Not just to go to church, but to be the church.

Not just in the church, but for everyone and everywhere.

It is about recognizing that we are all impoverished beggars, and being willing to tell the fellow beggar where to find bread.

It is about being real.

The messy kind of real.

The beautiful kind of real.

I’ve heard Reid say it more than once.

God made fun. And it glorifies Him when we have it.

So every couple of months, we make it a point to celebrate together . . . Crossroads style. That means really good food, really crazy competitions, and a whole lotta laughter.

You want food that doesn’t cost? The living water? You are invited. Crossroads Community Church. My perfectly imperfect family.

Nothing says summertime like a tiki bar, pool party, strawberry extravaganza with all your best girlfriends! And that’s why I love ladies’ night at Crossroads. We gather as the sun is setting, laugh a whole lot, share our struggles and our triumphs, and basically encourage one another in the messy journey of life.

Only in Carroll County do you get a whole row of beautiful cousins swinging simultaneously.

Some of my favorite ya’s that are taking on the world in a big wayyyyy!

You want in on the action?? Come join us. You’re in. You’ll definitely find someone who can relate because our group covers all the bases. Come check us out at Crossroads Community Church.

As my friend Josh says, . . . “He who finds God, finds life!!!” Get yourself some good livin’ today!

That’s why I was drawn to Crossroads. It’s the plethora of motorcycles in the lot.  It’s my bearded, pierced, tattoed friend that sits back a couple of rows and to the left . . . the one that loves his Droid.

It’s my girlfriend who is married to a drug addict and keeps believing.

Messy. Broken. Beautiful. Real.

Our annual baptism service at Holbrook Hollow is my favorite of the year. This year there were more people being baptized than were at our first church service eight years ago. That’s when we met in a garage. That pre-dates the plastic wrapped pavilion, tattoo parlor mall, cheesy banquet hall, elementary school locations. We’ve graduated to a former roller skating rink. And my pastor is the boy that I sat next to in 4th grade math class at William Winchester Elementary.

I guess you could say we’re a family that keeps the main thing, the main thing. Jesus. My Carl puts it best. “The truth is not a weapon. It just IS.”

Dana. Teacher. Espana-phile. Newleywed.

Rhoten Family. Arms of Jesus. All the time.

Stacie. Brilliant. Artistic. Nurturer.

Reid. Poolside teachin’. Meat.

And TONS of the young and the young at heart.

Keepin’ it real. Are you searching? Just come. 10 am. Sunday. Red warehouse behind the Wawa on 140.

p.s. here’s the gallery, set up for you to snag the pics.

I am inspired by their level of dedication and enthusiasm. Whether you have little ones or not, come see this show- you will leave feeling the love.

Directed by Shirley Dooley and Nancy Howard (who have both pitched their tents at the warehouse!) and supported by donations from our whole community, this production is everything that’s right and beautiful about community theatre! Several key builders in our community have dedicated hours and hours building our set and rigging the flying system and a special shout out goes to Jeni of Fandango Events who even got us a ship’s wheel!

And the best part? Every penny goes right back to the kids of Carroll County.

Young Life Carroll County Presents

Peter Pan

Six Shows to Choose From!

Friday              May 7      8pm                 Friday                 May 14  8pm

Saturday          May 8      8pm

Sunday            May 9      7pm                 Sunday                 May 16  2 pm & 7pm

Location:

Crossroads Community Church

895 Leidy Road in Westminster

(The old TSC Building off of 140)

Reserve Tickets in Advance: Call 410.239.0562 and leave your name, number of tickets needed, and date/time of performance.  Cash or check payment due upon pick up of your tickets from at the venue.

Purchase of tickets at the door cannot be guaranteed.

Ticket Prices:  $10.00  adults, $8.00  students,

$5  children 12 and under

Proceeds from the play go to Young Life Carroll County

But add a group of high schoolers with a desire to invest in the lives of the kids coming up behind them,  crazy skits,  inspired ice breakers, presents, unlimited snacks and sodas by the case . . . well, you get the point. It’s the place the kids WANT to be- and it’s delivered laced with a pretty powerful spiritual message. But just as important as the message, it’s the place where my kids know they are safe, loved and covered. Where they will never stand alone on the sidelines. And hanging in the shadows are the adults that have always come alongside our family to speak truth into our kids’ lives. So if the going ever gets tough, our kids will know where to go.

That’s something that Carl and I have always purposed . . . that our kids would have a cadre of adults available to them that would speak light and truth into their hearts and minds. And that doesn’t come by accident. Part of the vision is choosing who we’d like those adults to be and the other part is getting our kids in regular relationship with those people. For us, it’s making time spent with grandparents, aunts and uncles regular and meaningful. It’s joining a small group at church where families are living life side by side. It’s being focused on who is filling the role of car pool driver, soccer coach, youth group leader and babysitter . . . because life is HARD- even in middle school. And Carl and I do not do this thing even close to perfectly. It’s a constant struggle with good days and hard days and honestly, sometimes I’d rather be home in my jammies on a cold Friday night . . . but I only get one chance to raise my kids, and it’s already gone way too fast.

So, you are invited. Email me if you want to get on the mailing list.  WyldLife is the middle school version of Young Life. We meet monthly and if you are in middle school, you are invited. Crossroads Community Church.

We three kings. And this one took it very seriously.

Rachel and Steph were  ”narrators-with-attitude” and had us all mooing, braying, and bleating “Goat-Boy” from the congregation. How two beautiful high school girls could get totally enthusiastic audience participation? . . .  Well, not a surprise.

Margaret Newton,  has invested so much life and love into our children’s program. Are you looking for a safe place your precious ones? Margaret’s your girl.

Kudos to Lisa Nibbelink, who kept a corral of excited kids totally quiet and hidden on stage.

Reid’s teaching righted my heart for the Christmas season. Every single Sunday I leave challenged and encouraged and poised to process for days. This day was no different. (see the canvasses on the wall? . . . live art!)

Generations worshipping God together. That’s one thing that I love the most. My own family worships together every Sunday. Four generations. 99 down to 3. What a gift.

So, if you’re looking to put the Christ in your Christmas, you will feel comfy and loved at Crossroads.  No pressure, no fuss. Just come check it out. That’s what I did and I never left.

Dec. 11. County Wide WyldeLife Christmas event- 6:30 (middle schoolers) in the warehouse.

Dec. 19. LIVE nativity 5 pm. Stan and Kelly Dabkowski of Spring Meadow Farms are heading this one up, so you’ll KNOW they’ll be lots of animals and who knows what else. Oh, and hot chocolate too.

Dec. 24. Christmas Eve Service. 5 & 8 pm.

We are the big red warehouse building right behind the WaWa on 140. (formerly the TSC)