Pastor Paul takes us to view the start of it all. Looking through the portal we examine the story of humankind’s creation and explore how science, sociology, and scripture converge to reveal humanity’s design for community. Drawing from research on health, longevity, and resilience, Paul highlights to us that science indicates living in relationship with others is as vital as diet, sleep, and exercise. And from a biblical perspective, he shows us humans are not “lone wolves” but image-bearers of God, created for unity that reflects the divine oneness of Father, Son, and Spirit. Marriage, church, and authentic community embody this top-down and ground-up design, pointing to God’s intention for us to live with purpose, resilience, and love with each other.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Going through the portal Pastor Paul takes us to the story of Daniel in the lion’s den as we reexamine it—not as a tale of mere survival, but as a lesson in our conviction, rhythms, and our orientation toward God. Paul illuminates how Daniel’s strength wasn’t found in avoiding hardship but in his daily practice of prayer, consistently facing Jerusalem, and turning his soul toward the presence of Yahweh. And he challenges us to consider what we open the “windows” of our lives to—wether it’s culture, distractions, our struggles and hardships, the difficulty of our relationships or is it going to be God’s presence. So we’re reminded that our victories come not from eliminating the “lions”, not from facing them down, but from elevating ourselves, opening our windows, and facing toward the name of Yahweh, looking to the hills from where our help comes, aligning ourselves with the stronger one, Christ, who gives His strength in our weakness.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Pastor Paul and Josh dives through the portal this week to look at the example of the early Church in the Book of Acts, all to see what were they all about. They show us in scripture a Spirit-empowered community marked by radical generosity, unity, and tangible care for one another. Drawing from the passages Paul and Josh read, they challenge us to move beyond maybe our passive faith and into active compassion: opening our hands freely to the poor, measuring efficiency by what we give rather than what we keep, and cultivating a readiness to share time, talents, and treasures. Paul and Josh reveal Crosstowne’s “Kingdom Drops” initiative as a practical outworking of this ethic—mobilizing us, the church, to serve locally through feeding the homeless, supporting teachers, and caring for widows, while also engaging in national and international mission work, and so much more. Their encouragement for us being generosity is not an optional extra but a central truth of God’s kingdom, that brings transformation both to those we serve and to our own hearts.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Staci leads us through the "Portal" this week, bringing fresh insight into the life of Joshua—not as a flat Bible character, but as a real, relatable person navigating fear, loss, and calling. She highlights Joshua 1, where we explore how God's repeated command to “be strong and courageous” isn't a call to self-reliance, but to deep trust in His presence and promises. Staci shares her personal experiences of anxiety, grief, and spiritual struggle, with us to remind us that true strength comes from meditating on God's Word, yielding to the Spirit, and walking forward in faith—EVEN when we feel weak. We’re encouraged as believers to move beyond performance and embrace the sustaining grace of God in every season of our lives.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Going through the “portal”, Pastor Paul leads us in exploring the life of Moses—not through the lens of miracles and dramatic events, but through a powerful internal moment of transformation. Paul shows us how long before Moses parted the Red Sea or confronted Pharaoh, he made a deeply personal and existential decision to part with Egypt and embrace his true identity and purpose. We are invited to make the same personal and existential decision with our lives. Through the book of Hebrews, Paul challenges us to consider what it means to “grow up” spiritually: to take ownership of our beliefs, make intentional choices, and align with God’s calling. This is our call to stop waiting for external change and start engaging the inward journey of faith and purpose.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

As we peer through the “portal” again this week, Pastor Paul takes us to explore the lives of three women named Mary—Mary of Nazareth, Mary of Bethany, and Mary Magdalene and their “three ways to the cross of Christ”. Paul highlights to us that though each came from a different background—a quiet rural town, a well-off suburb, and a broken past marked by spiritual darkness—they all encountered Jesus in transformative ways. It’s through each of their stories, we can see that no matter our origin, status, or shame, the cross of Christ remains open to all of us. Paul encourages us that there is only one way to God the Father—through His son Jesus—but our lives may unfold in many ways as we are drawn to Him. So no matter where we’re from, where we’ve been, or what we’ve done, there's room at the cross for us.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Pastor Paul takes us back through the “Portal” this week to look at “the power of and”. He highlights the biblical example of Priscilla and Aquila to explore the strength of godly partnerships in both marriage and ministry. Paul unpacks the contrast of their faithful “and” with the misguided union of Ananias and Sapphira, urging us to reflect on what and who we join ourselves to in life. Through this Pastor Paul challenges us as believers to align every part of our lives—relationships, resources, and purpose—to be “and” with Christ.

Watch now and consider: who or what is your “and”?

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Pastor Paul dives us deep into the story of Jonah—not as a children’s tale about a big fish, but as a profound reflection on repentance, mercy, and God's transformative grace within our lives. Paul unpacks Jonah’s resistance to God's call and his time inside the fish as a metaphor for spiritual confrontation and growth, challenging us to reframe failure and hardship as sacred spaces for maximum potential. He shows us how rather than punishment, the "belly" becomes a moment of clarity, ownership, and redirection. An act of God’s grace. With honesty and depth, Paul explores how God’s first instinct isn’t condemnation, but compassion—and how embracing difficult conversations with God can lead to resurrection for our lives, not ruin.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

Pastor Paul takes us back through the portal to the story of Samson to reveal how spiritual compromise often begins with small, intentional choices—like aligning the dominoes for our own downfall. Paul draws the parallels between Samson's journey and our own struggles, he challenges us to examine the subtle ways we drift from God's calling. But through moments of failure, blindness, and loss, we can see that God's grace still pursues us. Even when we feel disqualified or far gone, this story reminds us that restoration is possible. Paul invites us to take this story as a message of warning, but also hope, and invitation. Encouraging us that God hasn’t given up on us—and He’s ready to restore our vision and purpose.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.

As we pick up in our series Portal, Pastor Paul reminds us as we continue to look at God’s story within the Bible it’s real-life accounts of man and God’s interaction that we find, not just the fun children’s tales. But it’s stories where we examine human weaknesses, failures, and successes that bear personal relevance for us now. We travel through the portal to see the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—three faithful men we find amidst the chaos of Babylonian exile. Everything seeks to strip these men of their identity in God from their new names, diets, and command to worship an idol “when the music plays”. Paul challenges us to think critically, how often do people today ourselves included bow to the “image” of culture, media narrative, social demand, success “when the music plays”. He encourages us to have a prevenient resolve—a prepared mindset formed ahead of time to face future temptation or trials, rather than making decisions in the moment under pressure. What moments do we bow to? Paul invites us to have a made-up mind to choose God instead of the ever-playing “music” of culture and temptation.

For more information and resources, visit https://www.crosstownechurch.com/.