I had the chance to share with Cross Point Franklin this weekend. We are in a series called “I Am Second”. Take a second and watch this video. It shares the story of a young man named Baron Batch.
Then, click on the link above and you can hear the entire message. Enjoy!
This has been quite the Summer…
When my family and I moved to Hendersonville Tennessee last year, we moved in anticipation of what God was going to do in the Cross Point Hendersonville Campus. We never expected that this campus may not be here one day. We always knew that the campus had some challenges. But, the people of Hendersonville are amazing!
Over the last year we moved locations, dug in to a new community, built new teams of volunteers and poured into it, everything we had. But, at the end of it all, we had come to realize that though our efforts were not in vain, they needed to be refocused.
After much time of prayer and counsel from all of the Cross Point leadership, we agreed that it was time to transition our Hendersonville campus back into the Nashville campus.
We knew that the best Cross point we had to offer the people of North Nashville, was under the covering and leadership of the Nashville Campus.
This last weekend was our first weekend at the Nashville campus. We had lunch together. We shared stories and memories as we talked around the tables. We discussed the future and opportunities in front of us. And, we also took time to understand that we will miss what we had.
As I said before, we were anxious to see what God was going to do. God did some amazing things. 15 people accepted Christ. 16 people were baptized. Marriages were mended. And lives were changed.
I am so grateful to have been a part of this campus. There wasnt a single moment that I didnt enjoy. I will forever be changed by this last year with Cross Point Hendersonville.
So, what does that mean for the Hodge family? Well, we are leaving Cross Point Hendersonville, but we are not leaving Cross point. This last week we moved to Franklin, Tennessee, where we will be planting and pastoring the Cross Point Franklin Campus!
This is a bittersweet time. We hate to leave our friends north of town, but we are so excited to begin a new work here in the amazing community of Franklin.
So, here we go… Anxious to see what God will do in Cross Point Franklin!
I am so blown away by this young lady. My girl Kassidi. Wednesday is her 18th Birthday!
She is my daughter. Sometimes I dont understand this. I dont feel old enough to have an 18 year old. I often feel like she has raised herself, more than we have raised her. I mean…
She has always lived bigger than she is…
She has always achieved more than she was expected to…
She has always responded with more grace and poise than most adults I know…
She has always been considered older than she is…
She continues to surprise everyone she knows with her ability to learn and adapt…
Id like to think that she is everything, as a person, that I wished I could be. Tammy thinks that too :)
I am proud of you Kassidi. Im proud of your priorities. im proud of your desires. Im proud of your hopes and dreams. Im proud of how much work you put into what you are living for. Im proud of you… period.
I love you girl. And although i should be a bit sad of seeing my little girl grow up. Im not. Im so anxious to see the young lady you are going to be. I think that this next year is going to be your best year ever. I know it. And i cant wait to watch you live it out!
happy Birthday Kassidi…
Happy New Year!
I cannot believe it is 2012. And last year at this time I was sitting in an emergency room while they shocked my heart because I was in A-Fib. It has been one crazy year! It has been an amazing journey to Tennessee. And I am filled with gratitude to be here and to be serving with Cross Point.
Yesterday was an opportunity at Cross Point, to share my heart for 2012. All the campus Pastors had a chance to share at each of our campuses. What an awesome way to start the year together. Looking to our future as a church and as a campus and committing to pray together.
It has been public knowledge for a couple months that North campus was starting the search for a new home. Yesterday I had a chance to talk more about our move and to challenge us to pray for our journey.
If you are a part of North Campus or you are willing to pray for our journey, here is my message from yesterday. Also, Id love to hear from you? Are you excited for 2012? What does ministry look like to you this year?
I dont blog often, but felt I wanted to speak to this…
Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving day.
We have just spent a day of fellowship, family, friends and a ton of food. We’ve chosen to take a day specifically to say… we are grateful.
Then Friday comes and the world falls apart. I know this sounds dramatic, but what I am seeing in the social media world is drama.
Last month at Cross Point, we spent some time challenging ourselves to focus on gratitude. I heard amazing, life changing stories from so many people that chose to spend last month focusing what is good in life. The reality is that gratitude is a choice and it is most often based on our perspective.
There is a lot of doom and gloom these days. Often, the media becomes our perspective. Unfortunately, the media is in business for ratings. And shock sells. The good in life doesn’t often find its way to the evening news unless its a “special story” at the end of the newscast about some dog helping a handicap person across the street. Its sad that we allow ourselves to focus so heavily on the bad, that we completely disregard the good. Its as if the bad outweighs the good. And that just isn’t based in reality. Its preached in the media and then hyped in the social media world.
Today, on Black Friday, we can choose to change our perspective. We can choose to stop focusing and celebrating the evil of the 10-20 idiots with pepper spray and we can choose to focus on the other 100 million that shop today… in peace. WIll we run across a bad attitude today? You bet! We will hear people argue or fight over a toy? Of course! But, I challenge you, that for every guy or gal in a bad mood, there are 100 around them looking to enjoy themselves today.
And please, dont give me this crap about retailers and how evil they are and how they’ve destroyed christmas. Ugh. If you buy even a single gift for someone this year, you’ve bought into the need to “purchase” to give.
By the way, do you know where the term black friday came from? It originated in Philadelphia over traffic on this day. Then it became the standard title for retailers to use, because this day often put them “in the black” financially. So, I wonder how this day became commonly known as “Black Friday” to the public? My guess… the media.
I adore this woman… Happy birthday beautiful!
This was an awesome weekend at Cross Point! Over the last couple weeks, we have spent time in a series called “Together We Will”. It was an opportunity to go through the vision statement of Cross Point and remind ourselves of who we are as a church community.
Our vision at Cross Point is to be a people who are…
Radically devoted to Christ
Irrevocably committed to each other
Relentlessly dedicated to reaching the lost
At Cross Point we value Discipleship, Community and Evangelism. We Pursue God, each other and we serve!
If you’d like to listen to the 3 Part series, you can head over here…
This weekend was special, because each of us as campus Pastors had a chance to speak to our own campuses. We had a chance to close up this series by speaking from our heart with the intent of continuing to align ourselves with who we are at Cross Point and as a Church.
At the end of the service this week at North campus, we also had baptisms. We baptized 4 people this weekend and it was incredible to be a part of that!
Another special thing about this weekend, was that my daughter Kassidi joined us on stage for the first time to help lead us in worship! Needles to say, it was an emotional weekend.
Ive had a few people ask if they could hear my sermon. I wasnt going to put it online, because this sermon was a little different. Its much more of a time of a sharing and it has a lot more to do with us as a campus. But, after I thought about it, I realize that it would be an honor for you to listen and partner with Cross Point North Campus in prayer as we journey through an exciting season.
I joked with one of our campus pastors yesterday, that I now own the rights to the longest sermon preached at Cross Point. I spoke for 45 minutes…
So, sit back and enjoy and pray for us on our journey!!!
Today, August 18th, I celebrate 20 years with my best friend!
Tammy, I am so grateful to you. For being the amazing woman you are. Strong. Confident. Gentle. Patient. Full of grace. And drop dead gorgeous :)
I realized something this year. I know I often say the opposite, but… i DO deserve you. You are the perfect compliment to who I am. Your strengths and passions match so well with my weaknesses and dreams. I get to do life better, because Im doing it with you.
We are in transition this year. A crazy move to tennessee! There are no special dinners, or fancy cards, or surprise vacations. Not this year. They will happen again as they’ve happened before. But, even though I cant give you all that this year, there is a peace. There is a confidence in who we are and where we are going. There is an excitement for what tomorrow brings. And there is a vision of the next 20 years… and I like it!
Tammy, I love you! Thank you!
Happy Anniversary…
This last Sunday I had the opportunity to speak to the North Campus for the first time since joining Cross Point Church. What an honor to be able to speak from my heart and open God’s word together.
I have to say thank you to so many of you that gave words of encouragement and prayed for this weekend. I am so grateful.
Plus, many of you have asked to listen to my message from this last Sunday. So, here ya go :)
I spoke on Growth VS Comfort. Here are the notes as well…
___________________________________________________________
Growth vs Comfort
Comfort Encourages Self Reliance - Leads to Complacency
*Complacency causes us to rely on our own knowledge and strength
*Complacency starves our passions
*Complacency feeds our insecurities and fear
Story of Abram - Journey to Canaan - Genesis 12:1-9
Growth Encourages God Reliance- Leads to Movement
*Movement welcomes God to interact
Genesis 17:1-5
*Movement requires risk
Romans 4:18
*Movement is a process
Final Thought…
*We are not in this alone
Romans 8:31
Im sitting in the middle of a Starbucks in Hendersonville, TN. My wife, Tammy wrote an excellent post yesterday that speaks to being here… and yet, not really being here yet.
Its definitely a bit bizarre to move across the country and just drop ourselves into a new life. New places. New foods. New roads. New routines. That last one is the biggest for me. I love adventure and change. But, I am one that needs consistency and routine to truly get work done and move forward. So, this is a strange time.
But… An Exciting One!
I am on the biggest faith journey God has ever had me on. Taking the position of Campus Pastor for Cross Point is the biggest change we as a family have ever made. It has been a journey of trusting every move and opened door that God has set before us. And, it is stretching us in every good way imaginable.
Today is the first chance Ive had to be out of the office and in the community. I am intentionally trying to get around the community and start living. Meeting the Barista’s and the Grocery workers. Meeting the neighbors and the local gas station attendants. And just trying to get a grasp on where everything is and what routes I should drive. I believe wholeheartedly that we as Christians need to live our lives out in the the community. In every way we can, we need to invest ourselves into the communities we live in. And now for me, it is even greater on my mind, because this is the community I also Pastor.
Saying that doesn’t scare me. But, there is so much unknown in the new, that I have to trust right now. God has the North Campus at Cross Point on an amazing journey. And frankly, I cant see where He is taking us. But, I now He is moving us in a new way.
Just sitting here in the community I serve is overwhelming. It’s too big for me. And believe it or not, I like that. Its what I’ve prayed for in this journey. To see God move. If Im not capable of the task He has set in front of me, I know that He will show up in powerful ways.
So, first hand shakes, hello’s in the grocery store, “can I help’s” in the parking lot… they all matter right now. They are all huge. They are all important.
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