Tom Allen

This past Tuesday, Crosspoint held its CHRISTMAS @ CROSSPOINT services...three of them, at 4:30, 6:00 & 7:30.  We had a nice crowd at 4:30, and even with childcare for Pre-Schoolers, we had SRO in the next two services.  In all, we had almost 1800 people in attendance that one night.  It was a very, very cool evening. So, the question that rattles around in my brain is... WHY?   Why did we have 1800 people in attendance on one evening?  We never have 1800 people on any normal Sunday .  Sure, it was Christmas.  But, I don't think 1800 people just showed up on December 23rd at Crosspoint Church because it was Christmas.  Let's face it, December 23rd is not the day people are searching for a church to go celebrate Christmas at.  In fact, I know for certain there were a number of folks not  in attendance because of sickness, leaving town early or previous engagements.  So, the question remains... WHY? So, why the big crowd on a Tuesday night?  I think there can be one expla

Most of you are aware that recently I challenged my church to BE RICH...to be generous and willing to share.  I challenged them to do 3 specific things:      *Give $20,000 to the Non-Profit selected as the agency doing the best job of meeting the needs of        the poor and needy in our community      *Adopt 100 families in need and bless them at Christmas      *Commit 4,000 hours to serve our community Our goal was to learn generosity, practice generosity and become known, as a church, for our generosity.  So, how'd we do?      *Our church gave almost $31,000 to the Neighborhood Center      * We adopted and met the needs of 116 families (that we know of)      *We had so many people volunteer to serve the needs of our community, they ran out of things for        us to do Success?  In the short-term, absolutely.  In the long-term, it remains to be seen.  My hope is that we learn the great gift of generosity...for a lifetime.  It would change our lives and the life of ou

GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED BY ZEROS, BUT BY PERCENTAGES.       When Jesus and his disciples sat outside the Temple watching people throwing coins into the offering box, what do you think was going through the minds of his crew?  Kind of like watching paint dry or grass grow or a fence rust.  Excitement.      But, Jesus had a point to make, and that point was simple.   God isn't impressed by the amounts we give away, but by the percentages we give away.  Makes sense if you think about it.  $10,000 to a millionaire is insignificant when compared to $100 given by someone with only $200 in their bank account.  The difference?  Percentage.     So, you need to know your percentages.  In other words, you need to know... What percentage of your income do you:  LIVE ON?                                                                    SAVE?                                                                    GIVE AWAY? What percentage of your time do you:  LIVE?                          

OK, don't get me wrong.  I'm not one of those Christmas fanatics that has their tree up in October and refuses to take it down till February.  Yeah, you know who you are.  That play Christmas music incessantly in their house, in their cars, in their iPods...EVERYWHERE!  That send out their Christmas cards before it's even December and have every gift wrapped immediately after Black Friday. I am SOOOOOOOOOO not one of those people.  I actually rebel against most things Christmas.  I go along with the tree and the stockings (that's my favorite part...all those kids and grandkids) and whatever Susan forces me to do.  But, I do so with some sense of rebelliousness. Why?  Because I truly hate what the world has done to Christmas.  So, as a result, I have a tendency to throw out the baby with the bath.  Guilty as charged.  Don't worry,...I'm not going to kick over you're bigger than life manger scene in your front yard or deflate your Frosty the Snowman giant,