All In God's Plan

By Micah Ray

This morning, I started my day with my mind and heart still full from the night before. I still didn't know what to make of all of it, and I still wasn't sure I understood all that God was telling me. But I was looking forward to this additional day at Clarity Publishers.

The training session lasted about 3 hours and there were about 10 people in the class. This was the first round of training on the Life Bible Study curriculum and web site. Our trainer, Jim, was a great trainer, and several members of the publishing staff were there to observe and contribute as well.

(pictured here from left to right: John Herring, advisory board, me, Paul Kelly, VP, and Ty Gulick, General Editor)

Once again, I heard their heart and passion for teaching the truth of the Word and to educate adults all over the world in foundational Bible knowledge and doctrine. They have a plan for a three-year series that will give the student an overview of the Old Testament, Christ and the Church.

During lunch and after the session was over, I was able to talk to several staff members. I felt such a bond with them -- not because I have known them or met them before -- but because I believe I share their passion and their mission. It is always amazing to me how close a bond we can have with fellow believers through Christ.

(pictured here from left to right: James, Emily - our "agent"!, me and Kasey)

Now that James and I have received the training, we will be certified to train churches on how to use the curriculum. We hope this opens even more doors for us to train up teachers and leaders in the Church. (At one point in the training, one of the attendees mentioned that it would be nice to have some sort of teacher training bundled with the curriculum training. I had already thought of that, and James and I talked about it after the session. Makes perfect sense for what we are doing.)

Who knows where this will lead Center Cross Creative now? Oh, yeah, God knows. We must continue to rely on Him and He will direct our paths.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Unexpected Blessings

by Micah Ray

Coming off a great first night of a workshop series, we didn't think it could get much better. But it did.

Earlier this year, Phil Stone, Dir of Sunday School for the State Convention, asked me to accompany him to Student Life in Birmingham, AL, to help him review their new adult curriculum that they are about to launch, Life Bible Study. I thought it would be an opportunity to see another publisher and to help Phil, so I agreed. I really had no idea what to expect.

Little did I know the blessing that was waiting for me.

Just last week, Phil let me know that he would not be able to go. I asked if James could go in his place, and Phil and Kasey from Clarity Publishers said yes. The first part of the event would be an introduction of the new curriculum, and the second day would be training that would qualify us to train churches who adopt the new curriculum. That was all the info that I had.


Just minutes into the presentations, I knew there was something special going on here. Something special about this organization and its people -- and something special about this moment in time that God had orchestrated for me. As I learned more about Student Life and Clarity Publishers, I saw all of my vision for what Center Cross Creative could be. It was uncanny.

Since the beginning in July 2005, James and I had brainstormed what CCC might be and do in the future. In more recent months, we had talked about adding other facets to the ministry like drama and video productions. Right here in front of us, we saw an organization doing what we've always envisioned doing (except for youth camps -- we had always talked about retreats for adult leaders). I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

I heard the heart of their president, Randy Hall, and it sounded just like the conversations James and I have had. I watched their drama team perform, and I imagined writing and directing those sorts of productions of our own. I saw a video production based on the Woman at the Well from John 4, and I cried. I was moved by their central philosophy which has always been my own: that the Word of God is central to what we teach and write. We are passionate about it and now we were seeing another organization that shared that same passion. It was overwhelming.

As I met more of the people and toured the facilities, I only saw more evidence that this was my kind of place. From the graphic design work to the relaxed and team-oriented atmosphere to the presence of Mac's everywhere (!), it looked just like I had envisioned CCC might look one day. (Later, I learned from one of their directors, who was watching me journal in my Moleskine sketchbook, that it is the notebook of choice for many of their employees. Excellent.)

Needless to say, God took me to Birmingham, AL, for an assignment I didn't ask for. And it was there that He spoke to me and showed how important this work is -- to teach the Word so that lives might be changed. It was a blessing that I never expected. God is so good!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20, 21)

Teachers Can Learn, Too

by Micah Ray

While James and I have as a central focus of our ministry to train teachers, I still realize that we still have a lot to learn. In fact, God was teaching me while we were leading our most recent workshop.

Tonight, we began a four-week series at Westchester Baptist Church. When we talked to the associate pastor who had invited us to speak, he informed us that he had about 4 people who had confirmed that they would be there for the first class. So, I ran 10 copies of the handouts -- more than double the number we were expecting to be in the workshop.

Around 6:30 pm, about 3 people drifted into class, and we figured that these were the ones that the pastor had referred to. Then a couple of more drifted in. "Wow," I thought. "This is going to be good -- a couple of more people than we thought."

Then 3 more came in.

Then 2 more came in.

Then 2 more came in.

That's right -- when we started class, there were 12 students!

Now for the good part. We were excited that God had blessed us with 3 times the number of students we expected, but then I realized the irony of one of our main themes for the night -- "The Prepared Teacher." Here we were standing in front of this group who didn't know us, expecting us to be some sort of experts, and we start talking about being prepared and we don't even have enough handouts for everyone! Does anyone else see the irony here?!?

When the night was over, James and I looked back and laughed about it. God has a great sense of humor -- and a great way of keeping us humble. It was all His work tonight to bring those people to us. He brought them to us to teach us a lesson and to encourage the pastor.

(By the way, we've since talked to the pastor, and he's received great comments from all who attended this first session. God is good!)

Could This Be The Year?

By James Gunter

I have heard the phrase "Happy New Year" ever since I can remember, but I don't know that I have ever really experienced a Happy New Year quite like 2007! Our year has exploded with activity beginning on January 3rd as we kicked off our second workshop series titled Blueprint of a Leader. The interest in this series was overwhelming! Needless to say, we plan to revise the material and bring it back for an extended period later this year.

If I could describe God's blessings as they fit into the first three months of 2007, it would go something like this. For January, He gave us new hope for a New Year. February revealed His tremendous love for us as more and more meetings came about. And now, the March winds appear to be blowing even more of His wonderful blessings our way. He is already showering us with blessings for April, and March hasn't even gotten underway yet. May we always trust Him with the future of this ministry!

We have been blessed to meet with several pastors and ministry leaders during the early part of this year in order to introduce our ministry.

• 1/3/07 – Pastor Patrick Fuller with Southside Baptist Church in Greensboro, NC
• 2/7/07 – Lynn Sasser (Director of Congregational Services) and Phil Stone (Sunday School Director) for BSCNC
• 2/8/07 – Pastor Randy Hand & Sammy King of Tyson's Creek Baptist Church/Bear Creek, NC
• 2/21/07 – Jake Thornhill, Senior Pastor for Life Community Church of Hunter Hills/Jamestown, NC (our home church)
• 2/28/07 – Randy Godwin, Associational Missionary for the Mt. Zion Baptist Association/Burlington, NC
• 3/5/07 – Dr. Larry Doyle, Associational Missionary for the Piedmont Baptist Association/Greensboro, NC

From these meetings, combined with our earlier efforts in the latter part of 2006 to promote our ministry, we now have seven training events scheduled. Could this be our year?

Upcoming Events - Spring '07


The calendar is filling up quickly for the next few weeks. Take a look at where we'll be and the workshops we'll be offering:

• Every Wednesday 6:30-7:30 pm in March -- Teaching a Bible Lesson at Westchester Baptist (High Point, NC)
• March 8-9 -- Curriculum Review and Training with StudentLife in Birmingham, AL
  
• March 17, 8:30am - 12:30pm -- Growth Strategies for Sunday School at Tyson's Creek Baptist (Bear Creek, NC)
  
• March 20 -- Ministry Overview at the Mt. Zion Baptist Assoc Pastors' Luncheon (Burlington, NC)
  
• March 24, 8:30am - 12:30pm -- Teaching a Bible Lesson for Clifton Road Baptist (to be held at Life Community Church, Jamestown, NC)
• Every Sunday 4:30-5:30 pm in April -- Teaching a Bible Lesson -- Groometown Baptist (Greensboro, NC)
  
• April 16, 7-9pm -- REAL Sunday School conference -- Holly Hill Baptist (Burlington, NC)
  
• April 21, 8:30am - 12:30pm -- Five Purposes of Sunday School -- Johnston Baptist Assoc. (Benson, NC)
  
• May 5, 8:30am - 12:30pm -- Teaching a Bible Lesson -- Waughtown Baptist (Winston-Salem, NC)

If you would like to check out a workshop that's coming to an area close to you, give us a call and we'll let you know if one of these is available for you.

We are now booking workshops for the Summer and Fall of 2007. If you would like to learn more about making reservations for a workshop at your church, please email James at james@centercrosscreative.com or give him a call at 336.689.1864.

Responsibilities of a Teacher

by James Gunter

The responsibility of being a teacher doesn't start -- or stop -- at a podium in front of a group of people. It begins as love in the heart of the one God calls. From there, love flows to the hearts of the learners and right back into the heart of the teacher again. A good teacher loves his/her learners and takes an interest in them. What does that look like?

A responsible teacher takes prayer requests seriously. A responsible teacher rejoices with people when God answers those prayers. They become a part of the learner and the learner becomes a part of the teacher.

A responsible teacher communicates with the people in his/her class. As he/she prepares the lesson, they think about who is going to be sitting in that class. They think about personal circumstances in the lives of the learners, and they imagine how the lesson could be used to encourage them. Our greatest chance to help someone is when someone's world gets turned upside down. That is when we all huddle around the foot of the cross and cry out for help from the only One who can help – Jesus!

A responsible teacher realizes that their work in reaching people goes beyond the classroom. They make a point to get to know their class members, and they allow the members to get to know their teacher. (As a teacher, you'll benefit so much from it!) You can get a unique perspective on the people you teach each week when you have seen their homes. When you’ve shared a cup of coffee or a dish of ice cream with them. Or when you’ve had them point out special pictures or other mementos within their homes. Personal contact goes a long way in helping you connect in ways that the classroom doesn't allow.

Are you a responsible teacher? If so, you will not only say you care about your learners, you will actively look for ways to demonstrate it.

Prove Yourself Worthy of the Call

by James Gunter

In session one of our workshops titled Teaching a Bible Lesson, we talk quite a bit about the call to teach. One passage of Scripture really gets my attention every time.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15 HCSB)

This calls for some serious self-examination. As God's chosen representatives of the Word, we are to study, obey and be able to teach the Word effectively. I have taken myself through some very serious self-examination many, many times. I have found that unless I am willing to correct a particular area of weakness, it is difficult to consider myself as one “approved to God.” There are many other ways we should strive to be approved to God as well.

• Do we dress appropriately as one of God's representatives?
• What is our conduct at and away from church? Is it the same?
• Do we take the time to prepare an effective lesson – one that will impact and change our learners?
• Do we share God's truth or our opinion, camouflaged as the truth? Our learners may not know the difference, but I can assure you that God does.
• Do we live what we teach?

The list could just go and on, but you get the idea. To avoid being “ashamed” as a teacher, work hard to present yourself properly. Is it time to give yourself a serious examination?

Blueprint of A Leader

Wow! We were totally surprised.

We just began our newest workshop series - "Blueprint of a Leader" - this week. After contacting some folks who had gone through our last workshop series, we knew of about 10 people who said that they planned to attend. When everyone had found a place to sit, we had 23 people for our first night. Praise the Lord!

This series was originally intended to be an advanced workshop for teachers. But through several confirmations in November and December, we decided to turn it into a leadership workshop. We've taken some of the principles from the book of Ezra (based on James' extensive research over the past 3 months.)

It is one of my heart's desires to see a new generation of leaders developed in our church. While many of the people who serve in our church have business backgrounds and have had secular leadership training, there is a shortage of leadership training that is based in Scriptural principles. That's what we've set out to do -- to train up new leaders based on God's teaching found in Scripture.

The four sections we've developed are

1. Building on an Unshakable Foundation
2. Developing an Unselfish Team
3. Standing with Uncompromising Courage
4. Serving with Unwavering Purpose

We're into our second week now, and everyone seems to be enjoying it. If no one else is enjoying it, at least James and I are!

Getting the Word Out

The month of December was spent making contacts with churches and developing our next workshop. We produced a marketing package that told everyone a little something about us and CCC, and described our teaching philosophy and workshop offering. In fact, we sent about 70 of them in November and December.

We had the opportunity to speak at the Piedmont Baptist Association's pastors' conference at the end of November. It was an honor to be asked to speak. After giving a brief testimony, James and I took turns talking about our Teaching A Bible Lesson workshop. When the meeting was over, the pastors who were there were very supportive and very interested in our ministry. The downside? There were only about 5 pastors there because it was a holiday weekend. Oh, well. Maybe we'll get to speak again sometime.

We knew that December would be a slow month because most churches are busy with Christmas pageants, plays and special services. So we made up our minds to do what we could to prepare for the first quarter of 2007, and trust God for the results.

The Podium Hog

by Micah Ray

We've all seen it happen. We've probably been guilty of it ourselves at times. After all, it can get tiring standing behind that podium, trying to say something that's going to get somebody's attention, trying to remember all the things you studied so diligently -- at the last minute the night before. (Ouch! That hits a little too close to home!)

You hold tightly to each side of the podium, but that looks and feels too stiff. So you prop up one elbow on the side of the podium while you try to look more casual. Then before you know it, you have draped yourself over the podium, resting there while you pour out your wisdom on the rapt students in your class.

Don't be a "Podium Hog"!

(I came into the office one day to find that James left a rough sketch of the idea of what a "Podium Hog" might look like. I loved it so much that I drew this version to use in our workshops!)

James and I include a section in one of our workshops on basic "Do's and Don'ts" of public speaking. And being a Podium Hog is one of them. In fact, we recommend that you try to get away from a podium to really connect with your learners. That way, you can't be accused of being a Podium Hog!

Try it next time you're teaching. Get rid of the podium and open up the communication between you and your learners. Don't just talk to them -- start communicating!

Another Successful Workshop

Last night, we finished the second offering of our Teaching Workshop at our church. We had 6 people go through it this time and each one seemed to learn a lot.

Here were some of the comments after the class:

Thanks for the encouragement and the time taken out of your schedules to encourage me and push me in the right direction.

This class helped me in the call to be a teacher ... really reassured me.

It helped me to take serious the Scripture so that I can pass it on effectively.

Each of our teachers-in-training gave their 5-minute lesson last night -- our practical way to have them put in practice the things they had learned in the previous three weeks. Everyone did great. Most everyone was nervous (except me and James!), but they did well.

James and I were just talking about it today over lunch. It is such a rewarding feeling to see people learn and to be willing to take a big step toward service for God. For some, it was a small step in a direction they know they need to go. For others, it was a giant leap into a brand new area of service that may still scare them a bit. James and I are just happy to be a part of what God is doing in their lives. And we look forward to many more opportunities to experience the same kind of thing in churches all across the world.

by Micah Ray

News From CCC

By Micah Ray

Over the past month, we have begun the hard work of getting the word out about Center Cross Creative. That means designing and printing an information packet, mailing those to local churches, networking with pastors and ministry directors, networking with a Lifeway representative... You get the picture. We've been busy.

And while we haven't sold a ton of books or facilitated any workshops yet for churches (other than our own), we know it's coming. James and I both get the sense that if we just keep persevering and talking to everyone we know, good things will happen. And it won't be because of us but because of the One we serve.

Here are a few of the highlights of what is in development:

• We have met with several pastors to discuss our ideas about teacher training workshops. Every one of them have been receptive -- and several have even been excited! So far, we've gotten at least 2 commitments to have us facilitate our workshop in the spring of 2007.
• Early in November, we met with Phil Stone, the director of Sunday School and church administration for NC. He was very supportive of what we're doing and is looking for ways to use us to supplement his ministry efforts.
• A dear friend of ours at Life Community Church has really gone to bat for us. Donna is on the board of the NC SB convention and she knows a TON of pastors. She's making personal recommendations for us to several of them during a conference next week. Thanks, Donna!
• Our pastor agreed to write a letter of recommendation for our ministry to our local association. As a result, they have agreed to let us be the guest speakers at the end of this month for the pastors' meeting. Thanks, Pastor Jake!
• James is furiously working on a new Bible study series to be published by CCC in the Spring. (We don't have a title for it yet, but it will be a study of the life of Ezra.)
• I've been busy with designing our marketing materials, web site design and editing James' numerous writing projects.

At times, it seems like we're doing a lot of stuff with little to show for it. But then again, we have just enough things to come our way to encourage us to keep on doing what we're doing. We take comfort in the fact that we are "certain that God, who began the good work within [us], will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Phil. 1:6)

Thanks for your prayers. Keep praying!

Never Give Up!

By James Gunter

James 5:16 – Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)


If you are a believer, you understand that God the Father has such a tremendous love for people that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. I just wonder how many earthly fathers have some wonderful attributes and we miss out on them because we don't take the time to get to know them. To know and understand God better, we have to spend time with Him. It is the same for our earthly relationships. Why don't we take the time to get to know our earthly fathers? Could it be that we take them for granted?

I can't spend time with my father because he died when I was only five years old. The only two memories I have of him are when I was about five years old. I'll never forget either of these memories. Every time I see a stick of Juicy Fruit gum, I am reminded of the first moment etched into my memory. I was playing in the living room that was just off our foyer when I heard my dad come in the front door. As he walked by the room, I heard him ask, “Son, would you care for a stick of gum?”

In my mind, I can still see the scene just as vividly as the day it occurred. My father’s right hand was extended from the sleeve of his dark jacket, holding a bright yellow wrapper between his forefinger and his thumb. Reaching up from my half-kneeling position, I took the gum and thanked him. What a sweet memory that is.

Unfortunately, the next memory I can picture of my dad is when I saw his casket in the corner of that very same room in 1958 when he passed away. It wasn't uncommon for the viewing of the deceased to be in the person's home during that era. I remember the flowers (as a matter of fact, I can almost smell their pleasant aroma as I write this article) displayed all around, and I remember feeling a sense of emptiness.

Later in life, my mom would share things about my dad that I never knew. She would share how he cursed her for her faith in God throughout their marriage, how he refused to acknowledge there was a God, and his eventual surrender to the Lord due to her perseverance in praying for him. She shared with me that he eventually came to her and asked that she baptize him in the bathtub. In the end, he realized that he needed this same Jesus that he had cursed for so long and that he didn't want to go to hell. This would turn out to be his last night on earth.

What an incredible Father we serve! He understood the heartache my mom would endure if my dad had died without Christ in his life, and God honored her prayers.

Don’t ever give up praying for your loved ones. Just keep praying.

Prepare Your Heart
by James Gunter

For several weeks now, I have been studying the book of Ezra. He is a wonderful example of someone who was wholly committed to Bible study. Not only did he teach, but he also studied and applied to his own life the very same principles he taught others. This not only made him an incredible teacher, but a credible teacher as well. He led by example. The key verse in the book of Ezra is a challenge to all who are called to teach God's Word.

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. - Ezra 7:10 (NKJV)

Do you notice any key qualities for any teacher? First, a teacher must prepare his/her heart just as Ezra did. And we have a directive as we prepare our hearts: we are to seek the Law of the Lord. But, it doesn't stop there. Secondly, a teacher is to “do it” – to do what God’s Word says to do. Doing it is real and personal. Lastly, a teacher is to teach these same truths to others. Israel was Ezra's audience, and he invested himself in teaching them wholeheartedly. Who is your audience? Is it family? Friends? Acquaintances? Neighbors? Co-workers?

A wonderful example of Ezra’s character is found in chapter 9. Even though we don’t see any indications that Ezra was guilty, notice his reaction upon hearing that the Israelites had intermarried with pagans (a practice that was prohibited according to Deuteronomy 7:1-5 and Exodus 34:11-16.)

So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished. - Ezra 9:3 (NKJV)

Ezra is grieved that his students have turned their backs on God’s instructions. He realizes that their sin displeases a holy God, and he is distressed by it. Later that evening, we see an amazing action on Ezra’s part.

I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said; “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens......” - Ezra 9:5-6 (NKJV)

Ezra included himself in this prayer of confession. He says “our iniquities.” Would we be so humble as to include ourselves in a prayer of confession regarding our Sunday School class or our church? Remember, all who are believers make up the Body of Christ. Are you part of the body?

Seek And You Will Find, Part 2

What Do You See?

Proverbs 16:26 - “The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.”

You simply have to be here to really understand the peace and tranquility that our office location provides. From the very first day, it has been here.

But it is not scheduled to always be this way. The owner’s current plan is to have it demolished simply for the land value. As I thought about the potentially limited lifespan of this building with its unique, modern architecture, I was reminded of how the world looks upon those who on the outside appear to be worn and frazzled from life. We may refer to people as homeless, down on their luck or social outcasts. But God -- our loving and holy God – sees us for who we really are. He loves each one of us and desires the very best for us. He knows who we really are on the inside because He knew us even before we were a thought in our parents' minds.

Micah and I recently discussed what the architect on this landmark building would think if he/she could see it today. When you are standing on the property, it is as if you have gone back in time to the mid-1950's. I often try to imagine some late 50's cars sitting in the parking lot. I think I see one now. Sleek black tailfins, chrome glistening in the sun -- huge, white sidewall tires. Absolutely beautiful… something special...just like the building...and just like God sees every one of us.

Today, as you drive in, you can hear the crunch of acorns and a few leaves under your tires. Early in the morning, a rooster crows in the background (reminds me of the Scripture where Peter denied Jesus three times). Throughout the day, squirrels and chipmunks run across the deck just outside our office. We work in a place that was designed to allow nature to spill over to the inside. It is as if you are almost actually outside. Interior walls with wall length windows connect you with the outdoors as if the interior and exterior are one.

We enjoy this view today, but it wasn’t always this way. When we first looked at the building, we stood in the parking lot trying to catch a glimpse of what was behind these windows -- all covered with mini-blinds and draperies. Then, when we received not only the key, and the freedom to take as long as we desired to check out the interior, we were overwhelmed.

When we stepped through the door for the very first time, it was obvious that we were in a building that had been empty for quite a while. A musty odor greeted us as we entered the front room. Our eyes widened with excitement as we saw how spacious the rooms really were. The building had far more room than we had hoped for -- and for half the price of any other space we had visited over the past two weeks. Incredible!

It was obvious that it would take many hours to make the building presentable, but we were willing to give it everything we had. We found ourselves looking past the surface to imagine what could be. We made the commitment to roll up our sleeves and do some hard work to give this old place a new life.

Sounds like Someone else I know. Sounds just like what God did for me when He gave His only Son for me, when He reached out to me to draw me to Himself, to cleanse me of my filthiness and to give me new life. Has He done that for you?

James Gunter

Seek And You Will Find, Part 1


Have you ever stumbled onto something that was there all along? I mean, really there all along -- and you didn't even know it? That is how God's truth is. As we read the Bible, we find something new and exciting. At times, it simply takes our breath away, and at other times, it leaves us stunned in silence. We often ask, “How did I ever miss that?”

That has become a common response when we tell people where our new offices are located. We know of people who have driven past this location for over 50 years who never noticed that the building even existed. You really have to see it to believe it.

But, let's just think for a moment. How many people come to know Christ in their golden years? Many. Some have passed by church after church for over 50 years without ever knowing the opportunity that awaited them beyond the front door. Satan does an excellent job of keeping people away from churches. He causes confusion by pointing out that there are so many, and telling people the lie that they can always pick one “another day.” Unfortunately, every day, people who never experienced “another day” are placed into a grave.

It may seem strange to you that I am using these analogies for an article about our office location, but I want to show you some parallels that I feel the Holy Spirit has revealed to me as we have been refurbishing our office building.

Almost a full year after Micah and I sat down to discuss our Internet venture, we found ourselves developing a ministry with a main focus on training lay leaders in the local church by providing relative, modern-day Bible study materials. Just recently, we felt that it was time to move it from the spare rooms in our homes and into an actual business environment in order for people to see that it was real. We set out to find a building with some unique character, but after looking at approximately 25-30 office spaces, we were at a loss. Our choices were to buy a shell of a building and have it “up-fitted” for our particular purpose, or we would simply have to settle for a “plain vanilla box.”

We didn't know it at the time, but God was about to enable Micah, his dad and me to literally live out one of my favorite verses of Scripture:

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourselves in the ways of the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

The solution God would provide for us would surpass all our expectations and would provide things we hadn’t even dreamed we would be able to have. His plan was to provide more than just an office for Center Cross Creative.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story...

Just Thinking

Isaiah 55:8 - “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways.”

These words ring more true to me now than ever before, simply because of a recent storm that occurred in my life. I'm not talking about an emotional storm, but a real, physical storm. You know, rain from the heavens.......and I mean a lot of rain!

Before I can make my point about what I learned about storms, I have to share a little bit about what led up to the storm. I had owned a small delivery business with a partner since 2002, and upon sensing God calling me into a field of ministry in the early summer of 2005, I attempted to surrender my half of the business to my partner. Due to the volatile nature of the delivery business, he declined the offer and we decided to sell the truck and close the business. Sounds simple enough. Right?

“My thoughts are not your thoughts....”

Now, back to my storm. In the few weeks that we had been in our office, we had seen little rain activity. Perhaps a sprinkle here and there, but nothing like this day! The trees were swaying back and forth as if they were trying to get my attention – perhaps a cry for help! I watched in amazement as the lower portion of our property took on the appearance of a small lake. And then it hit me! All of the water was coming from the direction of my truck. All I could think about was the truck getting stuck or sliding off the small bank that I had parked it on. I had no choice but to check on it, so I began frantically looking for an umbrella. Nothing! Then, my eye spotted a large Rubbermaid lid for one of our trashcans. I laugh as I re-think how silly I must have looked as I headed towards the truck. I remember being keenly aware of my surroundings as I approached the truck, and being concerned about causing an accident by what people may see, I quickly threw the lid aside under some nearby trees and darted for the truck.


Just as I thought! There really was a river of water running right underneath my truck! I had to rescue it before it was too late! As I hopped into the truck and tried to move it, I suddenly realized what the term “too late” really means.

“.....and my ways are not your ways.”

I'm not sure what sank first.....or quicker – my heart or my truck. I honestly think my heart won that competition. It was obvious that I had waited too late by the sound of the engine, the transmission indicator being in the “D” position, and the lack of movement ..... except for “down.”

The squishing of mud and the rushing of cool water over the tops of my feet were quick reminders of just how bad my situation had become as I exited the cab of the truck for my return to the office. I retrieved my Rubbermaid lid and headed back to the office, wondering just how long and how bad my truck would be stuck.


James

Our First Training Event

James and I had talked about it for months, saying that when we were able to do our first training event, it would be a breakthrough moment for us. Well, it was.

At our church, Life Community Church, we offered a four-week series of classes called "Intro to Teaching a Bible Lesson." It was intended for new or prospective teachers, but we had several experienced teachers in the workshop as well.

During the last session of the series, we asked each student to present a 5-minute lesson (for which we had assigned them Scripture 2 weeks in advance.) Most were nervous, but they showed a lot of courage and stepped up to the challenge. We were blessed by the lessons they taught and they were blessed by how much they learned. If nothing else, our teachers were motivated to spend more time and to invest more creativity in the way they present the truth of God's Word.

When the last night was over, we offered some of our books and some other study resources for sale to the workshop attendees. We were able to sell several copies of our own books, and we were able to share a little more with folks what our vision is for our ministry.

Another piece of the puzzle has been put in place.

Another Major Milestone

Finally!

We've just finished our first complete book and put it on the web for the public. It is titled The First Steps of a Disciple. (You can see it and purchase it on our web site by clicking here.)

Over a year ago, we began writing topical lesson supplements. From there, we turned them into full lesson plans, complete with ideas for opening activities and closing notes. This collection of 13 lessons cover many basic topics of the Christian life, starting with Salvation. Each lesson plan has lots of Scripture references and a student handout so that they can follow along with the teacher's presentation.

It was a lot more work than we anticipated, but we're glad it's done. We definitely learned many things from this process, and we pray that we become better writers and publishers so that God can use our ministry to help many people.

One down, who knows how many more to go...

The New Home of Center Cross Creative

This month we took a big leap of faith and rented a building in High Point that will be our offices. It features a neat modern architecture from the 50's and is set back off the road in a wooded area. Perfect!

As an added benefit, the building is large enough and laid out such that we will be able to share it with Micah's dad and his ministry, Serving God's Servants. God is so good!

We've been using our spare time to begin doing some remodeling -- fresh paint, new floor coverings, minor repairs and new furniture. It's a lot of work, but we're excited about having a unique space -- something worthy of the "creative" nature of our work.

The office that looks out onto the front deck will be shared by the both of us. It has an awesome view.

More pictures later on when we finish.