Pastor’s Thoughts: What is God Creating???

May 28th, 2008 admin

One of the great opportunities of a Pastor is to get to know so many different people. I am amazed to learn the host of different degrees, different job skills, and different hobbies or interests among those in our church. It reminds me that our God is an amazing God, a God that creates each one of us a bit different.

Since coming back to Katy two years ago to begin CrossPoint SevenLakes, I have been praying for the different people with the specific gifts to make this church an effective church to reach others with the message of Jesus. We at CrossPoint desire to be “different by design”. We pray that God forms us in a unique way, with unique people so we are not just like any church. God has and is currently answering my prayer with YOU!

Every time I see someone find a way to use their gifts and passions in this ministry, every time a new family comes in eager to get involved and become a part of this ministry, God is answering this prayer. He is forming and molding us into His masterpiece for His Glory! His masterpiece, a mouthpiece to tell others about Jesus and His unending love!

I challenge you to take a look at yourself; how you are gifted, the things that excite you, and then pray about how God wants you to use your gifts for His work in this ministry! I would love to talk with you or pray specifically for you!

Let’s see what God can create here at SevenLakes through us!

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. I Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Invest in your marriage…

April 28th, 2008 admin

The past six months have been a bit unbalanced in the Hauser home. I have eaten a bit more and less selectively. I have slept less. I have cut corners on taking care of the lawn, the house, and even my marriage. I guess that is what can be expected when twins come, while juggling a toddler. So about a month ago, Andrea and I had a talk and decided some things have to change. We have to invest in our marriage. Here are some priorities that we agreed upon that I would challenge you to discuss with your spouse.

Date Night. We decided that twice a month we need some time alone, out of the house. It does not need to be an expensive dinner, or a movie. It could be a bike ride or a walk.

Get Away. Our budget at this time doesn’t allow for a cruise or a big trip, but we took off for a couple of days a few weeks ago, just to get reacquainted. We did very little, and yet it may have been one of the most relaxing vacations yet in our marriage. Even if it is for only one night, we have vowed to take two get-aways a year.

Prayer and Devotion.  We realized as good or bad our personal time with God may be we need to be spending time together focused on God’s Word and in prayer on a daily basis. We are currently using Night Light by Dr. James and Shirley Dobson each night.

Grow. Pastor Matt has introduced me to a couple of great books. For Men Only and For Women Only by Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn. Some of the CrossPoint Home Teams are using these books for there devotions. Andrea and I spent time on our get away reading and discussing these books in order to understand each other better and strengthen our marriage.

I know that the greatest gift I can give my kids is to be in a home where there is a Christ centered, loving marriage. I ask God to give my marriage, and yours the discipline to become that kind of marriage.

Matthew 7:25 (NIV) The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Too bad…

April 25th, 2008 admin

It was the last day of school my Junior year in High School.  I went to graduation, and afterwards hung out with my usual group of friends.  We were a pretty wholesome group, but like to play pranks.  That night we stepped the prank up a bit.  Dressed in all black, on a rainy, dreary night, I decided to head home.  So I walked with flashlight in hand to a road where my car was parked behind a construction sign.  Out of no where three swat cars appeared in three different directions and told me to freeze!

Apparently neighbors had called that some suspicious individuals were in the area.  I tried to explain that we were just doing a harmless prank, but the truth seemed so unbelievable.  After searching my car, grilling me for over an hour, and a number of threats, they let me go home.

The drive home was the horrible.  What do I do?  How would my parents, my dad a pastor, forgive his son for getting in trouble with the law?

I learned a valuable lesson that day.  Nothing is too bad to confess.  Keeping it in just makes it worse.  Keeping our dark secrets from God and the one’s we love eats away at us and works its way between our God and our loved ones.  God offers forgiveness, no matter what it is.  Nothing is too bad. 

We all have had dark secrets in our lives that we are convinced no one could get past.  We do whatever we can to hide and cover them up.  Jesus offers grace, forgiveness and freedom from the guilt and the weight.  I encourage you to find a person you trust and confess your dark secrets that you carry and ask God to forgive and heal you.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9(NIV)

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Pastor’s Thoughts: The Family’s Story …

April 7th, 2008 admin

What is your family’s story? Does your family tree include someone of Nobility, or a general in the army? Does your family include an inventor that brought us some modern convenience?

Some family stories are eerie…my Great Grandfather was a Chicago Cop that got hooked up with the Mob and ended up dead in a pond. Some Family stories are inspiring…another one of my Great Grandfathers was a missionary to Australia for years until he and his family came to Iowa to begin a church and school in a new land.

We are all building a legacy…the question is just what kind of legacy for our family, our kids, and those around us.

CrossPoint’s family story is about building an eternal legacy as God uses people, from all walks of life, from all depths of faith. No matter if they or you are more like my missionary ancestor, or my dirty cop Great Grandfather, God can use you in order to build this legacy and bring Jesus to the people in our communities. Let’s build something together!

Daniel L. Hauser

Campus Pastor 

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Foolishness…

March 31st, 2008 admin

In the Easter message, I shared with you that the doors, the choices you face in your life, the past you carry with you; you need to see in light of the empty tomb. Even death, death of a family, a marriage, a spouse, or even your death; when you find you only have days to live. Jesus has conquered our death, disappointment, despair, so that Hope can reign in our lives.

In our new series we see that this reality comes into conflict within the world we live. We live in a world that says, “yeah right” to Christ. It is a world that considers the cross foolish.

To follow, to trust in God is to be counter cultural. It is to swim upstream, to be wild and crazy in the world’s eyes.
Currently, I am in the midst of a long term conversation with 4-5 individuals. I have knocked down the obstacles that they have had toward seeing Jesus as Lord, only for them to dig up or create another question. The problem is that they refuse to take themselves out of the “lord” position in their lives. For one to truly trust in Jesus as Lord, they have to take a leap of faith, saying they are not “lord”, and Jesus is Lord.

My prayer is that you ask the questions, seek diligently through His Word, but then, in the light of the empty tomb, you trust in what the world would claim as foolishness - the cross and its payment on your behalf!

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
I Cor. 1:18 (NIV)

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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Pastor’s Thoughts: The stature of prayer…

March 17th, 2008 admin

My oldest daughter is entering the stage when things are black and white, a time where you have to play by the rules. I know there will be a time where she moves past this, as it can be frustrating at times. But even though psychologists claim that at some point in life we move from concrete to abstract thought, I am not convinced that we easily move beyond this stage in our prayers.

What I mean is that we pray for specific things; Aunt Betsy to recover from surgery, our son in college to find purpose in life, the kids in Africa to get food to eat, the weather to be sunny and perfect for this weekend. The problem is that our prayers don’t necessarily get answered just how we want them to be answered. Does that mean we didn’t pray hard enough? Didn’t we pray right? Or doesn’t prayer work?

The Lord’s Prayer ends with a phrase that I have glossed over for many years. It is just a benediction of sorts that hasn’t given new insights. But recently I heard it called a verbal bow. A verbal stature of getting on my knees and saying, “I may ask for food, for healing, for purpose, or beautiful weather, but I surrender to You to deliver what is best, what I need, what is right. For you are God and I am not.” This ending of the prayer helps us make a leap of faith from a “black and white” prayer into an abstract prayer. It helps us to make our words be humble, verbally on our knees.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen!

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Weak Knees…

March 10th, 2008 admin

In High School and college, I was into weights. I loved lifting; the challenge to break my records, the goal of “Arnold” type biceps. I got quite strong, and quite big. When someone met me, I am sure they thought I was really strong, not someone to mess with. But I had a soft spot, I had weak knees. I could beat you in an arm wrestling match, beat you in bench press, but I was always a step away from crutches.

The Devil knows about our weak knees. He knows the places that we are vulnerable, the places to attack. We may think we are strong. We may be strong in many ways, but we all have weaknesses. We all have areas that are susceptible to attack. You may know your weak points. You may not, but be assured we all have them.

I did two things through the years to protect my weak knees. First I made sure the muscles around them were as strong as possible through exercise. Second I would stay away from certain sports and situations that could lead to an easy injury. With temptation, we can strengthen ourselves around our vulnerable areas by getting into God’s Word and having others around us to keep us accountable. We can also prevent some temptation by avoiding the places you know can cause injury. We all have weaknesses. May we not fool ourselves on thinking we are strong, but rely on God for the protection we need for our weak knees.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall…God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

I Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV)

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Forgiveness; who’s it for…

March 5th, 2008 admin

When we usually talk about forgiveness, we assume we are talking about something that we need, we get, or are looking for. Everyone needs it. It is true, the game is over if there is no forgiveness. Our lives are just too messed up to have purpose, to be salvaged unless some of my past baggage can be erased. This is the number one message of the church; “Forgiveness for you through Christ”.

Forgiveness is not just for us to receive. Forgiveness is also something we do. When we refuse to forgive others, our lives fill up with a different type of baggage; of rage, of resentment, of anger, or of grudges. We are crushed by that weight unless we can forgive.

I am not talking about being happy and peachy about the neighbor kid that broke into your car, or your father that abused you, or your business partner that sunk you, but I am talking about letting go, and not wanting revenge. Forgiveness is a load off your shoulders. Forgiveness is for you. Most of us have a person or a situation that we are holding onto. My prayer is that God grant you the power to forgive. May He help you learn to forgive.

“It used to be all I wanted to learn was wisdom trust and truth. But now all I really want to learn is forgiveness for you.”  Forgiveness, Ed Young – Collective Soul

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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Pastor’s Thoughts: What to pray for…

March 5th, 2008 admin

It is easy to focus your prayer on crisis and riches. It is easy to look at God as your superhero and your Sugar Daddy. But is that how we should approach our Heavenly Father?

I remember growing up in the heartland of America. My dad was the Pastor in a community that reached many farmers. As a kid I loved to be outdoors. We lived on 4 acres and I would spend every lit hour climbing trees, playing hide and seek, basketball, or cowboys and Indians.

One day I woke up and it was raining. I had prayed it would be a nice day and I was upset with God that it was not. My mom sat me down and explained that the farmers really needed the rain. They had been praying for it to rain. Since that day, I have learned that I may pray for things I desire, but ultimately I pray for that which God wants me to have. God is my superhero, He is my Sugar Daddy, but He is so much more than that. When I pray, I may have good intentions in mind, but I trust He knows what is best! So dear Lord, give me what I need, and help me to be thankful for it, even if it is different than what I envisioned.

Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

(Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV)

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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Pastor’s Thoughts: Control

February 19th, 2008 admin

I am kind of a control freak. I am the worst back seat driver in the world. When we drive to Iowa and back, I rarely ever let my wife drive, and she is a good driver. I trust her; I just can’t stand to not be in control.

This past weekend, after spending hours on the runway, in the air, and in route to and from the airport, I even debated which would be worse, flying or driving myself to Iowa.

I can try to sugarcoat this characteristic as a leadership quality of mine, but in reality it has its roots in sin, the desire to be in charge. This is the sin that tripped up mankind to rebel from God in the first place. This same control issue enters into our prayers as we try to dictate to God how He should bless us and answer our prayers. Therefore, Jesus taught us a very simple but profound concept, not my will, but Yours (God’s) be done! May God help you to pray and trust this concept.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Daniel L. Hauser
Campus Pastor

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