Like a watch, the human spirit can just run down….
God has the power and willingness to breathe a new breath of life into one who has lost.
Charles Allen
The past couple of years have been challenging, to say the least. Our lives have been disrupted; our ‘normal’ has been considerably altered; our personal, mental and emotional beings have been accosted by words, behaviors, and requirements the likes we’ve never seen or even dreamt could exist. It’s been exhausting. Many times, I think ‘Will this ever end? What are we to learn from this chaos? Has God forgotten His people?’
And, so, when I received Dr. David Jeremiah’s devotion this morning, his words struck deep to something that was personal to me and I immediately wanted to share it with you all. God is watching over us … we need to pray to Him to refresh and restore us.
I hope you find it as inspiring as I did.
After the disruptions of the past two years, many people feel stuck in a rut. Habit patterns shifted. Many people began watching church services online while sitting in their recliners at home. Small groups struggled to stay together. We automized our giving. We began working from our kitchen tables. Many parents tended to their children all day, trying to help them with online learning. We wondered if we would ever feel normal again.
The people in Joel’s day suffered a pestilence of locust, but God promised to restore them—and to restore the losses they had sustained. Ask Him to do the same for you. The Lord Jesus is a master at restoring and reviving His people. One pastor simply prayed, “Lord, I need a fresh anointing!”
Why not ask God for a fresh start in 2022? Ask Him to restore your soul and to give you a fresh burden for the new year. Ask Him to make up for what’s been lost.
He can and will restore joy and productivity to your life!
Amen, amen, amen!!! Please Holy Spirit, come!
And, we received these testimonials that were just as inspiring; we thank these kind folks for their generous words. It keeps us walking the road and fighting the fight.
Your crosses are making a wonderful impact for our Evangelism Committee.
Christine ~ Black Forest Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO
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Please accept my sincere thank you for being so thoughtful in sending me a cross. Your generosity means more to me than I can express in words. The beautiful cross will be a treasure to me for a long time. God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it. God bless you.
Linda ~ AR
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Thank you so much for your wonderful ministry. My friend, Mary, introduced me to Cross The World. We carry a bag with us when we travel. I put them in my ‘welcome bags’ at church and have passed them out to the congregation and more. I always show people the tag, how to reach you. Hope some of them do! Love in our Dear Savior.
Barbara ~ OK
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And, another great note from Black Forest Lutheran Church:
This is Pastor John Graham. I’ve been ordering your crosses for many years now, in Canada and now in the USA. They are always a big hit with the congregations. I love it when someone comes and tells me how they gave someone a cross with the message that it is a sign of just how much God loves them. They are great in training/facilitating people to sharing the Good News of the cross of Christ.
This is my way of saying how much I appreciate what you guys do, providing low-cost crosses to give away to the world. Here at Black Forest Lutheran Church we are focused more locally and so we call it “Crossing the Neighborhood”. God bless you and your husband and anyone else who participates.
Associate Pastor John Graham ~ Black Forest Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO
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We thank the following for putting feet on our crosses recently:
Hosanna Lutheran Church – St. Charles, IL
Lesly – WV
Lorraine – AZ
Noreen – MN 
Claudia – MN
Geralyn – PA
Mary – MN
David – CA
Patricia – IL
Frank – MI
Greg – CA
Debbie – IL
Geralyn – OH
Winfield House Bible Study – Colorado Springs, CO
Meredith – CA
St. Francis Hospital Pastoral Care – Tulsa, OK
Joy – MN
Pastor Jim – MN
Owendale United Methodist Church – Owendale, MI
There is probably nothing that hurts the cause of Christ more than one who claims His name but consistently makes decisions that are contrary to the very intent and spirit of His Word.
Our daily decision making says far more to the non-Christian world than all of the verbal, personal testimonies we might share.
There’s a current saying that I really like. It goes, ‘Walk your talk.’ It is very simple, but it gets to the point … that our lives, as reflected in our decision making, must be consistent with what we profess to be as Christians.
CROSS THE WORLD 