Joe & Becky Cruse

A few years back, there was a passage of scripture that became very popular, so much in fact, the book by Bruce Wilkinson, “The Prayer of Jabez” became an international bestseller, topping the New York Times bestseller list and selling nine million copies.

The book is taken from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 which says, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (NKJV)

Closing the door on 2008, with its blessings and its trials, we are asking for the Lord’s blessings in 2009! If we have His favor and blessing, we have everything we need.

The Lord has led our church/ministry into a time of prayer and fasting for the month of January. We believe as we consecrate the first of 2009, we are asking God to consecrate and bless the remainder of our year.We invite you to join us in this exciting time. We would love to hear from you. Jesus tells us in Mark 9, “…that some things are only wrought by prayer and fasting.” If you have needs or want to see the Word of the Lord come to pass in your life, step out into the realm of the supernatural with a season of prayer and fasting. I believe you will reap huge dividends. If you have testimonies or words of encouragement, we would love to hear from you. As we join together corporately, let us believe God for great things together.

We pray God’s abundant blessings be yours this New Year!

I hope you were able to attend one of the two performances this past Sunday, A Simple Family Christmas. The students did an outstanding job and Joy Montgomery began a beautiful artistic rendering of the nativity as it related to Christ and His purpose for coming to the earth.There were many friends, family, and visitors in the house—both shows were filled and everyone left with a gift bag from our church. I truly believe it was one of the best Christmas productions we have ever done. There are so many people to thank but our technical crew and production team did an amazing job. Thanks team! Without your expertise, we can’t do all that God has called us to. You enable the vision to go forth and we are extremely grateful.

It is our heart that every expression of art available is used in the church to present a glorious God to a lost world. For so long, art forms were removed from the church, leaving her a dead, dreary, lifeless body, devoid of the power and majesty of God, governed by rules and regulations. That is why the birth of Christ, the picture of new life and new beginnings is so powerful and so visual.As the arts relate to worship, we, who are created beings, by the ultimate Creator, have the same nature that is waiting to be released. Whether by singing, playing, dancing, or painting, our creative senses are tapped as we give glory to God and the world is given a true portrait of a God who doesn’t stand in judgment, rather One who is longing for relationship.

My favorite definition of worship comes from William Temple: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”

As we drawer closer to Christmas, may our worship be an expression of the gift He has so bountifully given us. I close with the words to a song Cindy and I wrote many years ago called Lift Your Voice and Sing—

Lift your voice and sing,
Praises to the King,
To the true Messiah gifts we bring,
Lift your voice and sing!
Sing Allelujah, Sing Allelujah Sing Allelujah to the King
Sing, Allelujah, Sing Allelujah–Sing Allelujah to the King of Kings!

(Cruse Ministries Publishing 1997 All Rights Reserved)

Wow—where has this year gone? I don’t want to alarm any of you but there are only 17 shopping days, (okay, 16 to shop) until Christmas. And if some of you are like me—we haven’t even started to shop!!

Well, here’s the good news-our economy, or what’s left of it, sure has a way of taking the focus off buying stuff for people and forcing us to look at giving from a whole different perspective. I’ll tell you right now—this year, the Cruses are looking at spending quality time with their kids and grandkids’, eating some holiday treats, catching up on some missed movies and enjoying some time to relax in God’s presence. Now that sounds like a real Christmas holiday to me!

In the event you think Scrooge is writing this piece—not to worry! It is just amazing to me how easy it is to get sucked in to the pressures of what you think the perfect holiday experience should be. Putting yourself under pressure to buy things for people—things they will return or exchange—getting into debt and spending January and February to “catch up”.

The simplicity of the season gets so lost in the “running and doing and buying and shopping” so I want to once again encourage you to remember some of your most memorable Christmases and I will bet you they had very little to do with getting or giving stuff.

I remember one Christmas in particular—times were tough and packages under the tree were few. We went to my brother’s house and had a blast sitting out by the backyard bonfire eating hotdogs, s’mores and popping firecrackers with all the cousins!

So back to “simplicity”—let me take this opportunity to remind you about our upcoming Christmas production, A Simple Family Christmas, Sunday December 14th @ 5:00 and 7:30. This years program is going to be fantastic and well worth your time.

Tickets are only $3 in advance and for each ticket you purchase, you will be given a ticket to be given away as well. It is a wonderful opportunity to invite your friends, family, co-workers, favorite hair stylist, nail tech….you get the idea—to check out our church, schools and ministry. Everyone in attendance will leave with a nice little gift, compliments of the church. Help us spread the word and lets fill the building this coming Sunday to the glory of God.

The time was long, long, ago…okay, cheesy but quite a few years back, we were the praise and worship leaders for Church on the Rock, Rockwall Texas. The church went through a big transition, leaving our friends, Ps Michael and Vicki Hankins and staff (us included) to move forward with the faithful few that remained. It was our first full time staff position after leaving our family ministry, and our first time to serve in the local church.

It was November 1990 and our pastor came to us to see what we could put together for a Christmas program. Most of the paid music staff had left in the transition so we were definitely in a rebuilding process. I remember sitting in Joe’s office throwing ideas around and looking through the traditional Christmas cantatas. Suddenly the thought occurred to me, why don’t we do something very similar to what we use to do as kids?

Christmas with the Brieden’s was not so much about the gifts in my family—it was about the music, the Christmas story and lots of family and friends. Every Christmas Eve we made our way down to my grandparents farmhouse in south Texas where all the cousins, aunts, and uncles gathered to sing, to reminisce, to eat and to enjoy being together. One would start up a Christmas carol and the rest of the family would join in.

After singing, my grandpa would get the big Bible that sat on their coffee table and he would read the Christmas story. After that, he would call on one of the brothers (8 children in all) to pray for the families represented and to pray for those serving in the military and then it was time for desserts, fireworks, and games that carried on well into the night. Falling asleep on my grandma’s bed, I can never forget my dad picking me up, loading me in the car for the short trip home where “Santa” had already come and gone, leaving us with gifts abundant. (That family tradition has carried on still today and this Christmas Eve, you will find our family gathered in the living room reading the Christmas story and opening the gifts.)

“A Family Christmas” was born that very Christmas (1990) and every year since then, we have celebrated in a similar manner, regardless of where we were serving.

This years “A Simple Family Christmas” will be our 18th year of production and has all the sights and sounds you’ve come to expect with a new twist I know you will enjoy.

Tickets are available ($3 in advance) by calling the office and this year we are asking church members to purchase tickets for their family. For every ticket purchased, you will be given an additional ticket that can be used to invite friends, co-workers, neighbors to a wonderful show, introducing them to the church and ministry. What an opportunity for outreach into our community!

Given all the things that have transpired in this nation, we decided to put an emphasis on the word, “Simple”. After the unending political season, the uncertainty of the economy, the loss of jobs, we felt it very important to go back to the simple things that make Christmas what it is—after all, it was a simple family that made their way to Bethlehem that first Christmas night—a simple family, a simple place of birth, a simple star that led those magi to the place of the Christ Child.

Make your plans now to join us Sunday, December 14th @ 5:00 and 7:30. Tickets may be purchased before and after services or you may call the office and reserve yours today!

All those in attendance will receive a gift at the close of the service. (one gift per family)