I discovered I am not alone. Someone else had tracked through the snow following the disc basket course.

I hit par on a few of the holes. I was allowing myself on some an extra throw with six layers of clothes on. The ability to toss the disc is a little limited compared to summer attire. I had one squirrel chew me out because I about gave him a haircut with the disc. But he saw I was bigger than him and he scurried off up a tree. Another taunted me from up high in a branch, dropping stuff on my head.

I wonder what it would be like to play tennis on an icy court? Try something new today!