Missions – As far as faith goes, it’s where the rubber meets the road, where faith takes flight, where you can get your hands dirty in service to others.  My husband and I are getting ready to go to the International Conference on Missions (theicom.org).  This year, it is in Columbus, OH, from Nov 3rd – Nov 5th.  There we will be able to visit with missionaries supported by Southern Heights Christ...  Read More

There are several slogans that have come out of the Restoration Movement (a church fellowship that came out of a desire to abandon man made creeds and get back to New Testament teaching and guidelines for Christianity), this movement beginning in the early 1800’s.  One example of such a slogan is: Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where the Bible is silent, we are silent (or allow varying opin...  Read More

In our modern culture we find many people who call themselves “Christian” but who do not want to comply with the guidelines for faithful Christian living described by Jesus and his apostles.  They want what David Faust in a recent Christian Standard article called an “un-angry God.”  This term comes from a reaction to the famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards in 1741 entitled “Sinners in the Hands of ...  Read More

Maybe you remember this from Jonathan Swift’s satire called Gulliver’s Travels.  The Lilliputians (little people) believe Gulliver’s clock is his god.  Why?  Because he seldom does anything without referring to his clock.  He tells them that it points out the time for all his actions.  This response provided a picture of how enslaved such people had become to time management.  It raises the questi...  Read More

What is a sieve?  Well, my freshman year in college the dorm RA (resident assistant) was named Jim Sieve, but of course, that’s not what we’re after here.  If you do much cooking, maybe you know what the word means.  According to the dictionary, a sieve is a utensil consisting of a wire mesh held within a frame, used for straining solids from liquids.  In other words, a filter. The story is told o...  Read More

Indeed, all Christians are saints, as the Bible uses the word.  But as we know, through the ages the Catholic church usurped that word making it unique for those who lived exemplary lives, at least in the mind of the authorities.  To be a saint meant the officials of the church had decided the person fit their criteria and were deemed a “saint.”So, when I call this Cross Point “Sayings of the Sain...  Read More

During the tenure of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector of the British Isles in the 1600’s there was a severe shortage of silver for minting coins.  Cromwell ordered his advisors to scour the country, searching for sources of silver.  They came back to him with the report that no source could be found for silver other than what was used to make statues of the noted religious figures of the past, lo...  Read More

As a college age kid living in the dormitory called Freudenberger House (Freddy for short) we would listen to all the popular music of that time, as students played their records in the dorm rooms.  I often listened to the songs of James Taylor, or Carol King.  One of my favorites was Dennis Yost and the Classics Four, with songs like Stormy and Spooky.  This was not a good thing overall, since th...  Read More

For any of us with church experience, we all know that churches can vary from one denomination to another, from one congregation to another.  There are what we call “high churches” where the service is very formal, very rigid, little congregational expression; and there are what we call “low churches” where the service can be lively and not nearly so formal, with all sorts of variations in-between...  Read More

If you’re like me, you’ve heard numerous testimonies over the years from people who were rescued from the pits of an earthly hell by pursuing faith in Christ.  Such stories are inspiring and grasp the attention of those in the audience.  I admire those who have made such a transformation!By comparison, the person (maybe like me, as an example) who grows up going to church, sitting in Sunday school...  Read More

Southern Heights!Aly and I are so excited to be joining your family here in the next couple weeks! I wanted to send out a formal expression of gratitude for all those who have reached out throughout this process and have prayed for our transition. It warms our hearts that we are welcomed into a loving church family and a congregation that is just as excited for us to be there as we are! Before God...  Read More

I love to take pictures.  One of the things I enjoy about Facebook is the opportunity it provides for me to post pictures I’ve taken, just because it’s fun.  But as an amateur photographer I understand how getting a good picture involves framing it.  The right angle, the best lighting, cropping out what doesn’t enhance are all part of the process.  But here’s the thing.  Such pictures don’t really...  Read More