Crossroads

linking pathways - providing gateways

Crossroads was established in 2006 by Remihana and Michelle Emery, the "first fruits" of Highway Church.
It began with a scripture, a dream and a hope...

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
Matthew 7:13

As a troubled youth, I was no stranger to sex, drugs, alcohol and violence - the same temptations that youth are still faced with today.
Although raised by loving parents, it was outside the home that I found solace and a sense of belonging.
Unfortunately, the path, which I was so eager to travel, lead me to some dark situations which had some brutal consequences.
Though I didn't realise it back then, the choices I was making as a teenager and the emotional pain that I had oppressed, would dictate my behaviour into adulthood.
Hatred lead to violence, the yearning to belong lead to drug and alcohol abuse, and the lack of self worth lead to depression and eventually destruction.
At the age of 27, the road that I was travelling had come to an end and I decided to bow out of the race.
Life had become too much for me to bear and I had no more fight left in me.
I thought my only remaining option was death by suicide - that was all that awaited me at the end of this road.
But then a man appeared before me at the very end of the road...
And before my eyes, the dead end became a crossroads...
And I found myself now staring at two choices:
Death - alone: or
Life - with Jesus.
Obviously, I'm still here, thanks to my Lord and Saviour.
"He lifted me out of the mud and mire.  He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."  Psalm 40
He emptied me of everything I thought I knew of this world and He opened my eyes to the needs of others.
He taught me how to love and be loved - two things I could never do before.
He carved the names of His children into my heart, which continues to burn with a passion for His people.
My life will never be the same again, nor will my spirit and my entire being.

Life is full of crossroads - choices that must be made for good or for bad.
I come across them every single day.
Do I choose rightly?  Not always - I'm not perfect.
But as I look left and right, searching each path for a glimmer of hope or goodness, these words still echo in my ears -
The very words that He whispered to me that day at the crossroads, which changed me forever...

"It is our God that leads us,
Our faith that drives us,
Our truth that speaks for us,
Our hearts that define us,
Our love that surpasses us."

WHO AM I?  I am a child of God.
After years of struggling with fear of failure, never being good enough, never being worthy, never quite belonging,
I finally found my place in this world and was content with who I was - me!
WHY AM I HERE?  To simply be me, the way that God intended me to be.
When we find God, we truly find ourselves.
Be proud, have faith, believe in ourselves.
God does, because he created us for a purpose...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11

I truly believe that there is nothing in life that we endure which God will not use to benefit His people.
As an adult, I have the gift of experience and hindsight.
It is a gift that I must share with the youth around me, to be a window into their possible futures.
Not to tell them what to do or how to live their lives, but to give them every piece of information I can so that they can make an informed decision regarding life's challenges.
And hopefully prevent them from travelling some of the same roads I did.

There is no such thing as a dead end street.
There is always more than one choice and death should never be one of them.
Whenever you reach the crossroads, choose LIFE!

Ma te Atua te manaaki,

Remihana Emery
Pastor
Highway Church