There’s a phrase we state around Cross Point with great regularity. It goes like this…Nobody’s perfect, so everyone’s welcome, because anything’s possible.
It’s basically saying we believe people, no matter how far they might be from God, can be transformed when they experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ through everyday people like you and me.
Yesterday afternoon I got the opportunity to drive out to our Cross Point Dickson Campus to be with Pastor Chad as he led a baptism celebration. One of the individuals he baptized was Andy Durham. I had to the opportunity to meet Andy almost six years ago when he and his family moved across the street from us.
Watch this video and let it be a reminder to you that you should NEVER, EVER give up on that person in your life who needs to experience the grace and love of Christ.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/2962194]
So who is the one person in your life you’re tempted to give up on? Who is the person you think is least likely to ever start following Christ?
Why don’t you tell us about that person and let’s pray for these individuals today. Remember….Anything’s Possible!
Please for for my nephew Joe.
Addicted to drugs and nearly destroying our family. His mother is raising his 3 year old daughter, with the help of my 75 year old parents.
His addiction has caused SO many problems and is putting such a strain on my sister who cannot deal with him, but refuses to kick him out because she has already lost a son in a car-wreck, and 2 years ago lost her husband. Joe doesn’t work, just stays messed up and causes problems daily that are affecting his daughter.
My sister’s life is horrible. I want to see peace come to her.
I want to see him freed from his addictions-I believe it can happen, but it’s hard to stay positive.
Please pray for all of us–or if you know of any good options for him please let me know.
wow, i like your post. yes anything’s possible with God. Will you please do pray for me too. I always believe in people about their desire to follow and serve God. My aunts are servants of God and I know their heart’s desire. And people like you always touch my heart
I’ll never give up on her, but I beginning to wonder if my wife will ever get there.
Everybody is welcome, nobody’s perfect, anythings’ possible…wonderful. I must say this was a great reminder about what it is really alll about. I don’t mean to jump into theological warfare…lol, but out of curiosity how does such a powerful ministry like yours baptize people? In the video it looks like you all dunk all the way under (immersion) however I want to know do you call out the name “Jesus” or “Father, Son and Holy Ghost”??? – Nevertheless I am still impressed with the video…regardless…
@Sherri, praying for Joe.
@diane, I’m praying for you.
@Toby, I’ll pray for your wife but don’t give up. I’ll pray that God gives you the strength to continue to love her with His love.
I’m not giving up on my husband, but I am giving him up to God. His addiction with alcohol has overtaken his life. He had 10 months sober but with the binge he has been on the past 4 days…it has shown that he was just “white-knuckling” the sobrity for me. He has to do it for himself. Just yesterday, I put the ball back in his court. He has to decide for himself today to finish his commitment to the “relapse program” at the rehab he left in June or move out.
This post is exactly what I needed today!
Oh my goodness how I needed to be reminded…my MIL, Ingrid. I get so drained and want to tell myself there is no hope and move on but I have witnessed God’s miracles and need to remember that it was not meant to be easy…..pursue and pray!
awesome! that’s why we do what we do!
My sister and my mom…
Powerful Pete. And once more…I needed tissue. Yea God for saving Andy!!!
My Mother-in-law…wow. And my ex-husband.
My brother Mike, he loved God once and has now ventured into New Age stuff, long ago quit church. He needs to get his eyes back on Jesus and not look at churches…he grew so disillusioned.
Thanks for the reminder. I have a friend who is Taoist and very closed to the gospel. I needed a little hope!
I always cry at baptisms. Very powerful.
What’s the song playing in that video?
my cousin colton used to sell me drugs and had his father pass away a couple of months ago – tough to swallow at 26 years old. he has the most loving heart on the planet and i believe is going to do huge things once he allows God to have his heart – prayers would be awesome. love you colt.
Toby…don’t give up on your wife. There is always HOPE. I married a wonderful man 12 1/2 years ago that was raised with absolutely no religion. Never baptized, never attended mass, never even learned a goodnight prayer as a child. I am Catholic so I have raised our 2 kids in my church. Every Sunday when we headed off to mass, we always invited Steve to join us…sometimes he did, more often he didn’t. Two years ago, he did join us for mass, and on the way home that night, he said he “I’m ready to receive communion.” We immediately signed up for RCIA classes (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) with me as his sponsor, and a year later he received all his sacraments at the Easter Vigil mass. We even had a Catholic wedding ceremony on February 4, 2008. It is so wonderful to attend mass as a complete family now. So don’t give up…just invite your wife to every mass/prayer meeting/function you attend. And maybe, just maybe, she’ll want to join you someday. Good luck and God Bless!
watching people rise out of the water like that never gets old. thanks for sharing.
Toby, I understand. I will never give up on my husband. One day I hope that he can get past his pain and prejudice and take a tiny step forward to renewing his faith in Christ. It took me 18 years……and people kept beliving in me. Thank goodness!
Sadly, I am tempted to give up on people in my life who used to believe in God, but now they don’t.
It’s difficult because there is not much for them to learn. They grew up with me in Christian schools and know the Bible through and through and have plenty of Christian friends but they just don’t believe anymore.
I feel like all I can do is pray and continue on with my life and hope that they will come back. I don’t know what else to do! The sad thing is they don’t see how sad and empty they have become over the years…but I have been watching it happen and it is heartbreaking.
I think they think people who are Christians are just weak and can’t handle the reality of life so we believe in a fairy tale. They won’t say this to me right out because they have respect for me and know I’m a Christian…but I don’t know what to do to help them at this point. I mostly just don’t bring up the subject of religion with them anymore because it is awkward….
My neighbor Sherri. She’s absolutely gone through the ringer in her life and is now isolating herself from us. I just thought about this yesterday how God is reaching out to her and pounding on her door but she just won’t go there. And I was thinking that someone else would have to be the one to connect with her. Thanks for this post. Its a God confirmation for me. Awesome!
I’m so tempted to give up on my parents. They seem so against everything I believe and so turned off by even any conversations about God. I have to remember that ANYTHING is possible with Christ. Thanks for sharing this.
His name is Mitch
You know I was the person no-one ever thought would become a Christian.
I still remember the phone call I had to my friend from high school telling her I’d started going to church. She was a Christian, and I’d given her a really hard time about it. She just about fainted with shock.
When I told her I’d finally taken that step of faith to ask God to come into my life, that I trusted him and wanted to follow him no matter what -
She told me… “You know, I had a list of friends I prayed for during high school, that they would become Christians and know God too. But Laurie, I never expected that you would. You were last on my list.”
Thank you for reminding me not to give up. None of my family are Christians, and my little sister did believe in God, wanted to go to Soul Survivor festival with a Christian friend who was an amazing witness to her, and was prevented from going to church and numerous other things by my Dad and Step Mum. They slag off my faith and my values to my younger sister and brother a lot. It’s tough on them and on me.
wow Pete, you are just sneaking all over this planet turrning people toward Jesus. So Awesome.
I am surrounded by some pretty good people…I just wish sometimes my hubs would do a little more walking the walk instead of talkin’ the talk. He is a good guy but can’t translate what he hears at church to the everyday stuff.
Wowowowowoowwoow I cannot believe the God surprise I got when ( I gave up on anyone coming to Christmas eve service with me) my daughter and her boyfriend, my son, and my niece and her boyfriend…now they are going with me and THEY ASKED ME…I never asked anyone…but the very least would be my brother Mike and his wife Donna….I would love it if he did..he won’t even speak to me and I don’t know what I did. He lives in New Mexico and is a cowboy..how far removed is that?
Oh and BTW my niece didn’t believe in God
@ladybird, I pray for him often.
My mother and father in law..although I pray for them often, I have my doubts!
His name is Ashley. I so hope the Lord will get a hold of Him and that I will be convicted to pray daily for Ashley, really believing that the Lord can save him.
Pray for my sister, Tracy, and her family. She needs Him badly. She is a believer, but she doesn’t really know the Lord as provider, protector, Husband, Father. She isn’t reaching out to Him. Life is falling apart and she is withdrawing. I am out of ideas other than the best idea, which is to pray.
@ Toby … don’t give up. Don’t look at the earthly. My husband left our family for 14 months. I prayed over that man every day and then some. God restored our family in October 2007. It was miraculous. And, it is better than I could ever have imagined. He is faithful. Be encouraged. God is able. Our job is to have faith and NEVER give up.
I pray for two guys that I played high school football with in Colorado. By the way i just wanted you to know that I am going to steal that statement it is freakin awesome, Everybody’s welcome, Nobody’s perfect, Anything is possible!
what a great saying and what a great video! i have so many people/friends that i am in constant contact with who need church and Jesus. problem for me is that lately i am such a horrible example of Christ or anything that has to do with church!!! please pray for me…that i might change my own ways and be a better example. I am so far from who i used to be and who i really want to be…
Thanks so much for this story. Years ago, I had a friend would publicly request prayer for her Dad. I knew his opinion on God as a whole, and I would think “it’s going to take YEARS of prayer if that man ever changes his mind.” She was determined and started requesting prayer everywhere. Care Group, Bible study, from the microphone during the worship set. Amazingly, her father accepted Christ within a year, and died unexpectedly shortly after that. I am still amazed by her persistence and hope, and by the amazing love this man had for Christ in the short time he worshiped in his earthly body.
There are some people in my life I had done that whole “they’ll never change” thing with; I am ashamed that I lost hope for them. Thank you for this post.
My dad is not a nice person. I cannot even be around him anymore for the way he treats me. He thinks God is a joke and he thinks I’m stupid for believing. I pray for him at times, but not as much as I should. I haven’t given up on him because I know that God is amazing, but I have given up on the idea that it might be me who helps him come to know Christ.
Relenquish , Rely, Rejoice!!! I don’t do this enough.
You know, I am watching from the sidelines and I was moved by Andy’s story and journey. When you have good neighbors who are welcoming, who have no judgements, and who see you for who you are…I believe there is real power in that. You never know what will move someone forward in their life. ” Love One Another As I Have Loved You.” Andy’s spiritual growth was a result of that love that was always extended to him no matter what. Great story and a great lesson.
My daddy. He’s 80 years old and one of the most kind-hearted men I have ever met but he has never accepted Christ as his Savior. He’s been to church a only a handful of times since the 90′s when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and at that time we had a pastor he really liked. I know that I have witnessed to him as well as others. I often wonder if pride gets in his way. I would love nothing more than to know that I will see my daddy in heaven.
I have some friends who believe in God, but they don’t actively participate… they believe, but I don’t think they get it or they wouldn’t be able to help but desire to go to church and actively pray. I always think that’s a hard stage because it’s like this point of limbo or something… the idea of, “I believe… but I just don’t want to do anything about it.”
@Julie, praying for your dad.
I pray for my husband.
I know he believes, but I don’t think he understands…Although, he was raised Christian and went to a private Christian School…This just makes him know “more” than I do about God and Jesus and therefore he understands what it all means…There is no gray area for this man. There is only Black & White.
I’m just at a loss on what to do anymore. He won’t come with me on Sundays and he doesn’t care to listen to me about services that I especially anjoyed. My children and I love CP. Why won’t he give it a chance?
I just need all the prayers I can get for him…
Thanks for listening!
why is it that when I go to these vimeos on the same day they are posted it says they are no longer available?
@alison, You got it!
@Lisa, I have no idea. I’m not having a problem viewing it.
Anyone else having problems?
nope – I can see it in full also – thanks for your prayers
Wow, Pete! THIS brought tears to MY eyes!! Thanks for sharing!!!
“Whose the one person you’ve given up on”…..myself and I do it daily. Great video. I’ll come back to watch it again, and again.
Take care,
Amy
All I want to do is give this life to you,
and let your will be done until it’s all I want to do.
Pete, thanks for tagging the video with that Ginny Owens piece. I’d never heard it before and it really moved my heart. Thanks!
Will be praying for Sherri’s nephew Joe.
Blessings!
Does it make me a total sap that I cry like a baby whenever I see someone get baptized? (Don’t tell anyone!) I am living proof that NOTHING is impossible with God! I used to refer to myself as a “self-indulgent, hedonistic, opportunist”. And trust me, the label fit. Never give up on ANYONE!
P.S. – I’ve updated your blogger profile. I just hope everyone understands the reference, otherwise I think I’m gonna get some seriously angry emails!
I have a close friend who is a believer, has been baptized and now is running from God and there have been times where I’ve been ready to give up on her. Every single time, God has told me not to give up on her. Countless prayers and days of fasting for her have been happening between myself and our other friends – all of us hoping and praying that God would soften her heart.
Please pray for my sons who, though they say they are Christians and go through some of the motions, still need that close relationship with Christ that isn’t there yet. It breaks my heart that Jesus isn’t the most important person in their lives, and I will always wonder if I could/should have done something differently. Thank you, Pete, for this powerful story.
me
Great video!
My sister and her husband. They both have turned their backs on God and have started practicing wicca. Breaks my heart.
This is an example of the importance of “community”. Not just the church community, but your local community…in this case, the culs-de-sac that I had the privilege of spending five years in.
Also demonstrates the importance of avoiding the “holy huddle” mentality…only hanging out with like-minded Christians. In this case, some simple (competitive) bocci ball led to eternal reward.
One of my best friends from high school had one issue with me – my faith. She taunted me frequently, judged my poor decisions and continued to ignore any referral of God or church throughout our adult lives. On her wedding day, as her maid of honor, she allowed me to pray with her. 9 years later, I prayed with her again through a torturous decision to leave her abusive husband. And it was during that process, that she came to know Christ!!
It’s only taken 20 years…but with MANY of us surrounding her with unconditional love, she was finally able to feel God’s love for her.
Until her decision to follow Christ, I had always doubted that those kinds of miracles could happen. She has become such an inspiration to me to continue to pray and LOVE those searching out Christ (even if they don’t know it).
It’s easy to forget – but she now will always be a reminder to me of how early seeds planted can really play a part in God’s big plan.
I have a laundry list of people on my mind now – many of whom I don’t talk to anymore… what a great reminder to say prayers for each of them.
My best (nonChristian) friend. She has made it abundantly clear that the only way we would have a friendship is that I don’t try to beat her over the head about going to church with me, or becoming a Christian. I just share with her my love of Christ, and my experiences as a Christ follower. I try to live as best I can, ‘differently’ than the world – and pray she notices there is a difference. One day, one GLORIOUS day, I pray for her to see in me what Jesus has done, is doing, and will continue to do, in me – and that she too will want whatever ‘that’ is (JESUS). Funny thing is – her daughter (16 yrs. old) goes to church and loves it!
My brother. Charlie.
That was beautiful!
Please pray for my husband, Roy. Sometimes I think he’s so close to giving his life to Christ, and then other times it just looks impossible. He’s so independent and strong-willed that it’s hard picturing him humbling himself before the Lord. BUT… I will never give up praying for him.
Thanks Pete.
I’m going to spend some time tonight praying through the names you guys have listed so far. Hope you’ll do the same.
It was good to meet you in person Pete. You’re just as glowing in person as your writings portray on the net, I appreciate everything you guys do. My sister Carly experienced something she’ll never forget. Wish you a great week and a warm night!
Jordan.
http://theriverjordan.net
My dad Carl, my brother Michael, and my sister’s husband Neal. My dad and brother used to be Christians and got burned by the church and have hardened their hearts. My BIL has never been a Christian.
I have to admit, I think I’ve become a bit jaded. I have a hard time believing that certain people can be saved. And I hate that. I used to believe. And I still know God can do it, but in my heart, if I’m really honest, I don’t believe it will happen. I don’t want to be that way. My unbelief really bothers me. I guess I know what I need to pray about.
Pete, had a great time at your church this weekend! The person I never thought would come with me to Mountain Lake came this past weekend and decided to come back for a 2nd visit and bring his kids. He is my personal trainer and I am SHOCKED! I asked him and he said yes in 10 seconds. See you soon!
I’m going to apologize up front for leaving such a long comment. It is a quote from Rich Mullins that is one of my all time favorites. I could just link back to my blog where you could read it, but not even I am tacky enough to do that twice in one day. So, here it is:
The only thing worse than the joke you don’t get is the explanation that is bound to follow: an explanation that, while it may help you see why you should have seen the humor that you so lamely missed, is little likely to make you laugh. It may provoke you to muster a sympathy snicker so as to avoid more of an already tedious and misdirected lecture. It may inspire a mild giggle of recognition, but it will hardly ever raise a real belly-laugh, which was the original desired effect.
And so, here I go — me and a dozen thousand other people — trying to explain a joke that we would do better to learn to better tell. I am setting out to explain again why Jesus is the only true hope for the world, why we should put faith in Him, and what all of that won’t mean. I am collecting the information, selecting from what I hope will be usable as evidence, arranging my findings into arguments, framing it for presentation and recognizing that, while it may be fine as far as it goes, it doesn’t go far enough.
But then I remember two things. The first thing I remember is how I once won an argument with a heathen friend of mine who — after I had whacked away his last scrap of defense, after I had successfully cut off every possible escape route that he could use, after I backed him into an inescapable corner and hit him with a great inarguable truth — blew me away by simply saying, “I do not want to be a Christian. I don’t want your Jesus Christ.” There was no argument left to be had or won. Faith is a matter of the will as much as it is of the intellect. I wanted to believe in Jesus. My friend wanted to believe in himself. In spite of how convincing my reason was, my reason was not compelling.
So the second thing I remember is this: I am a Christian because I have seen the love of God lived out in the people who know Him. The Word has become flesh and I have encountered God in the people who have manifested (in many “unreasonable” ways) His Presence; a presence that is more than convincing, it is a Presence that is compelling. I am a Christian not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me, but because there were people who were willing to be the nuts and bolts, who through their explanation of it, held it together so that I could experience it and be compelled by it to obey. “If I be lifted up,” Jesus said, “I will draw all men unto me.”
So, here I offer what is possibly the worst thing that can be offered: an explanation of a joke. And, what makes this more inexcusable than the fact that this is that, is the added fact that this is an explanation of a joke you’ve already gotten. I offer it anyway. I offer it in the hope that it might somehow encourage you to live out your lives and, by your living, tell the joke that I, in my writing, so feebly attempt to explain. Love one another, forgive one another, work as unto God, let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts. Make it your ambition to lead quiet lives. Obey. Greet one another with a holy kiss. No one will argue with that.
Hi- thanks for the offer!!! I got to your blog from your wife’s and I got there from Angie… My sister in law could really use prayer. She has been married to my brother (who grew up in a Christian home and was baptized, but now only thinks Christians are hypocrites) for 14.5 years. They have 2 boys 11 and 6. Their marriage has fallen apart. She wants out. She has had several online affairs and at least 1 in person. She is searching… just in the wrong places… she is looking at new age type churches. They have just moved to a different state and can’t file until they have been residents for 6 months. My brother told her that if she wanted out she should go ahead and leave so he and the boys could get on with their lives. Faced with that she said she would stay. I think she is only biding her time. Of course it is much more complicated than this, but I wanted to keep it short. Our whole family is struggling. My Mom is ready to throw her out… and she is a good Christian woman… I just keep talking to her about Grace and how Shannon has never known unconditional love and that we are her family and that we HAVE to love her through this. We don’t have to love what she is doing, but we have to love her. I wish they lived in your area… it sounds like your church is exactly what she needs!!
I’ve got a stepfather of 7 years I lose hope for way too often. This is reason to never give up on him. Awesome!
my mother. she is one of those amazing people who believes there is a God but isnt willing to believe IN Him.
our Muslim neighbors. Seeds have been planted, watered. Just watching for a sprout to appear.
I won’t give up but I wonder if my husband will ever get there.
My Dad and my sister. Thanks Pete.
What a great testimony. I needed to see that today. I had a friend accept Christ Sunday that I wasn’t sure would. I am so thankful.
Now, I pray for my neighbor lady.
My husband, Seth is not a believer. I married him, knowing about the whole “unequally yoked” thing, but since we had already had a son together, I didn’t feel that close to God because of my sin… even though I knew I was forgiven. I was afraid that if Seth had our son alone that he would teach him world views that were not Godly… if we were married, then we would raise him together and I would always know what he was being taught by us. (Please don’t get me wrong, I didn’t only marry him for this reason – I do love my husband!!) I never knew it would be this hard, though. Perhaps it is the natural “consequences”? I worry about my husband, and if he will ever soften his heart toward God, and I pray for him and my children, that they would learn to love and follow Jesus as well. I know there is hope. Somedays it just seems so remote, though.
Meant to post yesterday…my father-in-law, Rick and my son, Josh.
I am praying for Mike. He is a Christian, but has never really dated a strong Christian woman. He is having a hard time dating me because of my boundries with him!!! He has told me he has fallen in love with me and I feel the same way about him. Please pray that God puts a heart of leadership in him concerning this relationship. The funny thing is that he is the main leader at his workplace and does a fantastic job. I am waiting on God to work on both of us before we can get back together. Thank you!!!!
My husband.
This makes me cry. This makes me so stinkin happy. This is what ministry is all about. AWESOME!!!!!
I was talking with my Dad this Am and he said to me, “I hope people don’t give up on others, because they don’t come to God fast enough.”
I watched this video last night and immediately directed him to it. we watched together in tears.
I love how God’s timing and work is perfect in all people.
I’m crying.
I want baptized.
I want my husband to believe. He denies God, when he isn’t saying he hates Him. This ‘unequally yoked’ business is really hard on a new believer.
But I believe God. And I’m not giving up on
Markmy husband. I believe God has selected me, and that He trusts me to be the person that can get through to my husband. Mark loves me like no one else ever will (except God) – and there is no one else that he trusts more. It is me.I accept God’s will. But it’s hard to be alone.
my in-laws. FIL, MIL & BIL.