Tag Archives: Pastor Rob Norris

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

Are You Worthy of Imitating?

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:2
Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings
Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

By Pastor Rob Norris

As parents, we need to think about the priorities we are teaching our children by our words and our actions. Ask yourself, If I could pass on my relationship with God to my kids, would they be satisfied with what they receive? If my children could never experience anything more than what I have today, would they be given enough to navigate themselves successfully through life? Would they experience God? One thing I have learned is that your children will listen to what you say, and they will do what you tell them, but they will become who you are. If your daily experience with Christ is less than you want your children to possess, they probably won’t ever have it either.
Your model should be the man in Psalm 1–the one whose “delight” is in spending time with God and His Word (verse 2). The one who “meditates” on the things of God through the ins and outs of the day. The one who keeps him- or herself “firmly planted” by those “streams of water” (verse 3).
Live It:
Share honestly those things that are distracting you right now from your relationship with Christ. How are you showing your children the reality of truly walking with Jesus Christ?
Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA. Trusting and believing with you.
Pastor Rob

Pastor Rob Norris

Pastor’s Corner: I’m Praying for You

By Pastor Rob Norris

First of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them.                                                                                                                 1 Timothy 2:1

In November 1970, at the height of tensions in Vietnam, a pair of college students launched a campaign to bring awareness to the plight of American POWs and MIAs. Their plan was to create inexpensive metal bracelets, each bearing a soldier’s name and the date of his capture, and distribute them across the country as reminders for the average citizen.

Sharon Denney, now a 40-something college admissions counselor, remembers sending off her$2.50 for one of those bracelets in the early ’70s. Hers was etched with the name of First Lieutenant Ralph Galati, whose Air Force jet had been shot down in North Vietnam. Galati suffered through a year-long ordeal of torture and deprivation, including more than two months of solitary confinement.

But back in her hometown of Morrow, Georgia, young Sharon Denney was praying for Galati–for his safety and for his release or rescue.

Many years passed before Sharon came across her POW bracelet again while going through somethings in her parents’ home. A few Internet searches and phone calls later, shehad not only learned of Galati’s release in March 1973 but had also found his home phone number. And when she was finally able to make contact with him, the former POW told her that she was one of more than a hundred he had heard from over the years–men and women, boys and girls, who had worn his bracelet, had remembered his suffering and had prayed, prayed, prayed for their prisoner soldier.

Prayer knows no boundaries of time or space, no limits of age or distance. Prayer is simply our link to the heart of God and to people’s lives all over the world. Never underestimate what prayer can do in the short run or the long haul. Don’t give up. Keep praying.

Live it:
Why don’t we pray more as individuals and as a couple? Who haveyou been forgetting to pray for?

Pray:
Take turns bringing some requests before God today for people who seem to be facing impossible situations.

The Crossings Church meets Sunday mornings at 10:00 am at River Heights Intermediate School, 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale, CA. Trusting and believe with you!

Keep Going

By Rob Norris

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27

We don’t talk a lot about cross carrying. That’s more the fine print of being a follower of Christ–the part we don’t generally go around advertising to those we’re hoping to draw into Christian faith. But as I understand Jesus’ words in Luke 14:27, you and I cannot truly follow Him unless we are carrying a cross.

The cross is not just a popular piece of jewelry but also a unique Christian symbol that represents suffering and sacrifice. So it is with the cross He has asked you to carry. Your cross will undoubtedly extract pain and a price.

Cross carrying is not a one-time decision. No, we must choose daily to pick up our cross, again, and follow Him. We are to continue carrying it over the long haul.

Do you know what your cross is? Think with me for a moment. When the Savior asks you, “Pick up your cross and follow Me,” what exactly is it that He is asking you to carry?

Is your cross:

A chronic health issue–physical or emotional?

Giving up fame, prestige and popularity?

Giving up material wealth, financial security and living a lifestyle that you’ve become accustomed to?

The loss of a dream–infertility, a past divorce, infidelity or the betrayal of a friend?

Cross carrying demands focus on Christ (see Hebrews 12:1-3), coming after Christ with faith (see Hebrews 11:6), and perseverance.

Keep carrying your cross–through the balance of the work week, through the long months of a family crisis, through the hard-fought seasons of moral struggle.

Keep carrying your cross.

Live it:
What does carrying your cross mean to you right now? What cross has God called you to carry right now as you follow Him?

Pray:
That you won’t rebel against what God is asking of you but that you’ll submit willingly to His claim on your life and pick up your cross and follow Christ.

 

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Join us all September for Family Month

Trusting and believing with you,

Pastor Rob

 

Growing Gardens

By Rob Norris

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
Galatians 6:9

I like the way a garden looks when it’s clean and neat, when all the soil is evened out and the weeds are pulled up. But I know too well that the hard work of a Saturday morning will be repeated again and again, all season long. It never takes more than a week or two of neglect before weeds are sprouting all over the place.

Parenting is a lot like that. Just when you think you’ve finally mastered one area, you wake up the next day and a whole new issue is facing you. It’s so easy to forget that parenting is a process. A long, long process.

You go to bed at night sometimes relishing those little victories, thinking all is secure and right with the world. But it’s not very long before something else crops up.
Remember that building character is the most important goal in parenting. Imprinting a child’s heart with the image of God takes time and repeated effort, often reworking the same ground repeatedly to keep bad behaviors from becoming habits.

So I encourage you today not to give up. Don’t lose heart. The Bible promises great rewards to those who faithfully persevere through the long days, the long battles that often don’t even stop for bedtime. I assure you, all that weeding will pay off.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you,

 

 

Humor Me

By Rob Norris

 2 Corinthians 4:5 We do not preach about ourselves. We preach about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we serve you because of him.

It’s always dangerous to make assumptions. I am reminded of the businesswoman who found herself with an extra hour of airport down time. She bought a magazine, a coffee and a small package of cookies, preparing to pass the time as best she could in the crowded waiting area.

Absorbed in her reading, she reached over and picked up a cookie to nibble on. To her great surprise, a stranger two seats over reached into the same packet and began eating the second cookie. Stunned, she tried to ignore it. Only after 20 more quiet minutes did she reach in to take the third cookie. The stranger took the fourth. Then he picked up the near-empty package and sarcastically asked, “Would you like the last one?” Infuriated, she marched off in a huff to the airline gate, reached into her bag for her boarding pass . . . and found her unopened package of cookies! Her anger had been based on a wrong assumption.

Some assumptions are much more dangerous than that.  For example some may never have actually taken the step of faith to surrender their life to Jesus Christ. You may have the wrong assumption that your good works will get you into heaven.

You can change that at this moment. Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, died on a cross to pay the divine penalty for your sins and was raised to life to defeat death forever, is as near as your next breath. He offers eternal life to you in His open hands.

If you are not sure you are a follower of Christ, if you’ve never received His gift of salvation, you can confess your sins to Him right now and, through faith in Him, receive His forgiveness and ask Him to become Lord of your life?

Live it
Share your experience of coming to faith in Christ. Who are some people you know who need the gift of salvation that Christ offers?

Pray
If you aren’t sure where you will spend eternity, pray in faith right now and receive Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you.

Pastor Rob

 

Life in the Fast-Food Lane

By Rob Norris

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:8

When Truett Cathy opened his Dwarf House restaurant in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946, he made a decision never to deal with money on the Lord’s Day. The Dwarf House was always closed on Sundays.
The restaurant was the first franchise for Chick-fil-A®—and by the organization’s sixtieth anniversary; it had multiplied into over 1,200 restaurant locations. As Chick-fil-A continues to grow, it also continues to close its operations on Sunday, traditionally one of the biggest days for food service.
Being closed on Sunday is a reflection of Truett’s purpose statement for his company. It’s an investment in the spiritual lives of his employees and a witness to both the watching world and the restaurant industry. He still refers to his closed-on-Sunday policy as “the best business decision I ever made.” In fact, Chick-fil-A restaurants often generate more money in six days than other comparable restaurants do in seven.
Being closed on Sunday is also a reflection of one of my core values: Sabbath rest. I believe that when we yield control of our lives to the Father—when we reserve our Sundays to turn from our activity to rest and to abide more fully in Him—we receive strength for daily living throughout the coming week and live under the blessing of God.
The Sabbath is God’s invitation to draw near to Him, to rest in Him, and to linger by His still waters. It’s how He helps detoxify you from the pressures of life. It’s how He restores your soul.
Live IT:

How could you make God-honoring relaxation more of a deliberate effort?

Pray:

Ask the Lord to show you the value of keeping His Sabbath.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Join us on Easter for a Celebration Service and Egg Hunt

Trusting and believing with you,

Pastor Rob

 

A New Legacy

By Rob Norris

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Joshua 1:8

As a people, we are healthier but not happier. We are drenched in knowledge but parched for wisdom. Materially we are wealthy, but we suffer a profound poverty of the soul. The longer I live, the more I see that our nation needs a spiritual reformation in its inner spirit.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state of the family. The biblical values that built our great nation–once passed on from each generation to the next as a national treasure–are being questioned and dismissed. As a result, never before have we seen such deterioration in our homes:

Never before have so many children grown up in broken homes.

Never before has the definition of marriage been altered to allow for two people of the same sex.

Never before has the marriage covenant been viewed with such contempt by a generation of young people.

Never before have parents been ridiculed for seeking to raise children with biblical values.

Never before have so many Christians laughed, shrugged their shoulders or did nothing about adultery, divorce and sin.

Never before has materialism been so flagrantly embraced over relationships.

Never before has the family been in such need of a new legacy.

The pivotal national issue today is not crime; neither is it welfare, health care, education, politics, the economy, the media or the environment. The pivotal issue today is the spiritual and moral condition of individual men and women, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and families.

Live It:
Nations are never changed until people are changed. The true hope for genuine change in the heart lies only in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. Through Him, lives can be rebuilt. Through Him, families can be reformed.

Pray: That change in our country will begin with change in our lives and homes.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you,

Pastor Rob

 

Strong into the Night

Pastor Rob Norris

He who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. Proverbs 29:25

In September 1939, Great Britain allied with France and several other alarmed countries in declaring war on Hitler’s Germany, which had invaded Poland in its intended march toward global domination. By the end of the year, anxieties throughout England remained on high alert; everyone was fearful of bombing and invasion.

When King George VI sat down before two large microphones to make his Christmas Day speech to the nation, he was dressed in his official uniform as Admiral of the Fleet. With so many parts of the world facing an uncertain future, his goal was to reassure the people that their nation was prepared and able and their cause right and just.

“A new year is at hand,” the king said. “We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle, we shall remain undaunted.”

Then, turning to some lines of poetry his wife had recently shared with him, he concluded his speech with these words, which are a fitting close to our year together. They offer a word of encouragement that–we hope–will settle your hearts amid the troubles of our own era in history. These lines are from “The Gate of the Year,” a poem written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied, “Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!”

Live It

As you make the turn to a new year, what are you facing that needs you to sink your hand more deeply into God’s hand?

Pray

Pray for one another that as you embark upon a new year, God will grant you and your family His favor.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you.

Pastor Rob

 

Thanksgiving Day after Day

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

By Rob Norris

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.
Psalm 50:23

Has it ever seemed surprising to you that God made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years just for grumbling and complaining? My kids may have spent 30 minutes in their rooms for griping, but 40 years? That’s some severe discipline!
One thing is crystal clear from this biblical account: God is obviously not pleased with grumbling, ungrateful hearts. And we should not tolerate grumbling either—in ourselves or in our children.
Being grateful is a choice that we readily and ritually express on Thanksgiving Day. But what do we do on other days of the year when the mood is less festive or the atmosphere is more ordinary?
I like the contented way the Pilgrims approached life. They did not allow their feelings or circumstances to determine whether or not they would exercise gratitude and thanksgiving. They believed that God was in control—”providence,” they called it. Following this belief to its logical conclusion, they responded to challenges with a perspective that said, “God has allowed this for our good.” They chose to believe—rightly so—that their dependence on a holy, faithful God was well placed and that even though much was against them, there was always much more for which to be grateful.
Developing a heart of gratitude is essential to growing a stronger faith. “If we do not believe that we are deeply dependent on God for all we have or hope to have, the very spring of gratitude and faith runs dry.”
Make the choice today to take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances, gratefully acknowledging who God is and what He is doing. Deny yourself the right to complain, embracing instead the deep-seated joy of thanksgiving … in all things.
A grateful heart pleases God.

Live It:

How would a more thankful spirit alter your approach to the situations you’re facing as a family? Make a list together of some things you need to be grateful for right now.

Pray:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1).

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Join us for a Christmas Eve Service at 10am Trusting and believing with you.

Pastor Rob

 

Dreaming Dreams

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

By Pastor Rob Norris

 

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.
Galatians 6:10

 

I think one of the greatest needs in the Christian community is for individual men and women to dream some dreams about how they can use their talents to impact people’s lives for Christ.

Let me tell you about a family that is making a difference. A small family ministry called Standing with Hope provides prosthetic limbs for below-the-knee amputees, not only in the United States, but also in Ghana, Africa.

The process of adding “skin” covering to make a prosthetic look real can cost thousands of dollars—far too costly for an outreach whose goal is to help as many people as possible be able to walk again. That’s where the family’s 15-year-old son, Grayson Rosenberger, comes in. While noodling over an entry idea for a nationwide science contest, Grayson came across one of his mom’s old, discarded prosthetic legs. He found that by wrapping it in a very common household item, he could give the mechanical limb a realistic shape.

His inexpensive solution? Bubble wrap.

Total cost for application? About one dollar.

No, it doesn’t look like skin. But with the right hose or stockings, the prosthetic leg can be made to look real. And for poverty-stricken adults and children in Africa who are often ostracized and teased for the primitive, bare-bones appearance of a fake leg, this is a confidence-creating alternative.

Bubble wrap. Who’d have thought?

Could it be that there’s a right-under-your-nose opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives—right where you are? Could it be that, if you slowed down and set your mind on seeking God for a way you could really serve Him, He might lay out an idea that’s so simple, you’ll be shocked you didn’t think of it earlier?

Just think. Bubble wrap.

 

Live IT

Every person and every couple has an assignment from God—a ministry. What’s yours? If you can’t articulate your ministry, plan a time when you can begin to pray and think together.

Pray

Express your availability to God, and ask Him to show you the best way to serve.

 

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you.

Pastor Rob

 

“I’m There”

By Pastor Rob Norris

“I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”
Philippians 2:20

Gary Thomas, author of such inspiring books as Sacred Marriage and Authentic Faith: The Power of a Fire-Tested Life, tells the story of two American soldiers who became fast friends during their preparations for combat in World War I. Though they had known each other only a short time, the camaraderie of battle and their shared dreams of postwar life quickly cemented their relationship.

One day, these two buddies crawled from their foxhole with the rest of their unit in an attack on the German forces. After a valiant fight, the order was given to retreat. But only one of the two friends returned to the trench. The other had been hit by German gunfire and was lying about 50 yards out of reach.

Against his commanding officer’s orders, the other soldier crawled out of the ditch to go find his fallen comrade. Hugging the ground and dodging enemy bullets, he worked his way across the bloody, corpse-littered ground until he finally located the friend he sought. Finding him semi-conscious, they were left with only a few seconds together before he died.

When the man returned to the trench with the body of his soldier friend, the ranking officer flew into a rage for this overt flaunting of his order, asking, “Was it worth it for you to risk your life?”

“Absolutely, sir. Because when I turned him over, he looked up at me and said, ‘I knew you’d come.'”

That’s the kind of loyalty we are called to in all our relationships–especially in our homes and families. Your spouse needs to know without a doubt that when you are needed, you will be there. Your children need to know they can count on you, not just in a pinch, but also in their most routine of expectations. When they need you, can they be sure you’ll come?

Live it:
How can your marriage and family practically demonstrate this kind of love for one another?

Pray:
Pray that the Lord will keep you sensitive to each other, anticipating when you’re needed most.

 

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you, Join us on Mother’s Day for a celebration service.

Pastor Rob

 

Hands Down

By Pastor Rob Norris

Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12

In a classic Sunday comic strip from Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, Linus is eating a sandwich and Lucy is nearby as he begins to ponder. “Hands are fascinating things,” he says. “I like my hands. I think I have nice hands. My hands seem to have a lot of character. These are hands which may someday accomplish great things. These are hands which may someday do marvelous works. They may build mighty bridges, or heal the sick, or hit home runs, or write soul-stirring novels. These are hands which may someday change the course of destiny!”

A moment of silence. Then Lucy’s one-line reply: “They’ve got jelly on them.”

Even as we laugh, we know that Lucy’s comment is typical of the way she treats other people.  unfortunately, it is also a picture of how you can treat your spouse. Rather than encouraging your spouse and building him or her up, you choose instead of be the voice of criticism and harsh reality.

Dr. John Gottman, a leading expert in sociological research, conducted a 10-year study to determine the types of communication — both verbal and nonverbal — The four critical elements he determined as being the most detrimental.

  • Criticism — nagging, deflating, picking at each other
  • Contempt — rolling your eyes, discounting the other’s value
  • Defensiveness — refusing to hear the truth or to deal with self
  • Stonewalling — retreating, withdrawing, not saying anything

Live it:

Take a look at how you are relating with one another and see how you can use attitudes and words to strengthen and encourage one another.
Pray

Invite the Lord to intervene every time you feel like saying something you shouldn’t..

 

Join us Easter Sunday for a Easter Celebration Service and Egg Hunt, Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

 

 

Soul Food

EV - Rob NorrisOh, how I love your teachings! I talk about them all the time. Psalm 119:97

By Rob Norris

We’re all familiar with the nutritional listings on food and beverage packages. Most of us are interested in total calories per serving, especially calories coming from good or bad fat, as well as readings on carbohydrates, sugar and sodium. But while these government-regulated fact lists work well for food required by our physical body, what if a similar kind of list were available to help us evaluate the spiritual content of the products we consume?

What if every TV program, magazine, book, DVD or CD revealed the “recommended daily allowance” of the spiritual necessities it provided–things like holiness, truth, forgiveness, perseverance, grace, justice and repentance? How many of them, rather than supplying anything we need, would be shown to actually deplete us, stripping away whatever spiritual health we already have?

But there is one product–the Bible–that is guaranteed to provide everyone in your family with the perfect blend of spiritual nourishment. Whether packaged in cheap paper or top-grain leather, the Bible comes complete with “everything required for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV).

Although most Christians today express a deep fondness for the Scriptures, they are apparently failing to feast on it. Noted researcher George Barna has reported that fewer than 4 in 10 Christians read the Bible on their own even once in a typical week. A survey conducted in churches throughout the United States found that two-thirds of couples read or discussed the Bible together but only occasionally.

If you want a spiritually healthy family, you must make sure that each member consumes a healthy diet of the everlasting Word of God. It’s the difference between a healthy spiritual life and lifelessness.

Live it:
What distractions are keeping the Bible central in your family’s life? What are we saying when we let other things take prominence over the Scriptures?

Pray:

Pray for daily consumption of the Word, it’s food for the soul.

 

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.

Trusting and believing with you

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

All I Really Need

By Rob Norris 

Pastor Rob Norris

Pastor Rob Norris 

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 9:10

At the very moment Darnly Motter was giving birth to her third child in the delivery room, her husband, Larry, was one floor below having a blood clot removed from his brain.

These are the kind of paradoxes that entered the Motters’ world the day their car crashed on a lonely stretch of South Dakota highway, leaving Larry in a coma with severe brain damage. When he returned to consciousness, he was partially paralyzed and his short-term memory was gone. For all intents and purposes, he was another baby in the Motter household.

There were people who advised Darnly to find Larry a comfortable place to live–to set him up in a nursing home–so that she could get on with life. But Darnly knew she couldn’t do that. Making a home with Larry–even the new Larry he had become–was part of keeping her wedding vows, she believed.

Over the years, she has often cried herself to sleep at night, and she has occasionally succumbed to the heavy undertow of depression. Her lonely walk as the only “adult” in her marriage has left her feeling maddeningly desperate. But when times get the murkiest, she remembers, “I don’t need answers; I just need God.”

That, my friend, is a faith statement–something that people who walk by feelings can’t say, because it demands that they know and trust God enough to be able to handle the challenges He often allows into life. Faith like this brings freedom and peace, even in the midst of the storms of life, known only by those who choose to set their dial and choose to live by the trusted timeless truths of Scriptures.

When life isn’t fair, God is still there–to make sure you have everything you need to hang in there yourself.

 

A New Legacy

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

Pastor Rob Norris, The Crossings

By Rob Norris

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
Joshua 1:8

As a people, we are healthier but not happier. We are drenched in knowledge but parched for wisdom. Materially we are wealthy, but we suffer a profound poverty of the soul. The longer I live, the more I see that our nation needs a spiritual reformation in its inner spirit.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the state of the family. The biblical values that built our great nation – once passed on from each generation to the next as a national treasure – are being questioned and dismissed. As a result, never before have we seen such deterioration in our homes:

Never before have so many children grown up in broken homes. Never before has the definition of marriage been altered to allow for two people of the same sex. Never before has the marriage covenant been viewed with such contempt by a generation of young people. Never before have parents been ridiculed for seeking to raise children with biblical values. Never before have so many Christians laughed, shrugged their shoulders or did nothing about adultery, divorce and sin. Never before has materialism been so flagrantly embraced over relationships. Never before has the family been in such need of a new legacy.

The pivotal national issue today is not crime; neither is it welfare, health care, education, politics, the economy, the media or the environment. The pivotal issue today is the spiritual and moral condition of individual men and women, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and families.

Nations are never changed until people are changed. The true hope for genuine change in the heart lies only in the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. Through Him, lives can be rebuilt. Through Him, families can be reformed.

Live It:
How has the deterioration of our homes affected your family?

Pray: That change in our country will begin with change in your lives and home.

Meeting @ 10:00 at River Heights Intermediate School 7227 Scholar Way, Eastvale CA.  Join us for family month in October.

Trusting and believing with you,

Pastor Rob

A Parent’s Top Five

Pastor Rob Norris

Pastor Rob Norris

Rob Norris

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Tami and I have not been perfect parents, but when you have children God gives you a few hundred lessons along the way. And from our years of experience, we’ve come up with a list of five non-negotiables that all parents need in order to raise a family God’s way:

  1. Understand the times. In past societies, the culture helped reinforce the values that parents were trying to instill in their children. Not today. That’s why you need to be surrounded with a few like-minded parents who can support, encourage and counsel one another through the choppy waters of life
  1. Have a sacred commitment to each other. Your kids need to see your vows lived out in every circumstance, in times of both peace and conflict. Make it a priority to resolve disagreements with your spouse, to forgive each other, to remain faithful. These qualities of love build a powerful, profound sense of security in children.
  1. Know what you believe. You are the textbook your children read. Your deeply held values about life will influence your interactions with your children. As parents, you need to know what your unshakable convictions are.
  2. Remember God’s perspective on children. Never forget that children are a gift from God. Raising your children is a privilege and responsibility He has given to no one else, and they should be raised to know Him and walk with Him.
  3. Strive for the right goal. More than anything else, your children need to grow to love and fear the Lord. That’s more important than ensuring they have a good education, develop different skills or learn how to succeed in today’s culture. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Live it

Which of these purposes strike the deepest chord in you? Which ones need the most work?

Pray

That your priorities will be shaped by God’s Word and will influence your choices for you and your family

The Crossings meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at River Heights Intermediate School, 7227 Scholar Way, in Eastvale.    For more information, visit http://www.atthecrossings.com.

 

Gods Path Or Your Path

rob-norris-BW-2x2By Pastor Rob Norris

Think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. Proverbs 3:6

Although the Lord showers His goodness on all men and women, the ability to perceive and enjoy it is limited by a refusal to reverence Him as God. To experience the fullness of His kindness, we must honor Him by choosing His way of submission and obedience. The Lord will never withhold His goodness from those who walk uprightly with Him. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

In love and wisdom, the Father has specifically designed a pathway for each of His children. Because no two people are alike, each path will look different. What may be best for one person may not be good for another. Comparison of God’s ways in different lives will lead only to discouragement and misjudgment. We have neither the wisdom nor the eternal perspective to understand why the Lord leads some people down a road of pain and hardship, but we can know that He is always good.

Every step on God’s pathway represents a deliberate choice to follow Him. By looking around instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus, we may start thinking that we are missing out on some really good experiences or possessions. If we leave the Lord’s course to follow one that looks better, we will forfeit His good blessings and discover, as Adam and Eve did, that any other way leads to loss.

Live It

Take time periodically to ask yourself, Am I on the path the Lord has chosen for me, or have I taken a detour to follow another direction that looks good? To build our own course and ignore the goodness and abundance of His pathway is foolishness. God alone knows the way we should take.

Pray
Ask the Lord to put you on His path and to have the faith to see it through.

The Crossings meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at River Heights Intermediate School, 7227 Scholar Way, in Eastvale.    For more information, visit http://www.atthecrossings.com.

 

Life In The Fast-Food Lane

rob-norris-BW-2x2By Pastor Rob Norris

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

When Truett Cathy opened his Dwarf House restaurant in the Atlanta suburb of Hapeville, Georgia in 1946, he made a decision never to deal with money on the Lord’s Day. The Dwarf House was always closed on Sundays.

Perhaps this policy didn’t seem extremely revolutionary to his post-World War II American patrons. But that small restaurant was the first franchise for Chick-fil-A® and by the organization’s sixtieth anniversary, it had multiplied into over 1,200 restaurant locations. As Chick-fil-A continues to grow, it also continues to close its operations on Sunday, traditionally one of the biggest days for food service.

Being closed on Sunday is a reflection of Truett’s purpose statement for his company. It’s an investment in the spiritual lives of his employees and a witness to both the watching world and the restaurant industry. He still refers to his closed-on-Sunday policy as “the best business decision I ever made.” In fact, Chick-fil-A restaurants often generate more money in six days than other comparable restaurants do in seven.

Being closed on Sunday is also a reflection of one of my core values: Sabbath rest. I believe that when we yield control of our lives to the Father – when we reserve our Sundays to turn from our activity to rest and to abide more fully in Him – we receive strength for daily living throughout the coming week and live under the blessing of God.

The Sabbath is God’s invitation to draw near to Him, to rest in Him, and to linger by His still waters. It’s how He helps detoxify you from the pressures of life. It’s how He restores your soul.

Perhaps it’s even how He makes Chick-fil-A sandwiches taste so good on Monday.

Live It
How does your family practice Sabbath rest? How could you make God-honoring relaxation more of a deliberate effort?

Pray
Ask the Lord to show you the value of keeping His Sabbath.

The Crossings meets Sundays, 10 a.m., at River Heights Intermediate, 7227 Scholar Way, in Eastvale. For more information, visit atthecrossings.com. 

Bouncing Ball

rob-norris-BW-2x2By Pastor Robert Norris

I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity. Ecclesiastes 2:11

There are seasons in life when our work requires more of us than it does at other times For Example, Tax season for the accountant and Christmas season for the retailer. Whatever your line of work, it likely has a natural rhythm that spikes at certain times.

But increasingly in our success-driven culture, busy seasons have run together into all seasons. We have allowed the pace to perpetuate itself, driving us at full throttle month after month, year after year. Things begin to come totally unraveled at home, in our marriage, in our relationship with our children. It can happen, seemingly, in a blink.

This reminds me of a commencement address attributed to Brian Dyson, who held several senior management positions with Coca-Cola during his long career. He told a class of Georgia Tech graduates, “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air: work, family, health, friends and spirit. You’re keeping all of these in the air.”

“You soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. It will never be the same.”

You may not get as many pats on the back for being at home to dry the dishes or settle a disagreement or help a child study for a test. You may not receive the same sense of affirmation you feel from accomplishing a work goal or achieving recognition among your peers. But you will be living proof that winning at home first is the key to winning anything of value.

Marriages and families don’t bounce. They shatter. For generations.

Live It.
What is your “busy season”? What are the first signs that work is getting out of balance? How can you help each other handle those seasons that demand more of you than usual?

Pray.
For the ability to juggle well . . . and to know which balls can drop without causing major damage.

The Crossings meets Sundays, 10 a.m., at River Heights Intermediate, 7227 Scholar Way, in Eastvale. For more information, visit atthecrossings.com. Join us for Kids Camp (VBS) June 26, 27 and 28 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Free dinner included).

Fifty Years Faithful

By Pastor Rob Norrisrob-norris-BW-2x2

“For love is as strong as death.” – Song of Solomon 8:6

Only 10 months into their marriage, during an otherwise calm Sunday drive to church one July morning, a young Navy couple’s car was broadsided by a streaking ambulance racing through an intersection. The driver of the car, R. L. Alford, sustained some minor injuries. His wife, Hilda, was thrown from the vehicle, suffering a massive head injury that left her not only a quadriplegic, but also legally blind and unable to speak.

That was 50 years ago—50 years of communicating with his wife through little more than the nods of her head. Fifty years of pushing her wheelchair or (his preferred way) carrying her in his arms. Fifty years of emptying her urine pan and cleaning up her bowel movements. And in the last few years, even feeding her through a tracheal tube and learning how to insert her catheters.

Along the way, R. L.’s brand of marital loyalty has drawn some unexpected notice (“Undeserved,” to hear him say it). When a longtime family friend spearheaded a drive in the mid-80s to raise funds to build the Alfords a new home, help came from such high-ranking places as Florida governor Bob Martinez, who not only gave them a brand-new refrigerator but also spent a day working at the construction site. President Ronald Reagan sent a check for $500, followed by another for $1,000.

“When R. L. was asked to repeat the vow ‘for better or worse,’” a neighbor said, “he heard it real loud. Medically, it’s a miracle Hilda is still alive. But she’s not alive because of all those doctors. She’s alive because R. L. gave his life to her.”

In September 2006, the Alfords celebrated their golden anniversary. Looking back, R. L. humbly remarked, “Sure, it’s been rough in some ways. But it’s been rewarding.”

Fifty years of being there. May all our promises to each other be that long lasting.

Live It! Talk about what you would do for one another if the unthinkable happened. Promise you’ll be there, regardless.

Pray: While asking God for many more years together, pray it with a promise that you’ll remain faithful no matter what those years entail.

 

The Crossings meets Sundays, 10 a.m., at River Heights Intermediate, 7227 Scholar Way, in Eastvale. For more information, visit atthecrossings.com.