06/23/2026
Crosswinds family and friends,
As a father and in every area of my life, I desire to be successful. I want to win. One definition of success I like is doing today what God has called me to do. I believe this is true, but as I juggle the hats I wear, I must admit that I have, from time to time, felt I have fallen short, even very short.
The NBA GOAT Michael Jordan (sorry, LeBron fans) once said, “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” How can he say this so confidently? I believe the key lies in something I heard somewhere, namely that there is no winning and losing, but winning and learning.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could always succeed, always win? But on this side of paradise, we are going to take our licks. How we receive them, however, makes a significant difference. I am not talking about putting up a motivational poster with a catchy slogan or relying on mere self-talk. I am talking about a dynamic shift in perspective, moving from allowing failure or loss to put us in emotional and spiritual paralysis to receiving them as opportunities to learn and press on.
The Apostle Paul understood this tension intimately. Writing from a Roman prison, he, a man who had been beaten, shipwrecked, and rejected, declared in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Paul was not in denial about his past failures and sufferings. He simply refused to let them anchor him. The word "straining" suggests muscular, deliberate effort, this is not passive optimism but an active choice to redirect. For the believer, pressing forward is not mere grit; it is an act of faith, trusting that God's purpose for today is greater than yesterday's defeat.
A.W. Tozer, in his seminal book The Pursuit of Christian Maturity, quotes from The Cloud of Unknowing, which, interestingly enough, has an unknown author: “Look now forward and let be backward.” What does that mean? Let the past be the past. Learn from it, and press forward in the leading and power of the Holy Spirit.
I know I have not been a perfect father. I don't say that lightly. I desire to be. Truth be told, my aim is perfection in every area of my life, and although I have not achieved it, I press on toward it. I apologize when necessary. I learn from my shortcomings. I press on, taking advantage of the day God has given me. As the Japanese proverb goes, “Yesterday is a canceled check, tomorrow is a promissory note; you only have today. Invest it well.” I choose to invest well today, and I hope you do too.
Hope to see you this coming Sunday. We offer live services on Sunday mornings at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Additionally, we offer a nursery and children's ministry at both services, along with a unique ministry opportunity for grades 5-8 (Intermediate Ministry). You can also visit www.crosswinds.church to participate by streaming the live services, or, throughout the week, you can join us through our recorded service, which is posted every Monday afternoon. It can be viewed for the entire week until the following Monday, after which you can still find the week's message and previous weeks' recordings. Also, be sure to check out Crosswinds' Unleashed podcast, released every Friday. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Consider what it means to adopt a perspective of “succeeding and learning” rather than “winning and losing” in your journey with Christ.
Believing with you,
Pastor Craig Cooper
