My mother is laughing over this one!!!

I spent most of this morning doing housecleaning ,I mean literally housecleaning. I finally got around to some of the things that Val had asked me to do. As I was cleaning I thought of my mother..espy when I got to the bathroom. Let me explain. See my mother was not one of those that just let you clean with a hit and miss approach. Nope! Mama took you to every place that needed to be cleaned and demonstrated in detail how it was supposed to be done. For some reason I have always remembered her showing me how the bathroom was supposed to be cleaned. She would show me behind the toilet bowl..under the sink, the floor how it should be cleaned and how it should look when you were done! And you couldn't go outside until she came and inspected and it passed her seal of approval! So as I was cleaning the bathrooms and washing dishes and mopping floors this morning I thought of my mother Malettor Cross and was laughing my butt off! I used to hate cleaning and ironing clothes and housework and used to think "How is this going to help me in life! I aint going into housework for a career! And don't get me to talking about the folding clothes parties! (you gotta ask my sisters and brothers about that one) Oh by the way- there are 11 of us 5- girls 6 boys and Mama certainly didn't play that "housework is a girls job!" everybody was taught how to clean and had chores.
I remember how easy it was for me when I went to boot camp and the first thing you learned was how to fold your clothes the Navy way. It was easy for me because of all the folding clothes party that my Mother made me be part of. One of the things that Val said earlier in our marriage- "well at least you clean good! " Lol! Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way
he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" Powerful verse on every level, I can remember many times as I struggled to get clean and even sitting in crack houses thinking "My parents didn't raise (train) me like this" As you struggle through recovery or just life on life's terms how are you training your children ? Even the little things like "how to clean a toilet or fold clothes" can be an important reminder of the impact they left on your life. Ok..I gotta go see if the kitchen floor is dry!...and Mama..you can stop laughing now!
Btw- cleaning the carpet in the morning!..brotha is tired!!!


Stay focused!


Pastor Tim

Living above Reproach Pt. 2 "Doing vs Being"

Living above reproach requires an unquestionable obedience to God. Our experience with him in the past will not be the same. God instructions to us will not be the same even tho the situation may be the same. In Exodus 17 God instructed Moses to “hit” the rock to bring water out of it in response to children of Israel’s grumbling that they had no water. We now fast forward 40 years in Number 20 again the children of Israel are complaining about no water and why did Moses bring them out Egypt, where they at least had water. Moses decides that since he struck the rock 40 years ago he could get the same results despite the fact that God clearly said to “speak” to the rock. Moses also seems to take ownership for bringing water from the rock when he says in verse 10 “must WE bring water for out of this rock?

God is always concerned with our relationship with him more than what we can “do”. Did water come from the rock? Absolutely however it was not the way God had commanded Moses to bring the water forth, and as you know this act of disobedience was the reason Moses wasn’t allowed to cross over to the Promised Land. There are many things we can “do” but God wants us to realize who we are in him and that requires obedience to his every word. I did a lot of good things over my life in addition to the mess I made of my life. I “did” Youth ministry, I “did” Pastor stuff, Youth Pastor Stuff, Husband etc, etc, and I even “did” recovery for a while. I don’t want to do anything anymore I want to “be” all that God wants me to be. Because it’s in the “being” that my relationship with him determines all that I “do” I don’t want to do recovery I want to “be” recovery, I don’t want to do what a husband does I want to “be” a husband, a Pastor, but more importantly a Man of God who everything I do is a result of my relationship with Christ.

Someone asks about the Pastor in GA who is facing some serious sexual abuse charges from some young men under his care- “How can he possible do that and he’s such an awesome Preacher and Pastor? Again I don’t know if the allegations are true or not but I do know that you can still “do” a lot of things and not be obedient of God. Just ask Moses…I know he can testify!

Reflections:

Are you relying on the way God did things in the past ? Have you been hitting the rocks in your life when he has said “speak” to them ?

Psalms 119:48 “My Hands also I will lift up to your commandments, which I love and I will meditate on Your statues.

Living above Reproach Pt. 1

The body of Christ appears to have taken another hit with what appears to be serious sexual abuse charges against Bishop Eddie Long from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in GA. Let me first make a couple things clear, this bog and writing is NOT to issue judgment or condemn Bishop Long. My prayers are for him and his family as he goes through this and is obedient to whatever God says to do in this situation. I am not one to label and condemn anyone, my destructive lifestyle fueled with infidelity and drug use for also 15 years damaged the body of Christ and hurt many people who knew me and those who looked up to me as a Pastor, mentor and Man of God. My testimony is included in my soon to be published book  "Musings from an Ex-Crackhead".
Many are saying "Don't judge him yet"..or all the information is not in, which certainly is true. Others are saying "How can he (or any other Pastor) preach and have an impact on people and get involved in something like this ?
The apostle Paul gives Timothy some solid advice for the office of a bishop (no intentional reference to Bishop Long) I Tim 3:2 "A bishop then must be above reproach,…. Being above reproach does not mean he is perfect or doesn't sin…or nothing in his/her past, the phrase "above reproach" means to be blameless. Living above reproach means that no one can come and accuse you of being actively involved in sin. As Christians we must be a men and women of integrity and above reproach. One Christian Blog states it this way:
The Scriptures assure us that we can partake of the divine character of Christ, that we can be people of integrity, people who live above reproach. Billy Graham puts it this way, "when we speak of integrity as a moral value, it means that a person is the same on the inside as he is on the outside. There is no discrepancy between what he says and what he does, between his walk and his talk. A person of integrity can be trusted and he is the same person alone a thousand miles away from home as he is in Church or in his home." The Church needs men and women who live above reproach, who are people of integrity. The Church needs men and women who cannot be bought, whose word is their bond, who put character above wealth and who will make no compromise with wrong and who will be honest in small things as in great things.
We put our Pastors and leaders on such high pedestals and don't require that they be accountable and when they fall it is devastating. Satan loves it when we live lives of compromise and we lack integrity. I dont know if Bishop Long is guilty and as I mentioned  certainly would not rush to condem .  However I would question where was the "above reproach" living.   Yes...peopl will talk anyway no matter how you live, but if you are living above reproach and are a Man or Woman of Godly Intergrity...you give them no ammuntion. As we continue in our recovery people will often still suspect we are engaing in destructive behavior but if we "live above reproach" and have a good testimony as Paul instrctions to Timothy in verse 7  ..."lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil"

God- Sybil Paulette Cross-Nelson

God 

There is a greatness about You

That causes no apprehension

No being overwhelmed-

I am amazed at what I have seen

Your doings from beginning to end

I do not expect less of you

than the parting of my red Sea

impelling that which confronts me

from all sides

Prepare my voice for song-to make

Music from Zion-when I am in

my strange land. Cause me to rejoice

in my restrained despairing valley.

Never take Your Spirit away-

I stand in awe of You-remind me

that the coals on my tongue

are for the cleansing of my heart-

in the purity of praise

that captures Your way of holiness.

Forever keep my mind arrested in

the face of love

 

©Sybil Paulette Cross-Nelson 9/27/1998

The Unique Tim Cross

 

Psalms 139:14-17


14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Are you unique? Do you feel Unique? The word "unique" is from the Latin word "unicus" which means "one" or the only one" Many commentator don't like some dictionaries variants of the word unique, stating that the indication should be either you are unique or you are not. We get so caught up in trying live up to the expectations of others that we often times missed out or delay what God has planned for us.
I have been wrestling with this whole uniqueness thing lately. Many times over the years I have gotten caught up with trying to live up to other people's expectations. . In this Psalm from David he reminds us that we (you) are very much unique. There is not another person in all of time or eternity like you or me. No one can do, act, or say or live like you. God has something planned that only you can do and no one else. Now don't get me wrong, if you don't step up to the plate what he has planned will get done by someone else, but it won't get done the way God planned for you to do it.
We struggle in recovery with self esteem and can't seem to find out where we now fit in. This is difficult if we have allowed our addiction to rob us of a career, goal, prominent job, or told us that we are no longer a good husband, wife, brother, sister. But this is especially tough if we were in ministry and are yearning to get back and join God in what he is doing but Satan's lies keep us bound. Perhaps you were a Pastor, teacher. Minister etc. I'm not talking about listening to God and others when you need to step aside from a ministry position because of being actively involved in sin or you have not dealt honestly with your issues.
Fearfully and wonderfully made! You and I were not made by God haphazardly! Woven together in his love, he put us together in the secret places. Like snowflakes there are no other copies of us!
Who is Tim Cross? Pastor, author, teacher, Husband, Son, Brother, Friend, Grand-Father, Great-Grand Father..yeah all that but most importantly a Child of God
Are you looking at yourself of being unique? Geuss what ? you are
From: Musings from an Ex-Crackhead
Pastor Tim Cross

Unique Fathers Day Gift

I got a strange Fathers Day gift last week from my wife, even tho the gifts are typical little things a man would use they came with a different emphasis from her she put them in a nice gift bag with a note..thought I share with you:
Philippians 4:8
Finally Brothers, whatever is pure, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.

The HAMMER is to remind you to keep building. Keep being built, and even remodeled. Hammers are different but they are solid.

The SCISSORS are to remind you to trim your wick so you can burn brighter. Cut out of your life what keeps you from God’s purpose.

The MEASURING TAPE is to remind you that you should check your measurements and the distance between right Godly choices….but you don’t have to measure up to others.

The CLAMP is to remind you to hold strong to the Lord’s ways. Let God hold you tighter than anything. Don’t clamp it to you if it aint for you.

Isaiah 40:31 (King James Version)
31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I could add my thoughts…but I think this says it all…it’s amazing how the simple things around us can be reminders to “Be all God called us to be”….

Answering the Call-Haiti..Kingdom Assignment

Helping Haiti-Kingdom Assignment
Answering the Call - April 29th-May 7th
Asking for your Support prayerfully and financially as I travel to Haiti. Ananepho Ministries of New Life Christian Fellowship Church Chicago Heights, Il is partnering with Rosedale Park Baptist Church Detroit, Mich in a mission project to Haiti from April 29th-May 7th
We will be working with children-conducting children’s groups, feeding, counseling Please help me raise the funds for this project by either donating or purchasing an Ananepho T-shirt-$20.00 at www.ananephoministries.com or see me for T-shirt order form. (call or email www.ananepho@gmail.com )
Tim Cross
Send Donations to Rosedale Park Baptist Church
14179 Evergreen
Detroit, Mich
(indicate –Ananepho Ministries/Tim Cross)
Or
2724 Larkspur Lane
Hazel Crest, Il 60429

Call me for more info- 708-990-7865