Fail Us Not

I posted this on my Twitter feed a few moments ago, and on Facebook as well.  So for those that peruse my blog once and a while (which is kind of like how I post - once and a while!), you're likely to have seen this elsewhere.  But here it is.


There are some songs that, when I hear them, I can immediately sense the presence of God.  Songs like that I just have to listen to over and over and over again.  This song is one of them.  I'd never heard of this group before, but wow!  This music video will change your view of God - guaranteed.  I'm sitting in my office listening to this just amazed and broken by the Love of God.


We often need to be reminded that, though we fail and fall short, GOD DOES NOT!  Nor is He surprised or changed in His love for us by our failures and shortcomings.  I love the truth of the Word of God in the lyrics, so check 'em our below.  And here is the link to the official music video on YouTube:

1000 Generations - Fail Us Not

Failure doesn’t phase You, worry doesn’t win,
Loss doesn’t leave You afraid to start again,
Our sin doesn’t shock You,
Our shame doesn’t shame You at all

Mistakes do not move You, terror doesn’t tame,
Death doesn’t doom You to life in the grave,
Our suffering doesn’t scare You,
Our secrets won’t surprise You at all

There is nothing above You,
There is nothing beyond You,
There is nothing that You can’t do…
There is no one beside You,
There is no one that’s like You,
There is nothing that You can’t do…

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,
You fail us not, You fail us not,
No matter the war, our hope is secure,
You fail us not, You fail us not,
You fail us not…

Hatred doesn’t hide You, evil doesn’t ail,
Despair can’t disguise You and tell You that You’ve failed,
Our doubt doesn’t daunt You,
Our darkness won’t defeat You at all

You’re bigger than the battle,
You are bigger than the battle
You are bigger than the battle has ever been

How to Make Networking Work: Multiple Church Events

Networking multi-church events is a major challenge.  Though I've only been a part of a few, most of them have been (thankfully) pretty smooth.  Here's a few pointers that should lend some chance of success to your next multi-church (or multi-group) event:


1.) Be Purposeful - You have to answer the question of purpose in a couple of areas: 

• "What's the frequency of my engaging with other churches - for a perpetual 'networking' concept (week after week or month after month), or for a periodic concept (a few times a year for major events/services)?"
• "What's the target audience/target purpose for my engaging with other churches - for outreach/evangelism, or for edification of those already in relationship with Christ?"

2.) Stay consistent - This means working with the same leaders, focusing on the same geographic target locations and (typically) the same points in the calendar year.  Your format should also be consistent, though that doesn't necessarily mean predictable.


3.) Plan ahead and Communicate Clearly - If you can't get on the same page in enough time to properly advertise the event or service, you probably shouldn't do it.  With teens/students (my primary audience), this is especially important, because you're not only dependent on the students knowing, but also the parents.


4.) Focus on Commonality - The multi-church events that I've been able to be a part of coordinating have been with groups that share the common ground of the Cross, but also have very different specific doctrinal differences.  The main idea, though, is to come back to the common ground - Christ.  A few examples of what this might look like:

• Worship - Many churches have varying styles of worship (traditional, contemporary, expressive, reserved, etc.) and this is a big area for conflict to arise.  The important part, however, is to agree on the format, respecting others' viewpoints and honoring the One whom we worship.
• Service- or Event-style - This is a big one in Youth Ministry.  There are many youth ministries (like mine) that hold a service with worship, preaching and altar time on a weekly basis.  There are other youth ministries that arrange their services around food, fellowship and fun with a message dropped in somewhere in the middle.  And, there are youth ministries that are everywhere in between.  The leaders of the multi-church event need to agree on the format, and plan accordingly.  For my experience, this usually involves a lot of variety throughout the spectrum I mentioned.  This approach is often best determined based on the question of target audience - what will be most effective in reaching your audience and accomplishing your goal(s).

These are just a few thoughts from a brief experience with multi-church events.  Ultimately, each multi-church group has to find the rhythm and approach that works best for them, their purposes and their audience.

Black 'N Gold Night Recap

Last night in CrossFire, we hosted Black 'N Gold Night.  We gave a bunch of stuff away, and we invited two guys from the Steelers to be with us: Kevin Jordan and Anthony Madison.


Kevin Jordan played football in high school in Maryland, then in college at UCLA.  Until several years ago, he still held the career receiving yards record.  It was broken in the late 90's by Danny Farmer (who was then drafted by the Steelers).  He played in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos.  He now serves as the Chaplain to the Pittsburgh Steelers.


Anthony Madison is entering his fifth year in the NFL, out of the University of Alabama.  He plays Cornerback for the Steelers, and was on their 2008 Super Bowl Champions team.  He wears number 37.


Anthony Madison was kind enough to spend a lot of time with the students, autograph some memorabilia to give away, and most importantly to speak to them to encourage them in their faith.  Below is the link to the page where you can listen to a segment of what he said.  Or, you can just locate it in the audio player at the bottom of this page.

CrossFire Service Audio - Anthony Madison