When hands reach out in love at Christmas

the world is a little happier,

a little kinder, and a little more like heaven.

As 2014 draws to a close, all of us at Cross The World want to express our greatest ‘Thank You!’ to all of you for helping us make God’s love visible, one cross at a time. Without you, we would not be in all the countries/municipalties we are and we would not have disbursed over 90,000 crosses to hungry hands and hearts. You remain our inspiration and our driving force; we are so pleased to have you on God’s team! You are all awesome!!

Listed below are individuals/organizations who joined us since the first of November and are helping us realize our goal of giving away 340,000 small wooden crosses:

Teresa – WI
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church – Tucson, AZ
Jeanne – NV
Margaret – MI
Kathy – MN
Darlene – MN
Neil – ND
Dick – MN
Narrows Community Church – Outing, MN
Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church – Cornville, AZ
Karen – AZ
Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church – Sun City, AZ
Rusty – CA
Rev. Herb – MT
Women of the ELCA – PA
United Methodist Church – Willmar, MN
Pat – MN
Old Town Mission – Cottonwood, AZ
Kathy – MN
Mary – MT
Gerald – ND
Paradise United Methodist Church – Newberry, MI
Hulbert Tahquamenon United Methodist Church – Newberry, MI

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

‘Thanks for all you do to spread God’s love to others. And, also, God bless you for making Harlow’s dream come true.’ – Mary, MT

‘Enclosed is my check for shipping 200 crosses. As chairman for the Evangelism Committee of our congregation, we are planning to use them as outreach tools to others. God’s continued blessings on such a wonderful ministry.’ – Rev. Herb, MT

‘I distributed about 100 crosses in Little Grand Rapids, Manitoba, on my LAMP mission trip this summer. I will be distributing 60 later this semester in two of my classes at the University of Northwestern, St Paul, too. Thank you! – Kent, MN

A COUPLE OF REMINDERS:

1 – As you look through our Partners in Christ page, please check to make sure your church or organization is listed.  If we have overlooked anyone, please let us know and we’ll make the additions in the next post.

2 – At this time of year, we want to remind you that Cross The World relies entirely on the generosity of Friends in Christ like you.  We further want you to know your financial support for our ministry is greatly appreciated and, because we are an approved 501(c)(3) ministry, your kind donations are always tax deductible.

 Thank you!!

God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith;

the warmth of Christmas, which is love;

the all of Christmas, which is Christ.  – Wilda English

We wish you a very blessed Christmas!

November is a month for us to be thankful … thankful for friends and family around us; thankful for a comfortable home and a reliable means of transportation; thankful (hopefully) for a good working environment and a meaningful wage; thankful for good health … we have many things to be thankful for. But, probably the most important thing we have to be thankful for is our freedom … freedom to make choices including where we want to live, work, or attend school; what we want to say or what clothes we want to wear; where and how we want to worship … freedom that many have sacrificed for us.

At the end of this month, when you sit at the Thanksgiving table, in your warm house, enjoying a delicious meal of turkey and pumpkin pie before you plop into your easy chair to catch the football game or dash out the door to start your Christmas shopping, we ask you to remember the commitment our soldiers made and be prayerfully thankful they have continued to protect us, keep us safe and, insure our freedom.

And so, everyone at Cross The World requests you join us in saluting the men and women of the US Armed Forces and thanking them for their service … not just on Veterans Day but, at least, for the entire month of November.

We say ‘Thank You! We are forever in your debt!!’

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, ‘One nation, under GOD.’

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You’ve never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You still say ‘Christmas’ instead of ‘Winter Festival.’

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You bow your head when someone prays.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You treat ALL Veterans with great respect, and always have.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You’ve never burned an American flag.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You know what you believe and you aren’t afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if:
You respect your elders and expect your kids to do the same.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to introduce Cross The World to attendees of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (Outing, MN) Women’s Retreat. In the course of the discussion, I told them we have given away 85,000+ crosses since we started (a huge thank you to all of you for being our partner in this mission!). To let them know the magnitude of the span of those 85,000 crosses, I wanted to give them some quantities of stuff they could relate to (I’ve done this ‘measuring scenario’ in a much earlier post so this will be an update) and, so, I’m sharing it with you as well.

85,000 crosses (starting from a 6 ½” piece of wood) equals

15,347 yards of fabric (for you quilters)

42 skeins of 7 oz. Red Heart yarn (for you knitters)

58,158 size 8 womens’ sneakers, placed heel to toe

6906 queen sized mattresses, laid end to end

And, for you men:   2763 Dodge Caravans, parked bumper to bumper

154 football fields, length to length

Lastly, and most impressive:

85,000 CROSSES, LAID END TO END, MEASURES A WHOPPING 8.68 MILES!!

Glory be to God!!!

We are thankful to the following Friends in Christ for sharing the cross with others this past month:

Susan – AZ

Narrow’s Community Church – Outing, MN

Immanuel Lutheran Church – Boyd, MN

Connie – MN

Brian – MN

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – Outing, MN

My Father’s Home – Minneapolis, MN

Diane – AZ

C. Hayward – SC

LaJeanne – SD

Mary – MN

Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

In every walk with nature, one receives more than he seeks. I wanted to share some photos of what God has done recently to our surroundings:

Great are the works of the Lord.    Psalm 111:2

Late this spring, our Friend in Christ, Sue, requested some crosses that would be given out on a mission trip she was going on to northern Canada through the LAMP Ministry (see May post). She shared this story with us:

‘We wanted you to know what a blessing your crosses have been to our ministry. We do outreach through LAMP Ministry, located in Edmonton, Canada. LAMP provides spiritual witness in communities in northern remote areas of Canada through pastor/missionary pilots and short and long-term volunteers.

We were fortunate to receive the crosses prior to our trip this summer. As the Spirit led, we gave some of the crosses away when we were fundraising for our trip. A few examples included a car wash when one person we gave the cross to said “my husband died 3 weeks ago and I am so lost,” she held the cross to her heart and said “bless you for sharing”. Another person was on her way back home with her child after being released from a “safe house” for battered women. After giving her a cross we had a wonderful conversation and shared scriptures with each other. When it was finally time to head North for our mission trip, we challenged each team member to give away a cross to someone before we boarded our plane in Winnipeg. Again we were able to bless people in many places including a coffee shop, gas station, the check-in-desk at the airport, and a variety of other places.

Originally we planned to do a single prayer walk once we arrived in the Oji Cree community we were serving. However, after the team experienced the first walk we decided to repeat on two other evenings. After spending time in prayer with the Lord, we set out, knocking on doors and offering the cross saying “we would like to bless you with this cross” which opened up conversations with people we never imagined. No one turned us away and many asked for prayer. Even for those who had never witnessed to others before found it easy to start a conversation once the cross was passed from their hand to another. We give all glory to the Lord and thanks to you for giving us a means to bless people and start conversations and relationships that we pray will bring people to know the Lord.

Blessings, Sue

 PS:  I have only one photo of someone with the cross as we didn’t want them to think this was about documenting a “good deed” but rather truly caring about them. This young woman actually asked us to take her photo.’

Great message!  Thank you for the good news, Sue!!

 Thank you to the following for supporting Cross The World in September:

Connie – MN

Annette – MN

The Center for Family Counseling – St. Cloud, MN

United Methodist Church – Emily, MN

First English Lutheran Church – Cannon Falls, MN

Mike – MT

Trinity Lutheran Church – Fergus Falls, MN

Julie – OR

Darlene – MN

Lord of Life Lutheran Church – Moreno Valley, CA

Suki – AZ

Jeff – OH, for mission to Paraguay

 At the end of the day, the only questions we should ask ourselves are:

Did we love enough?
Did we laugh enough?
Did we make a difference?

The move is complete and the Cross The World woodshop is up and running! Our wood supply was delivered last Saturday and Ernie is a very happy man!!! We thank everyone for their patience in this transition; we know it’s been a long time … well, it seems that way to us. Funny how long two months can be when you’re waiting to do something that is so meaningful, worthwhile and enjoyable.

Let me repeat, Ernie is a very happy, albeit very busy, man!!

Some of you requested crosses during the interim and we want you to know you are already in our system; your crosses should be on their way to you within a week or two. If you were waiting with your request, you can send them at any time. Please note that there is an address change; here is the new one: 24753 Norway Pine Place, Emily, MN 56447. Our phone number and email remains the same.

Again, all of us at Cross The World thank you so much for your patience and prayers during the move of our woodshop/distribution center. We are eager to again be working side by side with you in God’s great universe and hearing how we all have impacted people’s lives!

July 16-19th brought SonShine 2014 to Willmar and Cross The World was there!! We want to say a big ‘Thank You’ to the following people who made our presence possible: Bob S, Terry & Sarah L, Jared H,  Adam S, Susan W & her cousin Amy J (from Bullhead City, AZ & Montevideo, MN respectively – first time visitors to SonShine ever!!) and Jason S. We can’t tell you enough how much we appreciate all of you taking time from your summer to devote to CTW and to visit with SonShiners about who we are and how they can join in with us. Most of all, we thank Jason for taking the reins during the event: helping orchestrate set-up and tear-down, setting up worker schedules, preparing booth props and overseeing day to day activities. You are an amazing God worker; we couldn’t have done SonShine 2014 without you!!!

During their visit to our booth this year, people were invited to write their thoughts about Cross The World and we wanted to share some of them with you:

‘I love giving the crosses to people. God bless you.’ – Tanya

‘All things work together for your good as a child of God. Being in His presence and bringing
Him honor and glory is all it’s about.’ – Michael

‘Thank you so much for your incredible work in spreading God’s word and love.’ – Alyssa

‘Thank you so much for your ministry. I will order crosses for my AWANA Club kids
and use the cross for a council time lesson.’ – Dawn

‘Just wanted to let you know the crosses we made at SonShine 2013 were used to tie on
each of our Christmas gifts last year in order to share in the ministry.’ – Steve & Doria

‘I will be using some of these crosses at the Bible camp I work at.’ – Ashley

‘I’m going to share these crosses with my small group girls at Eagle Brook Church and make a
craft out of it. What you all do is AMAZING!! Keep doing what you’re doing!’ – Kalli

‘Thank you for loving all your customers & friends around the world. Thank you also for
responding and acting.’ – unsigned

‘Great idea! Thank you for the free cross to spread the word of God!’ – Danielle

‘Blessings upon you and your ministry!’ – Pastor Diane

‘I have passed along dozens of crosses to students in MN and would love to do the same
when I move to Colombia in 2015!’ – Rebecca

‘God’s blessings to you both! Thank you for letting me a part of this event!’ – Amy (booth worker)

‘So glad to be part of this awesome ministry. Thank you!’ – Susan (booth worker)

‘Thank you so much for what you have done! Because of this, we were able to bring them to Thailand. Hundreds of children now have a cross of their own. God bless you!’ – Austin

‘Thank you so much for the amazing crosses. I brought 8 to Uganda last week and gave them
to our hosts and our co-volunteers from Uganda. Those who received were beyond grateful.
In fact, for many it was their first and only cross. It was a true blessing and encouragement.
God bless your ministry! You are a blessing!’ – Jenn, founder of Hands of Action International

‘You are cool!’ – unsigned

‘God bless you for your mission. I will pass your work and words to my church and pass the message.’ – Jackie

‘A special thanks to you for lifting the hearts and prayers for so many.’ – Ron

‘When me and my friend made these (crosses) last year, it led to our church sending
hundreds to Thailand. I brought a few home as well to brighten up my home. I hope you
will continue to send the Gospel to new places.’ – unsigned

‘Your crosses have made their way to Winnipeg, Canada to our churchs’ inner city school.
It was so special to give a gift to new students who are learning about the Lord and need
a physical reminder of the awesome power of the cross.’ – Caroline

‘Thank you so much for your ministry and your labor of love. I am blessed beyond measure.
And, thank you for providing a resource that can help me further the Kingdom of God through the Gospel.’ – Saul

‘May God richly bless your service to Him. Never doubt the dream and labor you do for the
Lord. May you always know God is singing over the labor of your hands.’ – Cindy

‘My parents recently gave me a cross for Easter and since, I’ve brought it with me everywhere
I go for safe travels. It’s really cool.’ – Len

‘Our grandson did a challenge (last year – see our August 2013 post) and is still talking
about it.’ – Doug & Evelyn

God is ahh-mazing!! All of us at CTW were so touched to read what you had to say; we are sorry that we weren’t able to be there in person this year to meet and talk with each of you but look forward to sharing this experience with you next year! Thank you so much for sharing your kind words!!

Make it a goal that when someone looks at you,

they will notice the light of Christ in your eyes and

the radiance He brings to your smile.

Cross The World is moving!

The Cross The World wood shop and distribution center are on the move!  We’re relocating to Emily, MN the middle of July and have closed production until we get there and settled, which we hope will be mid-August.  Additionally, we are completely out of inventory and are unable to fill any requests at this time.  So, we’re asking that you wait with your requests until we’ve got the wood shop back in order.  Keep checking our website — we’ll let you know what’s going on!!!

In the last couple of months, we’ve gotten requests for our crosses that are going to be carried to northern Canada through the LAMP ministry.  We wanted to give those groups special recognition for carrying God’s love to these remote villages and the people who reside in them.  Hopefully, I’ve included everyone.  If I’ve missed someone, please know that it wasn’t intentional; let me know and I’ll mention you in the next post.  Your work is very important to all of us.

Messiah Lutheran Church – Lakeville, MN

Trinity Lutheran Church – Fergus Falls, MN

Hosanna Lutheran Church – Lakeville, MN

St. Michael Lutheran Church – Portage, MI

And, Cross The World will be SonShine Festival (July 16-19) in Willmar, MN again this summer!  Please plan to stop by our booth and visit if you come to the Festival.  For more information about SonShine, here’s their website:  sonshinefestival.com

Our Friend in Christ, Nyla G, is on her way to Guatemala and had requested some crosses to take along.  She was kind enough to share these photos of her grandson, busy at work, assembling the crosses:

And, here’s a photo of the crosses, packaged and ready to go:

Thanks, Nyla, for sharing.  We’re looking forward to hearing how the children reacted to these!

(Is it my imagination or do I see the sun’s shadow in the shape of a heart on the back of that patio chair???  God is an awesome painter, isn’t He?  And, His timing is always perfect!!!)

We want to recognize the following for joining us in our ministry for May through mid-June:

Charlene B – IL

Susan W – AZ

Marjorie H – MN

Grand Canyon Women of the ELCA – Avondale, AZ

First United Methodist Church of LaGrange – LaGrange, GA

Hope Lutheran Church – Fosston, MN

Becky N – MN

Grace Lutheran Church – Ada, MN

Grace Lutheran Church – Kingman, AZ

Karlene S – MN

Jari R – NV

Redeemer Lutheran Church – Willmar, MN

Betty F – MN

Warren P – MT

Kent K – MN

Nyla G – MN

Joan G – WI

John F – MN

Phyllis G – MN

Messiah Lutheran Church – Lakeville, MN

Trinity Lutheran Church – Fergus Falls, MN

Darlene H – MN

Hosanna Lutheran Church – Lakeville, MN

Faith Lutheran Church – W. Fargo, ND

Last month, we received so many requests for our crosses that we completely depleted our inventory … a wonderful dilemma for us! We were thrilled by your requests and response to our ministry. In all, over 4000 crosses left our distribution center to be presented to eager hands and hearts, hungry to know how wonderful our God is and to feel the everlasting love He has for us all. Thank you to everyone who has become a foot soldier for God and included us in your mission. Whether you joined the Cross The World family in April, 2014 or have been introducing people to God through our crosses since our start 3 years ago, you are a very valuable member of our family and, together, we are working to make God’s love visible across the world! To date, over 80,000 crosses have been given away … Aaaah-mazing!!!  Thank you!!

In the last 45 days, I have heard so much about LAMP (Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots), an organization that ministers to people living in remote villages of northern Canada. I had never heard of this organization before but, when we kept receiving cross requests from so many church groups, I needed to check this organization out …. and, what an awesome organization it is!

I’m including a link to their website, www.LAMPministry.org, and invite you to take a look.  Their US home base is located at Box 480167, New Haven, MI 48048; their phone number is 1.800.538.9648. They are always looking for volunteers who would be willing to give of their time to join in a mission trip to visit the residents of these villages and teach the children about God during their summer vacation Bible school.  Maybe you or your group would have some interest??

Sue from Hosanna! Church in Lakeville, MN is one of the LAMP missionaries and she wrote an article for the LAMPlighter newsletter, giving me permission to share. You can find her article here (click on the March, 2014 issue). Sue and her husband are celebrating their 30th year anniversary with the LAMP ministry this year. Congratulations and thank you for your selfless service in His name, Sue!

Many times, we get a phone call from someone who just wants us to know that he/she has received one of our crosses and, while going through a rough period of their life, the simple reading of the message tag has helped them feel at peace. This month, we are introducing a new page: ‘What Does The Cross Mean to You?’  This page is meant to be a comment/discussion page and we invite all of you to share with us what the cross means to you, how Jesus’ love through His ultimate sacrifice for us has impacted your life or the lives of people you know, comments from people you have shared our cross with, etc. Please consider being an active part by sharing your thoughts.

Also, please remember that our message tag is printed in English, as well as Spanish (here is a photo of both tags). This choice is particularly helpful if you are planning a mission trip to or working with Spanish speaking congregations/groups. There is a line on our order form where you can indicate if you want the message tags to be sent in English or Spanish; if nothing is checked, we will automatically send you English tags.

We thank everyone for supporting Cross The World during the month of April:

– Nyla, MN
– Susan, AZ
– Oak Lake Lutheran Church, Nickerson, MN
– Paradise United Methodist Church, Newberry, MI
– Tahquamenon United Methodist Church, Newberry, MI
– Cheryl, MN
– Good Samaritan Society – The Pines Senior Living Community, Jackson, MN
– Margaret, MI
– St. Michael Lutheran Church, Portage, MI
– Harmony River Living Center, Hutchinson, MN
– Bethesda Pleasant View, Willmar, MN
– Immanuel – Watson Parish, Boyd, MN
– Diane, AZ
– Pretty Lake Trinity United Methodist Church, Culver, IN
– My Father’s House, Minneapolis, MN
– First English Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls, MN
– Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN

‘When we give ourselves something to look forward to, no matter how great or small the event,we are giving ourselves the gift of hope. And where there’s hope built into tomorrow, there are all kinds of possibilities for overcoming whatever obstacle we face today.’
– Ruth Senter

I couldn’t believe it … a couple of days ago, we had snow … all day … like it snowed for 12 hours straight!!!  It was hard to stomach, what with it being the middle of April and everyone being so sick of winter. But, Ernie and I had to agree that it was pretty, with millions of snowflakes doing their crazy dance outside the windows of our family room. When the snow ‘shower’ was finally spent, 12” of the sparkly ice crystals lay on our lawn.  Our dog’s belly brushed against them as she sprang joyfully from one spot to the other. She, unlike us, still likes the snow; hopefully, she will soon be as disappointed with its absence as we were with its appearance!

I also can’t believe it will be Easter in a couple of days … where has this month gone? We have had the most wonderful problem these last two months … we have been bombarded with requests for our crosses! Thank you, thank you for your interest and willingness to serve God!! We have been trying diligently to get the crosses shipped as quickly as we can and we think we may have missed some ‘Easter deadlines’ and for that, we apologize. But, we want you to know that your crosses will be on their way as soon as they can and we thank you for your patience!!  This is truly a wonderful problem to have .. thank you again!!

Some time ago, I read this story and found its message to be very powerful.  I wanted to share it with you:

‘A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months, he
 had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing his
 father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father
 had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father
 called him into his private study, told him how proud he was to have such a
 fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed him a beautifully wrapped
 gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a
 lovely, leather-bound Bible, with his name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised
 his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" 
 He stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had
 a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old.
 He thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that
 graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, he received a
 telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his
 possessions to him. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sadness and regret filled his heart.
 He began to search through his father's important documents and saw the
 Bible, new, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible
 and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse,
 Matthew 7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
 children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give
 to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had
 a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had
 desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... PAID IN
 FULL.’

This Easter, we need to ask ourselves:

How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

___________________________________________________________________________________

Recently, some of you have asked if it would be okay to add the name of your church or a special note to our crosses. When Cross The World was formed, the directors decided that we would not promote a specific religion or church because we wanted our mission statement to remain pure and clear: we are Christians promoting Christianity, letting all people know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, and that His love for all of us will not fail. And, so, while we can understand there might be instances where outside endorsements might be desired, we respectfully request that nothing be added to or taken away from the crosses you receive from us.

We thank the following for their support of Cross The World during the month of March:

Marlys – MN

First Presbyterian Church – Jackson, MN

Paradise United Methodist Church – Newberry, MI

Hulbert Tahquamenon United Methodist Church – Newberry, MI

Del – MN

Bruce – MT

Lakeview Covenant Church – Duluth, MN

Marvie – MN

First Covenant Church – Duluth, MN

Joan – MN

Sebring Evangelical Friends Church – Beloit, OH

Hope Lutheran Church – Fosston, MN

Linda – MI

Lester Park United Methodist Church – Duluth, MN

Ely United Methodist Church – Ely, MN

Whew … can you believe it? I think we’re finally done with ol’ man winter!! Before this year, I’d not heard the words ‘Arctic Vortex’… boy, do I know what that means now! Could we possibly have had a colder, longer winter and what was up with the wind?? It seemed like just about every day, we were living in blustery white-out conditions. Some days it was so bad, I didn’t leave the house, not even to walk across the yard to my studio.

But, it appears winter is just a memory now. Funny how quick it can happen … no more need to curse the weather, right? Warming weather brings puddles to our house, making walking and driving through our yard somewhat of a challenge. Winter boots are doubling as water gear as we try to navigate our way around, sloshing and sliding through the gooey, muddy riverlets produced by the melting snowbanks. And, there’s the retraining of our dog, who now sits on the walk-off rug as soon as she comes in the house and patiently waits as we wipe her feet dry. Now, don’t think I’m complaining … spring is my favorite time of year. I’ll save the complaining until July/August when the humidity matches the air temp!!!

Things are a little crazy around our house right now. Some of you may know that we have our hobby farm up for sale and that we will be relocating to the Emily, MN area (I talked about that area in an earlier post … Cross The World will be moving too! ). All winter, we’ve been having conversations with God about picking and sending us just the right family who will love our farm as much as we do. And so, in the meantime while He’s choosing, He told us to get busy and do our part … let the repainting, purging, tidying up, purging, redecorating begin … did I mention purging? Where did all this stuff come from? And, if I didn’t know I even had it, how come it was taking so much valuable space in my closet? I truly think someone else placed it there when I was at the grocery store … it surely wasn’t me!!! What a life lesson learned … letting go of material things that occupied too much space and really weren’t necessary in our lives. And, all this purging actually FEELS GOOD, ALMOST CLEANSING!!  Should have done this years ago … but, then, maybe I wouldn’t have so much stuff?!?

Anyway, we are on our way to a new chapter in our lives. We have already purchased a small lake home (both the lake and the house fit the category of ‘smaller’) and are working diligently to get that ready for our move. The CTW woodshop is almost finished and my work space has a good start so, when the move comes, neither of us will skip a beat. I’ll keep you informed when that move is going to be a reality. Again, did I say things are crazy around here? We are really too old for shenanigans like this!

Also, I wanted to let you know of some changes I’ve made to this website, spurred by suggestions from some of you:

1. There’s a new page that talks about our ‘Pass It On’ cross, as well as its accompanying message tag.  Sometimes, especially if this is your first introduction to our crosses, it’s hard to imagine what they look like or their actual size. We always tell people they are 4” tall, by 2 ½” wide, by 3/8” thick, about the size of a business card, but it can still be difficult to visualize so we hope this helps. In the near future, our brochure will be updated and a photo of our cross, with its message tag, will also appear on its front cover.

2. I have added our mailing address to the bottom of the Order Form page. That will be more convenient when you want to order crosses, using the form from the website … no more searching the site when addressing the envelope.

Thank you for these suggestions! Because we live CTW every day, we forget we need to be more descriptive about what we’re doing and/or talking about so it’s good to hear from you. If there is anything else we should be addressing, just let us know!

_________________________________________________________________________________

February brought new and old friends together at Cross The World. We are pleased to acknowledge the following Friends in Christ:

New Salem Lutheran Church, Turtle River, MN

Dean & Joyce – MN

Mary – MN

Carla – MN

Agape Singers, Dawson, MN

Justin – MN

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Crofton, NE

St. Andrew Catholic Church, Crofton, NE

Marvie – MN

Kindle Community Church, Schoolcroft, MI

St. Michael Lutheran Church, Portage, MI

We just celebrated Valentine’s Day … a day when flowers and chocolate become the foremost things we think of for our honeys.  Did you know that Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year for florists, followed closely by Mother’s Day?  Did you also know that florists make 1/3 of their annual income on Valentine’s Day flowers?

Just a bit of trivia for you … I used to be in the floral business and those two holidays alone were actual nightmares for me, just because I wanted to make sure everyone got their flowers on time, the arrangements were what they expected, and that everyone was happy.  A lot of prep work, a lot of scheduling of deliveries, and a lot of smiles to all the walk ins who needed something dazzling at the last minute.  Needless to say, I needed more than chocolates at the end of the day and I didn’t care to see another single flower!!!  But, in the end, it was worth it because I provided a service that brought joy and happiness to others.

Anyway, I bring this up because February is the month of love and, in the flurry of getting the perfect card, flower or gift, we might be forgetting about the One who loved us the most … the One who gave us the perfect gift a long time ago – His love.   Someone sent me this email some time ago and I think it is really appropriate for the month of February so I wanted to share with you.  Enjoy!

THE RESUME OF JESUS CHRIST 

Address: Ephesians 1:20                               Phone: Romans 10:13

Website: The Bible (Keywords: Christ, Lord, Savior and Jesus)

Objective
My name is Jesus -The Christ. Many call me Lord! I've sent you my resume because 
I'm seeking the top management position in your heart. Please consider my 
accomplishments as set forth in my resume.

Qualifications 
I founded the earth and established the heavens (Proverbs 3:19).

I formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into man the breath of life 
(Genesis 2:7).

I redeemed man from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant comes upon your life through me 
(Galatians 3:14).

Occupational Background 
I've only had one employer (Luke 2:49).

I've never been tardy, absent, disobedient, slothful or disrespectful.

My employer has nothing but rave reviews for me (Matthew 3:15 -17).

Skills/Work Experiences 
Some of my skills and work experiences include: empowering the poor to be poor 
no more, healing the brokenhearted, setting the captives free, healing the sick, 
restoring sight to the blind and setting at liberty them that are bruised 
(Luke 4:18).

I am a Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

People who listen to me shall dwell safely and shall not fear evil (Proverbs 1:33).

Most importantly, I have the authority, ability and power to cleanse you of 
your sins (I John 1:7-9).

Educational Background 
I encompass the entire breadth and length of knowledge, wisdom and understanding 
(Proverbs 2:6).

In me are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

My Word is so powerful; it has been described as being a lamp unto your feet and 
a light unto your path (Psalms 119:105).

I can even tell you all of the secrets of your heart (Psalms 44:21).

Major Accomplishments 
I was an active participant in the greatest Summit Meeting of all times 
(Genesis 1:26).

I laid down my life so that you may live (II Corinthians 5:15).

I defeated the arch enemy of God and mankind and made a show of them openly 
(Colossians 2:15).

I've miraculously fed the poor, healed the sick and raised the dead!

There are many more major accomplishments, too many to mention here. You can read 
them on my website, which is located at: www dot - the BIBLE. You don't even need 
an Internet connection or computer to access my website.

References 
Believers and followers worldwide will testify to my divine healing, salvation, 
deliverance, miracles, restoration and supernatural guidance.

In Summation 
Now that you've read my resume, I'm confident that I'm the only candidate uniquely 
qualified to fill this vital position in your heart. In summation, I will properly 
direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6) and lead you into everlasting life (John 6:47).

 When can I start? Time is of the essence (Hebrews 3:15).