THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS ..I heard an interview recently in which John Gibson was discussing his new book The War on Christmas. Gibson discussed the push going on in our country to make Christmas a neutered "holiday" that will keep non-Christians from being the least bit offended.

John Gibson, a popular anchor for the Fox News Channel, has been digging up evidence about the liberal activists, lawyers, politicians, educators, and media people who are leading the war on Christmas. And he reveals that the situation is worse than you can imagine.

For instance:

-In Illinois, state government workers were forbidden from saying the words Merry Christmas while at work.
-In Rhode Island, local officials banned Christians from participating in a public project to decorate the lawn of City Hall.
-A New Jersey school banned even instrumental versions of traditional Christmas carols.
-Arizona school officials ruled it unconstitutional for a student to make any reference to the religious history of Christmas in a class project.

The author reveals that millions of Americans are starting to fight back against the secularist forces and against local officials who would rather surrender than be seen as politically incorrect.

We must let our voices be heard. I want to remind you of Isaiah 49:6 which is often referred to as the Great Commission of the Old Testament. The second part of the verse states"...I will also make you a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Our lights must shine brightly. Let your voice be heard during this CHRISTMAS season. GO as the shepherds, "glorifying and praising God for all that you have heard and seen." Let Your Light Shine ...Craig

SORRY.. for taking so long between posts. My bout with the flu last week kept me away from the computer for several days. It was great to get out of the house on Sunday morning. We will be traveling to Michigan for Thanksgiving so my posts this week will also be limited.

I do have a couple of items to share. First, in response to the posted comment on my last blog... I agree that we must be more sensitive in dealing with race issues within the church. The thinking of most Americans has been shaped by a society that still (after all of this time) hasn't dealt with major issues of institutional prejudice and racism. Comments are made, jokes shared, and stereotypes propagated without thought or sensitivity.

Many fly the politically correct banner of cultural diversity and inclusion. The tragedy lies in the fact that the banner does not represent reality. We find evidence of that reality within the ranks of our leadership. Many denominations espouse cultural diversity while maintaining an all white male leadership group at the head of agencies, boards and commissions. As is true of our membership, our leadership must reflect our passion to reach persons of all nations, tribes, and tongues.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, be mindful of and thankful for the special people that God has brought into your life. Pray for one another and encourage each other in the faith. In a world that is bent on tearing people down, let us encourage, motivate and support one another. STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD ... Craig

MULTICULTURAL CHURCH... Over the past year, I have engaged in extensive research in the area of multicultural church ministry. I have discovered that most denominations are not really focused on crossing the racial and cultural divide that exists is our churches. I would like to recommend two books. One is called Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America by Michael Emerson and Christian Smith. The second is United by Faith: The Multicultural Congregation as an Answer to the Problem of Race by Michael Emerson and Curtiss DeYoung.

As I mentioned in my very first blog, I have the privilege to serve as the founding pastor of the Crossroads Church of Pittsburgh. We are a intentionally multicultural congregation. I believe that God has given us a vision to be a multicultural lighthouse in the city of Pittsburgh. We believe this is the example given to us by our Lord.

In reference to the works above, Emerson states,

"Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah from the Hebrew Scriptures to announce and declare the purpose and passion of His ministry. He stood in the temple area and proclaimed to all who would hear him what He understood to be the culmination of three years of preaching, teaching, healing, and ministering along the highways and byways of greater Palestine, 'My house shall be a house of prayer for all the nations.'"

Another writer captures the thought beautifully when he says,

"Jesus is a preacher of multicultural worship. He envisioned a future that was radically different from the one espoused by the temple leadership of His present Jerusalem. The temple presided over a world where non-Jewish ethnicities were condemned and demonized. Mark's Jesus offered a counter kingdom proposal: He foresaw a time when every people of every nation would call God's Temple their house of prayer."

I pray daily that many more churches will become "houses of prayer for ALL NATIONS. Currently, a very small percentage of evangelical churches (less than 3%) are reaching out to the diverse population of America. I can't help but ask, "Why do we want our churches to be so far removed from what heaven is going to be like?" Hear the words recorded in Revelation 7:9, "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne..."
STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD...Craig

I HAVE A QUESTION.. that relates to words spoken by Jesus more than 2,000 years ago. Luke records this statement in chapter 4 verse 18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."

So here is the question, "Why doesn't the church spend more time with the poor, the prisoner, the physically infirmed, and the downtrodden?" Jesus was ORDAINED and SENT to minister to people that the church now seems to avoid. We ignore the very people that Jesus paid most attention to. As we start to wake up, we will come to realize that poverty and hunger do not just plague developing nations.

-Every 44 seconds a baby is born into poverty.
-In 2002, 12.1 million children (16.7%) of all children under age 18, were poor - a larger percentage than any other age group.
-4.1 million children experiencing poverty lived in families with at least one full-time, working adult.
-6% of children live in extreme poverty with household incomes below -50% of the poverty level ($9425 for a family of 4 in 2004).
-In 2003, PA ranked 28th among states in the percent of children who are poor.
-14.7% of PA children under age 18 lived below the poverty line in 2000.
-16.2% of PA children age 5 and under lived below the poverty line in 2000.
-In Allegheny County, 41,339 children (14.9%) lived in poverty in 2000.
-In the City of Pittsburgh, 17,868 children (27.5%) lived in poverty in 2000.

Consider these final statistics; 1 out of every 4 children in developing countries dies by age 5. And most astounding... more people have died of hunger in the last 10 years than in all of the wars, revolutions, and murders of the last 150 years.

Do you think it's about time for the church to take action? For the follower of Jesus Christ the answer is simple; you MUST be an advocate for the poor, the prisoner, the physically infirmed, and the downtrodden. "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly: defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

Go where He sends you, no matter the cost --Craig

GIVE A GIFT..CHANGE A LIFE.. You may think it is a little early, but I want to encourage you to be a thoughtful giver this Christmas season. Instead of the panic and impulse purchases, consider how your gifts can really make a difference.

How thoughtful are you in your gift giving? Have you thought about giving a gift that can change a life? Were you aware that through World Vision you can choose to honor a friend or loved one by donating a gift to a needy individual or family? Here are some possibilities;

$65.00 - Give 10 fruit trees to boost health and income
$75.00 - Provide a year of education for a child
$75.00 - Provide a goat for nourishment and income
$100.00 - Share the drilling of a well in Haiti
$125.00 - A brood of hens for fresh eggs

Of course there are many other gift projects that you may participate in. I want to encourage you to be a thoughtful giver. Your giving this Christmas season can greatly benefit needy children and families worldwide. Visit www.worldvision.com and click on the top bar titled ways to give. This will give you access to the gift catalog.
STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD -Craig

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE ... I received an e-mail this week from a friend discussing the recent attacks and raids by the LRA in southern Sudan. This is a long but little known insurgency that we have tried to make people aware of in the past. I share this issue with you because it is a matter that needs our immediate attention and action. The recent World Vision magazine provides excellent information...

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP... The brutal group known as the Lord's Resistance Army uses demonic warfare to sustain a 19 year conflict in northern Uganda. The LRA abducts innocent children and forces them to become soldiers or sex slaves. Children are tortured, maimed, brainwashed, and killed in the rebel's clutches.

Only prayer and the power of Jesus working through peacemakers will end their suffering and bring peace.

PRAY that the Lord will break the LRA's spiritual stronghold over the region.
PRAY for an end to the war--that kidnapped children will be able to return home to their families.
PRAY for those who are ministering to children and families in northern Uganda.

A fragile peace process between LRA leader Joseph Kony & the government of Uganda is being led by the former Uganda parliamentarian Betty Bigombe. This process has the real potential to bring peace but it is in desperate need of support from the U.S. and other nations. Learn more about this peace initiative.

When you visit the above web site be sure to click on the Take Action Link. You will receive info on how to contact President Bush and other political leaders about this urgent matter. YOU CAN make a difference.
STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD...Craig

THE PERSECUTED CHURCH ... I feel very strongly about the need to get the word out concerning the persecuted church. I encourage you to get informed. You should also get involved by assisting those who are helping the persecuted church around the world. Check out the websites below. Much of this information comes from www.OpenDoorsUSA.org.

In recent decades the Church has grown so rapidly in the non-Western world that today more than 70 percent of the Church now lives outside the West. Many Christians are in nations with poor human rights, weak rule of law, and limited freedoms.

Some 200 million Christians live under the dark shadow of persecution, daily risking – and regularly suffering – imprisonment, enslavement, violence or death on account of their allegiance to Jesus. A further 400 million Christians live with discrimination and non-trivial restrictions on religious liberty that create considerable hardships such as poverty and homelessness.

Christians are systematically discriminated against and often violently persecuted all through Communist East Asia. They are afflicted too throughout the Muslim world, where Islamic (Sharia) Law prohibits Christian witness, mandates death for apostates (i.e., those who leave Islam) and subjugates Christians to second-class status.

Other countries where governments repress the Gospel and systematically persecute Christians include: Belarus, states in India ruled by the Hindu nationalist party, China, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Maldives, North Korea, the Islamic states in Northern Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam...

Religious fundamentalists and nationalists violently persecute Christians with a high degree of impunity and appeasement in: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka...

Get informed and get involved. Check out ...
www.OpenDoorsUSA.org
www.idop.org
www.martyredchurch.net
www.persecution.org
www.savedarfur.com

GO where HE sends you no matter the COST... Craig

THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER ...for the persecuted church will be observed Sunday, November 13. In a related story, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named eight countries this week as the world's worst violators of religious liberty. In doing so she stated, “The United States has stood for the values of human decency, of a government that respects the religious freedoms of its people, that respects the individual rights of its people, for its entire history," she said. "And let me just be very clear. We hold . . . those values today as strongly as we ever have."

The State Department's seventh annual report on religious freedom listed the same eight countries that it did last year as the most egregious violators, or "countries of particular concern." They are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam.

All citizens are greatly affected but children are the most innocent victims. I am uncertain of the source, but I recently read a piece that listed the following "rights of a child."

Rights of Children
The right to affection, love and understanding.
The right to adequate nutrition and medical care.
The right to protection against all forms of neglect, cruelty, and exploitation.
The right to free education and full opportunity for play and recreation.
The right to a name and a nationality.
The right to special care of handicapped.
The right to be among the first to receive relief in times of disaster.
The right to be brought up in the spirit of universal peace and brotherhood.
The right to learn to be useful members of society and to develop individual abilities.
The right to enjoy these rights regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national or social origin.

There is a West Africa Proverb that states, "When it rains, we all prosper. When there is drought, we all suffer." As it relates to children the proverb might be restated. "When it rains, children do not prosper as much. When there is drought, children suffer more."

Let us defend God's very precious gifts, no matter the cost. --Craig

RECENT READ...The Barbarian Way

I am not planning to give extensive book reviews but I will occasionally share info about books that have impacted my life. I have great appreciation for Erwin McManus. I am an avid reader who has been deeply moved and challenged by this book. I also recommend Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul and An Unstoppable Force: Daring to become the church God had in mind.

Consider this commentary about the book, "In the Barbarian Way, McManus calls you to return to the ancient, primal, and dangerous faith of Jesus and His early disciples. Let go of a sanitized Christianity and get back to the powerful, raw, and ancient faith that chooses revolution over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over lukewarm and watered-down religion."

There is a Swahili proverb that states, "Travel with open eyes and you will become a scholar." The world desperately needs more travelers who are willing to journey off the paved road with open eyes and compassionate hearts. GO where He sends you no matter the Cost! --Craig

THOUGHTS ABOUT AFRICA... One cannot travel to the African continent without being deeply moved... by the beauty of the people and the splendor of God's creation. In a contrasting way we are moved by the devastation of HIV/AIDS, famine, war, and disease. In the future I will share additional pics and posts from team members.


Craig and Reid with committed Kenyan Pastors Aineahs and James who "count the cost" every day.

Kelly and Lori lead in prayer at a Kenya school as students make commitments to God, purity (abstinence before marriage) and their future.

We (Lori, Lucy, Tina, Reid, Kathy, Craig, and Kelly) are just regular folks (ask our friends) consumed by the presence of a passionate and compassionate God.

Sister Luise works tirelessly to take care of hundreds of orphaned children. Many are from the war-torn country of Sudan. Others are innocent victims of AIDS.

As we looked into the faces of these young Kenyans, we observed the future of a nation. We must work together to assure a future of hope and promise for each precious one.

Kathy and Tina worked with children and were deeply blessed by the experience. We are indebted to all of you Pittsburghers who we greatly value as our "on mission" partners.
STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD --Craig

ON MY VERY FIRST BLOG I thought it would be appropriate to share the source of my title: At the Crossroads. Jeremiah 6:16 says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

It is also my privilege to pastor the Crossroads Church of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. It is my belief that we do stand at the crossroads... where we must choose either the path of popularity and least resistance or the path of uncompromising godliness and conviction (the ancient path). Perhaps you have heard; "Ancient" is the new "Contemporary."

My friends Reid, Lori, Tina, Kelly, and Kathy traveled with me recently to Kenya where we had the wonderful opportunity to cross paths with thousands of Kenyan young people. I will save some of those stories for future blogging. Let me say that many of them are choosing the "good way" ...the way of purity and abstinence before marriage.

Final thought (from Ralph Waldo Emerson) "Do not follow where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and make a trail." STAY OFF THE PAVED ROAD! Craig