Howdy!
My name is Crystal Bryant. I'm fairly new to the women's ministry at
Crosspoint. You know me as the person who makes the CPW facebook
posts, tweets, and updates the website. I loooove to talk so I'll
tell you a bit about myself. I've been married to my high school
sweetheart for almost eight years. We have a very rambunctious,
almost three-year-old daughter named Brynn. My apologies to the
toddler CPK volunteers! I'm a two-time graduate of the University of
Houston (Go Coogs!). I've been teaching 3rd grade in Manvel for six years. I love the beach, scrapbooking,
Mexican food, all things Vera Bradley, and watching football. I hate
ants of any kind and I strongly dislike vegetables.
It's
taken me nearly 3 months to finally sit down and write this post,
because I just couldn't hear (or more likely wasn't listening) to God
about what to share. You will have to bear with me because I have not
written anything at length since my graduate school days, and I'm a
little rusty.
Can
you think back to a moment, or series of moments that you believe
changed the course of your spiritual walk? I firmly believe that God
stands in front of us all the time, flailing his arms and hoping we
will notice the divine appointments he has meticulously scheduled for
us. One such divine appointment for me was when I met my husband in
high school. We were juniors when I first noticed him, and he was
really cute, and a basketball star, and totally awesome. We became
friends when we were seniors, and I was immediately drawn to him. He
was a good kid, super popular, and had strong Christian convictions.
What?
Christian?
He was the kind of Christian that went to Panama with Teen Mania and
lived in the jungle with Kuna Indians to tell them about Jesus. I'd
never met a Christian like that. Sunday morning is one thing, but
half your summer in a jungle for Jesus? But he was genuine. He didn't
care who knew, and people loved him anyway. I remember asking God way
back then to let me marry someone like him. I was unchurched, far
from the salvation I'd accepted at twelve, and on a sure path of
destruction and heart ache when my divine appointment arrived,
exactly on time. One thing that gives me hope about this experience
(even more than our happy ending) is that a girl like me at seventeen
could notice and desire a Godly man like Jason. The world can be so
scary, especially when it comes to adolescents, but the light of
Jesus shines and people desire that. I won't sell anything less to my
daughter. Because my path crossed Jason's (conveniently before I went
off on my Senior trip to Cancun and to college) I am the person I am
today, without a police record (HA! But seriously), and more
importantly with a spiritual craving for more Jesus. I like to think
that Jesus high-fived someone in Heaven the day I finally "got
it!”
Here
are a couple other divine appointments worth mentioning: a fabulous
Zumba instructor came to my school to teach a class. Subsequently she
invited me to Crosspoint. After a while, Jason and I decided to join
a life group to stay plugged in. Initially we were unsure about the
small group thing, and we simply chose a group that was close in
proximity. God plopped us down into a group of people that acted like
we'd been friends for 10 years. We've become close and even look for
excuses to hang out. I could literally write a book about the turning
points in my life. But I digress.
God
is slowly revealing to me the importance of being
a
divine appointment. It's wonderful to look back on how God has
intervened on my behalf. Sometimes I get a little caught up in what
God is doing or can do for me. But then conviction stirs. Isn't this
walk about winning people for the kingdom? That would mean that my
journey is less about me, and more about others.
Consequently,
I just finished reading a novel called Interrupted
by Jen Hatmaker. It's about Jen and her husband, Brandon, in their
faith journey to uproot from their comfortable pastoral roles at a
large church in Austin to plant a missional church on the other side
of the tracks. Without a means or a plan, Brandon resigns, leaving
his security (and salary) behind. But the coolest part of this whole
story is that it all started with his wife, Jen. God ignited the fire
in her, and because of her obedience, her husband was moved, and they
now pastor a church in South Austin that serves the broken and the
needy. They don't wait for people to come to them, they go to the
people.
Our
current series at Crosspoint, Genuine Christian Brand, is tackling
some of the same issues. What is the point of Christianity? How
should it look? Does it exist for Christians, or for those who do not
know Christ? (That last one is a rhetorical question). I've always
appreciated the times when I can recognize God bringing things full
circle. It's not often that you get blinking lightbulbs pointing in
the right direction. Personally, I feel that God is all but yelling
at me to go a little farther. He got me on the plane, now it's time
to take that parachute and JUMP into some uncharted territory! One
way I have done that lately is to accept the leadership role of the
“social media” person for CP Women. I wrestled with God a little
on that decision, mostly because I feared it would interfere with my
“time.” I bargained with God and told him I needed him to help me
improve my time management. So far, so good.
I
didn't realize it at first, but I think Crosspoint does a great job
of encouraging it's members to serve. Serving others is such an
incremental part of our spiritual journey. But I think we have to be
careful and even purposeful about serving more than what walks in on
Sunday. Don't misunderstand. It takes a small army of mostly
volunteers to run the tight ship that is Crosspoint. But outside of
that, I ask myself “Am I doing all I can do exude the love of Jesus
to everyone I encounter?” The answer is usually “NO.”
I'm
not exactly sure how far God is intending to take me right now. But I
do know that I can try to glorify Him in all that I do on a daily
basis, just incase I am a divine appointment in someone else's life.
I don't know about you, but that takes some serious work at times. It
means that not only do I have to make every effort to be friendly,
compassionate, polite, and attentive to others, but I also have to do
things like curb my road rage and NOT go a little ape on the
apathetic Macy's salesperson who is NOT motivated to help me find the
one and only missing shoe in the size that I need. Grace is the word!
I
feel as though I could go on for another page or two, but I know I'm
starting to lose some of you. So to “launch” (as we say in the
classroom), I encourage you to think about the impact you are having
on others, and how that relates to Christ. Do you attract or repel?
There's more than one way to minister to others, and it doesn't
always involve showing up on someone's door step with a bible in your
hand. Maybe it's just showing up, loving people, taking an interest,
building a relationship, and/or extending both grace and truth (as
Pastor Tom has mentioned in this series).
Here
are various scriptures that have really taken hold of me and prompted
this post:
Deuteronomy
2:3 (oldie, but goodie): “You
have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn
north (which I translated as, “hey dummy, you've been beating this
dead horse long enough, move on!).
All
of Isaiah 58, but this especially 58:9: “...If
you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and
malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the
hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will
rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”
Romans
14:13: “Therefore
let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your
mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a
brother or sister.”
Romans
15:5-6: “May
the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same
attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that
with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
