Crossroad Radio

Okay, don't worry that Crossroad Radio has decided to go with a 60's format. XR is still committed to bringing you the best in Christian rock, rap, and everything in between - from today!

Still, there are some changes in the works. After 9 years as the host and producer of XR, Deke made his last appearance on last Friday's show. He's moving on to a new chapter in his life as God has opened the door for him to work with children at his church. I'm definitely going to miss him but I know that God is going to bless this move because Deke knows that this is what he was called to and is walking in obedience to the calling. Deke was my introduction to both radio and XR specifically and I owe him a great debt. One thing that you may not know is that Deke has the gift of encouragement. When I first started on the show I made many mistakes (maybe that hasn't changed much :)). But Deke was always available to provide support and to say the right thing at the right time. Sounds like a small thing but it made a world of difference in my confidence and ability to do the show. It's one of the most blessed gifts to have given to you and he's been given it in abundance. Rock on Deke.

What does that mean for the show? Glad you asked (or let me ask for you I guess). Well, after almost three great years of serving as co-host and interview guy, I'm stepping up to the microphone on a regular basis as the host of XR and I couldn't possibly be more excited! I'm already working on some more great interviews, guest appearances, and giveaways. Pray for me as I take on this new challenge. One thing that definitely will not change is that XR will continue to be about making an impact on the lives of our listeners through the life-changing news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So to all our listeners who are reading this, thank you. You are why I do this show. Since most of you found out about the transition I've received nothing but encouragement from you. I look forward to being your host for XR (and blogging more often - sorry about that) as long as God tells me to do it!

Dave

Hey Crossroadies!  

May 21st - 3:27pm

My dearest wife Amy,

I find myself in a frightening situation.  There is lazer fire all around me.  The green team has surrounded us and I think they have taken down our fearless leader, Wally.  He will be out of commission for at least 10 seconds while his lazer recharges.  The Tami-nator has been hiding in the same place for this entire battle and we cannot get a lock on her lazer sensors...all may be lost.  If I do not make it out of this battle without scoring at least 100 points I may never make it out alive.  Despite supercharging my weapon at the glowing spider I have been unable to shoot more than a wondering Cindy who was caught unaware with my ninja like skills.  Tell the kids I love them and you will be in my thoughts always.  Now, it is time for me to make one more bold run into the enemy territory.  My weapon is prepped as I step out into the warfare. I rush into it head first and as I turn the corner I...

WHAM!!!!

Whoa...where did those stars come from?

So, this past Thursday I found myself nearly blacking out after I decided to butt heads with an immovable object...namely a wall.  It was during the WBFJ Sharathon celebration at Lazer X that I went a little too crazy with the commando stuff and while doing a quick duck and weave I ducked right into a hard plastic partition.  Fortunately I did not black out but I did make a Gorbachev like bruise appear on my forehead.

That evening I was feeling a little bit nauseous, dizzy, and having flashbacks (ok maybe not that) and after fighting the promptings of my wife and my church family I decided to head into the ER where I sat hooked up to machines awaiting a CT scan.

This was really the first time in my life I have ever been in that position.  Because of the grace of God (and nothing else) I have never been to the hospital as a patient.  I have never had to lay on those uncomfortable beds looking at my heart beat on a digital screen while doctors and nurses ask me a hundred and one questions.  I have never had to wear one of those free flowing gowns that make me nervous just wearing them or get any sort of scanning done.  So as I sat there unable to move because of the jumper cables attached to my chest (those were fun getting off) I looked at my beautiful wife sitting with me and wondered what life would be like if the scans came back with a bad diagnosis.  What if there was bleeding in my skull?  What if they found cancer?  What if I didn't have a brain?

As I pondered all of these terrible situations I prayed that regardless of what the diagnosis was that I would be able to stand firmly and pronounce to every doctor, nurse, visitor and myself that God is good.  He is worthy of all praise and honor.  If He decided to allow me to die or have cancer then His ways are higher than mine and I can trust Him.  I prayed that He would use the situation as a means to tell others about His incredible love and grace.  The bottom line is that my life is not my own.  In fact, He owns me because (like everyone else) He created me and therefore has rights to my life.  He is also perfect and therefore is right in everything He does. This does not mean it is easy to submit to His will but there is peace and rest when we do.

I am thankful that I did not have anything wrong with me (though some of you may differ) but I still pray that I will pronounce boldly the truth about my God.  Even if He did nothing else for me and I perished on this day He has done more than enough when He sent His Son to die in my place on the cross.  Because of Christ's sacrifice I am free from condemnation and will one day enjoy heaven by His side where there will be no more pain or death.  So no matter what pain or suffering I may endure here on earth, as a Christian, this is the closest to hell I will ever be.

I pray you can say the same.

As far as Lazer Tag...I do plan on playing again sometime.  After all, even with a head injury I got 2nd place!  Of course, the worse part about the whole ordeal was having to tell doctors, nurses, and my good friends HOW I got the purple blotches on my head.  After a serious, "I hope you're alright," I could have sworn I heard giggling down the hall.

There my daughter and I sat, staring into the computer screen in shock and horror.  All 11 of her registeredWebkinz were dying of hunger.  No seriously, their food level was down to almost single digits.  As I stared at the dehydrated hippo I freaked...

"Emily!  Feed him some hippo helper and don't forget to the gorge the pig on mud pies!!"

After she slapped me with the stuffed golden retriever I came to my senses and she and I had a blast shoving piles of food into each digital creatures tummy.  Of course, I was wondering what happens to digital creatures when they die.  Surely a computer's registry cannot be the best place to hang out.  Maybe all those ones and zeros can be recycled into math problems for kindergardeners or something.  Anyway, after about 30 minutes of intense nursing we got all the animals fed and in bed (including my horse who sleeps on a football helmet).  

This morning as I sipped on my coffee and thanked the Lord for the time I had yesterday with my kids I thought about that time of digital doctoring and Psalm 1:1-3 came to mind.

"Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, 
         Nor stands in the path of sinners, 
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
 ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
 ³ He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water, 
         That brings forth its fruit in its season, 
         Whose leaf also shall not wither; 
         And whatever he does shall prosper." 

Our time in God's word is like a heaping spoonful of horseshoe flap jacks for a hungry horse.  It is nourishment to our bodies and without it we become weak and are more apt to fall.  When we consume God's word on a daily basis and make it our primary diet then we "shall not wither."

If you are like me then you are extremely busy all day long and find yourself consumed by the tyranny of the urgent.  Many times I have to force myself to sit and meditate on God's word because my mind is on 100 other things that I think I need to deal with within the next 5 minutes or the world may blow up.  It's not that I do not desire to read God's word but that I tend to get caught up in the less important things and therefore end up withering on the vine and wondering why I cannot get done what I need to get done.

That's when I am too often reminded:

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  ⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

Like my daughter's Webkinz I too will end up sickly and malnourished if I do not take heed to scripture and plant myself next to the stream of life found ONLY in God's word.  Of course, I rather eat from God's word than consume a bowl of digital dog chow any day.

Imagine yourself there...  

The crowd is large and they are buzzing with both excitement and malice.  They want blood and they will not back down.

You look to the front and you see a man who you know as Yeshua.  He is man who commanded people to "repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.(Mark 1:15)"  He was the One who taught on the Mount of Olives saying, "blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(Matt 5:3)"  He also spoke with authority about the law of Moses and the holy scriptures (Matt 7:29).  

Yeshua, the One who was known for feeding thousands with a handful of bread and fish (Mark 8).  He healed the leper (Matt 8:3) and raised the dead (John 11:43-44).

He was also the One who claimed to be God (John 8:58; 10:30) and spoke against the Pharisees and their hypocrisy (Matt 23:15).  This is why He is now standing before Pilate, because the religious leaders are threatened by Him and say that He is blaspheming the Lord because He claims to be God.  This is why they stir the crowds...this is why they are now calling our for Pilate to crucify Him.

"But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.  Pilate answered and said to the them again, 'What then do you want me to do with him whom you call the King of the Jews?'  So they cried out again, 'Crucify Him!' Then Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they cried out all the more, 'Crucify Him!'" Mark 15:11-14

Imagine yourself there...

After hours of questioning, mocking, and beatings Yeshua is lead to the Place of the Skull known also as Golgotha (Matt 15:22-23).  Though he has been beaten and tortured to the point of disfigurement He still carries His cross until He can no more.  As He marches up the hill to where He will be crucified thousands in Jerusalem are sacrificing lambs for Passover unaware that the Lamb of God is about to be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind (John 1:29).

Imagine yourself there...

Yeshua is on the cross now and crying out for God to forgive those who are even now murdering Him (Luke 23:34).  What kind of love would cry for the forgiveness of such evil?  Who can cleanse the sins of such wretched people...like the Pharisees...like the crowd...like myself?  

²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:22-26

The Messiah, Yeshua, is close to death.  The pain and the suffering on His face are almost too much to bear.  He has just cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"  Who can imagine the pain being put upon the Messiah who is at this moment bearing the sins of ALL mankind.  The physical pain can only hint at the immense suffering of the Lamb of God who is at this very moment enduring your sins (as well as my own) so that we may be made righteous in the sight of the Father (Colossians 2: 13-15).

"IT IS FINISHED!" 

The hilltop is now shaking and rocks are breaking open all around me.  One of the religious leaders is crying out that the curtain in the temple has been torn from top to bottom...is that even possible?  Does this mean that we no longer need priests? Yeshua is now our great high priest? Indeed He is (Heb 4:14).

A soldier is staring up a Jesus, his face is ashen and he is saying, "Truly this was the Son of God. (Matt 27:54)"  Others are weeping and mourning, for the Messiah, the precious Lamb of God is now dead.  But it is said that He will return.  Yeshua Himself said that He would endure all this only to be raised again on the third day (Mark 10:33-35).

In three days our Lord, our Messiah, our King will step from the grave and show His power over death and hell (John 20).  He will offer forgiveness and grace to all those who humbly repent and trust in His sacrifice for salvation.

He alone is worthy of praise.  He alone is worthy of our worship.  He alone is God.

And one day He will return.

imagine

post comes from Deke's personal blog - crump

This week my beat of the week is actually the CD we gave away - Falling Up's latest journey into music land.  And a journey it is.