Greetings,

I hope this email finds you doing well. I am really enjoying the cold front that hit us here in the DFW area. We have only been in the double digits now for 2 days in a row. Break out the sweaters and scarves and brace yourself for a cold evening tonight (lol).

Wanted to inform you that Chad and Sarah Brooks had a baby girl yesterday. Her name is Blake and she is quite a beauty. Mom and child are healthy and happy, but please keep the family in prayer.

Vacation Bible School, for Pre-K through 6th grade, starts tomorrow night @ 7:00pm and continues every Wednesday night through July 22nd. We could still use adults to help with games, crafts, music, Bible lessons, etc.  please contact Gene-o if you would like to volunteer.

The Thrive! Love & Respect Marriage Conference is coming up on July 17th & 18th. This Sunday will be the last day to purchase tickets at the discounted price of $26 per person. (After that the cost will go up) This seminar is for all couples, whether married 50 years or just starting their journey, and will encourage, challenge, and equip you to experience a greater level of love, relationship, and intimacy in your marriage. I strongly encourage you to attend this conference. If finances are a problem, please let us know and we will do all we can to make attending possible for you and your spouse.

Here are this week’s scheduled events:

Wednesday

8:30am “Stretching & Strengthening” class
7:00pm “Branded” Youth Group (JH & HS)
7:00pm Children’s Summer VBS (Pre-k through Grade 6)
7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Monday

6:30pm Ladies Bible Study
(come early @ 6pm for snacks/chatting)

Have a great July 4th weekend,

Joe

Greetings,

I hope you are doing well today. It is really hot this week (even for me - lol), and with no change in sight anytime soon. Texas summers, you “love’em” or “hate’em”. I “love’em”, but this is getting a little extreme, even for me.

This summer we are excited to offer a special “CrossSeekers” VBS on Wednesday nights from July 1st - 22nd for kids Pre-K through 6th grade. We will need adults to help with crafts, Bible lessons, music and sports. Please contact Gene-o if you would like to volunteer.

July is almost upon us, and the cost will soon be going up for the Thrive! Love & Respect Marriage Conference (July 17th & 18th). You can still purchase tickets for the current price of $26 per person. This special weekend event is for all couples, whether married 50 years or just starting their journey. The Love & Respect conference will encourage, challenge, and equip you to experience a greater level of love, relationship, and intimacy in your marriage. I strongly encourage you to attend this conference. If finances are a problem, please let us know and we will do all we can to make attending possible for you and your spouse.

Here are this week’s scheduled events:

Wednesday

8:30am “Stretching & Strengthening” class

7:00pm “Branded” Youth Group (JH & HS)

7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Sunday

7:00pm The Edge

Monday

6:30pm Ladies Bible Study (come early at 6pm for snacks & chatting)

Have a great day,

Joe

Ladies of CrossRoads, the Monday night Bible Study will resume tonight at 6 p.m.  We look forward to picking up in our study of Joshua.  If you haven’t been a part of our study yet, don’t worry, it’s not too late to join in.

More details are available here.

Greetings,

I hope you are doing well and enjoying the summer. I am so thankful for the great week of camp our students experienced. Thanks for all of your prayers. We are looking forward to a great summer at CrossRoads. Summer is usually a time when we have many visitors, so invite a friend and I hope to see you this Sunday.

We are looking forward to the “Thrive” Love & Respect Marriage Seminar on July 17th & 18th. This conference is for couples who want to go deeper in their relationship. Whether you’ve been married for 50 years or you’re just starting the journey, Thrive! will encourage, challenge and equip you to experience a greater level of love in your relationship. Cost is currently $26 per person, but the cost will be going up in July. You can sign up in the foyer on Sunday morning.

The Ladies Bible Study will be resuming their study (”Live Fearlessly: A Study in the life of Joshua”) on Monday, June 22nd. Hope you can be part of this ministry.

Here are this week’s scheduled events:

Wednesday

8:30am “Stretching & Strengthening” class

7:00pm “Branded” Youth Group (JH & HS)

7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Monday

6:30pm Ladies Bible Study

(come early at 6pm for snacks & chatting)

Have a great week,

Joe

Greetings,

I hope you are doing well today. Our Youth Camp is going great. I just spoke to Gene-o and he informed me that the students are having a great time. Parents, the cell phones are not getting any signals, so you probably won’t be able to contact your child via their cell phones. Sorry about that. But be assured that no news is good news. Chris Dikes and I will be driving to camp tomorrow to spend the day with our students. Continue to pray for our students this week. We are asking God to do a mighty work in their lives during camp.

I hope you were encouraged by the first part of our study in the book of James. I am so excited about how God is going to minister to each of us through the powerful words of James’ epistle. I hope you can be with us this Sunday as we continue our study. We will pick up in Chapter 1, verse 7.

This Wednesday there will be no Stretching & Strengthening class, no Cross Seekers, and no Youth Group.

The Men’s Breakfast is this Saturday @ 8:00am here at the church. We hope to see you there.

You can now sign up for the Love & Respect Marriage Conference - July 17th & 18th. Cost is $26 per person. There will be a signup sheet in the foyer on Sunday.

Here are this week’s scheduled events:

Wednesday

7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Saturday

8:00am Men’s Breakfast

Sunday

7:00pm The Edge

Have a great day,

Joe

This Wednesday, we will NOT have the following regularly scheduled events:

-Strength and Stretching Class
-Cross Seekers 
-Youth Group (Jr. and Senior High)

HOWEVER, we will still have the prayer meeting, so feel free to join us at 7 p.m.

This week we begin a new study, as we begin to look at the book of James, a book that challenges us to grow up and mature in our faith.

You can watch/listen to the message right here.

Greetings,

I hope you are doing well today. Believe it or not, this is the last week of school. The summer of 2009 is upon us. The weather is going to be so hot and so awesome. I hope that you will have a great summer, with family time, vacation time, down time, etc. Though church attendance tends to drop off a little in the summer, we will still be working hard to serve and minister to our families. When you are in town, please make every effort to be with us. When you are out of town, have a wonderful and restful time. I look forward to a great summer of 2009.

Boot Camp is over. I hope you survived the spiritual challenges of Malachi. This Sunday we will begin a study in the book of James. James is a very practical and encouraging book. I look forward to a time of learning and growing. Hopefully, we will see you this Sunday.

The next Men’s Breakfast is coming up on Saturday, June 13th @ 8:00am here at the church. (The June calendar has been posted on our website.)

Our Youth will be leaving for Youth Camp this Monday, June 8th. It’s still not too late to sign up. The cost is $190. See Gene-O to sign up.

Here are this week’s scheduled events:

Wednesday

8:30am “Stretching & Strengthening” class
7:00pm “Cross Seekers” Bible Club (Grades 1-6)
7:00pm “Branded” Youth Group (JH & HS)
7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Sunday

7:00pm The Lighthouse (meets @ 2124 Bay Club)

Monday

10:30am Youth leave for Camp

Have a great week,

Joe

We’ve finally reached the end of boot camp, although the lessons live on.

Here’s a brief review of what we’ve learned in boot camp:

Areas Malachi spoke against concerning the Israelites and their relationship to God:
1) Showing contempt for God and not giving Him their best.
2) Breaking faith concerning marriage by:
- Marrying people who didn’t know God
- Dealing treacherously/breaking faith with the wife of their youth (mistreatment/divorce)
3) Losing their edge morally by saying that sinful behavior wasn’t really sinful.
4) Robbing God by not faithfully giving their tithes and offerings.
5) Speaking against God by saying that it doesn’t pay to serve God
-Matthew 24
-2nd Peter 3
- 1 Thess 4 & 5
- Revelation 19
6) We need to be dressed and ready for His return.
7) We need to pursue healing/restoration in the home and that is dependent on fathers doing their job.

You can view/watch this week’s message right here.

Greetings,

Hope this email finds you doing well. And I hope you had a great Memorial Weekend. I am so grateful for those who gave their lives serving our country. May we never take for granted the freedom that some have fought to maintain.

I went to the Rangers/Yankees game yesterday. It was so hot sitting in the sun just behind the Yankees dugout. It was a bit of a one-sided game in the Yankees favor. Things could be very different tonite. I am happy to say I will be at the game tonite as well. It should be a great game.

This week we will finish up our series in Malachi. It will be the last in our Boot Camp series. I hope you enjoyed the video (you had to be there to believe this one). Samuel Dikes/Apollo Creed is protesting the unanimous decision that proclaimed Joe Centineo/Rocky Balboa the winner. A final ruling will be made soon (I’m just kidding). On a more serious note, this Sunday will be a focus on the return of Christ. I hope you can plan to be with us.

Youth Camp is just two weeks away. I’d like to let you know of a few fundraising opportunities which will help the students raise money to cover their costs: This Saturday morning there will be a Car Wash at Batteries Plus on South Cooper from 9am -1:30pm. In the evening the students will be serving at Molly’s Burgers. (tips will go towards their camp fund). You may also consider hiring a student for any odd jobs you may have around the house. Contact Gene-o if you would like further details. There are 15 spaces available for camp, and a $50 deposit is required to secure a spot.

I would like to once again remind you of several Marriage & Family Ministry learning opportunities we will be offering, designed to help and encourage us in our marriages & families. Please contact tonya@crossroadsofarlington.org for a complete list of available classes / seminars.

Our Ladies Bible study will resume on June 22nd. Here are this week’s scheduled activities:Tuesday 7:00pm College Life

Wednesday

8:30am “Stretching & Strengthening” class
7:00pm “Cross Seekers” Bible Club (Grades 1-6)
7:00pm “Branded” Youth Group (JH & HS)
7:00pm Intercessor’s Prayer Meeting

Sunday

7:00PM The Edge

Have a great week,

Joe