Pastor’s Pen
“Sabbath Rest” By Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, for those who enter God’s rest also rest from their labors as God did from his.” — Hebrews 4:9–10 Life often imposes a frenetic pace upon us. Work expectations and family commitments can feel like a hand...
Reflections on General Assembly – by Elder John Gustafson
This summer, our denomination gathered in Milwaukee for the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Commissioners from across the country worshiped, prayed, and discerned together, seeking to be faithful to Christ in a complicated world....
Pastor’s Pen by Associate Pastor Nominating Committee
Dear Crossroads church family, We are honored to be elected as your Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC) to represent all of you in the search for our next associate pastor. This group has representatives who have served on session, as deacons, worked with our...
“See Yourself in the Light of Truth” By Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.” —Psalm 139:23 This past Saturday, Haley and I put our son Elijah on a flight from Copenhagen, Denmark to Gazapasa, Turkey. For the next four weeks, he will be part of a team excavating the ruins of...
“Finding God in the Ordinary” by Rev. Beth Patton
"Indeed, God is not far from each one of us. For in God we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:27b – 28 There is something about summer that invites us to slow down. The calendar may still be full, but the rhythm of life often feels different this time of...
Session Pen ~ by Wendy Jabas, Elder
Recently I read the book, Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. There is a scene where Father Lundy encourages his listeners to “do good, bestow kindness, strive for beauty, seek and find the river that leads to life everlasting, and draw from the fountain that never runs...
“Small Seeds, Big Blessings” by Rev. Beth Patton
Small Seeds, Big Blessings "They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." Jeremiah...
“With Gratitude” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” —Psalm 126:3 Ever since Haley, Elijah, and I arrived at Crossroads in 2020, this church has felt like home. Our church family exudes a warmth unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Crossroadians...
“The Holy One is forever lighting flares” by Rev. Beth Patton
[Paul said,] “God made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth … so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for God and find God—though indeed God is not far from each one of us. For ‘In God we live and move and have our being.’” Acts 17:26-28 (NRSVUE,...
Session Pen ~ by Elder Ian McKinney
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9 When I was younger, I often struggled...
“Christ’s Transforming Work in this World” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“In a profound way, our intentionality is a key ingredient determining whether we notice God everywhere or only in church or only in suffering, or nowhere. It all depends on how we choose to fashion our world.” Elizabeth Dreyer, Earth Crammed with Heaven Early...
“Persevering Toward Wholeness” by Rev. Beth Patton
“…and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2) From June 22–July 2 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be meeting here in Milwaukee. This gathering is the epitome of Presbyterianism and reflects the...
