Today I want to tell you about a young lad named Emmanuel. And then I’m going to ask you to help with an urgent need by showing a prisoner’s child that God truly is with us.

I can’t sing the words of that familiar Advent song “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” without remembering a young boy—a child of a prisoner.

Every year, Patty and I deliver Angel Tree Christmas gifts to the children of prisoners. And I’ll never forget one year in particular, when Patty and I drove into a housing project to deliver our gifts.

We saw broken windows and grim-faced gang members lounging in doorways. After parking our car, we found our way to an apartment and knocked on the door. A boy, about 9 years old, cautiously opened the door.

“Merry Christmas,” I said, holding out the presents. “These are from your Daddy.”

Immediately, the door swung wide open to let us in. The boy’s mother was on her way home from work, and as we waited for her, we saw that the apartment inside was a wreck. The furniture was torn, the stuffing falling out. A scraggly Christmas tree leaned up against the wall, bare of any presents.

When I asked the boy his name, he replied, “Emmanuel.”

“Emmanuel,” I said, “Do you know what your name means?” I opened my Bible and read from Matthew: “And they shall call him Emmanuel—which means ‘God with us.’”

Just then, his mother came to the door. Emmanuel threw his arms around her thighs, crying, “Mama, Mama, God is with us!”

In Emmanuel’s clear voice, I heard the message of Christmas afresh: that God is indeed with us always—and in a special way at Christmas, when He entered history through Jesus Christ.
I was particularly reminded that He came for the prisoner who turned His back on Him. He came for the mother who can’t make ends meet. And He came for the child who cries himself to sleep at night because he’s never known his daddy.

God is with us. And He has given us the rare chance to be with those who desperately need Him.

Each year, Angel Tree brings this message of hope to hundreds of thousands of children of inmates. Church volunteers deliver Christmas gifts—and the Gospel message—in the name of the incarcerated parent. Think what this means—not only to the children, but to the moms and dads in prison as well.

But this year we are facing an unprecedented crisis. Although churches have committed to delivering gifts to some 300,000 children, due to the slow economy and some other factors, there are 50,000 children as of today who remain unclaimed. They have no sponsors.

And so I’m doing something I’ve never done before. Please go to our website, AngelTree.org, as soon as you’ve heard this broadcast, and sponsor one child for a donation of $35.20—enough to send a gift, Gospel materials, and a message from mom or dad to that child. Or maybe you could take two or three, or more, as God leads you.

And you could ask your church to help as well. Maybe they can adopt a group of children in an area. The thing is, we must not fail. No child should be forgotten this Christmas.

God showed us that first Christmas that He is with those who have no hope. And we have the rare privilege of taking that message to these children. Sign up, please, at AngelTree.org today. Please, we need your help desperately.

Kandice Kidd, a student who attended Jonathon Creek this past summer, can testify about how God has the power to accomplish anything. Like many other students, Kandice was incredibly moved this summer when she watched the kids in Zambia via Skype. During the session, one particular thing that caught her attention was the need for blankets for the kids in Zambia as winter approaches. Kandice left camp with a burden and she knew she had to do something about it.

When Kandice got home she immediately took action. She organized the whole church together for one night to make blankets for the kids. The church produced various blankets with different colors and patterns by piecing and tying together bits of colored cloth. In all 75 people from her church joined Kandice and together produced 65 blankets. She said, “Even my Papa got on his hands and knees to make them.”

Kandice was given the opportunity to share with her church about Zambia and each one of them was impacted. They all contributed to the payment and making of the blankets. Kandice’s burden turned into many blessings that night as she touched the lives of the people in her church and children she didn’t even know who were thousands of miles away.

Kandice’s goal was to combine her passion to tie blankets with her burden for kids in need. However, this Beyond story is not about a goal but rather goals accomplished. Recently, Kandice brought all 65 blankets to Crossings central office in Louisville to donate them to the kids in Zambia. Why, because as she said, “these kids don’t have all the blessings I have.”

Never put limitations on God. Through him and by him all things are possible. Amen.

                                          1 Passion         Sports

                                       + 1 Burden      +Disabled Children and Adults

                                      = Beyond         Opening a gym for the disabled

This is the Beyond equation. It is as simple but yet complex as this. In other words, find the special abilities that God has given you. Then search your heart for what pains it the most. Ask God how you can mingle the two and the result can be life altering for you and others.

This innovative Beyond idea was created by Nix. He said his burden or his “big deal” was anything that had to do with sports. His burden took him back to younger days when he could remember a soccer league in his hometown hosting a camp to teach children how to play soccer. Nix said he recalls feeling amazed “by the light I saw in those kids eyes when someone took the time of day to teach a sport that they love.” Therefore, he came up with the idea to open up a gym for disabled children and adults who love to play sports and workout but have no other place to go besides their physical therapist.

Nix said this idea has been on his heart for sometime but he is still praying about it. He said he hopes one day it will go into effect.

And this is how a Beyond is born! Nix has his idea now he is surrounding it with prayer. I encourage all of you Beyonders to follow Nix’s example and pray earnestly everyday for your Beyond. Then ask him what steps need to be taken in order to turn your idea into reality.

Go Beyonders Go!

In Jimmy’s post about his Beyond he asks us to remember Matthew 19:26,“But Jesus looked at them and said ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Jimmy has found this scripture to be more than just empty thoughts but words of truth and meaning as he continues in his endeavor to go Beyond. He said after camp he felt challenged to do something Beyond the normal. Therefore, he decided he would like to host a three on three basketball tournament. However, he still wasn’t quite sure what burdened his heart. Until one day God revealed to him that there are tons of kids who desire to hear the Word but have no Bibles. And just like that it clicked. Jimmy decided he would give the money raised from the tournament to missions for Bibles and he even came up with an intriguing name, “Ballin for Bibles.”

Since then God has taken Jimmy’s idea and made it possible. He has been in the process of recruiting a staff to help with the event and organizing teams for the tournament. He has also found a gym where he can host the tournament. But God hasn’t stopped there. He has given Jimmy the opportunity to teach his Sunday School class which he believes could lead to his calling.

It is evident the work that God is doing in the life of Jimmy. And he yearns to do the same thing in your life and your calling to go Beyond. So keep on working hard and don’t give up. Our God is a big God and there is simply no telling what he has in store for you!

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

Grace Collins, a Crossings summer staffer, has decided to go Beyond by creating Beyond Week Sept. 20-26. During this week Collins is challenging all summer staffers to wear their blue Beyond t-shirts everyday. She believes this will be a great attention grabber and a great way to share the gospel.

The goal is to get people asking about the t-shirts so in return the staffers can share Christ in a very intentional way. This method worked extremely well at camp so hopefully it will be as effective if not more on a college campus.

Collins is encouraging all summer staffers to never stop seeking ways to live for Christ and share his Word with others. She said we are all called to GO and to never stop, therefore she believes Beyond week is an useful way the staff can continue to GO.

Let’s begin to surround Collin’s Beyond Week with prayer. Pray that college students all over Kentucky and other areas begin to ask questions about the Beyond Effect and how it originated. Pray that lost students on campus see acts of kindness and service being performed by those staffers wearing blue and that a change begins to take place in their hearts. Pray that the staffers can answer with wisdom and boldness and can continue to seek out ways to be intentional about sharing the love of Christ.

The Beyond Effect is in effect so keep on working and asking God what you can do to make an impact for Him.

As a result, many students and others have intertwined their burdens with their passions to find a way to go Beyond to reach a lost world, including Josh and Stacey Hutchens. They will be traveling to Moldova to complete a two year mission program.

In fact, Crossings will be sponsoring the Hutchens as they serve in Moldova. The Western Recorder, gave mention to the Hutchens in an article concerning Crossings and its mission efforts. The article said the couple had been seeking and praying for a place to serve when an opportunity to serve in Moldova became available at a new Bible institute called the EurAsian Baptist Bible Institute. Josh will be teaching New Testament classes at the institute this fall.http://www.gospellife.org/.

Stacey, a former Crossings staffer said in a recent blog, “Our desire is to prepare the future pastors and church planters of Moldova and to train Moldovan missionaries to Eastern Europe and Central Asia for the glory of God in global worship.”

Josh and Stacey are taking Beyond literally and going beyond the comforts of America to a culture in need of hope and a loving Savior. May their story bring you inspiration as you continue to look for ways to further God’s kingdom by going Beyond.

If you would like hear more about Josh and Stacey Hutchens and their Beyond endeavor view the Web site