Crossroads Celebration Church

About a month ago I challenged Crossroads Celebration (church) to remember the story Jesus told about the shepherd who left the 99 sheep to go find the one. I encouraged friendliness in the name of Jesus. My challenge was to make friends in the drivers who go through my crossing guard intersection each morning.

I have one who has been friendly since the first day of school. The second, as soon as I mentioned this challenge, she stopped coming through my intersection. I don’t think it was anything I did. The third was a green Camry. She seemed kind of growly. So my first week, I waved every day. For the first three days she seemed to make sure she was always looking away from me when she came at the stop sign. But the fourth day she looked. I waved and with maybe some hesitation she waved back.

That was four weeks ago. With the colder weather hitting, I really didn’t want to get out of the car until I actually saw kids coming my direction. So I missed some opportunities to wave at green Camry driver. This week it was 8 degrees one morning. But even though it was cold and it was 10 to 15 minutes before the children would start being visible, I got out of the car and stood in the cold just to catch, green Camry driver. After the past couple of mornings, Camry driver has been looking in my direction, waving and smiling. I would say, in an odd way, we have become friends.

I will of course keep up on that friendship. I miss Bronco lady, but I have adopted three other drivers now that are regular visitors to the corner. I have begun to wave at dance mom and Hawkeye mom and Lincoln Navigator mom. And a few others. I notice more parents are waving, maybe because they see me wave at the previous car. Or perhaps they see someone standing out in the freezing cold and they have some sympathy for the fool.

Next week, I will put on my Santa hat. I can only imagine there will be some smiles. Hopefully more waves and some dedicated new friends. This is only one of my 99 + 1 Initiative that I am doing. How are you doing at going out and finding the one lost soul and making a new friend for Jesus?

What a beautiful morning! In the last 24 hours we have had rain and snow. This morning it was 8 degrees. And the sun was shining. Since I was bundled up for my crossing guard duty this morning I decided I would go out to Big Creek State Park and get some exercise. I took my camera with me and got some beautiful shots of the ice on the trees and bushes.

I also took my discs for disc golf. I played about 8 holes at 8 degrees with snow and ice crunching beneath my feet. I hadn’t played all summer and I had this wild idea that it would be fun to try winter disc golf. It was fun! I didn’t have to search for my lost disc under shrubs, because all the leaves were gone and when my disc hit the ground in open areas, it would skim a little farther on the ice than it would have on the grass. I got to see the tracks of wildlife in the snow. Oh what a glorious morning!

Have you tried something new like this? Try switching seasons for your sport. Grab your camera and go shoot some pictures. I don’t know what it might be for you, but mix it up a little, make life adventurous. Even if it’s in your back yard.

What a day to enjoy just another of God’s beautiful creations. Be careful on the ice, but make sure you notice how grand it is.

For years my family has loved getting up early on Black Friday and have gone shopping for most of our Christmas presents. It has been a bonding time for the four of us. We have split up to divide and conquer the masses of people and the best sales of the year. Then we come together for breakfast and talk about our spoils. Then we go for the second round of things that usually can wait for later in the day, which is still only about 8 or 9 am. But we do avoid certain places as was evident in this morning’s newspaper (Saturday).

Yesterday in the U.S. there was a Walmart worker that got trampled to death in NY and gun shots in a toy store in the South West. Are we crazy or what? On Christmas morning does daddy explain to the kids that mommy’s not with us because she was going for the Malibu Barbie and shot at another mommy going for the same toy. Or does mom tell the kids on Christmas Eve that dad’s sitting in prison because he ran over and killed a store worker so he could get the biggest, HDTV.

I have a friend in the retail business who called this week to remind me of the big sales going on in his stores. He said that he doesn’t like the phrase Black Friday, but calls it Good Friday. Of course many of you know that was the day they crucified Jesus – Good Friday. I know that Black Friday speaks of the day that all stores will be in the black financially and not in the red. So let’s stick with Black Friday and not have any more Good Friday’s where people are getting killed.

I recall and ask that you recall also, that the whole gift giving idea of Christmas started because God gave us the greatest gift of all, his one and only Son. A Savior is born unto us. I know we enjoy the Black Friday sales at our house, but we know that the real gift is Jesus and our giving to one another is a joy that we share in the holiday that reminds us of the greatest gift of all. So when we are standing in front of a harried cashier, let’s share the love and joy and real gift of Christmas. Let’s be patient and kind to those around us. Let us share Christ with others – leave the guns at home and not rush into the stores like wildly crazed maniacs. Maybe we still should be praying for Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Mankind!

Thanksgiving is a little different this year. Though many things have stayed the same, new and hopefully better attitudes prevail this holiday. Here are some of the things I am grateful for:

With mom’s passing at the beginning of the year, I appreciate family more, especially extended family. I have told my father I love him more than any other year.

With my wife’s surgeries late this summer, I hold her closer and tighter. And for her sister’s who came to stay with her in critical times, I have a new respect for the in-laws. We again found out who our friends are and how her company she works for care about her and our family. The outpouring of love was tremendous.

I have recently seen maturity in my two adult children. I respect their faith and their integrity as young adults. They have surprised me in many ways. One I hope you will find in another blog someday.

My wife surprised me with a birthday party at my favorite restaurant and our church showed up. Thank you guys for being there. Birthdays and holidays are big for me and l love a good party.

Speaking of the church and gratitude. We tried a big launch for the church in September. It seemed a flop for me and was very discouraging. But when it was all said and done, the people of the church shared their support and challenged us to move on. It wasn’t long and we have started seeing some new faces. So thank you for your encouragement.

I found new talents this year in teaching college courses. I am having a blast this fall with students who tell me this is their favorite class and the would hate missing it. That has been a boost to the ego. I admit I love going to class as well. Even though I have to work at preparing the material and grading papers and tests, I look forward to every Tuesday and Wednesday night and the students who make up those classes.

I have so much more to share, actually too numerous to count. But behind all that matters is God and family and friends. What more can one be thankful for?

I pray that you take some serious time and thought and sit down and count your blessings. I would assume that many things are the same as last Thanksgiving, and yet some things have changed in family or jobs or circumstances that might give us pause to see some new ways to have a thankful heart. May those who read this be blessed and I share with you my own blessings for your Thanksgiving!

Die hard Republicans unite! I admit I am one and voted for Huckabee in the Iowa Primary. Though I am a Republican, I will support Obama because when he is in office (soon), he will be my president and I have always supported those in office because I know that is God’s desire of me.

I bring up Huckabee because he is doing a new show on Fox on Sunday night called, “Huckabee”. I found it fascinating in the format of interviews with Kelsey Grammar ( a Republican – who knew?) and other celebrities, (not all political) and a firm support of our nation, our troops, our president and support for the Republican party.

I don’t bring this up for a political view. I have never asked members of a congregation to vote on any issue or for any candidate, but simply to vote because it is our God given freedom to do so. I do bring this up because after all the tiresome negative campaigns from both sides, it was a refreshingly positive approach to present some politics.

I do try to listen to both sides of the isle as much as possible. In fact I probably would have never known about Huckabee if it hadn’t been for former Iowa Governor T. Vilsack (D) who made some very positive comments about his colleague Governor Huckabee a few years ago.

I don’t know if this will be a re-entry into the 2012 campaign for Huckabee or simply a new career path for him. I do know that it is always our duty to be informed about our nation, it history, present and future paths. I know that we need to stand firm in our convictions of beliefs. And I believe God is not partial to politics, but is always concerned for the citizens of every nation, tongue and tribe. We have been failed by presidents, because they are human, but we have never been failed by God. “In God We Trust” reminds of us many of our nation’s strengths and weaknesses, but always the place where we ultimately find victory, security, assurance and peace.

Yesterday I encouraged the church to “Leave No Sheep Behind” according to the parable of Jesus in Luke 15 about the lost sheep and going after the one and leaving the 99 behind. I asked for a 99 + 1 Initiative of being the first to greet someone, first to smile, first to serve, first to forgive and whatever first they could come up with. It makes people curious what you are up to when there is this positive attention that they are not usually getting. They might then ask about the attention and then you can offer them your faith story and talk about Jesus. People always appreciate the gentle approach rather than the Bible over the head approach.

My witness for the next several weeks will be the green car that comes through the intersection where I am a crossing guard. I have one lady (black convertable – previous blog) who has waved vigorously since day one at my post. I have another lady (jeep with Bronco’s tire cover) who just recently has started to wave when passing through. The green car has a lady who seems a little grumpy. We have never waved at each other. So today I did my first 99 + 1 Initiative and waved at the lady in the green car. At first I got a quizzical stare and then maybe a slight break in the mouth. I wouldn’t call it a smile, but it seemed to break some ice. I didn’t get a wave back from her. But I did get her attention and we will see what the rest of the week brings.

I did talk with a dad who walks his girls everyday. We have made small talk for months, but today again part of the initiative, I asked some questions about some community involvement. He even came back and talked to me after he dropped the girls off at school. Being friendly really does pay off.

So I encourage everyone to Leave No Sheep Behind and begin your own initiative to be the first to greet and smile and care and love and whatever would be a healthy, Christian first for you and your sheep that your want to bring into the fold.

This week in the college class I teach, Ethics, we entered into the discussion on abortion. In 1800 there were no laws for abortion in the U.S.. In 1900 all 45 states had laws banning abortion. In 1973 abortion became legal for first trimester only. In 1989 abortion became legal in all trimesters.

I came upon a website that I quoted in class and now share with you from Gregory Koukl, called Stand to Reason: Morally Velocitized. “Two years ago I wrote that our culture was becoming morally “velocitized.” The term describes something I learned in driver’s training in high school. Once a driver accelerates from, say, 30 to 60 miles per hour and settles in, he gets acclimated to his new speed and loses his true sense of velocity. It doesn’t feel as if he’s moving any faster than he was at first.

This is dangerous on the highway, but it’s deadly when it happens to the moral consciousness of a society. Years ago, Dr. Francis Schaeffer noted that what was unthinkable yesterday is thinkable today, and ordinary and commonplace tomorrow. We saw it happen once in this century. We’re seeing it happen again.”

I, Mark Tuttle, share this quote not just about abortion, but about the moral velocity of all ethical and moral situations. I read in the Des Moines Register [October 22, 2008] yesterday how they want to decriminalize prostitution in San Francisco, California. It is up for vote next month in an issue called Proposition K. In the article, it states that at this point it does not make prostitution legal, but would forbid authorities to investigate, arrest or prosecute anyone selling sex. The article also confirmed the legality of prostitution in two states, Nevada and Rhode Island in certain locations.

So the question I pose is ‘what’s next’? Will we get comfortable about prostitution and eventually make it legal in all 50 states? We are becoming more velocitized in the concept of marriage that we will eventually make homosexual unions legal in all 50 states? I pose another concept, if we keep the velocity going, will we legalize the union in marriage of three people? What’s to stop us? Often in debate, I have used as an analogy the rubber band. It will stretch and stretch and stretch, but even the rubber band has it’s limit and will eventually break. What is societies breaking point in abortion and prostitution and homosexual unions, just to name three? Was the great flood in the time of Noah the breaking point of the velocity of immorality? Was Sodom and Gomorrah the breaking point in the time of Abraham and Lot again for the velocity of immorality?

Having just seen the $700 billion bailout, what about corporate greed and lies to cover up such glaring financial ruin. Are we allowing moral velocity in the work place? Does this trickle down to the household and allowing our children to run loosely over moral issues? Where do we draw the line?

Maybe it’s time we check our speedometers and hold to the speed limit signs. Are they not put there for a purpose? Maybe it’s time we get back to the basics of God’s laws and hold firm to the Truth that is spoken in the Bible. I recall that there is penalty for trying to change what is written in God’s Word. I think we may want to hold true to God’s Word or we might end up with another kind of flood or hail fire and brimstone.

The other day I was listening to a Christian radio station and the lady said she and her husband didn’t celebrate Halloween and their young children were starting to ask questions. Like their childhood friends would ask what they were dressing up as for Halloween and the kids asked mom and dad why they weren’t getting costumes.

It reminded me of the year my mom came to our house to visit her young grandkids and I didn’t have up the Halloween decorations. I told her we didn’t want to celebrate ghosts and witches and monsters, which really don’t support our Christian faith. (some of you have been in my house and know that I am the one who decorates for the seasons and holidays and do it up well most of the time – something I learned from mom who loved the seasons and holidays)

So I started looking for friendlier ways to celebrate Halloween. Now we have decorations in our yard that have Winnie the Pooh, Tiger, Shrek and our neighbors added Mickey Mouse to our menagerie of Halloween decorations. I do a lot with pumpkins and fall leaves. And of course we do turn on our light on Beggar’s night to hand out goodies. We do try to come up with more alternatives to candy for the kids safety and parents ease of mind. So we have found a coupon for an ice cream treat the kids can enjoy days or weeks after the candy is gone. We’ve handed out nickels and pencils and some fun Halloween tracts.

But there is a tie in Halloween to our Christian faith. Halloween is All Hallow’s (another word for Holy) Eve or the night before November 1st or All Saint’s Day. And Christians have dressed up in costumes of their favorite saints on that eve. I remember a church party one time that a friend of ours came with only a sleeping bag that they carried under their arm. We spent a lot of time trying to guess their character and finally they said its an Old Testament character – a friend of Daniel who hung out with Shadrach and Meshach. His name….”a bed to go” or Abednego.

We don’t have to join the world in things that detract from our faith, but we can find ways that still glorify God. There are lot’s of heroes of the faith that would make a great Halloween costume and their are family friendly ways to celebrate sans the monsters and witches and it is one of our fall holidays that can be rich in color and harvest time remembrances. Be safe this Hallowed-een. Enjoy the season and the celebrations. This year it’s got to be less scary than the political scene.

So mom, I put up Halloween decorations now every year, because of that one year you wondered why we weren’t celebrating. We are celebrating, just not the way the rest of the world is celebrating. This is probably true of many holidays with a mix of secular and Christian celebrations.

What have you done lately, husbands for your wife? I’m not talking it’s her birthday or your anniversary or a holiday. What have you done this week for your wife? Have you fixed a meal? Have you done the laundry? And maybe these are your regular chores so they don’t count if they are. Have you rubbed her shoulders or done something without being asked, just because. And have you done it without the expectation that you might be getting something back? (And you know what I mean!)

Yes, I watched Fireproof the movie and it stirred some guilt for letting some husband duties slide. Gentlemen we should be doing something at least weekly for our wife without her expectation of it. If you are a little snippy with your comments to your wife – CUT IT OUT! If you think you can watch sports on TV all day long, find at least one hour to do something for her. If you haven’t given her a break from the kids, then send her away for a little shopping or a coffee while you wrestle the ankle bit(I mean the little cherubs) for an hour or two. Clean the toilets or some of the things she might hate doing. Get her oil changed if she has to find the time to do it herself.

This ain’t date night, this is just being a good and Godly husband. Gentlemen – report back and let me know some of your ideas. It’s not bragging time, but some of us need a little help and reminders once in awhile to be supportive husbands.

There are plenty of movies I want to see, but can wait for them to come out in DVD. Fireproof is an excellent movie that needs to be seen in theaters. And it needs to be seen soon. There are plenty of good movies out there, but only a few rare ones glorify God. Hollywood needs to know that families are hungry for good, quality movies that Christians will watch. I would say in the last ten years there haven’t even been ten good Christian movies. The rare ones have been the Narnia movies and Facing the Giants which is from the same film makers as Fireproof. Go see it in the movie theater just to make a statement.

Fireproof is excellent for anyone who wants to see marriage work. It has a solid Christian commitment to God, to marriage, to all relationships and it teaches honor and respect. Please stay through the credits. There are some things you will see in the credits, that you would never see in secular movie.

I give it my two thumbs up! I believe my wife gives it two thumbs up as well!