Take up thy cross…

“ ‘Take up thy cross and follow me.’  I heard the blessed Savior call; how can I make a lesser sacrifice, when Jesus gave His all?” (A.H. Ackley – taken from the hymn “Take up Thy Cross” in 1922)

“One thing you knew about a man walking down the road carrying a cross; he wasn’t coming back.”  (A.W. Tozer)

When Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 10:21), His plan for us is crucifixion. For those who are looking for the abundant life, there is only one road; Calvary. To those who don’t know God this is foolishness, yet to follow in “The Way” one must die before he can live. There is no empty tomb without a Garden of Gethsemane and a bloody cross.

Yes, Gethsemane comes first (The place where we lay down our will and desires). It should have come on the day of our conversion. The day we wrestled with our flesh. The day we bid our old man good-bye. The day we surrendered to the will of our Creator. The day we wept bitterly, first in shame for our sin then in joy for God’s mercy and love. Yes, Gethsemane comes first. Then we are invited to take up our cross and join the Lord on Calvary’s hill. To carry our cross in this pilgrim’s path is joy unspeakable, for there is also a joy set before us; the joy of doing life with God.  Our Lord knew the joy set before Him and He willfully embraced the will of His Father. As a result of His obedience, we now have eternal life.

I have heard it said that there are a thousand roads that lead to hell and only one road that leads to Heaven. Take up they cross! The journey won’t be long, for as one man said; “life lived at it’s best is still brief.” The man who dodges the cross has no hope of resurrection.

Tom Zurowski

To read more “Life Thoughts” visit our website @ www.grnconnect.org

We need each other…

I was reading the Bible yesterday and came across two wonderful verses, Romans 1:11 &12.

“11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

I love the Apostle Paul’s posture here. Most of us would rightly assume that Paul’s level of revelation and insight far exceeded that of the Romans, yet he genuinely desired the encouragement of their faith as well.

This is one more glimpse at the “Normal Christian Life.” None of us can ever get to the place where we don’t think we need each other. The truth is that each of us adds great value to one another’s lives.

I have to say that this is one of the greatest reasons why I love having the privilege to speak in conferences, churches, home groups, businesses, and schools; I have the joy of receiving life from others. You see, the slogan “Because People Matter” is a reality to all of us at GRN. We know that life is better when we live it together.

You matter. We need each other.

Tom Zurowski

On the road again…

Next week Tom Zurowski and John Follman will be setting out on a multistop minitour. The purpose of the trip is to connect with and encourage the GRN family in Ohio and Kentucky. This will be the first of several trips planned for this coming year.  Please pray for Tom, John, and their families while they are away.

New blogs…

I just wanted to take a moment and encourage all of you to check out a couple more blogs that will interest you.

The Follman Family – www.follman.wordpress.com

Liz Thoughts – www.eafollman.wordpress.com

These blogs belong to John and Liz Follman, GRN staff members. The entries are fresh and fun. Enjoy!

Who said I have stress?

Jeremiah teaches us how to cope with stress. (Klick to view picture)

What could be so stressful about playing, sleeping, and eating? What a kick!

This side of the grass…

If you’re reading this blog entry right now, I have good news for you, you’re not dead yet.

I remember an older gentleman telling me one time that he wakes up every morning and checks the obituary section of the paper to see if his name is listed there. He went on to say that “every day on this side of the grass is a good day.” In other words, he was grateful for life.

I have found that one of the best ways we can tell God that we are thankful for the life He’s given us is to invest in the life of someone else.

If you’re not a hermit, you probably know someone who could use some encouragement today. Why not take a moment out of your busy schedule and pray for that person, send them a card, give them a phone call, or even buy them a gift. Your investment may mean the difference between them giving up or pushing through.

Go on, help make someone’s day! You may be suprised at how blessing someone else can make your journey on “this side of the grass” a little bit nicer.

By Tom Zurowski

Jeremiah…he’s so funny!

Jeremiah Zurowski stands up in his crib and says Dada. Enjoy! Visit Jeremiah’s website @ http://www.grnconnect.org/jeremiah.htm

Life… it’s risky business

 

 

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of all is for someone to die with an unfulfilled dream still inside of them. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people die every day. What a shame it is that each one of those people were created in the image of God (The Creator), yet sadly few of them were probably willing to take the risks necessary to fulfill their dreams.

 

Maybe someone today, who wanted to be a missionary, died with that unfulfilled dream still inside of them. Maybe the next great invention went to the grave today with it’s potential inventor. Maybe the cure for a deadly disease was packed into a coffin with someone who believed the words “It will never work.” 

 

We all know that living real life is risky, but have we ever thought about the fact that a risk free life is not really living? It’s merely existing until we take our place in the undeniable statistic that concludes – ten out of ten people die.

 

Probably the number one cause of unfulfilled dreams is fear. Can you imagine if someone stood before millions of people with AIDS and said “I think I had an idea that could of cured your disease, but I was afraid of what would happen if I failed.”? That would be crazy, but it is probably happening somewhere in the world right now.

 

My heroes are people who were willing to step into the realm of potential disaster for the sake of making a difference in the world around them.

 

Risk free living is simply self preservation. It helps no one. Years ago NIKE came out with an ad campaign that simply said “History. Make it or be it!” What will you choose? The world is waiting for your response.

 

Take a risk! Start living your dreams or die trying.

 

Tom Zurowski – Executive director

GRN in NYC

This weekend, GRN’s Executive Director Tom Zurowski had the privilege of participating in a Conference hosted by Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) at Calvary Baptist Church in downtown Manhattan. Tom had the chance to reconnect with long time friend and VOM Director Tom White and also made a host of new friends. The life-changing conference concluded with Tom sharing practical applications learned from our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.

Tom has often said, “The greatest thing I have ever learned from our persecuted brothers and sisters is how to love and forgive in the midst of pain and suffering.”

Tom spoke about how the persecuted church would encourage all of us to forgive all those who have hurt us or have offended us.

Many people said they were inspired and motivated by the message that Tom shared. Thank you so much for praying…you had such a critical role in this event.

Click on the link below to see a picture of Tom with his friend Tom White.

Check back for video clips from the conference.

Tom Zurowski with VOM Director and long time friend Tom White

Thank You

As of today, GRN’s blog “Connection Corner” has had over 1200 hits (# of times people have visited the site). Since we created the blog at the end of June, we have loved meeting regularly with you here at the connection corner. We hope that the posts we put here on the blog help to give you a closer look at GRN, as well as make you laugh, cry, reflect and encourage you as we live life together.

Thank you for meeting with us here regularly at the connection corner…see you back here soon!