Anvil Cross James (00:01)
Hey, thanks very much for showing up. Welcome to Anvil and Cross and a small introduction in terms of what we are, where we're going, why it came about, and more importantly, about what you can do to help support this amazing new nonprofit. In short, Anvil and Cross is a place to gather, to serve, to grow. So welcome to the journey. As one of the first people listening to this,

Anvil Cross James (00:31)
You in a sense are our founders. This journey is for you to get closer to God, to serve and to give back.

Anvil Cross James (00:42)
But first, let's start with my story and its relevance to setting up Anvil Cross.

Anvil Cross James (00:51)
I had some dark days. As a youngster, I went to a Christian boarding school and I was abused. It's pretty much why I deserted God in the first place. 30 years later, I went back to start the healing. And crazy enough, I found those initials, or my initials in the clock tower, where I used to hide to escape. And that was one of my first breakdowns. I've spent 35 years pretty much running from God. No pun intended.

Anvil Cross James (01:19)
keeping so busy I just didn't have to notice any pain. I was a pro runner and I was an infantry officer. I was a national coach. I hosted sports center in Asia. I was a multinational business leader, setting up countries and regions and founded my own hydration business. I was always pushing though, always punishing myself. I'll be my own boss. I'll do it my way. I don't need God. Then it hit me. It wasn't my way.

Anvil Cross James (01:47)
And I wasn't letting that right person in. I had a divorce, that sucked. Another breakdown, I got back up. I thought I was on track, but I still hadn't found God. And then there was a turning right moment. Oasis. There's a community church that I'd driven past hundreds of times on this one thoroughfare where I live in Arizona. I was like, it's a church. And then November 9th last year, I was dropping the girls off with their awesome mum.

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and without deciding to, I usually turn left and I turned right and it was like, I don't want to and it happened to be 10 o'clock. It was a Sunday and

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Pastor Billy, the founder of, one of the founders of Oasis, was there waiting for me in my wreckage. He's now become a great friend and a mentor and started my journey back to God. And pretty much I've been full gas ever since. If you ever ask anyone about the church, it's, I'm just all in and I'm loving it, but I'm learning and I'm growing. But that wasn't the happy moment really. This year has been a job season.

Anvil Cross James (02:59)
I've had three major surgeries. I was meant to be going to the World Champs for Old People's Triathlon. I obviously couldn't go. Pressure at work and home that I couldn't imagine. Everything shaken up, broken, just beat down to literally to zero. And what's crazy is this is more pressure than I've ever had over this last season, but I'm okay. I'm finally at peace.

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I've realized that God is part of it and he's got me and he's looking after me and when he's tested me, I will come forth as gold as Job says, 2310.

Anvil Cross James (03:38)
In my army days, we did a lot of serving. was hearts and minds, it was giving back to the community. And to be fair, I've loved helping right the way through, but never with God in mind, just because it's what you should do. It's what I teach to my two little princesses. And I would say it's my calling.

Anvil Cross James (03:58)
And for me, it's something that is so important. But you know what's crazy? Is that I then started serving at a food pantry and that's where it hit home. It's like, there's a connection between God and helping. And I got fully involved. I helped redesign it. I started telling people that in the food pantry, of which it serves about 3000 people a year, of families in dire need, but some of them were missing that connection that I missed. was sort of like, hey,

Anvil Cross James (04:28)
There's a church to attend and you can come to it and whether it's this church or another church just help you find God. And even suggesting to people get baptized. And we had several tens of people start coming to the Spanish service or to the English service. But I wasn't baptized myself. So I was telling people to get baptized because I didn't think I was worthy. So next day there was a sermon from Billy on surrender and

Anvil Cross James (04:58)
That smacked me between the eyes as a a massive God wink of, baptism isn't the start, I just need to surrender properly. And in the end I did. And what was so cool is in that baptism, two of the people I got told I was suggesting to get baptized got baptized that same day, one right after me. So that was a real foundation for Anvil Cross, build community, give back, and then grow in God. And then I finally found some peace, military.

Anvil Cross James (05:26)
It's a team, it's all about community. Those of you who have served, thank you for your service. We're protecting our nations and we have this amazing kinship. But what's crazy is we leave the military and that kinship just sort of gets torn apart. And it's, to some extensives, it can be like Christianity and even the church. know, Sunday it's all in, we're all going for it. Retreats, we're all in. Conferences, we're all in. And then Monday comes and we're empty.

Anvil Cross James (05:57)
I went on a men's retreat, which is the first time I've ever done one. It's not very English, so to speak. And I was late. The bunk I was given looked a spitting image of a bunk at school. And it was scary as. And it came and just slapped me in the face. But you know what was so awesome? My tribe, the small group that I was part of, and some of them are founding crew like you are.

Anvil Cross James (06:24)
and a massive thanks to them helped me go and face my darkest fears and almost suck it up by the cup. And what was so peaceful is when I actually went and got into that bed for the first time since I was 16, I felt peace. And I really, really understood what community and God can do. And look, if someone's hurt you, anyone, anywhere, church, male, female,

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I'm here to talk and I'm an open book and I just want to say God's got you. He might not feel like it, but he's there and just put your faith in him and feel free to message me. But then why Anvil Cross? Well, that Monday problem I touched on a moment ago, we leave Sunday full, the cup is brimmeth over, so to speak, and Monday

Anvil Cross James (07:19)
Where are we? We're on our own. Joy doesn't come from doing it alone. It comes from God and it comes from community. And I'm not a church. I'm not a pastor. And I'm not a replacement for either. Anvil and Cross is helping Christians get one step closer to God together. All churches, all denominations. And I'm also learning and I want all of you to keep learning and keep pushing. If you're one of those Christians that says I'm a Christian goes on a Sunday, well...

Anvil Cross James (07:47)
take an extra step, join a small group. If you join a small group, go and join another group, go and give back. If you haven't even been to church, go and find a church, go and visit a couple of churches, see what they're like. And I'll tell you more about introducing pastors and things because I want every pastor to spread the word on Anvil Cross.

Anvil Cross James (08:06)
Why the name? anvil is where you're forged as a person. Heat, pressure, hammer. That's life. It's certainly been my life. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27, 17. And the sword within the cross prepares you for battle, to defend your faith, to look after you and your family. And the cross, well, that's simple. It stands above everything. The message of the cross to us who are being saved.

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is the power of God. Corinthians 1.18. So what's the big idea? Well, there's 162 million Christians in America. If we could just bring 1 % that little step, that's 1.6 million lives. And we do that through gathering. Find your people, serve, do good together across many churches, partnering as a team, because we're all on God's team.

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then grow, get closer to God, let Anvil Cross show and guide you the way.

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First part, gather, find your tribe. The tribe is all of you, you're the people. You belong the moment you join, wherever you are. A gathering is where the tribe meets, locally, online. But what's awesome is imagine searching by city and you can find a gathering in any city you're going to travel of like-minded people that are all connected to God and wanting to move forward. It could be prayer groups that set up.

Anvil Cross James (09:40)
so that we all share prayers on, say, a Tuesday. It could be sharing the Anvil Cross journey process and bringing that in. It's cross-denominational. It's Catholic, it's Baptist. Every Christian wants us together. And if there's no group near you yet, well, here's my challenge. Find some tribe members and create a gathering. Start one. We'll help you. And that's how it spreads.

Anvil Cross James (10:08)
And then use the journey as your foundation and more on that later. Churches have small groups. I continue to encourage that. Keep doing it. Adding more groups inside and outside churches though is where that community grows. And then once a year and hopefully twice, I had a vision.

Anvil Cross James (10:25)
that every gathering and all the tribe members come together and we meet in a city, we fill a stadium and imagine all that energy focused from God to go out into the community and do good. We celebrate, we worship, we enjoy ourselves. It's not about the book, it's not about selling the course, it's about giving back, it's about creating disciples, it's about creating a passion for God where we create more shepherds.

Anvil Cross James (10:54)
Because in people's darkest hours, people find and become better disciples. And you all have the opportunity to go and support that. And what we do is we pour out, we fill up the food pantries, we help a children's shelter, we build homes for veterans. And then it's on to the next city. Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together. Hebrews 10, 24, 25.

Anvil Cross James (11:23)
Because this is your tribe, it's yours. And there's a gathering for you. And as I said, if there isn't, build one. Serve. I mentioned it about going out and serving and giving back. And this is a bit, as I said right at the beginning about my story of how I got here. I love it. You should love it. Help first. People need your help. You don't know how lucky you are. Even if you're struggling, you can still help people.

Anvil Cross James (11:53)
Or ask for help. That's the whole point of it. We all have moments in our life where we need support. I've had it. I know men and women are monsters. We're all too stiff upper lip to say, don't need any help. People say, how are you? You tend to go, fine. And deep underneath you're struggling. Well, that's where your tribe and that's where your gatherings help break you in a good way. And that's where the journey can focus God's efforts on the bits that need your support.

Anvil Cross James (12:24)
And giving isn't just cash, it's time, it's hands, it's support, it's showing up, that's just as important. If you've got assets that we can utilise, I'd love to hear from you. And these groups don't just meet, it's not just all yay, we all meet together. Get out there in your gatherings and go and do something, give back.

Anvil Cross James (12:44)
And then there's the mission card. If you've got a mission, go onto the site, suggest a mission. And then we've got prayer walls. Pray for people. If people are putting it on, pray for them. If you've got a prayer, let us pray for you. And then I do believe it's a great idea, someone suggested recently where we encourage prayer groups and hold people accountable. And then there's a chat. There's just a daily banter chat. Just check in.

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Feel like it. You've got chats within your gatherings and then there's chat in the community. And remember, don't forget to tell me what you need and tell everybody else. If you think we should add something, do something, let's get it going. Because whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me. Matthew 2540. And then we've got grow. And that's find your path. In the military, it was all about a compass and a map. And you got to your destination. In our case,

Anvil Cross James (13:42)
The destination is getting closer to God and focusing God's efforts on where you need it. And you're going to need that sword because you're going to have to bat off the enemy and you're going to have to keep yourself strong. But at every stage of our life, one area is struggling more than the rest. If we can fix and focus that issue, the rest starts to hold. Let God's powers focus on these areas. Don't just say, like I did, I got this. Because you don't. You have it to an extent or maybe not at all.

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because you keep running into the same wall. The compass is absolutely free for everyone. 12 short, simple questions that show where you need God's support the most. And then there's a journey. It's deliberately focused to help inspire, inform, embed your learnings. It's simple. There's a day off like a Sabbath. Every day of week you get to choose what day your Sabbath is. And it's one short lesson, one action, and some practice.

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Six courses focus on faith, leadership, flourishing, community, enterprise and impact. Anvil is literally where that journey is forged. The sword protects you along the way and the compass, it shows you the way. And once you've seen the compass and once you've seen where you need to focus, go and start that journey.

Anvil Cross James (15:00)
because your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119, 105. What you get? Well, there's multiple levels, but remember this is a non-profit. This isn't for exacerbating my kingdom. This is for God's kingdom. Everything after, normal operational costs goes back to missions and to supporting others and growing.

Anvil Cross James (15:30)
That's the whole point of it. The compass is free for everyone, as I've said. Take it, work out where you are, try it. It's three minutes of your life. But even if you don't go any further, you at least know where you need to focus God's efforts. Then there's a tribe from $12 a month. Gather, serve, community, your gathering. There's the chat, community chat, prayer wall, missions. And there's also an Ask Anvil. That's not an AI pastor.

Anvil Cross James (15:55)
It's a AI generated coach to help you keep learning and point you in the right direction. And then there's three levels with the journey, is Forge, Table and Chair. This is a growth part. Any journey level, starting with the Forge and the full journey plus everything in the tribe.

Anvil Cross James (16:15)
And then we've got a for churches bit. That's stronger together. Bring an anvil and cross gathering to your church. Churches need groups. Run one on the journey. You you've got all these different bits that the journey provides. You could set up a church group and run that. And what's great about it is I love men's groups, women's groups, support groups, marriage groups, leadership groups, a book club I'm part of. But imagine a group focusing God's attention on the areas where you need it.

Anvil Cross James (16:45)
That's so cool. And that's something that people don't do. There's also church consulting. Having spent a lot of time in business with some people that are supporting me, I've been lucky to start supporting a church with plans to grow. Quite rightly, everyone wants to grow God's kingdom and they also want to grow their church. And that's not a bad thing. But leadership needs strategy, leadership development, setting it, implementing it, planning it, refining it.

Anvil Cross James (17:15)
And if your church needs that, share it with us because we're not a church, but we're here to help you strengthen your church, to help you share more of God's happy spirit. And please feel free to reach out. And then finally in the churches, but this is also for the community as a whole, as the tribe. Anvil and Cross, as I've said, isn't me selling a conference, selling my book, selling my course and building my own kingdom. We're all in God's kingdom.

Anvil Cross James (17:44)
and we should all work together. That's cross denominational. And the word with James is a 30 minute chat, a bit like a podcast, and maybe I'll be fortunate enough to become a podcast for everybody. Pastors from every type of church I want to see brought in. I want podcast hosts coming in to talk about it. I want to learn, but more importantly, you should want to learn. You should want to understand what God's kingdom and what makes God's kingdom so amazing is the different denominations and the different...

Anvil Cross James (18:12)
messages that people are giving because there is a message in every message for each and every single one of us. So don't leave your church, stay in your church, but tell me who that pastor is, invite that pastor on to A Word with James. I would love to talk to them and I would love them to share your church's message, their message, how they got into being a pastor, what passion is sort of their path. And that also helps not having one single face.

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because there shouldn't be a face. The only face is God. That's it. So remember, if you think of a pastor, reach out and go and grab one. And there's certainly one I'm going to go and talk to at some stage very soon, and I'd love them to be on. And Billy, you probably know who that could be. So the foundation. Overarching all of it is a foundation. And this is where my sort of grand vision is. Anvil and Cross, as I mentioned, is a non-profit.

Anvil Cross James (19:07)
The foundation is set up and we're applying for 501c3 status. Like any organization, there's costs to run it. But after that, it's all about going back to missions and giving. It's reported every year. And if you think of it, you join the tribe or the journey, you go back out on missions. People get help. People find God. People find the tribe. The tribe goes out and serves. The gathering comes back. It's a giant circle.

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to quote Lion King, it's a circle of life. An ultimate vision is, yes, this can be self-sustaining from many, many members and being part of this awesome community, which I want right the way across the states. I want it to be the biggest Christian community because God is the biggest Christian community and let's stop being so siloed. Let's come together, breathe together, live together, pray together, give back together. But I also want to raise...

Anvil Cross James (20:01)
million dollars so that we can say yes to people that need help. Write checks, not just talk about it. Food pantries, women in need, veterans, kids, young people affected by abuse, trafficking, exploitation, people under pressure, people struggling. Missions, support other churches, help them grow, get them off the ground. Scholarships so no one stops anybody joining the journey. All of it back into the community, working alongside local partners.

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who already do this well, supporting churches, supporting groups, supporting teams, supporting gatherings, and how you can be part of it. Well, physically, your time, your hands, joining the tribe, joining the journey, showing up for a mission, because that's where the good happens. But yeah, financially, if you're led to, once a 501c3 is out,

Anvil Cross James (20:56)
Gifts can be tax deductible and imagine being able to not only do it on one side but also to be able to do it. But really the money has one job and it's to go back and help people. So your next steps. There's three things to take away. Number one take that compass this evening. Go and find out where you need God's support. Two gather and serve. Find or start a gathering and tell us the mission you want to support.

Anvil Cross James (21:26)
Do it. You're capable of doing anything. But then share it. Share it on Instagram. Share it with Anvil Cross. Share it on the community chat. Share it on the prayer wall. We've got your back. And the bigger we are, the more supported we are, the more we can do to eventually we can start doing these gatherings and just go in and help people. But every journey starts with a step. And this is the first step in our journey. And then finally invite one person, just one friend.

Anvil Cross James (21:56)
Everybody that listens to this, if you invite one friend and then they tell one friend and then they tell one friend, we get to 101.6 million Christians pretty quickly. Invite your pastor on. Recommend a mission to start. It's a community and it needs you. God needs you to do the work, but he will empower you to be able to do it. And remember, every one of you is a founding partner in this.

Anvil Cross James (22:24)
So you don't walk with God alone. This is your tribe and there's a gathering just for you. Faith, it's lived out. It's not stopping on a Monday. It's not just turning up to church. It's not just saying I'm a Christian and doing nothing about it. And you feel closer to God as I've realized when God's in your heart when you're giving. And then gather, serve, grow and love God.

Anvil Cross James (22:53)
And I want to bless every single one of you. want to pray for all of you. I want to pray that we can all take one step further along our journey with the Lord. And if He just moves us even half a step, He started working within you. In Jesus' name, amen. And thank you very much for being part of it.