Of course, the problem is that it’s a long way away! First, we lived in Fuquay-Varina. Then we moved an hour east to Bailey, and now we are another hour east of Bailey. So, these days, it takes 17 hours for us to drive from Greenville to Champaign.

And each year, we dread that long drive. We get all geared up with snacks, books on tape and reading material, and we set out hoping to stop as few times as possible. In our earlier (dumber) days, we tried to drive straight through, but for the last 15, we’ve stopped for the night. We’ve determined that the halfway point is Charleston, West Virginia.

Yet, seems like it takes forever to get to Charleston! Every other family seems to be traveling at the same time, and I-40 is bumper to bumper. This year, road construction on I-40 caused long delays. We finally arrived at our hotel after midnight and completely exhausted!

The next morning, we all got up with a renewed energy, however. We were only halfway there, but the next day seemed like NOTHING! The toughest leg of the journey was over, and it felt like we were almost there! We arrived excited and ready for a great week with Teff’s parents.

Likewise, believe it or not, we have completed five months of Crossing Together (our one-year initiative to complete Phase I of our building process) and we are HALFWAY there!

When we started Crossing Together, $1.44 million seemed insurmountable to raise in one year. Incredibly, gift by gift, given family by family over five months, has gotten us halfway there.

Hopefully from here, we will gain new energy and be encouraged to finish strong by next June!

So, I say,…let’s celebrate! To commemorate where we are as a congregation, we are going to have another Crossing Together celebration during worship to give praise to our God who continues to lead us! Mark the weekend of December 18/19 as we will cheer the halfway mark!

Branson

Jesus stopped everything and went to Jerusalem for EVERY Jewish feast.

It could not have been easy or convenient to drop your work and travel by foot several days to stay in Jerusalem for a week and then turn around and come home, but that’s exactly what Jesus did. It sounds strange to us, but Jesus was only following the tradition of sacred feasts from the Old Testament.

God instituted feasts to commemorate a past event in Israel’s history (and thus celebrate what God had done) or to commemorate God’s faithfulness at harvest (and thus celebrate how good God is). Both kinds of feasts called for jubilant celebration. The Law even required that all Jewish males go to at least one feast per year. Also, every Jew within a certain number of miles was required to attend each feast every year. Several times a year, the pattern was:

Stop what you’re doing; join others in Jerusalem, and then have a joyful celebration together to honor the Lord!

Well, Covenant, we’re getting ready to do just that! This special year of Crossing Together is going to give us several “excuses” to celebrate how good our God is, and we are about to come upon our first of several opportunities. Next weekend, we will cross the “quarter mark” toward our destination of $1.44M! So, we’re planning a celebration on August 14/15 to commemorate the achievement and to give lots of praise to our God who has been faithful to us. Please don’t miss that weekend, as we’re going celebrate big time during our worship services. I invite you to stand and cheer when I announce our accomplishment and we take a moment to celebrate.

Let me also congratulate you in advance. We’re going to reach the quarter mark of Crossing Together in just two months since we began! That’s $350,000! I believe we should do a little “whooping and hollering!”

Spread the word…August 14 and 15…we are going to CELEBRATE.

Branson

First, there was “the number.” As you know, I did not announce the total amount of our commitments together, mostly because everyone had not had the opportunity to turn in a card. Over the last three weeks, we’ve had another 100+ families join in the task of “finishing what we had started” three and years ago when we began our expansion. When I announced the number this past weekend, the worship center was electric.

Just imagine: We said we needed $1.4 million. Then, all of us went to the Lord individually and asked him what we should give. And- the total came out to $1.43 million!

One Covenant worshiper told me after she heard the announcement that she was absolutely floored as she realized that God had given us exactly what we needed…plus a little! The expectation was exactly where it should be, as we realized that it really wasn’t about us, or about what we were doing individually. We were excited instead to hear what God had chosen to do through us.

Then, there was the offering itself. How fun was that? I was thrilled to be among hundreds of Covenant families that placed envelopes in one of our baskets down front. What a unifying event it was to stand and sing about the goodness of God and to be living it out together in that moment. The offering was so exciting that we had over $19,000 in IOU’s from people who wanted to bring their gift in this week! Now, that is cool! In the end, we gave over $190,000 together toward our commitments in one day (about 14% of the whole thing)!

What a journey we’ve been on, studying scripture together and discerning what God wants for each of us individually and as a church body in crossing our own “Jordan River” as a whole! Through the stories and the events that have unfolded, it has been increasingly apparent that God is completely in control of our Crossing Together. I am proud of the great enthusiasm with which we have forged ahead together. When God’s people identify a goal, work through the issues together and prayerfully discern individual involvement, the results are beautiful. The hard work is worth it, and this spring’s initiative has been no different.

It will be hard to follow such a grand moment of celebration like the one we experienced this weekend. My hope, though, is that we will be able to celebrate many milestones in Crossing Together all year long. Just this weekend, we had quite a few families get excited and turn in their own commitment cards, now promising their presence and commitment as well. Now, we are a few stronger in our Crossing Together journey.

Again, I am so proud of our dedication as a church body to discern and follow through with God’s calling. Isn’t it amazing what can be accomplished when we truly and intentionally follow Jesus together?

See you this weekend!
Branson

Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision.

In the New Testament, the firstfruits offering is mentioned seven times, always meaning a first portion of a larger harvest. Paul taught the Corinthian believers to set aside a collection “on the first day of the week” (1 Corinthians 16:2), and, just as the offering of firstfruits was an occasion of thanksgiving, so we are to give with gladness and gratitude.

At our services this week, I am planning to announce the final total of the commitments from our cards three weeks ago. We said from the beginning of April that we were looking for a miracle, and I believe that there will be great joy as I share the “number” out loud with everyone. In celebration, I’m asking everyone to prepare two offerings this week. One will be our regular offering, and the second will be a firstfruits offering (a portion of what you committed to give over the next year).

Just as God continues to exceed our expectations, I believe that this offering might be another miracle in our midst. Imagine what it would be like to complete ¼ or ½ of the whole amount of the total in ONE DAY!

It is not impossible at all. For those who committed to give weekly over the next year, you might consider doubling up for this first offering. If you committed to give monthly over the next year, maybe you might double up for the first offering as well. Those planning to give a lump sum gift might choose to give it this week instead of waiting until the end or until the end of the year. There are still some of you who will be out of town this weekend. Perhaps you might bring your firstfruits envelope by the church office before you leave town.

No matter what, the goal this weekend is not a “number.” It’s JOY. The offering of first fruits was always an opportunity to bless the Lord with gifts. That’s why we’ve decided to have our own special weekend and call it Firstfruits. We serve a God who has lavished His grace, mercy, love and forgiveness on us. Let’s celebrate Him with an extravagant, festive atmosphere!

See you this weekend!

Branson

What an awesome sight; there were tons of rocks everywhere. People came in with bags of rocks, carrying their rocks in their hands, and one person even asked me help her with her rock as she grabbed her Bible and purse! I saw rocks on the platform, rocks on the floor beside chairs, and a few people brought their rocks up with them at the end of the service.

Truly, there was a spirit of anticipation that God was going to do something great among us. The worship time was superb, and singing together was just awesome. I was standing right in the “line of fire” in front of the brass section during “Glorify Your Name,” and it brought chill bumps! I also loved the new song during the offering declaring that WE are moving FORWARD!!!!

Mostly, I was impressed by the evidence of preparation. I had asked you to get ready, citing Joshua’s words in chapter 3, verse 5: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” You had obviously done just that. People came ready to put into place what God has been saying to them!

The response this weekend was incredible, dare I say, miraculous! We even had lots of new families and individuals turn in commitment cards. The two staff members who confidentially entered the words and numbers on your cards (into the computer) told me they were struck by how many times they read the words faith, trust, and obedience.

I know many of you are hoping that I’m now going to reveal the total number representing our congregation’s commitment together in this email.

Sorry! There are a lot of our folks who were not here this weekend, and they also need an opportunity to get their commitment cards in.

If you haven’t completed a commitment card yet, let me encourage you to participate using the same process we followed this past Saturday and Sunday.

First, listen to the message delivered this weekend from Joshua chapter 4. The story there is an awesome testimony to corporate faithfulness and God’s promises. You can click here or visit connect2covenant.com/media.

Then, listen to Nancy Dunn’s prayer (at the 37:55 mark in the message audio). Nancy really captured the intention of the whole Crossing Together series as she challenged us to take the next step by faith.

Finally, fill out your commitment card online at connect2covenant.com/crossing, answer the questions, and join hundreds of other Covenant folks in finishing what we started. If you prefer “a card in your hands” to be able fill out, you can get one this weekend or simply call the office at 252.355.0123, and we will be happy to mail you one.

I will be announcing the “total” at our services on June 5/6. That particular weekend will be called “First Fruits Weekend” and will be our first chance to give together, based on the commitments we’ve made. Don’t miss out on how God is moving among us as we step forward together!

See you this weekend.
Branson

If you were here last weekend, you’ll remember I asked all of us to spend this week in preparation for the upcoming Commitment Weekend. I referenced Joshua 3:5 (NIV): Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

In the Old Testament, the term consecrate means to wash yourself, change your clothes, mend your ways, confess your sins, and prepare yourself in any way necessary to meet the Living God. Joshua’s command to the people was not for them to do anything except get themselves ready for what God was going to do among them. He could just as easily have said, “Go get your heart right; trust the Lord; believe Him…for tomorrow He will do great things among you.”

I want to encourage you as you continue in our challenge this week to fast and pray, listen intently for God’s voice, ask Him for clarity, and then prepare to obey Him.

This weekend, the commitment cards will ask you to share a brief bit of what God has been saying to you and also commit to your part of finishing the expansion project started 3.5 years ago. This week’s in-between step is to make yourself available to God, tell Him you are ready to do what He says, and then trust Him to do the rest.

I gave out little river rocks for our pockets and desks to remind us that the Israelites were told to prepare to step into the raging Jordan River—a step of complete faith. They were to go and prepare to believe God was going to DO amazing things. That is our task, too. We’ve got to come prepared to see a miracle this week! I have my rock in my pocket right now, and I’m convinced God is going to blow us away this weekend. The worship service is going to be great. I am so excited!

So, bring your big rock this week. It may look funny to see people coming in to worship with Bibles, diaper bags, purses and ROCKS, but it will be fun to do it together. We’ll be studying Joshua chapter 4 together!

Together is definitely the word for the week. I am praying for 1000 families to turn in a card this weekend. If we hear God speak, and we yield ourselves to Him and step into obedience, there is no telling what our great God will do!

See you this weekend!
Branson

I’ve also noticed that during our current series, Crossing Together, I have been listening with expectation. I look forward to the devotional each week, and I’ve spent more time on my knees asking for guidance and direction. Last night on a prayer walk with a number of people from our prayer ministry team, I found I was disappointed when it was over! I wished for more time to walk more of Covenant’s campus. There is something about expectation that seems to unleash the Spirit of God.

I’ve heard many of you saying the same kinds of things:

“I’ve looked forward to reading the devotionals each morning. I was wondering if we could have something like this EVERY month!”

“I enjoyed reading Nehemiah chapter four so much, I went back and read the whole book of Nehemiah. It’s a great book. I’m so glad I did. There are some great things for me to learn in that book.”

“I find myself looking forward to church on Saturday night. I can’t wait to hear the next leg of the Israelites’ journey in the Book of Joshua.”

“God has revealed a new word to me every week of this series. Why don’t I seek Him like this all the time? I’m not going to ‘settle’ anymore. My faith is fresher than ever.”

It just goes to show that if you prepare yourself to hear from God and expect God to show up, He will. If you then trust Him enough to obey whatever He tells you to do, you will enter a new and exciting stage of your relationship with Him. When you start hearing from God a little bit, the natural yearning of your heart is to hear from God all the time. I believe that kind of holy expectation makes God very happy!

I don’t mind telling you I’m even more excited about the next ten days. I can’t wait to preach on Joshua chapter three this weekend. I can’t wait for the week of preparation leading us to the culmination of the series on the 17th/18th. I can’t wait to hear more stories from people as they are seeking the Lord with a renewed fervor. I am also claiming Joshua 3:5 for us:

Joshua told the people,
“Consecrate yourselves,
for tomorrow the Lord will do
amazing things among you.”

See you this weekend. (Come expecting to see our Great God show up!)
Branson

As we see in the book of Joshua (Chapters 1-3), Jordan River crossings are huge, God-sized challenges. They are seasons in life when we have to take steps we really would prefer not to take. The reasons are obvious: these crossings are usually scary and inconvenient, not to mention they require us to let go of self-reliance and fully trust God’s good heart. This was true of Israel thousands of years ago, and it is still true for Jesus’ followers and His church today.

But, crossing Jordan Rivers are also the times of our greatest growth and victories. There is no doubt I have learned more about God and myself down in the riverbed than any place else. And now we, as a church (and I personally), find ourselves needing to remember the riverbed principles God has taught us in the past. Here are the ones that come to mind today.

I cannot do it myself.
For me personally, this is the one of the hardest lessons from the riverbed. I was raised by an ex-Marine who believed that hard work and discipline could accomplish anything. And though sweat equity is a component of successful river crossings, we are foolish to think we can make it apart from God. Lord, help me to see the truth!

God wants to help.
Our Creator is more than ready to guide our steps so we will succeed in making it across the river. As described in Joshua, He powerfully blocks the waters so Israel can pass through safely (not to mention His help on the other side). Our Creator is completely trustworthy, and it is only when we are blinded by our sin that we lose confidence in His goodness. Rescue us, Lord; we need it!

I must let God be God.
God made us to worship, and that’s exactly what we do. Unfortunately, we often worship the creation rather than the Creator. We worship our intellect, nature, money, strength, friends, heroes, technology, work, power, sexual pleasures—the list is endless for each one of us. And so, the ultimate question at the bottom of the river bed is: Who is in charge? Am I in charge, which means I must try to crawl my way out of the river on my own? Or, will I let God be in charge, which means that the greatest power of the universe will empower my journey? As much as the answer might seem obvious, it has been a lifelong battle to let God be God. Give me your grace, Lord!

I am not alone.
I have never crossed a Jordan River completely by myself. I might have felt lonely as I walked, thinking I was by myself, but there were always others all around. At various crossings I have been helped by lots of different people: my mom and dad, my friends, Mary Lou, three boys, co-workers, teachers, pastors and so many more. My list of advocates and cheerleaders is endless; people have poured their life into me. Thank you, Lord, for these advocates!

In the bottom of the river, there is only one name that matters: Jesus, the name above all others. Call upon Him today; He is eager to walk with you. And He is eager to walk with His church, Covenant, as we cross together.

Help us, Lord!
Charlie

The Prayer Event last Monday night was awesome. I heard several people talk about how impactful it was to them. One person called it one of the TOP 5 worship experiences of his life!

This past weekend was also great as we all began our journey on the same page together. If you missed the sermon this weekend, please go online and listen or watch so you can be up to speed with everyone else.

Have you started your devotional guide yet?

Week one started yesterday! If you need a copy, we have them at the church office, look for them in the mail this week, or you can pick one up this weekend at worship.

And did you get your journal?
I have been writing in my Crossing Together journal…several pages just this morning. The goal, of course, is for each of us to be listening for the Lord’s personal guidance. You don’t have to use these little books if you already have a journal you use during your devotional time each day. They’re great, however, to stick in your purse or pocket to jot down thoughts throughout the day as well. The Lord sometimes speaks at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected ways. Be ready to capture those golden moments as we are hoping to hear from you what you have been hearing from God.

I am excited about what our Lord is going to teach us all during this month of prayer and listening…

See you this weekend!
Branson