WELCOME Dear Friends and Family, Tamara and I are honored to have you join us as we close out our relationships series. Now that we are coming to a close we are left with some decisions. Do we take the 5 weeks of great concepts and ideas and file them away in our bibles or do we really work towards applying them to our lives? It is my prayer that we apply them and see a real change in the relationships in our lives. Relationships take work. Building and maintaining meaningful relationships is something we intentionally work towards daily. I hope that the relationships in your life will be changed for the better! Sincerely, Greg and Tamara Dumas, Lead Pastor
UPCOMING EVENTS First Wednesday Come join us for First Wednesday Aug. 4th at 7pm as we welcome very special guest speaker Tom Lane from Gateway Church in Texas.
KP3 Enroll now for fall 2010 – 2011 school year. Application deadline Sept. 15. For more info Checkout www.crossingonline.org/kp3.
There’s still time to make a difference! Overflow summer camp is August 8-11. The cost of camp this summer is $250 and we are in need of 30 scholarships! Please visit the church administrative office to find out how you can help.
A concert for CrossingKids! On Aug 7th & 8th CrossingKids will have a special concert with Charlie Bancroft, aka “Uncle Charlie” (www.unclecharlie.com) beginning at 5pm on Saturday & 9:30am on Sunday. Make sure your kids don’t miss this wonderful weekend!
Baptism Class Our next baptism class for elementary aged children (1st through 5th grade) is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 14 at 3pm in Room 229. For more information please contact Kim Gore at kgore@crossingonline.org or 626-0783, ext. 123.
Deeper Life Join us for the Deeper Life Orientation on Monday, August 30th at 7 PM in Room 229 to hear for yourself how your transformed life can be used to transform the life of others. For more information visit www.crossingonline.org/news.
Women’s Bible Study Classes begin Thurs, Sept 2nd at 9:15am & 7pm in the Life Center. Childcare is available w/ pre-registration. Register at www.crossingonline.org/news.
Baby Dedication Our upcoming opportunities to dedicate your child are September 18th and 19th. For questions or for more information, please contact Tiffany Ogborn at (813) 626-0783 ext. 151 or togborn@crossingonline.org.
The 26.2 Spiritual Race is intricately designed with you in mind! Through the different 26.2 Experiences, you can learn more about The Crossing and its leadership, become involved in a LifeGroup, and understand more about your spiritual gifts. We encourage everyone to join in the race. Register for all the 26.2 Experiences at: www.crossingonline.org. The next experience dates are: • Warm Up: August 15, registration closes August 8
For more announcements: www.crossingonline.org/announcements
Saturday, July 31 Sunday, August 1
WELCOME TO THE
CROSSING CHURCH
MARRIAGE/ SINGLE VOWS James 4:1-10, Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5-7
Lead Pastor: Greg Dumas
SCRIPTURE James 4:1-10 (NIV) 1
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Ephesians 5:21 (NIV) 21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
15 Peter 5:5-7 (NIV)
…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
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OBSERVATION •
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Everyone comes into marriage with individual wishes, dreams and desires (Big I), when these dreams, wishes, and desires become expectations your (Big I) and your spouse’s (Big I) collide and the dynamic of your marriage dramatically changes. Compromise, commitment to the marriage and contract arrangements won’t support a healthy marriage. Covenant and commitment to a person are the substance of a long lasting relationship. You have to answer this question: What does your spouse (partner) owe you? You are the number one expression of God’s love toward your spouse (partner). Dreams, wishes and desires are NOT necessarily wrong or bad, they can be legitimate and God given.
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APPLICATION A. Dreams, Wishes and Desires must be: 1. Understood by the one who has them 2. Verbally Communicated (Spoken) 3. Mutually agreed upon as reasonable B. When Issues or Conflict arise: 1. Confess 2. Ask 3. Reward
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PRAYER Lord, thank you for placing dreams and wishes and desires in my heart. I thank you that you are Lord over all of my wants and needs and that you help me discern which desires are worldly and which desires are healthy and pure. I know my spouse (partner) doesn’t owe me anything and I realize that when they help meet a desire it’s a gift from you. I will learn how to humble myself under your mighty hand of grace as you fulfill all of my deepest needs and wants. You are rich in everything I need. I can be gracious and loving toward my spouse (partner) when I don’t get what I want because you are my supply. I can learn how to communicate and foster safety in my relationships so that healthy desires can be discussed and ultimately realized through mutual understanding and cooperation. Thank you for being the King of relationships. Thank you for being a loving example of all we are looking for in this life.