Pastor David Rosales

Meekness

2012-01-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In, himself nothing; in God, everything. Tozer

2011-12-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Mt 6:31-34) May we believe this! Christmas brings out the best and worst in us.

2011-12-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

We forget so easily that in the spiritual life there must be the darkness of the night before there can be the radiance of the dawn. Before the life of resurrection can be known, there must be the death that ends the dominion of self. It is a serious but a blessed decision, this willingness to say, "I will follow Him no matter what the cost. I will take the cross no matter how it comes!" (I Talk Back to the Devil...A. W. Tozer)

Grace To Serve

2011-11-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

We all struggle with selfish ambition, but we read in the Bible where the apostle Paul tells us, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." (Phil 2:3,4)

Our human nature is such that we desire to be served, rather than to serve. Even among the apostles-those unbelievable eleven men who remained faithful to the Lord, we see an attitude of selfish ambition, of constant arguing amongst themselves about who was special…who was the greatest! Jesus had said, " …but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be the slave of all." (Mark 10:43,44)

Jesus is our great example to follow, and as we look to Him we begin to understand that we can show our love for Him and others, by serving one another. My encouragement to you is to follow that example and begin practicing this godly discipline of service today! You see, it is easy to find ways to serve...it is simply the love of Christ, put into action! Please pray and ask the Lord to show you areas where you can be His hands of service-to your family, your neighbors, your community, and your church. God has been good to us, He has shown us grace... and in light of that, we should always desire to show His grace as we serve others!

Great Devotional Thought from Tozer

2011-10-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

Just what attracts us to the church we attend? What a question to ask, especially from a pastor. Still, after nearly 41 years of walking with the Lord, and after 38 years of ministry, the things Tozer says are things I and many of my fellow pastor friends see quite regularly. Is the church you attend helping you to really know Jesus and His word? Tozer says it well, and what he says should be heard clearly. Here you go, may the Lord minister to us all!

Failure and Success: The Great Goddess Numbers

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. --1 Corinthians 3:12-13

The emphasis today in Christian circles appears to be on quantity, with a corresponding lack of emphasis on quality. Numbers, size and amount seem to be very nearly all that matters even among evangelicals. The size of the crowd, the number of converts, the size of the budget, the amount of the weekly collections: if these look good the church is prospering and the pastor is thought to be a success. The church that can show an impressive quantitative growth is frankly envied and imitated by other ambitious churches.

This is the age of the Laodiceans. The great goddess Numbers is worshiped with fervent devotion and all things religious are brought before her for examination. Her Old Testament is the financial report and her New Testament is the membership roll. To these she appeals as arbiters of all questions, the test of spiritual growth and the proof of success or failure in every Christian endeavor.

A little acquaintance with the Bible should show this up for the heresy it is. To judge anything spiritual by statistics is to judge by another than scriptural judgment. It is to admit the validity of externalism and to deny the value our Lord places upon the soul as over against the body. It is to mistake the old creation for the new and to confuse things eternal with things temporal. Yet it is being done every day by ministers, church boards and denominational leaders. And hardly anyone notices the deep and dangerous error.

"Follow Me"

2011-10-07T10:29:00.001-07:00

We are eagerly making preparations for our upcoming Inland Empire Women's Conference which is being held on Saturday, October 22, 2011. The conference runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm here on our church campus. We're so blessed to welcome our friends, Sandy MacIntosh and June Hesterly as our guest speakers as well as Sarah MacIntosh who will be sharing her music and testimony. Our theme is taken from Luke 9:23, "Follow Me." Spanish translation is available. For more information or driving directions to our campus, please visit our website at www.calvaryccv.org

2011-09-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions (Jer 18:11) He could say this to our nation! Today, may we will live for Him!

A Sure Foundation

2011-08-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Is there anything you need to do to improve on God's grace? Unfortunately, there are many people today who think that in order to lead a completely Christian life you need to follow a pattern of rules, regulations, and laws. But the reality is that it is by faith that you were saved and the Holy Spirit took up residence in you and empowered you. It wasn't because you followed certain rituals or commands.

Abraham was justified not by his works of obedience, but by his faith, which produced the works of obedience. God had promised to make Abraham a blessing through his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3), Abraham trusted in that promise and by faith he obeyed God's commands.

It is not the obedience of a command that saves anyone, salvation has always been granted on the basis of personal faith. I would urge you to be very careful when someone tries to put their conditions on your salvation, saying things like, "Faith is fine, but it’s really not enough - you must follow our way." Or, "You must be baptized in our church." It is the grace of God that brought salvation to us...why would it now be left solely up to us to continue in our walk with Him? Jesus has promised us that He will change us from the inside...through the power of the Holy Spirit! (Luke 24:49) You see, no rule or regulation can do more for you than what Jesus did on the cross...His sacrifice for us was a one time - for all time event, never needing to be repeated!

The Lord, in Isaiah 28:16 said, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation..." What an encouragement for us...that we don't have to put our trust in our own abilities, or the rules and regulations of others...our trust is in the solid, sure foundation of Christ!

God Pursues Us When We Fail

2011-08-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

After Peter denied Christ some would have thought that his ability to follow and serve God was over, but Jesus, upon His resurrection, pursued the wayward apostle, desiring to restore him to a place of communion with God and service for the Master. John 21:15-17 records Jesus' conversation with Peter, "Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep.'"

Our Lord is in the restoration business and that's just what He did for the Apostle Peter, He brought him back to a place where he could be used by God. Jesus seeks out that which is lost and He draws back the wandering Christian after they have failed. Jesus repairs us when we are broken. He takes care of us, He strengthens us, and He refreshes us when we are at our lowest. If there are sins that separate us from the Lord, God will deal with these things; He will settle the unfinished business so that we can walk closely with Him. God is not surprised when we fail. But it is through our brokenness that God brings healing!

Have you wandered away from the Lord? Have you failed? Are there things in your life that need to be dealt with? Do you know that God is pursuing you? He desires to restore you - to repair that which is broken in your life. Jesus is YOUR Good Shepherd; will you once again turn back to Him?

Praise The Lord !!

2011-07-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. (Is 25:1) All of God's plans are brought to pass! On the eve of CCCV's 30th anniversary, we as a church have experienced His incredible grace and rejoice!

We have a very special evening of celebration planned on Sunday, July 24th beginning at 5pm as we thank the Lord for His faithfulness through the years and look with anticipation to what He has purposed for us now and in the future! Please join us on campus this Sunday evening, or if you are out of the area you can log on to www.calvaryccv.org and join us via our live webcast!

Songs in the Night: Learning to Dance in the Dark

2011-07-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Job 35:10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night

HELD: By Natalie Grant

Two months is too little

They let him go

They had no sudden healing

To think that providence would

Take a child from his mother while she prays

Is appalling

Who told us we’d be rescued?

What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?

We’re asking why this happens To us who have died to live?

It’s unfair

This is what it means to be held

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive

This is what it is to be loved

And to know that the promise was

When everything fell we’d be held

This hand is bitterness

We want to taste it, let the hatred numb our sorrow

The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow

This is what it means to be held

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive

This is what it is to be loved And to know that the promise was

When everything fell we’d be held

If hope is born of suffering

If this is only the beginning

Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held

How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life

And you survive This is what it is to be loved And to know that the promise was

When everything fell we’d be held

Some songs seem to speak deeply to your heart in a special way. Like “deep calling to deep”, the lyrics simply sink into your soul and are met with an understanding that rises from your core. Though heard for the first time, there is an unmistakable recognition, like an old friend entering in to the room bringing shared memories with them.

I felt that kind of response the first time I heard Natalie Grant’s song “Held”. Something inside me simply reverberated with understanding, especially when I heard her broken heart as she sang, “when the sacred is torn from your life and you survive”. I thought, what an incredibly insightful way to put it. The sacred is torn away, but somehow you survive!

There are so many things that we hold dear, that over the span of our lifetime actually become sacred to us. Dreams, hopes, ambitions; childish wishes that we pray one day will come true, that we hold onto tightly, praying and working to see that they may one day come into being only to watch them one by one torn from our lives. We stand helpless as someone who could care less about our broken dreams and shattered hopes rips our innocence from us. One by one, we lose what once was sacred and begin to live as hollow people, surviving as we attempt to somehow live down the embarrassment and rebuild what is left of our lives.

Some dreams die hard, and when they finally do die they leave scars and inner pain that can haunt us over a lifetime. And yet, we survive. What at one time were sacred dreams sometimes morph into the nightmares we daily find ourselves wrestling with. We begin to shelter hurtful memories, treating them like old friends even though they produce thoughts that bring sorrow and emotional pain that cannot be expressed. Eventually, this becomes the fabric of our lives, while we slowly are convinced that this is all there is and all there ever will be.

“Who told us we’d be rescued? What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?” is more than a line in a song; it is the question we grapple with on a daily basis. Eventually “We’re asking why this happens to us who have died to live?” and we finally simply whimper to God: It’s unfair. The ironic thing is, it really does seem to be unfair to those who have died to live. For those who have honestly forsaken all to follow Him, it can sometimes seem incredibly unfair. We who have died to live started living a life with the purpose of honoring Jesus, and the result was sorrow upon sorrow.

We see children growing up in a home that has no time or love for the Lord excelling, prospering, healthy, and successful and we wonder about that. On the other hand, our children may die at an early age, and our hearts are crushed. They may injure us through unwise decisions, breaking our hearts and bringing pain to us while those who should have been our closest friends and strongest support became our greatest critics, leaving our side when we needed them most.

We may begin to suffer with an incurable disease, and find ourselves in constant pain. We lose our husband or wife to a freak accident, tragic event or unexpected illness and our hearts break with sorrow and are filled with questions about the goodness of God. We stand next to a dying father, watching as his life slowly ebbs from him, fighting back tears, trying to make sense of it and needing to remain calm as we watch the most important man in our lives slipping away from us. Finally, we find ourselves crying and thinking, “He is not going to make it. He is leaving my mother alone for the first time in 53 years. He will not be at the wedding of my sons and daughters. He will never hold my grandchildren. I will never make him laugh again, see his smile, or ask for his counsel. My Jesus, we are not ready to see him go. Lord, it’s unfair!”

I became a Christian on December 27, 1970 and over the years I have walked with the Lord, I have had many “sacred” things painfully torn from my life and I have ministered to countless Christians who have experienced similar pain. Over time I have discovered that these experiences have shaped me in to the man that I am today, and am beginning to learn to “kiss the thorns” that have pierced my heart.

My life is really no different than the average person, and everybody has a story when it comes to disappointment and hurts. This is a journey I have been made familiar with and what I really want to do is to remind all of us of the words of the sweet psalmist of Israel, David who said “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me”. We walk through the valley, every one of us. But when we have a saving knowledge of Jesus we do not walk alone, for He is with us, and He comforts us.

The one thing I am learning and that I want you to know is this: God is our Maker, He gives us songs in the night and in Him, we can learn the fine art of dancing in the dark.

That They May Have Life

2011-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"Pastor David, may I speak to you for a moment?"

I was in the city of Chicago, meeting with a group of Christians who listened to a daily radio program I had been broadcasting in their beautiful city. As I turned to face the young lady who had asked to speak to me, she began to share about her husband, and how he had just given his life to the Lord.

"I'm sorry, but I get too emotional when I share this" she said to me, "May I have him share his story himself?" I said that would be great, and a shy young man approached me. As he spoke to me, he shared how he was about to commit suicide one night, and was preparing to end his life. As he planned out his own death, for some unexplained reason he decided to bathe, and began to fill the bathtub.

He told me that, as he was about to take his final bath, he remembered that his brother had given to him a tape of a Christian program he had recorded and had asked him to listen to the message. Not wanting to enter into eternity without doing this one last thing for his brother, he brought out a portable cassette player, plugged it in, and began listening to the message as he bathed.

"I was intending to kill myself as soon as the tape finished," he told me.

It so happened that the tape he was listening to was a message I had given out of the book of Revelation. As he listened to the message, the Lord convicted him of his need for salvation, and right there in the bathtub he gave his heart to Jesus.

"Pastor, I am literally alive today because of the gospel of Jesus Christ," he told me.

It is so true.

Satan comes to steal, kill, and to destroy. But Jesus has come that we may have life, and have it to the full.

Undoubtedly, Satan has done terrible things to you in your life.

You may be ready to give up.

But even as this young man came to Jesus, today you can give yourself more fully to Him and experience a deeper peace than you have ever had.

Don't give up, Jesus is there with you right now, and He will give you life, and that to the full.

Just ask.

Buried Alive

2011-06-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

My father and I were standing on the platform at the front of the funeral chapel, together gazing into the casket at the body of my dad's beloved mother.

Sadly, my Grandmother died on her 90th birthday and was buried on my father's birthday.

As we stood together by her casket, my father quietly said to me, "Do you see her hands?" I looked down, and could see her hands gently folded. They were gnarled, wounded by an arthritic condition she had suffered with for many years. As I looked at her hands, my father said, "Those hands made a lot of tortillas! She used them on me a few times, too"!

I smiled with my father as he, lost in his quiet memories of his mother, silently gazed at her for few more moments and then turned and moved away.

A few minutes later my father and I were standing at her graveside as the Minister spoke a few closing words and my grandmother's shell was finally planted in the earth. As the casket was lowered into the ground my dad remained quiet, but when the dirt was poured over the casket, he let out a muffled sob and quickly turned and walked away.

With the pouring of the dirt on the casket, my father realized with finality that his mother truly was dead.

It took the burial of his mother, the pouring of dirt into her grave, to awaken him to the reality of her death.

There is just something about the pouring of dirt into a grave and covering the casket that cries out, "It is done, it is all over. They are dead".

The one thing that comforted my father at the death of his mother was his belief that she had come to know Jesus as her savior before she died. Yet even with this knowledge, when the dirt covered her coffin, he knew he would not see her again this side of heaven, and that knowledge struck something deep in his soul.

She had died.

Christian baptism speaks of this in a powerful way.

We are dead in sins and trespasses, and yet are made alive when we trust Jesus. As a dramatic picture, with incredible spiritual ramifications, we journey to the watery grave and are silently and forever buried in the water. When the believer slips under the water, it is a beautiful picture of being dead and buried in Christ. The old life is forever gone; we are finally and forever dead to the old man.

When we break the surface and come out of the water, we are identified as being resurrected in Him and are declared to be more fully alive then we have ever been.

We are raised in Him.

The water is the picture of our grave.

When we go down, and are covered by the water, it is a picture of the finality of death, like the dirt poured on my grandmother's coffin. Yet, it also becomes the symbol of our life, our new life in Jesus.

When we break the surface and come out of the water, we are now shown to be alive. More alive than we have ever been.

We are alive in Jesus, and now possess a brand new life, a life of faith in Him.

Today, may I encourage you to live a new life, granted to you gracefully through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are, in Him, truly alive!

Wisdom

2011-05-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. (Pr 9:8-9) Correction is good when it is received. It can hurt sometimes, but it results in wisdom!

Put On The New Man

2011-05-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man…

When the Apostle Paul commanded believers to put on the new man, he was using an image that communicated the thought of removing soiled clothes and replacing them with fresh, clean clothes. He had told them to remove the filthy clothes of their old lives, and was now encouraging them to put on the clean clothes of righteousness that is based on the new life God had given to them in Jesus.

This reminds me of something that happened to a fellow Pastor several years ago.

He was ministering in the Philippine Islands, and was about to take a picture of some of the people he had been teaching and ministering to. As he held his camera to his eye, he saw that he was too close to them to get a photograph that would include all of them. In order to get them all in the picture, he took a step back. The problem was, he had not noticed that he was standing on the edge of an open sewage pit and as you may guess, he fell right in, up to his armpits!

Do you think he wanted to keep those clothes on? Did he argue with the ones who encouraged him to remove those soiled clothes?

I don't think so.

It was in his best interest as well as the interests of others for him to get them off immediately!

He wanted the old ones off and wanted to put the new ones on!

Though this picture most certainly is disturbing, I still cannot help but believe that many Christians have simply gotten used to wearing the old stuff (you might want to read Colossians 3:1-17 to get a more full picture) and are more than satisfied to keep them on!

Today, if the Lord is speaking to you about fine tuning your life, you just might want to remember the old phrase "Off with the old, on with the new!"

Especially when it comes to your walk with Jesus!

2011-05-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

1 Co 12:17-18 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

There he was, standing with his baseball glove in his mouth, staring down the batter at home plate. My third baseman, my hero, the terror of Pee Wee Little League baseball players everywhere, Joseph Andrew Rosales.

Joseph was never much interested in sports. For him, involvement in athletics seemed to be something you would do once in awhile, but not necessarily something that one should get too involved in.

Being home, kicking off his shoes, and just relaxing with the family seemed to be all he was interested in. Baseball certainly wasn't something he had ever been too caught up in, but he did play for a couple of seasons, and I can't help but believe part of the reason he did this at all was because he thought I would like watching him play, and he was right.

But there he was, all eight years old of him. Standing next to the bag, chewing on his glove, waiting for the pitcher to somehow discover where the baseball had hidden in his glove so he could wind up and throw his marshmallow towards the backstop. Only this time, the pitcher actually threw the ball across the plate, and the batter somehow connected, and the ball screamed towards Joseph standing quietly at third base.

Joseph made a beautiful stop with his chest.

Dazed as he was, he somehow got control of himself, picked up the ball, threw it over the first baseman's head, and then ran off the field, directly into the arms of his Daddy who was standing on the sidelines.

As I cradled his little head in my hands, and as I consoled him and kissed his little face, I could not help but to think of how many times I have run into the arms of my heavenly Father.

Times that I have been caught off guard, hurt, and embarrassed.

Times when I needed to be held by Him, consoled by Him, encouraged by Him, loved by Him.

Touched by Him.

I also learned something else that has impacted my life tremendously.

I came to realize that I too was part of Joseph's team.

Though I wasn't on the field, still, my presence was necessary. My presence was an encouragement to Joseph, and to the rest of the team.

Then I thought about the Church, which in a way is God's team.

This led me to realize that every person on God's team is necessary; not only the ones who are on the field playing, but also the ones who are there, encouraging others.

In church, sometimes we may get the mistaken idea that only certain people are on the actual team. We may think that the pastor, elders, deacons, musicians, or Sunday school teachers are the real players, and we are only spectators, cheering them on as they fight valiantly for Jesus. We may even become sorrowful, because we think we will never be on the first team.

To make this application more personal: you may not be able to do the things you once did. Perhaps your body does not respond to commands anymore. Perhaps you lack transportation, or are unable to perform the kind of ministry you once performed, and you feel useless and unnecessary.

You need to remember one thing: you are still on the team.

Today, you just may be used by Jesus to love and encourage someone who needs a gentle word and a loving touch. You may be used today to bring comfort and security to someone desperately needing to hear from the Lord, or you may hear of something that needs immediate prayer.

Be ready, because you never know when you will be called on.

Wait and be ready, because you are on His team.

Consistency !!

2011-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Lu 24:50-53) Blessing led to worship, joy, and consistency! What we enjoyed yesterday can be continuous!

2011-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Tomorrow is Good Friday and we have (2) services scheduled! The first one begins at 12noon, and will be about 1hr in length, just perfect if you are planning to attend during your lunch time. Our Good Friday evening service begins at 7pm. I will be sharing a different message at each service on Friday, and we will have worship with our CCCV Praise Team!

On Easter Sunday morning, we have (3) services: 8am, 9:45am, and 11:30am. I'll be sharing an Easter message, and we will be joined in worship by our CCCV Praise Team and Choir!

We would love to celebrate our Risen Savior with you all, so remember to invite your friends and family to Good Friday and Easter Services at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley!

He is Risen !!

2011-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Christians everywhere are looking forward to celebrating Easter - in remembrance of the price that was paid, as Jesus Christ rose from the grave, conquering sin and death, so that we could be given new life in Him!

Yet, during this time it can be easy to get bogged down in church programs, traditions, or spring-time events - not fully understanding the impact of His Resurrection on each of our lives. As Christians, we should be different people than we were before we knew Christ. Our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions should no longer reflect our sinful nature, but rather our new spiritual nature. The Truth that sets us free is reflected through a changed life.

The apostle Paul said that we are to, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Paul also tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23a)

The truth is that Jesus died and rose again, not only to give us eternal life, but to give us abundant life now! As we prepare to celebrate Jesus' Resurrection, may we reflect that Spirit-filled life that is ours in Him.

2011-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

We have begun a new year what a great time to ask ourselves the question, "Do I spend enough time alone with God?" You see, Jesus' ministry on earth was a busy one, He was thronged by people at all times of the day or night. Mark 1:32-34 gives us an example of a typical day for the Lord, "Now at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him."

Even though Jesus was 100% God, He was also 100% human and needed physical strength to meet the needs of the day. He needed to nourish His body with food and find time to rest as well. But Jesus recognized that there was an even greater need - that of spiritual nourishment - and time and time again the Bible tells us that the Lord spent time alone with the Father in prayer. Whether it was getting up very early in the day, or walking to a deserted place in the evening, Jesus consistently took time to be alone with God, the Father.

If Jesus needed time alone with the Father in prayer, how much more do you and I need that time of communion? None of us will ever have demands put upon us like Jesus, we will not go about healing people, casting out demons on a daily basis, nor will we face the persecution; shame, and pain of the cross. But we will face daily temptation from our own fleshly desires, the world, and Satan. And we will consistently face problems of diverse kinds in this life - maybe it's relationship trouble, financial trouble; health trouble; job trouble, or family trouble. Our priority must be to stay in close communion with the Father - to do His will every moment of the day. All to often, we get immersed in the busyness of the day and the trials and troubles invade our life and we leave no time for personal fellowship with God. The very thing that we put on the back burner should be put first in our life - time alone with the Lord. Is it any wonder that we are on edge; giving in to temptation and defeated in our Christian life?

Let's start this new year out on the right foot and get our priorities straight! We must see the importance of praying and reading His Word on a daily basis. Don't allow yourself to be tempted to think that you can "go it alone" on any given day! Jesus said, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt 26:41)

As you make this a priority in your life - the Lord will strengthen you and give to you the power and peace to face life's trials.

God is good

2011-01-12T14:48:00.000-08:00

The children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years, not because
that was how long it would take to get to the Promised Land - but because
they continually rebelled against God and were unfaithful to His commands!
When we read of the account, we find it hard to believe that they would
continually forget all the miraculous deeds the Lord did in bringing them
out of Egypt and providing for their needs in exile. How could one forget
all the plagues that came against Pharaoh? How could one forget how the
Lord parted the Red Sea? How could one forget the manna that God provided
each and every morning, to feed them while they were in the desert? But
wait...before we shake our heads and roll our eyes at their actions, maybe
we need to take inventory of our own lives. Could it be that we have
forgotten the glorious deeds that the Lord has performed in our lives?
Sometimes, people who have been walking with the Lord for a long while,
will forget the kind of person they were prior to God's grace and mercy
upon their lives. They can become self-righteous and arrogant - looking
down on those who are living a sinful lifestyle. And though the Lord does
not want us to remember our sins, He does want us to remember that,
"...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)It is
when we, as believers, walk through dark valleys, unable to understand the
hurt, pain, and sorrow that surround us, when our world seems to be
falling apart and the Lord seems to be silent, that we need to remember
how the Lord has rescued us in that past. We need to remember all the
times that God intervened; answered our prayers; opened or closed a door;
and led us safely to the other side! When we determine to remember God's
glorious deeds from the past we can set our hope anew on God for the
future! And the more we remember what God has already done for us, the
more we will obey Him now - in the present, when our circumstances are
difficult and filled with temptation.As we enter into the holiday season,
I don't know what you might be going through, but I do know that God has
been faithful to you in the past, and will be faithful to you now and into
the future. May I encourage you to take time to remember all that He has done for you -
He has given you eternal life and adopted you into His family! He has
taken care of you and will continue to do so. Learn a lesson from the
children of Israel, and make sure you always remember what God has done!

Genuine Revival Pt 2

2010-09-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Cal Thomas wrote something interesting, and I consider it worthy of reading and thinking about.

In calling for a spiritual revival in America at his Lincoln Memorial rally Aug. 28, talk show host Glenn Beck reached back into history and touched on a familiar theme.

What would a genuine revival look like and how did those that have transformed America several times in the past get started? Earlier revivals were not created from the mobilization of large crowds. They occurred when people did something infrequently observed in modern times: humbled themselves.

Depending on how you count them there have been at least three “great awakenings” in American history. All of them—along with revivals in other countries—had one thing in common. They all began with what the late revival historian J. Edwin Orr called “a concert of prayer.”

The 1857 revival is instructive. It began when two men working on Wall Street decided to meet once a week on their lunch hour to pray for revival. They soon decided to meet daily. They did not issue a press release. Other men soon joined them. The group grew so large they started meeting at night in churches and invited their wives to participate.

Revival came like a brush fire, exploding not only in New York City, but also up the Mohawk River and down the Hudson, into Appalachia. According to Revival-Library.org, from February to June 1858, “around 50,000 people a week were added to the church—in a nation whose population was only 30,000,000. Across the Atlantic another million were won to Christ by 1865. . . . Ulster saw 100,000 converted, Scotland 30,000, Wales 100,000 and England 500,000.”

Besides prayer, another characteristic of the 1857 revival and all other revivals was genuine repentance and a confession of personal guilt before a holy God. Anyone familiar with the Old and New Testaments knows that humbling one’s self before God gets His attention faster than any earthly pursuit or agenda.

Modern evangelicals, so preoccupied with who is in the White House or which party controls Congress, might benefit from studying the results of the revivals. As Orr tells it, not only did the 1857 revival have a profound social impact on America, it also dramatically affected every society it reached. Following the revival of 1905, crime virtually disappeared in London. The police had little to do, so they formed quartets and sang at the revival meetings.

A Chicago shoe salesman named Dwight L. Moody wanted to teach Sunday school at a local church, but was told by its superintendent that the church already had 16 teachers too many. The superintendent instructed Moody to “get some boys off the street” and “take them to the country. . . . They will be your class.” That was the beginning of a ministry and missionary work that lasted 40 years.

Revivals don’t ratify the earthly aspirations of humanity, including selfish political agendas. They are about glorifying God. Too many modern Christians have it backward. In a real revival the Lincoln Memorial event would have been a result, not an attempt to cause a revival. People would have assembled who had already repented in private. They would not have bemoaned a decline in American “morality,” but instead have fallen on their knees (or faces) and cried out in genuine repentance and humility.

On his blog, Dr. Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., writes: “Too often, and for too long, American ‘Christianity’ has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at the heart mammon worship. . . .”

What passes for American Christianity today is increasingly counterfeit. It appears more focused on a transient earthly kingdom, rather than a heavenly eternal kingdom. That is idolatry and violates the First Commandment: “Thou shall have no other gods before me.”

When Christians obey that Commandment, and humble themselves, only then might revival follow.

Revival?

2010-09-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

I read this recently and thought it good enough to publish:
A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they've heard the gospel, right there in the nation's capital.
The news media pronounces him the new leader of America's Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America's Christian conservatives have no problem with that.
If you'd told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it's not. It's from this week's headlines. And it is a scandal.
Fox News commentator Glenn Beck, of course, is that Mormon at the center of all this. Beck isn't the problem. He's an entrepreneur, he's brilliant, and, hats off to him, he knows his market. Latter-day Saints have every right to speak, with full religious liberty, in the public square. I'm quite willing to work with Mormons on various issues, as citizens working for the common good. What concerns me here is not what this says about Beck or the "Tea Party" or any other entertainment or political figure. What concerns me is about what this says about the Christian churches in the United States.
It's taken us a long time to get here, in this plummet from Francis Schaeffer to Glenn Beck. In order to be this gullible, American Christians have had to endure years of vacuous talk about undefined "revival" and "turning America back to God" that was less about anything uniquely Christian than about, at best, a generically theistic civil religion and, at worst, some partisan political movement.
Rather than cultivating a Christian vision of justice and the common good (which would have, by necessity, been nuanced enough to put us sometimes at odds with our political allies), we've relied on populist God-and-country sloganeering and outrage-generating talking heads. We've tolerated heresy and buffoonery in our leadership as long as with it there is sufficient political "conservatism" and a sufficient commercial venue to sell our books and products.
Too often, and for too long, American "Christianity" has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah.
Leaders will always be tempted to bypass the problem behind the problems: captivity to sin, bondage to the accusations of the demonic powers, the sentence of death. That's why so many of our Christian superstars smile at crowds of thousands, reassuring them that they don't like to talk about sin. That's why other Christian celebrities are seen to be courageous for fighting their culture wars, while they carefully leave out the sins most likely to be endemic to the people paying the bills in their movements.
Where there is no gospel, something else will fill the void: therapy, consumerism, racial or class resentment, utopian politics, crazy conspiracy theories of the left, crazy conspiracy theories of the right; anything will do. The prophet Isaiah warned us of such conspiracies replacing the Word of God centuries ago (Is. 8:12-20). As long as the Serpent's voice is heard, "You shall not surely die," the powers are comfortable.
This is, of course, not new. Our Lord Jesus faced this test when Satan took him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, and their glory. Satan did not mind surrendering his authority to Jesus. He didn't mind a universe without pornography or Islam or abortion or nuclear weaponry. Satan did not mind Judeo-Christian values. He wasn't worried about "revival" or "getting back to God." What he opposes was the gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected for the sins of the world.
We used to sing that old gospel song, "I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown." The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.
Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any "revival" that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a "revival" of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).
The answer to this scandal isn't a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn't a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.
It's sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don't get me wrong, I'm not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn't need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.
And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer.

New Beginnings

2010-07-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

We started this church 29 years ago this Monday. Our first service was 7/26/81, and the adventure from that day until now has been incredible in many ways. We have seen the Lord move in many ways over these many years, and the trip has been well worth it.

We have had great joy, and have experienced great loss. Along the way we have picked up many who have traveled with us for years, and others who stayed for but a short time. I have seen children grow up in our church to adulthood, and have married them and dedicated their children. I performed a marriage for a young man and a year later, officiated his funeral. I led my dad to Christ, and then buried my father when he went home to be with Jesus. I was 30 years old when the church was planted, and have grown old with the church and have seen my grandchildren born and raised here, in this church.

I have seen many who have loved us and our church, and others who do not have a good word to say about us or to us. Thousands have come, and thousands have left. Such is church life.

As I think on these things, I cannot help but believe that through it all, the Lord has in many ways shown Himself to be good to us, no matter what we have gone through. He is and remains the center of all that we are, and on the eve of our anniversary, I just want to praise Him for all His is and all He has been to us.

As you know, this Sunday we reduce our services from three to two. It isn't because we are losing anything but it is so we can gain something: the opportunity of enjoying the Lord and one another in a deeper way. I look forward to this change of times, and believe strongly that the Lord will meet us in a special way as we take this step.

We will also celebrate in the evening with a baptism, so if you haven't been baptized you might want to come to the evening service!

Livingstone

2010-07-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

In the 1860's David Livingstone returned to Great Britain on his first vacation after 16 years of traveling in the interior of darkest Africa. Livingstone was asked to speak at the University of Glasgow, but perhaps he would have declined if he knew what was in store for him. It was the custom of undergraduates those days to heckle the speakers who came, and they were well prepared for this preacher. They had peashooters and trumpets and rattles and noisemakers of every description. David Livingstone walked out on to the platform. Here stood the man who had walked 11,000 miles all over Africa. His left arm hung limply at his side having been almost ripped from his body by a huge lion. His face was dark and leathery brown from 16 years in the African sun. His face was furrowed with deep lines from African fever that racked his emaciated body. Savages, as well as Turks who hunted Africans to sell as slaves had attacked him. Livingstone was half-deaf from rheumatic fever and half blind from a branch that had slapped him in the eyes in the jungle. The students stared and they knew that here was a man that was literally being burned out for God. Not a rattle moved, not a foot shuffled and a hush crept over the vast auditorium as they listened in total silence as David Livingstone told about his journeys and the tremendous needs of this vast African population. "Shall I tell you," he said "what sustained me in the midst of all those toils, hardships, and incredible loneliness? It was a promise. The promise of the Lord that "I am with you always even to the end of the world." It was this promise that Christ would be with me personally right next to me every hour of each day that gave me the courage to continue day after day," Livingstone said.

For David Livingstone Jesus Christ was with him, and Livingstone lived as if Jesus Christ was right next to him each moment. In Livingstone's diary we find his tremendous prayer, "Lord send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me; sever any ties but the tie that binds me to Your service and to Your heart." And Jesus said "David, I am with you always". Livingstone's wife Mary finally came to meet him in Africa, and for months she sailed on the ocean and then she cruised up the steamy mosquito swarming rivers. Soon after she greeted her husband she contracted African fever. Night after night, day after day David sat up with her and wiped her fevered brow. And slowly she worsened and finally took her last breath. Mary was dead. David Livingstone buried her under a huge tree and then he fell on that mound of dirt and wept. The Lord reminded Livingstone of his prayer. Sever any ties but the tie that binds me to Your service and to Your heart. His body was broken, his loved ones were gone, and he seemed alone and discouraged. He was overcome. How did he deal with sorrow and grief? This is what he wrote in his diary. "My Jesus, my King, my Life, my all. I again consecrate my life to you. I shall place no value on anything I possess, on anything I may do except in relation to the Kingdom of Christ." When he arrived back home he found that natives had stolen his food and worst of all they had stolen his medicine chest with the quinine and other medicines to alleviate the pain of those terrible African fevers. For Livingstone the loss of these essential things was a death sentence and he cried out to God. "Oh, God you promised to be with me." Then he heard the sound and he looked up from his prayer. For five years he had not seen the face of a white man, and now, in the midst of the interior of Africa he looked up and he saw a white face walking toward him. Behind this white man was a whole caravan and above them flying in the wind the American flag. It was Henry Stanley who uttered those unforgettable words, "Dr. Livingstone I presume". For four months Stanley lived in the same hut with Livingstone. He nursed Livingstone back to health. Stanley had been an atheist but after those four months living with Livingstone Stanley became a Christian. Livingstone refused to return to civilization with Stanley. Instead Livingstone plunged deeper into Africa. For Livingstone the end was approaching. His diary said, "Lord help me to finish thy work this year to thine honor." And so he did. He came to a place where his strength was completely spent; his feet were lacerated and ulcerated with boils. He had nothing to eat but hard maize (dried corn) for months. Gradually all his teeth became loosened and fell out. He was deserted by everyone with the exception of three of his followers who tried to carry his very sick body back to England. Livingstone could not walk, he couldn't stand, and he couldn't go another step. His response was simple: Livingstone commanded his friends to put him on a stretcher and carry him onward. "I will not swerve one hairs breadth while I still have life." Deeper and deeper he plunged into Africa on a stretcher. Propped up, he proclaimed the riches of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all with whom he came into contact. And then there came a day when Livingstone couldn't even be moved. It was pouring rain. A small temporary hut was quickly made. Livingstone was lying on his cot in the middle of the night when the servant boy who lay across the doorway to keep out wild beasts heard Livingstone stir. The servant boy got up and saw Livingstone agonizingly roll out of his cot and on to his knees and with his hands folded in prayer. After a while the boy went back to sleep but in the morning when he looked on Livingstone he saw him still in prayer. Several people came asking for Livingstone but the boy told them that Livingstone was still in prayer not to disturb him. Finally the boy became concerned and said to Livingstone softly "Sir", no answer. "Sir" still silence. He crept closer to him and touched his cold cheek. Livingstone died on his knees in prayer.

Livingstone had lived his life in the presence of Christ and he left this life in the presence of Christ. Jesus said, "I am with you always" and He had kept His promise.

Livingstone's life consisted of 39 years, traveling 29,000 miles across Africa bringing light to darkness. Two million Africans were brought to the Gospel and the light he brought continues to shine to this day. For every mile Livingstone walked or was carried, he was strengthened by Jesus' promise: "I am with you always".

2010-07-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Lu 5:39 And no one having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says The old is better.

We moved onto these grounds almost 18 years ago, and from the beginning had three morning services.Over the years, we have gotten used to having three services, and it has pretty much simply been a habit.

For me, it has been a "We have always had three services" kind of thing.

For many years I have wanted to bring the church closer together, to become more like the church that we see in the Book of Acts. A church that was committed to God's Word, prayer, the breaking of bread, and fellowship.

As I have been looking at the church, I have found that we are able to reduce from three to two services, and after much prayer and much time looking at the practical ramifications as well as the logistics of such a move, I have been led to believe we not only can do this, but that we should do this.

I find myself concerned for people who may not be able to make the change, or may simply not want to. Some may even feel so strongly about it that they may choose to go somewhere else. I would hope that would not be the case, but honestly understand and respect anybody's reason to choose to do so.

For me, the blessings seem to outweigh any initial inconveniences and adjustments that we will need to make.

We have opened up more parking on the North lot by tearing down fences, removing trees, and eliminating a structurally deficient workshop. We are grading the dirt, adding crushed gravel, and opening up a new driveway for easier exiting. Initially that area MAY be designated parking for those who have come early to serve in the various ministries for each service, but will also be used for regular parking. We also are creating specified spaces for our bikers, which will help to keep other parking spaces available.

We will continue having the overflow services in the chapel, for latecomers (but be on time!)
Service times will be at 8:30, and 10:30 and we will change the evening service to 5 pm and we are looking at the best time for our Spanish language Sunday morning study but it will more than likely meet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday night times will remain the same.

These changes will take place on July 25th: please mark your calendar if you plan on being with us.

One other thing: I am considering returning to the Sunday night teaching, and if I do, I will simply teach the same message I gave in the morning, which will be like having a third service.
Please keep all of this in prayer. I do not take this lightly, but do believe it is something I am being led by the Spirit to do and expect the Lord to bless abundantly.

Ramblin' on

2010-05-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

Christianity is alive, inside and outside of the church. Those who do not attend fellowship are often the most resistant to Scriptural commands, confusing rebellion with maturity. Still, when the church gathers in a building to receive instruction, if God's word is not taught and if people are not encouraged to live it out, the result is people deceived in to thinking they are doing well in the Lord, even living in grace when all along they are living lives that are unfruitful, and without true spiritual fruit. When God's word is actually taught properly, and His people actually receive it holiness and a life that is "worthy of the gospel" actually is evidenced. Paul wrote to the Romans Your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf' but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil (Ro 16:19). Sadly, this is not true with the majority of those I come in to contact who profess faith in Jesus. Francis Chan is right when he says The American church is a very difficult place to live out Biblical Christianity. After almost 40 years of walking with the Lord, and 37 years in ministry I have to concur. Still, God is moving and I am praying for an awakening in the body of Christ. Father, please bring another Jesus Movement!

a few things

2010-05-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since I have blogged, but it is time to lay a couple of things down. First, I got the weirdest post that will go unpublished by someone extremely carnal (using improper language) and obviously very unstable. These kinds of people exist everywhere, and some even go to church but are in such terrible shape in life that they really can't hear good because they are too busy fussing over perceived evils. Such was the case of the recent writer. I don't know if they will actually open up this page again, but in the event that they do I would invite them to write me with a return address so that we can discuss their issue and perhaps help them to see that they are sadly mistaken in what they believe to be true. I do invite the writer of said note to write me at david@calvaryccv.org and we can discuss your allegations against the pastor you have libeled.

On another note, we have started praying as a group before and after the message is delivered, and for those who may be having difficulty adjusting, I would encourage you to hold and and see what the Lord does through this.

Why are we doing this, you might ask. Well, I am doing it because I was part of such a service, and it moved me spiritually in a very deep way, and when something blesses me I desire to share such blessings with our sheep. Over the years we have grown (and receded) many times, and from my perspective it is just the right season for us to grow up and to pray with one another. After all, that is what the early church did (Ac 2:42-47) and God used it to glorify Himself and to bring great numbers of people into a saving relationship with Him.

We live in an entertainment oriented society, and churches like ours can very easily lose sight of Jesus and just become an organization with little or no spiritual activity that is not centered on somebody else doing something for us. Think about it: you come to church, park your car, deliver kids to childcare, enter in, sit down all with the help of somebody else. The worship team leads us in songs (we don't have to memorize the words, they are on a screen), we sing, the bulletin is read to us, and then I come out and pray, teach, pray and then you sing and leave. Pretty clean, but the only thing you have had to do is to listen (if you aren't texting). I just don't think that is the right way to "be" the church, and so by introducing a time of prayer (30 seconds) the church actually has a chance to do what the church is supposed to do!

Some can't handle this, and I understand. But I would rather have a small group of people who hunger to do what the Lord wants then a huge group of people who just don't care and aren't willing to grow. With that said, please keep this change in prayer as it has actually caused some to leave and to go where nothing is required from them other than to show up, which is the way they like it. For us over here, we will continue doing what will ultimately lead to a healthy and spiritually strong church.

With All of Your Heart

2010-03-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

I was so blessed by Ryan and Sonny's testimonies that they recently gave here at the church. We are truly moved as we consider what the Lord wants to do for this new generation, and the response to the "authenticity" of their faith and conversions really has been a blessing to me on a very personal level.

I was speaking to Ryan recently and told him that what he has just encountered is what his dad Raul Ries, Mike MacIntosh, Bob Grenier, I, and so many others have experienced and that we, who were considered "radicals" when we were young and had become Jesus Freaks have been given such a boost when we have been able to see what God did in his life, as well as the movement that is really beginning to gain momentum through him and his friends. Bless God, it is so "time" for an awakening!

The psalmist wrote: I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works (Ps 9:1) and this is what we are seeing now in the lives of our youth and I am, along with so many other pastors, very refreshed as I see a new generation arising to bring the glorious gospel to a dead and dying world.

Keep the Whosoevers in prayer, as the devil is not happy and is going to begin an onslaught on them. Pray that they will stay in the Word, prayer, fellowship, and the freshness of God's Spirit, and pray that the "church" will stand with them as they go in to the pit of hell to rescue people. I love these kids and want to see the Lord work through them!

New Generation

2010-02-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

One of the saddest commentaries on the spiritual life of Israel can be found in Judges 2:10 which points out that a generation arose that did not know the LORD nor the work He had done for Israel. As a veteran of the Jesus Revolution, it pains me to think of how ineffective many of us have been in communicating our faith to the next generation, and it seems to me that the Lord would have us redouble our efforts at winning the young to Jesus.
The overwhelming majority of people between 18-35 have no concept of what truth is, if there is such a thing, its origin, or if anybody has any authority to even say that they have it! There is such a lack of respect for pastors and bible teachers! A recent poll concluded that the most trusted professional is a nurse, followed by pharmacists, veterinarians, followed by medical doctors and kindergarten teachers: clergy members came in sixth! Think about it, people trust their nurses more than they trust a pastor. How did this happen? Sadly, some pastors have done terrible things, and the public has come to mistrust the profession as a whole. Heap on this teachers who are antagonistic towards the bible and a lack of respect for things holy, and it is easy to see how people would misunderstand us and our message.
Change has got to come, real change, and I pray that the Lord will reach us all in such a way as to compel us to live our lives more deeply committed to him. I am also praying for a new Movement, and with this in mind on the 28th of this month, I will have Ryan Ries share for a few minutes on Sunday morning about an upcoming outreach called the Whosoever Tour. Ryan and many young believers want a new Revolution, and I think God can use him and some of his friends to stir us up. Bring some young people to church on Sunday the 28th, and let's see what happens!

Haiti Relief

2010-01-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

We are waiting to hear how we can be of help to the people of Haiti. Our fellowship has provided financial gifts, and we are going to be sending them for relief as soon as we hammer down a few things. One of the things is: we have a member of our fellowship whose parent's have been ministering in Haiti for 35 years. We are waiting on some direction from him to see if we might be able to come along side of their ministry in a practical way. We are also looking at various ministries that are funneling funds into relief aid, and are waiting on this to make sure the funds go to the most needy that we can find. Ultimately we obviously trust that the Lord will direct the gifts, but at the same time we are waiting for a short time until we disperse them. Prayerfully we should be able to do so this week, so if you have anything you would like to give, please feel free to send your gift to the church and we will send it as soon as we determine where it will be most effective. Just label your gift Haiti Relief

Pastor Chuck and simple thoughts

2009-12-28T14:19:00.001-08:00

Some have wondered, after hearing of Pastor Chuck's recent illness, about his condition. Pastor Chuck suffered a minor stroke, and after receiving a medical examination, is now resting. From what I understand, his doctor has stated that Chuck will make a full recovery, and for this I am truly thankful. We should keep him in prayer, as well as Kay and his family, not to mention the beloved congregation at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I love my pastor dearly, and am praying that he will have a full recovery. Just yesterday, Dec 27, I celebrated my anniversary of coming to faith in Jesus. Over these last 39 years, my pastor has made the most significant mark in my ministry life, and I for one am very grateful for him, on both a ministry and personal level. When my dad went to be with Jesus, Chuck became even more dear to me than he was before, and in many ways I have come to see him as a "father" to one who is now "fatherless". As I look back over 39 years, I am amazed at what the Lord has done with this young, wanna be hippie kid. Truly, from the lowest I could be, God has faithfully done works in my life that only He could do, and for that I am eternally grateful. May the Lord continue working in us all, and may He touch Pastor Chuck and bring him to complete healing.

Is God Able

2009-11-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

As I consider the state of our nation, not to mention California, I can't help but notice how unprepared we all seem to have been for what we are enduring now. Some seem to think that the downturn we have experienced was something that almost came suddenly, without any warning. Obviously, this is not the case as there were rumblings about "recession" going on for some time before the house came tumbling down.

What is telling is how the church, the body of Christ, seems to have been taken in the same way that the nation was taken, and that is they were taken by surprise. I guess many didn't learn the lesson that God gave us in Proverbs, when He said "Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest" (Pr 6:6-8), and "The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer" (Pr 30:25) Sadly, it seems sometimes that our priorities are not what they can be, and it takes "tough times" to awaken us out of our sleep and energizes us to re-prioritize our spending habits.

When God was speaking through Haggai to the people of Israel, He said to them "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of Hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house" (Haggai 1:9) The fact is, we still have money to spend, and we do spend it but we spend it on ourselves. I was mentioning on Sunday that people (Christians) spend more money on Halloween costumes, Starbucks, and Michael Jackson movies then they give to the Lord.

Of course, this is not every person.

There are many who place God first in their giving, but the overwhelming majority of people do not give to the Lord in an entire year what they gave to In-and Out, IMax, or Nordstrom's, bottom line.

Our church has been blessed by the Lord, and I am thankful for all that He has done through so few people. We have a very large church, yet with the amount of people we have we have less than 1/7 supporting the other 6/7 of the church. If people who never give anything would give to the Lord the cost of even one of the cups of coffee they drank this week, our offering would go up over 30 thousand dollars in a week. Think of that for a moment, and ask yourself what you could do for the kingdom of God if you had that amount.

This can sound like I am asking people to stop drinking coffee, or even asking for their money. Of course, there are many who think that way and are suspicious whenever money is mentioned. These are the same ones who think that Disneyland ought to be free, or the government should give everybody free stuff. The fact is, the church is designed to care for itself, and it does so through the loving giving that comes from God's children. What I am concerned about is that the people of God are not exercising faith, and they do not really believe that God will care for them. Jesus said that His Father cares for the birds of the air, and even said we are much more important than mere animals. If His Father cares for them, will He not care for us? Well, the overwhelming amount of people saying that they love God are denying that He loves them, because they do not believe what Jesus said, period. In reality, many are confessing Christians and practical atheists. They just don't believe God really will care for them.

With this in mind, it is my prayer that we actually begin to do even as He said to do. He said Put me to the test, and the only time I remember Him ever saying "Test Me" is when it came to trusting Him with our finances. We need to learn that He is able to do more, abundantly more, than we can ask or think. God is greater than any recession, but if we don't learn the lesson from the ant (which is budgeting/preparing for the future) then we will be no different than the rest of the world, looking to man to care for our needs and forgetting that our Father said He would.

Israel '10

2009-10-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys...if any of you who read this blog are between 18-35 and were wanting to go with us to Israel, you're going to have to get your deposits in pronto. We only have 10 who have done so, and if we don't have quite a few more, I will have to cancel the trip. If you are planning on going, please let us know and get your deposits in as soon as you can. I will be canceling the trip in November if we don't get deposits, so if you're planning on going, now's the time to let us know...

It's been awhile

2009-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the month of Sept is almost over, and the Sunday night services emphasizing reaching the lost have had a wonderful impact. We saw quite a number of people respond to the invitations, and I am so blessed that our wonderful friends came and ministered to all who showed up. Mike MacIntosh, David Trujillo, and Pancho Juarez took time out of their very busy schedules to come and minister to us, and I thank God for them and their friendship, but especially for the love they have for the Lord and the lost. For those who showed up for those services, I am sure you were just as blessed as I was to see what God was doing.

I realize that special services draw people on a one time basis. Some like certain speakers, and so they make an effort to be there to hear them. My encouragement would be, now that so many have taken the time and made the effort to come, those of you who have done so can be encouraged to continue doing so. It is so important to be fed, and if you are able to make it out to a Sunday night service, then please continue doing so. It is such a blessing to see so many getting fed, and so many lives being changed for the good. Keep it up!

I am not sure yet what we will do on Sunday nights, but I am already making efforts to invite friends to bring messages. Still, God's word, worship, and withness is available to any who desire it, and hopefully Sunday night will once again be a blessing for many.

On another note, the yearly Woman's conference we have here is coming up soon. I encourage every woman to come if possible, and prayerfully many will bring friends whom we can introduce to Jesus Christ. The conference is for teaching as well as winning people to Jesus, so mark your calendars and be with us. It is October 17th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The yearly men's conference in Anaheim is scheduled for the next Saturday, Oct 24th and should be a blessing. Men, it is always a blessing having you there with us, so please come and be encouraged.

Finally, I am looking closely at the 1835 trip to Israel that is scheduled for April. If we don't have more sign ups, we will be canceling the tour. If you are considering going, you will need to put your deposit down real soon, or we will have to cancel. No pressure, if you can't do it, hey maybe some other time. But if you want to go, and it can be worked out, please get your deposit in ASAP so we can secure the flights! Love you guys, and hope to see you tonight or Sunday!

go and preach

2009-09-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

We have been given the commission to go and share the love of God with the world. Of course, we have opportunity of doing this wherever we are, whether it be in a church service or whether it be when we are getting a cup of coffee. The obvious fact is we have opportunities of speaking of the wonderful works of God wherever and whenever it is possible to do so. Recently i have been thinking that i need to do this more often, and because of this we decided to have a month dedicated to simply encouraging people to get right with God. It is my desire to see many come to faith in Jesus, especially those who are members of this church who are not saved. Funny, you can call a church your home church, and still be unsaved and there are many here in that condition. I pray that the Lord touches them tonight, and that they come to faith in Jesus.

On the 13th, Mike MacIntosh will be sharing the Word. Mike is somebody that I have respected for many years, and is a tremendous example of faith and a heart for the lost. He has seen many churches planted from Horizon San Diego, and has had a school of evangelism for longer than I can remember. He speaks in Mexico often, bring the Festival de Vida outreaches and has seen thousands come to faith in Jesus through this ministry. Raul will be with us also, and we will close the month off by having Pancho share. It will be great and I am looking forward to seeing God move as only He moves. Plan on being with us for all four nights: hey, you might want to make Sunday nights a priority again!

Hold On

2009-08-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the Lord is moving wonderfully and I am enjoying seeing the work that He is doing. We have seen quite a number of people answering invitations in church, and I can't help but believe that the Lord is doing something that He has desired to do for some time now, but I have simply not responded. I believe He desires all people to be saved, so giving invitations is simply another opportunity to give people the chance to respond, right there and then, to the opportunity given to them to know Jesus. We have seen quite a number come forward, and believe this will continue for some time to come. I pray God keeps touching lives!

On Sunday night, I will open up a series that is simply designed to give people another opportunity of getting right with God. We will begin the series by meeting in the Chapel. I don't know what to expect numbers wise, so I will just start the series out there. If too many show up for the chapel, we can quickly move it to the sanctuary, but I haven't any sense of what is going to happen, so I will start out there! We will have our own worship team start out the night, then will have a guest band that truly is anointed (Joseph Barkley, formerly of Plumbline)and then will have Moriah share a song, as well as a young girl in our fellowship named Talisa...then, on to the Word and prayerfully, people will get saved and others will re-commit their lives to Jesus.

We are in the last minutes of the last hours of the last days, and it is my hope that God will touch and deliver many people over the next month. Mike MacIntosh, who happens to be one of my good friends and a powerful role model in my life, who is also a great evangelist will be with us on the 13th, and on the 20th we will have Raul, and will close up the series with Pancho. Pray that God moves, and if you can make it, please do and bring an unsaved friend!

Another Year Older and...

2009-08-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is my birthday, and to be honest this is one of those birthday's that can come and go and it won't make much difference to me. I haven't ever really been someone who cares much about my birthdays, but for some reason this one can go by and I won't pay much attention to it. I think it is because things are pretty hectic in my life at this time, and because there is much going on, this day doesn't hold any meaning to me other than it marks another year of inhabiting this literally old body! Oh well! The thing that is more impacting is that the next birthday I celebrate will mark 60 years of life. At that point, I think I will take notice. Part of the reason is, it won't be that long until I am 70!!!!! Now that makes me feel old, let me tell you. I have several friends who have entered their sixties successfully: Mike MacIntosh, Bob Grenier, Raul Ries, Don McClure, John Milhouse, and Jim Orate have all entered in to their Senile Sixties and all seem to still be able to tie their shoes and to chew their food without it dropping out of their mouths (except for Raul)! Still, that is one year away so let's see what happens when it gets here!
On another note, September will be a good month for ministry. We will have four Sunday nights set apart for special services with an emphasis on evangelism. Please think of friends and family who need Jesus, and invite them to come with you to the services. They will take place every Sunday night of September, and we will have some seasoned guys sharing the word with us: Mike MacIntosh, Raul Ries, and Pancho Juarez will all be joining us, and we also will have special musical guests, so the evening should be a real blessing and I pray that many people come to faith in Jesus. God knows that this nation really needs Him, and I pray we can do our part in this area to bring Him to people.
I was asked to be a guest on TBN in September, on the 14th but was unable to commit to being on the show. Arthur Blessit asked if I could join him as he hosts that night because he knows that I got saved under his ministry, and wanted me to come on and share about what the Lord did that day back in 1970. I would ordinarily have joined him, but I will be in Santa Cruz participating in a pastor's conference and so won't be here in the area at that time. TBN said that the next time he hosts, perhaps I can come on the program and I would definitely do so if I could bring a witness for Jesus.
On Sept 13 we will have a special guest for our Sunday morning service, as we will have Lt. Gen. Boykin with us. He spoke at our Men's Conference in June, and was quite a hit with the guys, so I believe he will touch quite a number of people when he comes. It is the week-end anniversary of 9/11, so I think many people will have an opportunity to get a good reminder of what we as a country have gone through, and I pray the Lord uses it to touch many lives.
Personally, as I observe this nation I cannot help but weep for it, it is so very lost. ABC is going to begin airing a program that is supposed to be a comedy about families, and guess what? Two homosexuals will be part of the "families" that make America laugh. The creators of such sit-coms know that Americans can view people differently if they get to know them in situational comedies, and the progressives who are trying to redefine family use TV programs to do so. Look at the popularity of Ellen, and remember the sit-com Will and Grace and you will see how people are softened up to believe things that are not lined up with Scripture through the brainwashing of TV programs like these. This is in line with the desire to get homosexual marriages legalized in California, and there is no doubt that this is part of a larger strategy to bring that about. No, I am not suggesting that ABC specifically sets out to spend millions of dollars to re-create America, but at the same time believe there to be a spiritual impetus behind all the evil that is presented as good. All one has to do is spend ten minutes reading Ephesians 4 to see this. There, Paul speaks of unbelievers who live in the futility of their mind, whose understanding is darkened, who are alienated from the life of God, have degenerated pasted feeling and have given themselves over to lewdness, etc. Paul is simply saying that people reject God's light and as a result, walk in habitual darkness, living in a world of make believe because they will not walk in truth. As Pr 21:2 says, Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. These people creating a new society are walking according to their own wisdom, but in doing so are rejecting the clear word of God on the matter. You see the same thing with the "Evangelical" Lutheran denomination that just gave permission for their ministers to live openly homosexual lives and to still pastor churches. I am telling you, we are definitely fighting for the life of the souls of America and we need to wake up to this. Because of this we do need to reach out, so I pray that people will actually show up on Sunday nights with unsaved friends. To be honest, I pray they will show up all the time!
Finally, a friend of mine was telling me how people will see a retreat is coming up, and if they are parents will send their kids to the retreat but because they do, they themselves don't go to the Marriage retreat because they can't afford it. He said that he tells his friends that if there is only one retreat they can go to, it should be the Couple's retreat because the kids need solid parents, and by going to the Couple's retreat, they as parents get closer to God and become better moms and dads. I can't help but agree with this. It starts with the parents, and trickles down into the family. For my married couples reading this, save up for things that build up your marriages and get involved!

Life in the slow lane

2009-08-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we are on a two week "vacation" and I am hoping we actually do vacate, though it is really not something we ever really do! The fact is, i have been called up for jury duty, so i will have to see if i am going to serve this week...i won't find out until tomorrow, so we shall see! I can't help but hope that they don't require me to serve, as I really do need some time off between today and Wednesday.
Speaking of today, we had a guest teacher, Dr. Hindson, and I know that he is always informative and encouraging, so I pray that everything went well today. This Wednesday, Dave Trujillo will be with us, then next week we will have Larry Powers (always a blessing) and then on Wed night, we will have a friend from Germany named Nick Long...the church will be in good hands, and prayerfully Marie and I will get some rest.
Our married couple's retreat starts on Friday, but Marie and I will go to Palm Springs this Wed (God willing) so we can rest a bit before the week end...retreats are always such a blessing, and the place we stay for this one is really a great hotel...i just wish more people were able to get away for these kinds of teaching/ministry week ends...many years ago, when our church was around 1/3 our present size, we took 360 couples on a married couple's retreat. It was the largest we have ever seen, 1/3 of the church got away for a week end...of course, we have never seen anything like it again, but man was that ever a highlight for us!
Our Monday night study seems to be going well, and for that I am thankful. I pray that the study takes off, and that more and more find it in their schedules and priorities to make it out to the study. Mike called it Committed because that is what he believes the church needs to be, and man if that age group grabs hold of the thought, it will be a dynamic study and powerful group of believers. The fact is, that is the age group of this church when we first began, and look at what the Lord did with that original tribe! May He do even more amongst us!
In September, we are planning on having a month of guest speakers on Sunday nights and I really believe we are going to see Jesus do some wonderful things. Mike MacIntosh, Raul Ries, and Pancho Juarez will all be teaching/evangelizing Sunday nights in September, and I am expecting to see many, many people come to faith in Jesus through their ministries. I more than likely will kick the series off by teaching on Sept 6, and then will step back and watch God move! It is going to be great!
We have a number of people who have signed up with interest for Israel, over 60, so I pray that they all can go. I long to spend time with them in the Holy Land, and we are really looking forward to doing so. On our way home from Israel, Marie and I will be stopping for a few days in London, as I have been asked to teach at a Calvary pastor's/leaders conference in Oxford, and have agreed to do so, so when our group leaves for the States, Marie and I will leave later on the same day for London. Last year some 500 leaders/pastors attended the conference, so I am not sure what will happen this year but it will be a real blessing, and we are looking forward to participating in it.
Next week I have to go to a dermatologist for a biopsy. I have a couple of spots on my nose and my doctor said it would be good to have them removed, and checked out so I have to go in and have a portion of my nose removed, and stitched up. Man, I don't look forward to doing that and may have to postpone it, as I really would prefer relaxing a bit before coming back to the office. We shall see!
Anyway, one last thing and I will sign off: I am now on Facebook...I thought it would be just another opportunity of keeping in touch with friends and church family, so we'll see how that goes...man, at my age I am supposed to be slowing down but then, hey there isn't that much time left, so it's time to go full speed ahead! Jesus is even at the door, so there's no slowing down for this old man!

2009-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

I just passed another milestone in my life. On July 31, I celebrated my 30th anniversary of ordination. After serving for a little over two years at Calvary Chapel of Claremont, the pastor at that time (Marco Alvarez) ordained me as one of his two assisting pastors, and in Feb of 1980, I was brought on paid staff, serving full time until I left in July of '81 to plant this church. I remember distinctly how exciting it was for me to actually drive to the church office on my first day as a full time staff member. That week I put in 70 hours, and was so blessed to just be there in the office, helping the church and assisting the new pastor who had taken over when Marco moved on.
One thing that I have learned in the years I have served the Lord is that God is the God of new things. I have learned not to settle for the "same old same old" that can pass for life (and even ministry) but to remember that the Lord is infinitely creative, and that the Lord wants us to remain flexible and open to whatever He might want to do. This is much of my philosophy of ministry, trying to remain in a place that God can move and do whatever new thing He might lead us to do.
I ended my time with the 1835's, and frankly miss spending time with them, even if it was only in the capacity of teaching the group. Marie and I see such potential and such need for such a group, and would have enjoyed being able to be there weekly, but to be honest I think they need much more than we can give them (socially, ministry) so I am hoping that the group will continue meeting and growing under Mike Callahan. Mike has a burden for the group (he is 24) and his wife Sarah is a real jewel, so I think that the group will not only be taught, but will also be given opportunity to go outside of the four walls of the church and do something for the Lord in the community, perhaps even world wide. I am hoping that many will go with Marie and me to Israel, and pray that they will do whatever is necessary to go! We shall see, as many have taken registration forms and many have shown an interest. It is one of those things that budgeting (bad word for many) is much worth the effort!
On another note, I am taking two weeks off (kind of) and will not be in the pulpit from the 9th to the 16th. Next Sunday morning we have Dr. Hindson, an expert in the Last Days and a very good teacher. The church will definitely be blessed by this man as he brings a study for us. On the following Wednesday David Trujillo will be with us, sharing from the word and filling us in on an outreach that he is putting together for Los Angeles at the Nokia. David has got a good ministry going in a very tough place, as he is ministering in South Los Angeles. The Lord is moving through him, and I think he will bring a powerful message for our church.
Finally, I have felt led to have open invitations once again, and on Wednesday night and Sunday morning (third service) we saw quite a number of people respond to the invitation. It just is a very spiritually exciting and blessed thing to see so many come to faith in Jesus, and I pray that God will continue moving, bringing many to faith in Jesus. Sometimes we may mistakenly think that we can bring people to crusades for them to get saved, when in reality they can bring their friends to church services and they can be saved there. Crusades and outreaches are not the only place people get saved at! It might interest you to know (by actual statistical research) that as high as 90% of those who come forward at a crusade or an outreach are re-dedications, and not first time professions of faith. They come forward because they want to make a public decision, or they have not been walking solidly, or for various other reasons. We get excited to see them do so, but when you consider the incredible amount of money that is put in to such events (sometimes 100's of thousands of dollars) we need to evaluate if that is the best way to spend the Lord's money. While I am not opposed to getting the name of Jesus out, still I am more of the opinion that evangelism is the work of the church, and we are all being equipped to "do the work of an evangelist". We may not be gifted evangelists, but we certainly have received the Spirit to "be witnesses" as well as to give a witness. This is one reason why I have returned to giving invitations in church services, as people should be given an opportunity to get right with God, even if it is a simple as a re-dedication. I pray the Lord continues moving in all ministries taking His name out to the world, but I especially pray that the church remain evangelistic.
Finally, I was interviewed recently for a magazine called Outreach, and will be one of the featured pastors in an upcoming edition. Our church also was listed in a book published by Church Growth Today, and we have a chapter in the book that speaks of what the Lord has done in our church. When you consider that there are over 500,000 churches in the US, it is amazing to see what God has done in our midst, and I stand in awe and eternal thankfulness for what He is doing, and for those whom He has graciously introduced me to, who attend our fellowship and who serve so faithfully in our midst. Again, 28 years and still counting! In spite of all His blessings here on earth, I still cannot help but say Even so, Come quickly Lord Jesus!

New life

2009-08-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

We had our baptism service last Sunday, and it was quite a blessing as it coincided with our 28th church anniversary. I must confess that it was a blessing for me to be there on Sunday night, as I have not regularly done Sunday night services for quite some time now; it will be two years in September. We had a great turn-out for the study, had a time of joy with our guests 2 or More (actually, several come here to church) and all in all, it was just a blessed time.
When I was walking to the pool to conduct the baptism, somebody spoke to me as I was passing by, and I joked with him and went to the pool. On my way back, he was still standing there and spoke to me again. I looked at him, and to my surprise it was a friend of mine named Bill, a guy I have known since I was five years old. I could not believe my eyes, as it has been years since I last saw him. Bill was the one who first introduced me to Calvary Chapel, and is the one who drove me to the Hollywood Palladium, the location I met Jesus as my Savior. I have to tell you, it was a joyful surprise to see my old friend. We visited for awhile, and the following Thursday met for lunch and some catching up. I do hope we will be able to make a regular habit of this! He is encouraging the study to budget and come with us to Israel in April of '10...I sure hope many can come, as Israel has proven to be a tremendous blessing to Marie and me when it comes to re-kindling our faith. I wish every person in our church could one day go with us, it is such a blessing.
We started our new bible study for 18-35 year olds last Monday. It is called Committed and is now being led by Michael Callahan, a young man who literally has grown up in our church. We have a burden for that age group, and Mike shares this burden so it is my hope and prayer that he will be able to handle this ministry. It is his first adult bible study, so I pray he is given a chance to succeed by all who show up, and if they hang on, I think it can be a very good group and good bible study.
At the moment I we are looking to start a Spanish language Sunday morning service, but are waiting on the Lord to give us somebody who can lead the worship. We need somebody who is anointed and mature in the faith who also can sing in Spanish! If you know of anyone, please let me know!
Well, I just wanted to pen a few words, so I will close now. We'll see how tomorrow goes! I pray the Lord meets us in a special way! See you in church!

anniversaries

2009-07-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

All of us like to mark our calendars in remembrance of events that really have impacted us, especially when those events were special. This Sunday is one of those events, as we as a church will recognize our 28th year of ministry. We began holding Sunday morning services on July 26, 1981. I was one month short of my 31st birthday, and Marie was 29 years old. We had three kids at that time: Carin, who had just turned 4, David, who was 2 years and 8 months old, and Joseph who was just short of 3 mos. of age. Three babies and a new ministry, what a memory.

Our first Sunday morning was held in a house on Palmetto, in Ontario. It was being rented by my sister in law, Patty and her a couple of her friends. Eventually, my mom and dad bought that home, and when my dad went home to be with Jesus, Patty and her husband Matt ended up buying it, and live there to this day. On our first Sunday, we had around 25 adults, and about 10-15 kids. Marie was the Sunday school teacher, and I believe one other young lady volunteered to help. I taught out of Isaiah, and we enjoyed our first Sunday morning service a great deal. We didn't receive an offering (a tradition we held for many years) and just let people give as the Lord led, which obviously we still do. God moved, and we all were blessed. I asked the people if they wanted to return next week, they wanted to, and off we went for the next 28 years. What a great memory.

So much has happened over the years, both joyful and sad. We have seen many come to our church, and many more leave. I believe that if every person who ever called this church "home" would show up for church at one time, we would need a stadium to hold them all. Thousands have come over the years, and many more have left. Some left with tears, some left with anger, some just left, and others went to heaven. Still, we have seen God do wonderful things and will be forever (literally) blessed for what He has chosen to do here.

What makes it even more special is that we will have a baptism as well as an anniversary celebration, taking place Sunday night. I wanted a single baptism service this year, and it is great that it falls on our 28th anniversary, as it is always special to have a baptism and having it coincide with our anniversary is wonderful. Talk about new beginnings! We will have a time of worship, a short video that we originally showed at our 25th anniversary, and the baptism (with cake after the service!) It will be fun and fulfilling, all at the same time.

It is interesting, but three of the most important dates of my life will be celebrated on a Sunday. Our church anniversary, which is 7/26, my birthday, which is Sunday 8/23, and my spiritual birthday 12/27 all fall on Sunday's this year...it blesses me to be able to be with my church family on all of those special days.

On another note, we will continue our 1835 study this Monday, with Michael Callahan doing the teaching. We have special music with a group called LoveLite, and it should be a great evening. I do hope those of you who are in that age group will show up, and be blessed!

We are looking forward to the Israel trip with them, and I actually think it will be able to happen. We actually can't go if we don't have enough to fill a bus, so being aware of the economy and all, we have to be careful not to over commit, still we have had a good amount of interest, and it looks like it is going to happen. I sure hope it does, but then again, it all is in the hands of the Lord and the desire of the group!

Anyway, just a few rambling thoughts put down for whomever might read them!

what is in our future

2009-07-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow Marie and I will finish our time with the 1835 group, but I must say it has been fun and quite a blessing for us. We love that particular age group for several reasons: our own children are within that group, many decisions await people at that age, and the fact is, Marie and I won't be around that much longer so I want to do what I can to keep the fire going in these young hearts. We have a burden for people in general, but have a special love and concern for this age group in particular. Out of that age group (I would assume), the next Calvary Chapel Chino Valley senior pastor will come. Now, before any of you begin hoping it is soon, no, I don't think that it is that close to happening! Still, the reality is that we are getting on in age and it won't be that long until I hand over the church to someone with vision and energy (not to mention maturity, faith, love, etc) who will take the people further in to the things of God. With that in mind, I do what I do with the hope of reaching some who will be used mightily of the Lord.

We will continue a Monday night study, and I will be handing the teaching over to Michael Callahan, Mike Callahan's youngest son. Michael is a thoughtful young man, and it is my hope and prayer that he will be able to connect with the group. We will divide the age group in to 18-25 and will begin a 26-35 group in the near future. I am also looking to start a Spanish language Sunday morning study, but am looking for people who can lead worship in Spanish, not an easy thing to do!

Oh well, time to finish this post! Hope to see some of you tomorrow!

God loves us

2009-06-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am thoroughly enjoying the Monday night study with the 18-35 group. Song of Solomon is a book that contains so much practical information, and it seems that the people showing up seem to be enjoying the study. This is an age group that is dear to Marie and me, so being with them and answering their questions has been refreshing and enjoyable.

As we have been doing the study, some have asked how long it will continue. It is probably going to last for a few more weeks. I am looking at the moment to break the group into two separate groups, 18-25 and 26-35...they will meet on different nights of the week...I really don't know how the people are feeling about doing something like that, so I will ask next week. They may not want to do this, so I will have to hear from them to see. To be honest, I am tempted to keep the study going as I really enjoy being there. That might be something to consider. Still, it may be the subject matter that is drawing this group, and if I were to just do a regular bible study, they would probably not be interested because they can come on a Wednesday night, or a Sunday morning and have a regular bible study. I don't really know if any would actually want to keep coming on Monday nights and will have to see if they would like to.

I have been asked about a Spanish language bible study, and am considering starting one, possibly in September. We have so many in our church with parents who speak Spanish and desire studies in Spanish, so I may start a Sunday morning study in Spanish. Of course, I can't teach that study, but I do have some in this church who feel a true burden to teach in Spanish and who care for those whose first language is Spanish, so it is worth looking at closely. We shall see! At any rate, I see the need and hope to be able to do something to meet it.

Tonight we are looking at Ezekiel 16, and man is it a tough chapter to teach. God is hurt and angry at Judah/Jerusalem and pretty much lambasts them throughout the entire chapter. He calls them some pretty terrible names, even referring to them as a harlot! Man, if this doesn't reveal the holiness of God and His hatred for sin, I don't know what does. He said that Israel was worse than Sodom...think about that one for a moment! That is sooo heavy! He says that they are worse than prostitutes, because prostitutes charge for their services, but they actually pay people to be with them! Man, is the Lord angry over their sin. One of my commentators said that this is like the church today: it does not care about God's Word, and it does not care about holiness. This in many ways is true, as you can see that many "churches" just invite people to show up, but don't give the word. One church invited men for Sunday services by offering them free beer if they showed up on Father's Day. I think God weeps over this. Let's get serious with God, and let's serve Him with all of our hearts.

Finally, we are looking to take the 18-35 age group to Israel in '10, from April 11-22nd. The cost will be between 35-3600 dollars (closer to 3500) and will be a joy and a blessing. I have been asked by someone 36 if they can go, and I said yes but I am not taking people much older than that...I really want to spend time with the younger group this time. Think about saving your nickels and dimes, and go with us!

just a thought or two

2009-06-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that we have already entered in to June....I am not kidding when I say that this year is flying by! We did so much last month, so many church functions and events. I can honestly say that I am so personally blessed to be part of a church that is so alive. So many volunteers helping to produce great ministry. We had a men's breakfast, men's retreat, men's conference, a single mom's banquet, a family day, National Day of prayer service, Jr High Lockup, Moment's with the Master....so many things in one month. We could do nothing without so many dedicated people serving the Lord.
I spoke at the national pastor's conference last week, and we as a team taught through 2 Timothy. I taught on being Vessels For Honor, and though I did not say this for fear of sounding prideful, I could not help but think of how many vessels we have here who are truly gold and silver. God and silver represent members of the church that are sold out and highly prized in the Hand of God. They have a value and worth that is immense, because they desire to be used by Him. They are faithful soldiers, dedicated and disciplined athletes, and hard working farmers to use Paul's metaphors from 2 Ti 2. We have many such dedicated people here, and I rejoice to be with them. All of our dreams and visions would come to nothing if we did not have people sold out and desiring to see the same things that we see. We have Jonathan's here, and we have armorbearers working alongside and I have to tell you, I remain so blessed when I see this. Thank you all for such service to the Lord, your work of faith is not going unnoticed.

A New Day

2009-05-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

We had our men's retreat last week, and it was one of those retreats that significant things happened in a "low key" kind of way...it wasn't real emotional, moving, or "earth shaking", just slowly progressing to a closing that was appropriate....when we began Calvary Chino Valley, it was my original desire to see men draw closer to the Lord, so I spent my early years building up men's ministry....today, our men have many things to be involved in, and it blesses me to know that some have taken advantage of such ministry opportunities...our women also have great opportunities, and it is great to know that the Lord has moved with them too, in wonderful ways...I am looking forward to Friday's night of worship with the Katina's, which is open to the entire body and anybody who wants to come, and then the next day, we have our 13th annual men's conference...that will be good, too....I pray that men show up!
I really am enjoying our young adult's study...it has been a blessing to me to have it and Marie and I enjoy answering the questions that are being posed by the group. A young man told me that his favorite part of the night is the question/answer period, as it gives him opportunity to hear his own questions answered, posed by someone else! This is practical, and I truly enjoy it...Finally, with the California Supreme Court upholding Prop 8, the battle goes into second gear...homosexual activists didn't get their way, so be ready for some real angry whining! Rally's and protests will be the norm, and for me this is actually something that can turn out good, as voters will have the opportunity of seeing first hand what this really is all about. I was intereviewed by the Daily Bulletin yesterday concerning my thoughts on this, and I told the reporter that I knew this was just the beginning of more protests...the will of the people has been heard, but sin has a way of progressing, and this is not going away....today the letters to the editor in the Orange Co. Register were solidly anti Prop 8, so we know that this battle is on...one person said that it is the battle for the mind of our youth, in that younger people have less concern about marriage and its definition then the older generation...God help us all to raise up a generation of people who solidly stand on foundations that are solid...Ps 11:3 asks the question If the foundations are destrotyed, what can the righteous do? Of course, this is right and we need to remember that the war is on God, and His word, and His institution of marriage....this is not cultural or social, it is spiritual so let's keep close to the Lord and His word in this conflict...

What a joy

2009-05-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

We started the young adult's study a couple of weeks ago, and I have truly enjoyed it. There is something about that age group that Marie and I have a special love for, and for the life of me I can't really say what it is! Perhaps it is because those are some very important years for most people, as they were for me. Graduating high school, getting saved, going into the service, going to college, getting married, having kids, buying first homes, all of that took place for us during those "in between" years. So many decisions that are of critical importance are made during those short years, so for Marie and me, it is a joy to be able to spend time with people at that critical juncture of their lives.

We have a good attendance, filling up the banquet hall, and I am slow in wanting it to grow any further, because if it does we will have to leave the hall for the chapel, and I fear some of the personal feel that I have in the banquet hall will be lost in the larger space. Still, I don't want anybody who wants to be there to not be able to because of space limitations, so we shall see.

One of the things I am enjoying is the time we are taking to answer questions. This is new for us, as most of the studies are simply closed with prayer, so we are getting used to the new format. Because of time constraints, I am not answering all of the questions that are being asked, but am going to shorten my answers so Marie and I can answer more questions. The questions are good, and I think it is something that needs to be done, so we will do what we can to accommodate more questions!

We will be leaving tomorrow for northern California, Mt. Shasta to be exact. A Calvary pastor friend of mine has asked us to teach at their annual couple's retreat, so we leave tomorrow out of LA. I am at the point of life that I really don't like leaving, and to be honest, we are so busy at this time that it is something that is a bit difficult. We return on Sunday night, and I will teach on Monday, then Wednesday, then we will go to the men's retreat, and then return to teach on Sunday, then Monday, and then will teach again at the Men's conference the following Saturday, then will be going to the Pastor's conference and will teach there. So you can see, we are pretty busy. Still, I would rather burn out then rust out (though I don't plan on doing either one!)

Anyway, tonight we have our study in Ezekiel, and it is a tough portion of scripture. I pray that it makes sense, and that we can leave these studies loving God more completely. I hope you are able to join us, and please make an effort to be with us this upcoming Sunday, as we resume our Truth Project studies Sunday night!

New Beginnings

2009-04-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the trip to Wisconsin was good. We left on Thursday morning (Marie and I) and arrived in Chicago after 3 1/2 hours, for an hour layover. While there, I grabbed a Chicago dog (hot dog) and really enjoyed it....for some reason, I have always liked hot dogs, and I especially like Chicago dogs....they are just delicious. Anyway, after that we got on a plane and made it to Appleton, WI in less than 35 minutes. The conference had already begun, so we got there in time for the evening service, spent time with some friends and went to the hotel. We have a few churches that we planted in the area, and it was a blessing to see some of the guys. Jeff from Madison, WI and Bill from Moline, IL were there, as well as Mike Whitney who came all the way from Great Falls, MT showed up, too so it was a blessing to see them. We have a brother from Iowa City, IA who wanted to come, but at the lost moment was unable to...bummer. It would have been nice seeing him.

We taught on the church in the Last Days, and looked at the 7 churches of Revelation to do so. We are definitely living in the end times, and as we went through those churches, you couldn't help but see how they are pictures of the church today.

Upon returning home, we had the joy of being in church on Sunday. Originally I had planned on taking the day off, but it just didn't work out. Still, it is always a blessing to be with the church, which brings up current news.

I am blessed to know that between 13-1500 people think their faith is important enough to make it out for our Truth Project series. That blesses me, because the teaching is different in style but so rich in content. If you are reading this and are able to make it to the study, and haven't been yet, please make an effort to be there. It will enrich your faith tremendously.

Also, next Monday is the first 18-35 bible study in the Song of Songs. I will be teaching from the direction of love and romance in relationships. We don't have childcare, but I think we will have around 300 or so there, at least for the first study! People have a tendency of jumping on the wagon quickly, and falling off even quicker! Still, Marie and I look forward to spending time with that age group, taking questions afterwards, and spending time with them. We have looked at taking that age group to Israel next year, and have a bit of interest....to get a good price will require 35 sign ups, so let's see how many people actually can go. The price is still high, and I am trying to find a way of bringing it down to something more manageable, but we shall see. As for now, the price is around $3700, give or take a couple of hundred dollars, so let's see if anybody actually can afford the trip. If they can't, then I will have to think this one through. I really want to go with that age group, and we will do what we can to make it possible. It would require being able to save around $300. a month for the next year to go, and I sure hope people are able to do that. We really love Israel, and the trip is so worth it as it makes your bible come alive. We shall see!

Well, time to sign off....tonight we go into Ezekiel 7, and that ought to be interesting! Judgment, judgment, judgment! Heavy book...pray for me to give the full counsel, but to do so remembering the grace and mercy of God, even if it isn't being spoken of in that passage!

Random thoughts

2009-04-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I am planning on starting the Song of Songs series in May, probably the first Monday night of the month. I am still deciding where to hold it, as I really am not sure how many people actually will take the time to come to such a study. We aren't going to be able to have childcare, as I can't stretch the childcare ministry that far. We just don't have that many people with the heart, desire, willingness or whatever to serve in that area, and as a result I can't expand some ministries or even think of starting new ones. Sad to admit, but understandable. So, with that in mind we will start the ministry but cannot provide childcare for it.
Still, I think it is going to be a good study, and Marie and I look forward to it. As I see it, the overwhelming majority of young people I know have a genuine need to look at relationships from a biblical perspective. I am really amazed at how unprepared people are for dating and marriage. I have come to believe that the majority of young people that I see who are presently in a dating relationship most definitely haven't learned to put other people first. The ones I am familiar with are so centered on getting what they want, when they want it, no matter what that they honestly seem blind to the feelings of others. They also don't seem to understand that sacrifice in a relationship (as long as it isn't sinful!) is normal, but that it takes two to make the relationship work, so one person isn't supposed to do all the sacrificing! I could go on and on about this, but I do see this as a real need and hope that by teaching this book, people will get a clue and start working on their dating relationships, not to mention marriages and child rearing. Though the study won't have childcare, married people are invited, as the book ministers to some basic elements of marital relationships too.

I am leaving this Thursday to participate in a Pastor's/church leaders conference being held in Wisconsin. I have been asked to teach two studies out of Rev 2-3, which is the section containing Jesus' words to the 7 Churches. It ought to be interesting, as we are looking at it from the perspective of ministry in the church. I will be teaching on the churches of Ephesus and Sardis, and it should be an interesting study fo me to prepare. I often desire to gain practical insight into ministry, and this is good for me and hopefully, will bless those in attendance. I am pretty tired at the moment, and am a bit concerned because of the strain I have put myself through recently. Traveling to Israel, and then returning jet lagged to do Wednesday, two Good Friday studies, and four Easter day studies has taken its toll on me, and I am pretty fatigued. Now, I have to travel and then return to do my Sunday morning study, soooooo...I am a bit concerned (not to mention Marie being concerned). I am considering asking somebody to handle a study or even have guests for my Wednesday and Sunday morning next week, but it really is too late for that. Still, it might be wise for me to do so, so I can get some rest. We shall see.
Finally, today is my son Joseph's birthday. He is 28 years old today, and to be honest it seems that the days since he was born have just flown on by. Of course I remember his birth vividly. Marie told me around 6 AM that she was having contractions, and within 3 hours or so, we had our son. I held him in my arms, and raised him before the Lord and prophesied over him, saying "this one shall serve the Lord"....I remember it vividly. Funny thing, but pretty much everyone who knows him sees him as a loving and caring man, and indeed he is. He is going to school now, just made the Dean's List (I am blessed by this) and has been accepted into the school's nursing program. Joseph feels that he is to enter the medical profession to help people in their time of sickness and pain, and I am blessed that he feels that way. I pray the Lord uses him mightily in this field.
Well, enough rambling for a Saturday morning. I think I'll get a cup of coffee! God bless!

HE IS RISEN

2009-04-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are....Easter week! This is one of those seasons that we as believers rejoice to participate in, because the entire reason for our existence as Christians is spoken about, debated, embraced and many times, rejected but it still gives us wonderful opportunities to simply repeat the grand story of God's love and redemption. Just think: God soooo loved the world that He gave us His precious and wonderful Son.

With this in mind, we must remember that Easter is about Him: what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is about to do. It is not about us: it is not about our needs, our wants, our wishes, visions, or even our heartaches but is all about Him. How He loved us, how He reached out to us, how He gave His Son for us, and how He is willing to forgive and even save us. We are the objects of His affection, but they are His affections and are given to us simply because He desires to have them for us! Amazing, isn't it that God would even pay a moments thought to such as we.

I think the psalmist says it well when he writes When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? (Ps 8:3-4) Great question, isn't it? What is man that You should even spend a moment of Your time thinking about us? But He does, and O how grateful I am to Him for doing so. No only does He think of us, but He has acted on our behalf that He might rescue us from an eternity without Him. He gave us His Son, to rescue us from our own mad and destructive ways, and for this we must all stand humbled and thankful.

While in Israel, we once again had such a blessed opportunity of seeing the locations of so many of the stories that we have read in our bibles, and have been influenced by. When asked which site is my favorite, the absolute top of the list is the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Regardless of whether it is the actual site of Jesus' burial, the fact is there is just something about being in that garden, seeing an open and empty tomb, and celebrating communion with your church family. How I wish everybody who calls on the name of Jesus could experience such a trip. Obviously, it is so personally enriching that I have decided to return to Israel every year that the Lord allows me to and this next year, I am hoping to take a group from the ages of 18-35.

Some may wonder why I would want to take people to Israel who fall into that age category. The fact is, that age group means much to me for many reasons, not the least being that they represent the future of the church in America. Not just CCCV, but the whole future of what God is doing in our beloved nation until Jesus returns. It is a critical age group, a group that has so many challenges before them: unprecedented challenges that my generation did not have to face.

Take for example marriage, and its definition. Because so many come from broken homes, marriage has no special meaning to the vast majority. For them, whether they marry or not really doesn't matter. Living together, trial marriages, and a host of other alternatives are presented as all having pretty much the same value. Even kids raised in Christian homes have seen such carnality in their homes that they do not really see marriage as preferable. For many, "love" is more important than "right", so for them if two same sex individuals love one another then why should they be denied the right to be in a miserable marriage? Listen, when Jolie and Pitt are looked at as role models, and when Madonna is looked at as being a humanitarian and a good example of a loving mother, you have some major disconnection here! When well known "christian" people are caught in homosexual affairs, or divorce their wives, or are caught with prostitutes, the church which was intended to shine brightly in the darkness loses its luster (no pun intended, but hey, that was pretty good!) and as a result, the name of God is blasphemed amongst unbelievers.

With that said, I desire to invest more time in the lives of this specific age group, hence we will be having the Song of Solomon series starting very soon. It will last for 9 weeks, and what is keeping me from announcing its start date is simply the fact that my calendar is full at the moment. I leave on the 23rd of this month for two days to participate in a pastor's/leaders conference in Wisconsin, then in May do a couples retreat in Northern Cal, our men's retreat, and our annual men's conference which leaves little time/energy to do the Monday study. Still, I am looking for the start date and will have it settled by next week! Why? Because Marie and I greatly desire to be with our young adults, and the sacrifice is more than worth it!

Well, time to sign off! Good Friday services tomorrow will be a real blessing, and I am looking so forward to being here! Easter Sunday is going to be electric....God is going to move mightily. The wave is coming in, and it is huge so invite all of your friends and family to come to church, catch the wave and enjoy the ride!

It's all about Him! He is risen, He is risen indeed!

shalom

2009-03-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we are off today to Israel, and our ride to the airport is getting here in 20 minutes. I thought I would write a quick good-bye to you who have been reading this blog, and hope that it is something you have enjoyed and may even appreciate to some degree.

We had a good study last night, as we have just begun and expedition through Ezekiel. It is an amazing book, and to be honest is a bit difficult to teach, especially when it comes to imagery and the like. Still, I am finding it to be practical, as God emphasizes His word so often in the book. Ezekiel is to speak to a rebellious group of people who are so backslidden God calls them "goy", or gentiles. They are worldly, so worldly that He does not even refer to them as His chosen ones, but simply pagans and heathens. Sad, isn't it? The question is: can He say the same thing to the church today, and the answer is Yes. There are many who think they are saved who are actually still unregenerate, and because this is true, I think this book will be an eye-opener for us all.

My prayer is that we will all get much from this book, and I pray that I will be an encourager and not one who beats or discourages the church through the tough passages. It is so convicting to me, and I pray that the Lord will use it to encourage all His children to love Him and be serious in our walks with Him.

Well, gotta go now, we are about to leave. If you think this blog is worth reading, please drop me a line once in a while and let me know. Though it isn't set up to dialogue (I do that through my email address) I do read each note and appreciate hearing from you. God's blessings be on all of you, and prayerfully we will be home on April 2nd.

Oh yes, make an effort to be at church, and this next Wednesday when the Katinas are with us, I am sure you will be blessed and encouraged. Steve Mays will also be a blessing, not to mention the other teachers we have listed and ready to go. Dr. Morris is going to bring a dynamite message, so don't miss it! He provides answers for the question of evolution vs. creation....be there and be blessed.

We love you..

A Clean Heart

2009-03-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

Our women's retreat is being held at Murrieta, and the ladies showed up last night ready to receive from the Lord. In the midst of an economic hard-time, 580 women thought that getting away with the Lord and other women was something they needed to do, and it was such a blessing to be with them. The theme this year is A Clean Heart, and we began the teachings last night by looking at Ps 51. We all know that this psalm was written after David had his infamous affair with the beautiful Bathsheba and expresses the deep anguish of his soul. In it he cries out for God to mend the bones that He had broken, and asks God to create in him (David) a clean heart. He did not want reformation, or renovation, but re-creation and cried out to God for that to happen for him. Of course, this is the wisest thing to do, as God is the healer of broken hearts, and God is the maker of all things new, and because of David's broken and contrite spirit, God met him in a beautiful way.

I mentioned to the ladies last night that Bathsheba was interesting, as she willingly yielded to David's advances, but after having intimacy with him went and performed the Law of Moses' requirement for ritual washing. I mentioned it is like going out with someone, having intercourse with them, and then coming to church the next day thinking everything is all right. Bathing or showering after the fact does not make the heart clean, as the stain of sin is on the inside and not on the outside. David and Bathsheba needed God to cleanse their inside, and that could only come from His washing and cleansing.

I believe the Lord wants to do a cleansing in our hearts, daily. Like David, I have come to understand that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and that a broken and contrite heart God will not despise. In other words, weeping may endure for a night, but JOY comes in the morning.

Sometimes I fear that my fellowship does not understand why I so constantly encourage people to be real and honest with themselves, and God. It is because this is where healing has its origin. Too many people are deceiving themselves by reducing the evilness of sin, and misunderstanding the grace of God and as a result believe in a kind of grace that permits them to sin like the devil but still go to heaven. Of course, this is not true and isn't taught in the bible, but I encounter great amounts of people who, though they do not specifically say this, live this way every day. They go out on a Saturday, party or whatever, and then BANG they are in church the next morning, sometimes teaching in the children's ministry with no sense that they have done wrong.

The fact is, David knew he had sinned, greatly. He said Against You, and You alone have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight--God, I am so sorry because I sinned against You, and I need You to forgive me. And God did, but the repercussions remained for the rest of his life.

When we have the sense of God's forgiveness, we are then placed in a position of speaking with understanding. David said Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. God, by your mercy extended to me, I can become an example of just how merciful and forgiving You are, and I will share Your wonderful grace and mercy to all who will hear. There is just a joy in being forgiven that moves us to share with others, and David found it a joy to be able to share with others of God's great love.

He said O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. May that be our prayer today, that we as forgiven people simply open our mouths to share of His great love, and that our lives reveal what God can do with a broken vessel.

See you in church tomorrow! Daylight savings time starts, so don't forget to change your clocks. First service is going to be very very small!

Having not seen, you love

2009-03-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, I encouraged the church to take part in the How To Give Away Your Faith series we are having on Sunday night's. I believe that, when someone comes to faith in Jesus the most natural thing in the world is to share what has happened with others.

Sometimes people seem to be reluctant about sharing their faith. Perhaps they don't share their faith because they just don't want to be pushy, or they are shy, or are unsure of themselves. Sometimes they just aren't living for the Lord, and because of this just don't have the credibility. They know that Christians "witness" but because they are not living for the Lord, they really don't have anything to say. Their lives just undermine the message, so for them it is better not to say anything than to share while knowing themselves to be hypocrites. Though I don't encourage hypocritical witnessing, still the fact is the message is what saves you, not the messenger! When I got saved, the guy who pushed me the hardest to become a Christian backslid and has never returned to the Lord. He wasn't genuine, but the message sure was!

At any rate, sometimes people just aren't comfortable witnessing, so we started a series last night on how to give away your faith....we had a good turn out for a Sunday night (around 500) and I am hoping and praying, even expecting it to grow from there because I was told that it was very good. That truly blesses me, and I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do through this.

I believe that the Lord loves to do different things when it comes to getting His name out to the people. He uses events, like retreats, breakfasts, conferences and even church services, and crusades but when it comes to the number one way He gets His word out, it is simply through His people "being witnesses". Jesus said this in Acts 1:8: He said You shall be My witnesses. We are His living testimonies, we are the gospel in human flesh, we are His witnesses, and as His witnesses, we share His message as we live it out. Part of living out His message is the sharing of it, and for me it is such a blessing to see many people hungry to learn to live out and give out His word to their friends and loved ones.

After we complete this series, we will have Palm Sunday, then Easter Sunday, and then move on to a 12 week series called The Truth Project. Several friends of mine have hosted this, and it has absolutely revolutionized their churches. I will be giving more information out in the future about it, but I have heard nothing but good. When that is completed, I am planning on having a month of Sunday nights with guest speakers, sharing about missions, not to mention our annual baptisms that are coming up sooner than we think!

Next Friday we have our annual women's retreat, and it blesses me to know that, in spite of the doomsday prophets scaring people about their finances, the women's retreat was not only filled up, but has a waiting list. This reveals genuine faith on the part of the families that sacrificed to make it possible for a wife or daughter to be in attendance at the retreat. God is going to move on the hearts of the ladies tremendously, and I am already rejoicing over what He is about to do. Then, on Sunday, after morning services I will be leaving for Tucson to participate in a Pastors and church leaders conference, and it will be such a blessing to once again encourage the people to live for Jesus. My topic will be out of 1 Pe 3:1-7, encouraging couples who are in ministry to keep Jesus in the center of their marriages.

All of this is exciting to me, and I pray that the Lord just keeps moving in and through us until the day comes that He takes us home to be with Him.

Oh yes, one last thing. I have been asked when the series on Song of Solomon will begin. I am looking to start in sometime after I return from Israel, but haven't landed on a date yet! It will be for the age group of 18-35, and I am looking forward to starting the study soon.

And all of this is because having not seen Him, we love Him.

Just Thinking

2009-02-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I will be teaching out of 1 Sa 7, and will observe how it took twenty years for Israel to finally miss having a relationship with God. The ark of the covenant had been sitting for 20 years in the city of Kirjath Jearim while all along the nation continued to be in bondage to the Philistines. Finally, the people of Israel were ready to listen to Samuel, and as prophet and judge, he instructed them to repent and to return to the Lord. They were to put away their foreign gods, idols that had replaced the true and living God, and to return to living lives that were pure and dedicated to Him. They had begun worshipping Baal and Astarte, pagan nature gods that were worshipped through sexual orgies and other abominable practices.
Sounds kind of like Mardi Gras, doesn't it?
Here we are in the 21st century, and God is still calling His people out of darkness! For 40 days, people will mark each day as being one day closer to Easter, and will still be missing out on what it means to be a follower of God. It isn't just denying your flesh for a short season that pleases God, it is loving Him so much that each day is simply another day of enjoying fellowship with Him, and learning to do the things that please Him.
The funny thing about doing what pleases Him is that in pleasing Him, I actually have a sense of peace and well being that results from just loving Him. Dying to the flesh is actually something that results in such blessings that it results in me saying to myself "Man, that wasn't so hard! Why didn't I do that long ago?"
When the children of Israel returned to the Lord, they immediately had a response from those who had kept them enslaved. The Philistines readied their army to attack, but God came to their rescue and they were victorious over their foes. Even so, when we decide to resist the enemy and return to the Lord with a full heart, we can expect both opposition and victory. In opposition, we gain experience and learn that the flesh never rests, but when God rises up on our behalf, we also gain the experience of knowing that our God is on our side, and we can not only survive, but be victorious! God is great, and in Him we move from glory to glory!
Have a great week end, see you on Sunday!

God is good

2009-02-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

As we are now in the second month of our new year, I cannot help but remain excited about what the Lord continues to do in our lives. Our church family is doing well during this season of transition, and though many have found themselves in financial strain, I have noticed that many more are holding fast to God and His promises, and are growing stronger in their faith in Him and love for His people.

We recently had a great men's breakfast here with Miles McPherson, and it was a tremendous blessing. We saw around 1,300 men in attendance, and around 100 answered Miles' invitation that he gave at the conclusion of his message. The previous night, over 120 men were here at the church preparing for the next day, and many men were here at 4:00 A.M. to get ready for the breakfast. I was so blessed to see and hear of such commitment, and I am so blessed to be part of a church with such caring people

Our women's retreat is filling up, and we will have 600 women in attendance. In a time when many are scaling back, it seems to me that our ladies are exercising faith in a very tangible way, and I am certain that as they attend the retreat, they will be met by the Lord and encouraged by Him, and this truly blesses my heart.

This year, we are going to dedicate a great portion of our Sunday night services to teaching our people how to give away their faith, as well as reasons to believe. In March we will begin a series on How to Give Away your Faith, and then are planning on a 14 week series called The Truth Project. When we finish the series on truth, we hope to spend a few weeks emphasizing missions, and I am sure this is going to produce great fruit.

We are looking to have a week of prayer soon, and I am excited about that as we see the Lord move in wonderful ways when we seek His face in prayer, and fasting. And then, we also have the Israel trip coming up as well as Easter services. These are exciting times, indeed.

As I watch what is going on here in our beautiful nation, I cannot help but look even more hopefully for the return of the Lord Jesus. I do not get overly concerned over much, but what really does cause me great concern is watching the moral decline of our beloved United States. With that in mind, I am planning on doing a series soon out of the Song of Solomon. I am looking at my calendar to see when I will be able to dedicate myself to teaching this series, and hope to be able to do so in the not too distant future. The thing is, I am not going to teach it on a Wednesday or Sunday, but am planning on teaching it on a Monday night for people who are between the ages of 18-35. The reason is because I want to speak about relationships, especially dating relationships that lead up to marriage. With so many people confused about this topic, I think Solomon gives great wisdom concerning love and its proper expression between a man and woman, and hope to be able to give a study, and then Marie and I will take questions. I will announce this study as soon as I find the dates, and can secure somebody to lead worship for the series. I am pretty excited about this, as I have wanted to teach this series for quite some time, so it looks like it may happen soon.

I am also looking to have a Friday night study for people between the ages of 26-35. It will be called The Vine, and I have someone who is hoping to be able to minister the word on that night. Again, I am awaiting music ministry but will be looking to start this ministry fairly soon.

This year, for our annual Men's Conference, we are going to have a special guest with us by the name of Gen. William G. Boykin. He is retired now, but was part of the first guys to be in what is called Delta Force, and eventually became the commander of the unit, and his faith in Jesus and testimony is going to really hit the guys. It is going to be great.

Anyway, I guess that's enough rambling for now. I will be going to central California this week-end to minister at a men's conference, but I am sure that come Sunday, God will meet many people in our services. I love you guys, God bless and I hope to see you when I return.

A New Year

2009-01-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

Well, now that we are a few weeks in to the new year, I can see that we have our work cut out for us. We have a new president, and I am wanting to give him an opportunity to settle in to the position and begin his job. The whole media nation has certainly taken to him, with lots of love from the press (Bernie Goldberg refers to the media as his base) and we hear glowing things every time we open the paper or listen to the news.

So, we shall see.

With this kind of "free pass" having no one willing to criticize anything he does, I am sure he will work unopposed for some time. We now have a tax czar who didn't pay taxes, a secretary of state who never had diplomatic experience, and a whole host of old guard politicos in key positions....so much for change!

On the anniversary week of Roe V. Wade, the rescinding of the prohibition of American tax payer dollars spent on overseas abortions was enacted, opening up federal money to be shipped overseas for abortion clinics while the March for Life (the largest pro-life rally in the US) was ignored. The announcement came on Friday afternoon, the time when this kind of news is best ignored.

Still, we wanted change and we got it, and happy days are here again!

I am buying Sophia some dolls named after the Obama girls, a dress for Marie modeled after Michelle's, and some coins and commemorative plates with Obama and JFK side by side! This is exciting! I might even start playing basketball....nah, sorry....no can do!

With all of this, I am still hopeful because God has a way of waking us up, and I fully expect a wake up call.

I was mentioning on Sunday that young people have a tendency of wanting young people to lead, and because of this those who are older are not necessarily respected. Job made it clear that with the aged comes wisdom, as time, experience, and the fear of God has a tendency of teaching life lessons that simply accrue over the passing of years. At my age, I do not rally behind younger, unproven leaders but I do have a heart to see them succeed and especially desire our President to succeed. Not because of the "historical significance" but because we love him and want his life to be touched by God, and also because we know that he carries a tremendous weight on his young shoulders. At my age, I have seen many young men and women with great potential but never living up to it, so my prayer is that Obama will have people of integrity around him, and that if he truly is a Christian (though he said he hasn't been in church regularly for years, and apparently never listened to Rev. Wright) I pray that he will somehow be touched by God.

During the time of Samuel, when Eli sinned God sent a man of God to clearly reveal his sin to him, so I pray that the Lord will have prophetic people speaking to Obama, and I pray that he will have the willingness to hear. We should all keep him, his wife, his babies, and this nation in prayer, because at the moment there is no one to oppose a complete transformation of the nation's core, as we know it. The Republican party does not have the votes to keep the Democrats in check, so unless the will of God and the will of the people is understood, many things will be done that bring harm to this great nation.

Finally, when the terrible tsunami hit southeast Asia, a man was on the shore as the sea began to recede. Seeing all of the fish exposed, he went out and began gathering them up, thinking he had been blessed with a great catch! A man was on the roof of a building, video taping what was going on and could see the wave in the distance. He began crying out loud to the fisherman to come back to land, to run for his life because the wave was coming, but the fisherman was so caught up with his prosperity that he did not listen to the warning. We saw the video of this event, and saw the wave as it hit him with the force of 1,000 Mac trucks, and he was killed instantly, still holding the fish in his arms. We Pastor's are supposed to cry out warnings when we see danger, but too many people are fishing, caught up with their own prosperity and they do not see the wave as it approaches. I see a wave, it is in the distance, but it is coming....we need to be prayed up because this nation does not see its need for God anymore.

It just wants fish.

BLESSED NEW YEAR

2009-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is really a trip how we are suddenly in a new year, isn't it? I don't know, perhaps it is simply because I am growing older, but it sure seems like time is flying. My grandson Josiah is five, my granddaughter Sophia is now one, and my kids are no longer just kids but are all growing older themselves! Amazing! I am wondering what the Lord may want to do with this fellowship this year, and am waiting to see how He will lead us. Changes (slight) are in the air, and I am anxious to see how they will affect our fellowship here in Chino. One of our "techies" Tom Mulcahy resigned his position to take a job with the U.S. government, and we are so blessed for him, and he leaves with our blessing. We will miss him, as he was saved under my ministry and has served on staff for many years. We are re-working our men's worship team, and believe God is going to do a new thing through them. We are still waiting on the Lord, as He will give us a new worship leader to move our worship teams forward, and are looking to add a new feature to our web page, in which on a weekly basis I will record a five or ten minute message just sharing with our viewers some things the Lord has laid on my heart. We closed down the patio and outside overflows, and have it all under the chapel roof, and for me it was a no-brainer! When I began teaching, on the very first study I ever taught, I let the people know that we were gathering together, not to eat cookies and drink coffee, but to listen to God's word. God's word should be listened to reverently, simply because it is God's Word! Do you remember when Ezra read God's word to the returning exiles? Nehemiah 8: 2-8 reads: Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand stood (various leaders)....And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. Then all the people answered Amen, Amen while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also (the leaders) and priests helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place. So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God and they gave the sense and helped them to understand the reading. It had come to my attention that the patio/overflow areas had become more of a place where people were drinking their coffee, bringing breakfasts, talking, etc. and I could not see how this fit in with what we as a church were founded on. I started '08 with a series on What is the Church? and had tried to say we are more than just a group gathering together, but are to really live out to the best of our abilities what we learn from God's word.... sooooo, I am praying that those who habitually sat outside will come into the sanctuary, and will grow in their maturity and desire for the Lord, His word, fellowship, prayer, and all that goes along with being a Christian. We shall see, but I am excited to think of what the Lord will do with us this year! I pray I might take God more seriously this year, and hope I can encourage our church to do the same! God is so good, and so worthy to be praised, as we shall see every time we gather and read from His word, and leave this place ready to practice what we are learning!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T21:05:00.001-08:00

Well, tonight we had our Christmas Eve service, and it went well....I enjoyed the time with the church family, and am now on my way home to spend the rest of the evening with my kids and grandkids...all in all, it is truly a blessing to be able to share this time of the year with those I love, and who love me! May all of you have a wonderful Christmas, and a most beautiful and blessed New Year....I am anticipating the Lord moving in a wonderful way!

Latest Ramblings

2008-12-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Lately I just haven't been in the mood to write...I usually like to respond to current events, or to share what is on my mind, but to be honest...I just haven't felt like writing anything. Still, with Christmas coming, my mind begins to drift towards two days past Christmas Day. December 27th, to be exact. That is the Sunday that I gave my heart to the Lord, and it is a day that makes December 25th special to me. When I think of that day, I also think of Jesus' parable of the Sower and the Seed, how He speaks of seed falling on both unreceptive and receptive soil. Out of the van load of kids who went with me to the Hollywood Palladium on that December day, I know of only one who continued in his walk with Jesus. All of the others seem to have fallen away. One of them used to attend our church in our early days, but he ended up marrying and divorcing twice, and while at our church was using cocaine and finally just walked away from the Lord. I heard a few years ago that he went to Calvary Chino Hills for awhile, and I pray that he did and that he is still there, as my hope would be that he came back to the Lord. Interestingly, our church bought the house where his ex-wife used to live in on Pipeline, and we "paved paradise and put in a parking lot". When we bought the house, I believe she had started going to Calvary Chino Hills, and again, I sure pray she is still there.

It is amazing, when I think of it, how many people I have known and cared about (and for) who have left their walks with Jesus. Friends that I would break bread with, pray with, laugh with, and even confide in who were trustworthy and yet, when it came down to it, more than likely never were saved. It amazes me. I think of their impact on my life, especially when I first came to faith in Jesus and sometimes wonder what made the difference. We went to the same church, had the same friends, made the same profession of faith in the same Savior, and yet they walked away and I have remained with Jesus. Truly salvation is a mystery.

Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to a man sowing seed in his field, and the seed sprouts and grows, but he himself does not know how (Mk 4:26-29) I certainly have no idea why someone claims faith in Jesus and walks away, and others make the same claim and become missionaries, pastors, teachers, full time ministers, chaplains, etc. and remain and grow strong in Jesus. All I know is that I want to remain faithful to Him, until the end, and that I want to be one who encourages others to love and serve Him, too. It never has been an easy road for me, but it has been a blessed one.

When I got saved, I had been dating a girl who broke up with me. Of course, I thought I would die of a broken heart! She actually was used by the Lord to make me consider my life, and to get it right with Jesus. It is amazing how the Lord used a broken relationship and a broken heart to bring me to a place where He could be the mender of broken hearts (Lu 4:18) It took around five years for me to get over her, and I really didn't get over her until the day she got married. I went to her wedding, and then went home and cried myself to sleep (drama is my middle name). God gave her a great young man whom I knew was better for her than I could ever be, but I never dreamed of the incredible gift He had waiting for me when He opened my eyes to a beautiful young woman named Marie. He used my sorrow over being such a jerk to bring me to repentance, that I might be a better man and to grow into a good husband and His servant...and to be the pastor of the church I now love and serve. Hmmmm, what a wonderful God and what a beautiful plan He had for me, and has for you.

May you remain strong in Him, Merry Christmas, and remember that the best is yet to come!

Now What?

2008-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

I was reading my bible the other day, and the passage I was looking at related to the manner in which Christians are to live, and how we are to think. Paul was writing of how believers are to walk in love, even as Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. He went on to say because of this, sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness should not even be named amongst the saints. There should be no filthiness, foolish talking, crude joking in our lives because this is all out of place, but instead of these things, we should give thanks to God (Eph 5:1-15). I began to think: Paul could be writing to our nation and the church should wake up.

When I look around today, I am not surprised at the casual sin and the accepting, tolerating attitude of people in general. God knows that is simply an expression of an unredeemed nature. People who do not claim to have a relationship with the Lord and His word cannot be expected to think or act in accordance to His will, though there are times that they most certainly do things that are charitable and caring, or sacrificial and result in good for those around them.

What bothers me and saddens, even grieves me is when I see those who claim to be believers arguing in favor of things that the bible clearly condemns.

I expected the election to turn out the way it did, and in this blog put forth some of the concerns that I had about it. Of course, Christians representing both parties let their thoughts be known, and I read all the comments written concerning why my thoughts were wrong or right. The funny thing is, some people think that I am a staunch Republican when in fact I am more Independent in my outlook on some issues. I vote for the person most closely mirroring my conscience, and do not vote along party lines if I disagree with the person's positions. I do not echo party line talking points, but try to think for myself. And my thinking is informed, not by the newspaper or televised news accounts (which are without argument biased to the "left") but by the word of God. After reading it for 38 years, and studying and teaching it for 35, I would guess that my way of thinking has been influenced by what I read in scripture. Which is why I teach in the manner I do, and write the things I write.

For some, my opinions are just that, my opinions and on many matters, indeed that is what they are, simply my musings and opinions. Still, I would simply encourage believers to make sure that their opinions are formed through careful reading of the word of God with a desire to align with Him. This is what I would hope for all Christians, that we would consult the Lord and His word, in order to come into alignment with Him and what He has said in His word.

Without a doubt, people today are much more callused to truth than in any other time I can remember. The filth of the world has pretty much polluted the moral base of this great nation, and I remain concerned at the lack of discernment many have.

I was thinking about how people got to the place of thinking that marriage is inconsequential, and unnecessary to protect. Part of my answer came as I was flying home from a recent trip. The airline offered free movies, several one could select by simply scrolling through a personal screen and clicking "play movie". Under the heading of "comedy" were several recent movies, so I began watching them. I opened up three of them, and turned each one off within a couple of minutes. Each one had language that I can't repeat, and scenes that were pornographic. These were movies that any kid could turn on and watch, unedited, and I was shocked that this is what people watch and have no problem with.

Some argue that such viewing does not effect the way people think, but a recent study reveals the opposite. What you watch most definitely influences how you think, and what you will do. Our society is totally callused, and the sad thing is that the church is too.

The fact is, when so many have gone through divorces themselves, marriage loses its shine, especially when the persons going through the divorce are Christians. The ones most troubled are the children, who see marriage as something that doesn't necessarily work out, and isn't really something that lasts a lifetime. Millions have been broken through divorce, depreciating the value of marriage, and so ultimately it all boils down to "love". Since love is something we all need, why not let people who love one another get married, even if they are of the same sex? After all, marriage isn't that sacred, is it?

Simplistic ramblings, I know, but true nonetheless. What we watch, read, listen to, think about, and eventually desire is what we ultimately do. I pray that people in our church will actually begin reading, thinking about, desiring, and ultimately begin doing that which pleases the Lord. And it all begins with loving Him, reading His word, and determining to keep it.

To Vote or Not to Vote

2008-10-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 11:3 Asks the question: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? Very few can legitimately argue that the United States was not founded on religious principles and established by religious people. Though it is very much in vogue to find something evil about everything that made this country great, the fact is that you cannot go into our great national capitol and not find monuments throughout the entire city celebrating the fact that God was the One responsible for the establishment of this great country of ours. From the Lincoln memorial to small statues and plaques everywhere, the name of God and Jesus Christ, not to mention the Holy Spirit is reverently displayed and thanks goes to Him for all that has been accomplished. Scripture is everywhere, speaking of God's greatness and goodness to us. It is amazing to see what has happened in my lifetime, how all of this has systematically been challenged and history has been re-written. Recently, Marie and I watched a short special on John Lennon and the Beatles, and we were reminded of how Lennon had stated "We are more popular than Jesus Christ". When he said that, (and I remember it well), Christians and millions of Americans in general, got outraged and Lennon was forced to apologize for such a slight. Can you imagine something like that happening today? Movies like Religulous would never have been made, South Park would never mock Jesus, God's name would not be allowed to be said on national TV while the "N" word is banned, and a host of plays, paintings, and movies would never be made. We have fallen so far from our Christian roots, and today we are paying for it. Take as an example Prop 8. Since when do we really have to define marriage as between a man and a woman? Doesn't nature itself tell you what works and doesn't work? Yet, homosexual activists have worked 24-7 to make sure that they are legitimized. This is not about equal rights, it is about legitimizing perversion, and the church is once again asleep at the wheel. One school "teacher" actually took her first grade class on a field trip to witness a lesbian wedding ceremony, because as she said, she didn't want to miss this "teachable moment". In other words, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to indoctrinate the children with confusion and perversion. Sadly, they went with the permission of their irresponsible parents, with only two parents having the common sense and backbone to keep their children home that day. Perhaps it is easier to have the kids go to a field trip than to actually stay home to care for them, or to provide someone (is anybody home) to watch them. Sad, sad, sad. This is the state of America. We have a Presidential candidate that believes in the re-distribution of wealth...you work, and I will live off of your earnings. After all, I don't want to work, won't work, am not willing to work, but still want a satellite dish and color TV. It's my right, so work hard so I can have it! This is pure socialism, yet people are not outraged by it. Hey, let's lower our medical standards so we can become a European or Canadian type country. We can then say that everybody gets health care, but not tell the people that to get health care like the British, we need to be willing to wait up to 40 weeks to get an operation, some dying before they can receive care. The Canadians who need operations come to the US by the thousands, and the Canadian government spends $1 billion a year to pay for medical operations that Canadians come here to get. But ignorant Americans want a president who will take our health care down, and he does it under the guise of being good to people. He says no new taxes on anybody but the wealthy. Then he defines wealthy for us, but fails to say that millions already don't pay taxes and small business owners will end up losing everything. Man, we had better wake up. We need to vote this coming election, and not vote on personality, but on experience. I don't care much for either candidate, but I know where one will take us and don't want to go there. God help us all...

What is truth

2008-10-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

When I first became a Christian, it was very refreshing to finally have something that I felt I could hold fast to with complete trust. I knew that the philosophies of the world were vacuous and developed "me first" kinds of people, as I myself had been totally absorbed in the foolishness of the age myself and was a great example of such self-centered living, and so when I came to Christ, truth began to matter. Jesus made it clear that truth matters, and that truth exists. Obviously, He is truth incarnate, but He also speaks that which is true. His word is truth, and truth sets us free from the bondage that sin keeps us locked up in. This is the main reason that I try to teach: truth sets you free. When I look out at our church, I see so many who have come to understand this, people who have been set free from sin. I see former alcoholics, drug abusers, violent people, as well as former adulterers, homosexuals, and thieves. And this is my staff!!!! Actually, when you look at the church, it is made up of so many who at one time were blind, but now they see because of Jesus, and it makes my heart overflow with joy. It is all because Jesus set them free, and He did so and does so through His word, the Bible. When I first got saved, I was told that God's word was truth, and that I needed to read it, study it, and do it so that I might come to know how it does set free, and with this in mind we are going to have a series on Sunday nights with the hope that our people will take advantage of being better equipped to give away their faith. We live at a time that reminds me of the question asked of Jesus by Pilate, when he asked Him "What is truth"? His jaded mind could not grasp that, in the midst of a universe filled with lies, such a thing could exist. This spirit remains to our day, and I pray that the studies that will be given will help people understand that truth exists, it is incarnated in our blessed Savior, and has been given to us to hold fast to and to share. I pray people show up Sunday night, fully realizing how difficult it is for some to do so. But, it will be eternally worth it...

My God shall supply

2008-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was reading something interesting (to me!) the other day. A writer was pointing out that though charitable giving in the United States has steadily increased over the last 30 years, in the '80's religion received nearly 55% of all charitable gifts, but in the '90's it went down to 40%, and now is at 33%! This is interesting, in that though giving to those in need has actually grown, giving to the Lord has actually gone down. Americans, in general, give away 2% of their income yearly (far less than a tithe), yet less give to their churches today than ever before. While we Americans, as a people, are the most generous people on the planet, we no longer seem to trust the churches we attend, which obviously includes the church I pastor. What is interesting is that we believers apparently have forgotten (or perhaps never really believed) that eternity matters, and that our church fellowships that we attend are actually impacting the world, for eternity. Without the financial support of our members, our churches will simply cease performing the functions that have produced such blessings in so many lives. I never actually say this in church as I am aware most would misunderstand me, but I am concerned for the health of our fellowship. It has been said "Giving is the closest thing we have on a daily basis to getting a true pattern of a person's character", and I happen to agree with that statement. As I have said in the past, my wallet and my heart have an invisible string, tying them together. I have seen that, when times get financially tight, the first thing that people do is stop giving to the Lord. It is not that they stop giving (fast food restaurants still get plenty of business), but they do stop giving to Him. Interestingly, some say that they will return to their giving patterns once the financial crunch is over, and they borrow from the Lord. Still, in the Old Testament, if I decided to withhold my gifts to God for personal benefit, I would actually add 20% to what I held back when I next presented my gifts to the Lord (Lev 27:31). Can you imagine how much I would be obligated to the Lord were we still under the Law? I pray that we, the church, repent from our habit of robbing God and begin trusting Him to "supply all of our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". As a pastor, I actually am saddened as I see the church numerically growing, but now having to hold back on doing things that would benefit the kingdom of God and this church because people are withholding their gifts, or have simply never stepped out in faith to give to the Lord. If you are afraid financially, my encouragement to you is to evaluate your spending habits, eliminate non-essential spending, develop a budget that prioritizes your spiritual life, and be careful to eliminate credit card debt and unnecessary purchases. Learn to, as we used to say so long ago "put your money where your mouth is", in other words, learn to walk the walk as well as talking the talk. In doing so, God will reveal to you that He truly is the Jehovah Jireh, the God Who provides (Gen 22:14)!

Call unto Me

2008-09-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

We had our night of prayer last Friday, and it was wonderful in every way. It was a blessing joining with so many churches for prayer, and I rejoiced seeing the body of Christ uniting for prayer. Golden Springs, Chino Hills, Upland, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and many other fellowships were represented, and I was so moved by the excitement and anticipation I sensed in the sanctuary. We gathered to pray for our state and our nation, but especially for our marriages. Ultimately, society rises or falls on the foundation of its families, and with the radical re-defining of family, it is really the church's responsibility to stand up and re-emphasize just what a family is. God tells us that marriage is His idea, and in Malachi 2:11 He goes so far as to refer to marriage as the holy institution which He loves. Marriage is defined in scripture as the union of a man and a woman, creating a composite unity: the two becoming one. Because we believe in the traditional definition of marriage, we oppose changing it to accommodate willful sin and this is why we joined in prayer this last Friday. I would encourage you all to pray for our marriages, and to guard your own, as well as turning out to vote in November. We need to make our consciences known, and you can do it in many ways, including at the ballot box. Remember, all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

Anniversaries

2008-09-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

We all have some dates etched into our minds, and they are like bench marks, or sign posts that remind us of what we have done, or where we have been. Birthdays, graduations, marriages, births, deaths, our moment of salvation all have months, days, and years attached to them, and every time we reach one of these dates, our memories can be drawn back to that day and the things that happened. Today, Sept 19, is such a day for me. On this date last year, Marie and I flew to Miami, Florida so I could teach at CC Kendall's Wednesday night service, and then teach four times at their yearly marriage couple's retreat. I was on "vacation" (I usually take working vacations) and thought it would be nice to combine ministry with fellowship, and because we wanted to spend time with Pedro, Kendall's pastor, we decided to go. We left early that morning, getting up around 4 a.m., and took an early flight to Florida. While en route, I distinctly remember that I was reading, and could not focus on the words on the page. I prayed, "O God, I know that I am losing my memory. Please do not let it happen while I am teaching". I didn't tell Marie what I was experiencing, as I did not want to alarm her, but I knew something was going to happen. After arriving in Miami, we went to our room, and I quickly got ready for the evening service, and within an hour or two after arrival was sitting in Pedro's office, waiting for the service to start. Marie brought me two Cuban coffee's (very strong espresso) and I went out to teach. At the end of the study my memory faded and was almost completely erased. I gave an invitation, prayed with people at the foot of the platform, and then told Marie that I did not know where I was. Paramedics were called, and my blood pressure was something like 200 over 100 and they said that I was in danger of having a stroke, so they put me in an ambulance and I was hospitalized for three days. Quite an experience, I must say. This turned my world upside down, as I began going to specialists to get tests to determine what was wrong, and much of my life was changed from that day on. The initial prognosis was early stages of Alzheimer's, and the neuropsychologist I went to said that I might live a normal life for the next 7 years. Stress was to be avoided, weight was to be lost, exercise was to begin, and my life pretty much changed. Added to this was a diagnosis of stage 2 diabetes, early stages of melanoma, and the early stages of cataracts. This all took place between Sept 19th and November. When November arrived, we had a trip scheduled to go to Hawaii, and I felt that I needed to get away, to try to regroup and to think of what all of this was going to do to my family, and my ministry. We have a fairly large church, and the needs represented by such a group are huge and continuous. When the neuropsychologist told me I needed to reduce stress, I told her that that would be difficult to do, because I am a pastor: stress is part of the package. I was feeling bad because I couldn't concentrate on all the daily concerns of the church, and felt like I was failing as a pastor, as I could not be there like I used to be. I was having difficulty remembering names of people I had known for over 20 years, and as I read and studied my bible, I had to re-read the passage, as I would pretty much forget what I had just read. I began relying on my notes more extensively, as I could not remember where I wanted to go, even after teaching the passage in first and second service. I didn't want to tell the church, as I did not want to cause them concern, not to mention that I knew that some would leave the church because they could not handle being taught by a pastor in poor health. People can be interesting when it comes to things like this. I remembered how many people left the church shortly after my father died, because my emotions would get the best of me as I taught, and I would begin to cry when I mentioned him. Some just cannot handle this kind of thing, and I am aware of it and for this reason, kept these things pretty much to myself and told only a handful of people about what was going on. All of this was pretty much a bummer, I can tell you, but there are benefits. My good friend Mike MacIntosh recently wrote me and he said that these kinds of events reveal two things: our own mortality, and our need for humility, as we are put in the position of trusting the Lord much more, with a sense that we are not going to pastor the church forever! He is so right, and my life has been changed by the events of Sept 19th. I should add, that after the diagnosis of dementia (early Alzheimer's) the neurologist told me that he misdiagnosed me, and gave me a clean bill of health. The skin specialist provided treatment, and the early melanoma was dealt with, and I have lost weight and hope to avoid insulin with the stage 2 diabetes. All in all, good has resulted. I pastor a wonderful group of people, and those who have been with me for years have remained compassionate, understanding, and supportive as my family and I have walked this valley. I still don't know exactly what caused my memory loss, and perhaps may never know, but that is something I can live with. With this in mind, I think of how Paul had a divine gift, what he referred to as his "thorn in the flesh", so today is my anniversary of my own "thorn". Through this, I have come to know in a deeper way that "when I am weak, then I am strong" because "God's strength is made perfect in weakness". To Him be the glory, great things He is doing, great things He has done! Even so, I will serve Him as faithfully as I can until I see His face and can tell Him how much I love Him.

Just checking in

2008-09-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have been gone for the last several days, on what is a working vacation kind of thing. We went to Mt. Hermon (near Santa Cruz) on Sunday Sept 7, and taught at a pastor's/leadership conference twice. On Wednesday, the 10th, we left Mt. Hermon and stayed in Carmel for a couple of days, and then drove on to Pismo Beach for two more days, getting home on Sunday, the 14th. From that point on, we have been at home and have been kind of relaxing and taking care of a few things. We are getting ready for our Friday night of prayer, and that is what is on my mind at the moment. This nation is in need of prayer, and it will be a blessing for us to get together with other church bodies to lift up our marriages and families. At the moment, I am not overly concerned about this nation, as I see it as becoming ready for a new move of the Spirit. As I read the Old Testament book of Judges, I see how there are actually cycles that the nation traveled through, from God's presence to God's judgment, and then back to God's presence and I see similarities in this nation. It is obvious that we have not yet been forsaken by God; the fact is, we are the most blessed nation on planet earth, but what we need to do is return to the God of our fathers, plain and simple. I think our marriages and families, as Christians, need to once again take the center place of our faith as the strength of the nation is built on the strength of its families. We need to honor our promises to God, and to our spouses once again, and we need to preserve our homes so that our children will learn how to live for Jesus, and become decent people and good citizens. I sure pray that this is what is emphasized when we get together, and I for one am ready to call our churches back to fellowship with God, and a walk that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus. If you are able to join us, please make every effort to do so. If you cannot, please take time on Friday to pray for a revival in this nation, and a renewed hunger for our marriages and families to be built up in Jesus. The time is short, and it is high time to awaken to the things of the Lord. May God hear our prayers for this beautiful country we have been so blessed to live in!

A wonderful day

2008-09-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today I taught at the Calvary Chapel South Bay Men's Conference, and it was quite a blessing. Raul Ries was the first teacher, and his heartfelt cry to the men to yield to the Holy Spirit was timely, moving, and very important. The men responded with great emotion to the call, and I was blessed to see such a response, and to also feel a personal desire for more of the Lord in my life. The second speaker was a missionary to the Sudan. He came and spoke to us, and his message was very convicting and encouraging at the same time. He shared stories of the men he trains as chaplains, and how they have given up everything to follow the Lord. Some have been murdered, others have been tortured, and yet others have had their wives and children killed for the simple reason that they are Christians, living in a Muslim environment. It was sobering, and made me reconsider what I actually think are the "costs" of following Jesus. When I spoke, my message was simple: if I love Jesus, I will obey Him. I am greatly concerned that my love for Him actually grows daily, and that I avoid the trap of getting busy doing ministry and forgetting why I do what I do. As I write this, I am getting ready to travel to the Santa Cruz, Ca area to teach at a Calvary Chapel Pastor's/leaders conference. I pray that the message God has placed on my heart, as well as the hearts of the other teachers, is received and that we who lead churches will learn to walk in God's Spirit and to become people whose faith is real, and evident. God bless you all, and I pray the Lord continues working in all of our lives. Hope to see many of you in church service tomorrow, and may the Lord draw you closer to Himself!

God is good

2008-08-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great week-end of ministry. On Saturday, we had a men's breakfast with over 400 men in attendance. The food was good (as it always is), but what makes it special to me is more than the food. The guys serving especially blessed my heart. We have a large group of men who come out early, set things up, cook, stay late, clean up the mess and do it because they love the Lord and their church. It truly blesses me and all involved, and I am very thankful for such dedicated men. Victor Marx shared God's Word with us, and he gave a very powerful message. He pointed out that we can be led by the Spirit, or driven by our flesh, and all in all, his message was moving (he gave much of a personal testimony) and instructing, teaching us all that our past should be left alone, and that we should move into our future with hope and faith. It was really a great message, we were all encouraged, and several men got right with the Lord at the invitation. The next day, we had good Sunday morning services, and capped off the evening with special music and a baptism that evening. The worship was absolutely beautiful, and after the service we baptized over 200 people, with many were crying as they "took the plunge". One brother said something to me that reminded me of something once said to Pastor Chuck. He said something like "I'm going to have to stay down there for awhile!", meaning he had a lot that needed to be buried. Don't we all? On a personal note, God is working overtime in my heart, working on areas that have long been buried but have somehow stayed alive, and sometimes it is very difficult and even discouraging. I don't like what I see, and I don't like what I have been and can be, and I find myself asking God for relief from some things that seem to plague my heart. Though I am not doing anything overtly wrong, still I want my heart to be healed of past hurts, and I want His joy to flood my soul. I also carry a great concern for the state of our fellowship, as I know many attend our church but not all are saved. What concerns me is that large amounts of people think they are saved, when in reality, they are self-deceived. It seems to stem from a poor understanding of the grace of God, in that they have re-defined grace and consider it "permission" to continue in sin and still go to heaven. The evangelical church today reminds me of the denominationalism that I escaped from as a youth, in that the churches of America are occupied by people who "hear, but do not do". That of course applies first and foremost to me, but also extends to the body at large. I am finally awakening to some deeper things that need to be taught, and it is my prayer that I will be able to live what God is showing me, and that I may somehow learn to communicate these things to our church fellowship. Finally, the answer is going to be found in the love of God. Like the Beatles once sang "All we need is love", and in that they were right. We need to know how deeply God has loved us and loves us, and we need to love Him back, and to really learn to love people: not just the ones who love us, but to love as the Lord would have us love. Again, this is a common theme in my life, because it is the one thing the Lord keeps trying to teach me. Still, I cannot help but thank Him for His goodness to me, to my family, and to the church...one day I will be able to say that to Him, face to face. Jesus, Thank you, and I love You.

friday morning musings

2008-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I was invited to go to the political forum at Saddleback church last week, and spent a good deal of time thinking about and praying about whether I should attend or not. I am concerned with the state of our nation and am using the presidential election to gauge the spiritual temperature. It truly seems to me that the kind of leadership we elect is a pretty good barometer of the spiritual life of our country, in that the majority of people voting will give us insight into what is going on in their heads as they elect a president. I realize that president's, for many are simply figureheads, as the cabinets and various advisors really are the ones governing the nation; yet, I also realize that the kind of man or woman elected is simply the revelation of the heart of the nation. After all, our form of government is really supposed to represent the will of the people, which is why when someone says, "I love Americans but I don't like your government" we the people are being slighted, because we the people, are the government! Still, I am not one who trusts the promises of politicians. Not that they cannot be honest, indeed I pray that the majority are. It is simply because I realize that many will pretty much say what is necessary for them to get elected. So, when my friend Jim Orate called and asked if I was going to the forum, I at first said that I did not want to, but ended up going. The tickets to get in were given to us for free, and some tickets were selling for several thousands of dollars, so I thought I should take the opportunity and hear the candidates for myself. I could go into quite a few things that we saw as we went to the forum: protestors, interesting signs, people yelling across the street at one another, people tearing signs out of other people's hands, etc. but suffice it to say it was pretty much typical of how emotionally charged these kinds of things can be. We went to a hall (not the main sanctuary), found a place to sit, and listened for two hours. My impression simply put: both candidates claim faith in Christ, both claim to attend church regularly, and both think that they are spiritual men. I do not know either one personally, cannot say that I believe either one of them is a believer (though I pray they are), but I for the life of me cannot understand Obama's reasoning. I have been around lawyers, and know that they have been trained to see both sides of an issue but to be honest, I find it difficult to believe someone who says two things at the same time. His answer reminds me of the Chesire cat in Alice in Wonderland. That cat said two things simultaneously, and so does Obama. I came away believing that he wants America to be more like Europe, is pro-abortion, and (though he is financially rich) has no problem with raising taxes on the "rich", but can't define what rich is. McCain didn't seem much better at defining wealth either, but between the two, I could at least understand McCain! I especially had a problem with the question about abortion. Obama is pro-choice, and has surrogates who have said that abortion is defensible, from a Christian theological perspective. I heard one of Obama's defenders say that Jesus would be in favor of it, and I was truly grieved at such a comment. All in all, I did not learn anything about either man that I had not learned before, but was left with a better sense of who I could trust in some things that are essential to me, things that have moral underpinnings. I pray that we see ourselves as the salt and light that Jesus called us to be, and that we actually vote our consciences this November. God help us all, we are in a true crisis and people just don't seem to see it. There is one King, Jesus, and I long for His rule, but until then, may we remember that Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34)...we need a revival, and we need it now!

Hi Again

2008-08-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked what I think the purpose of this blog is, and thought I would reiterate what I felt I had recently said, for those who might not have noticed. The purpose of this blog is to say what is on my mind and to give people opportunity to read it. Some comments that are sent to me might be posted, some might be referred to, and others will simply be deleted. I don't post every response, only a few, and normally want them to be of the encouraging sort, knowing that there are people reading this blog who might not understand the reason some write the way they do, or understand why they might write kind things to me. Just so that you might know, I delete most of the responses because I am trying to keep this from becoming a "David Love Fest" or, for that matter, a "Let's kill the egomaniac" kind of thing. Of course, other people have their own reasons for blogs and that is fine with me. Some think a blog is a place to get dialogue going with others, some think it is a place to share what's on their hearts, and some think it is a place to give opportunity for "hurt" people to vent their anger in a public forum. You know, get direct and let others in on the argument. That way, when people have a chance to see some "hurt" person vent their spleen, they can jump on in and let the self-absorbed guy know how hurtful he is. Whatever the reasons others have, the reason I have this blog is to just share what is on my mind at any given time. I actually thought it would be a good place to share with my fellowship, and have enjoyed doing so, and from the responses I have gotten, it seems that some appreciate the time and effort being made to be in contact with them in this manner. I have gotten to enjoy taking the few moments it takes to write this blog, in that for me, it is another opportunity of saying hello to members of our fellowship and even the larger body of Christ. With all of the things going on here, it is pretty much impossible for me to be able to spend even a moment with members of this church, and the best I have been able to do is to spend time with them at events or retreats, and the few moments we have after church services. Still, I want to thank those of you who understand those limitations, and want you to know that I have been personally blessed by your service and goodness to the Lord and to me and my family. This church has a large percentage of people involved serving the Lord here, in one form or another. Some places have a small number doing most of the serving, but the Lord has seen fit to touch many hearts to find a place of service. At the moment, I am spending time with over 60 men who have a desire to become leaders in the body of Christ, and it has been such a blessing to see them growing and learning simple principles of ministry. For me, it is a blessing to be able to spend that kind of time with them. We had our marriage retreat, and it was a blessing and joy to be able to visit with so many, and I look forward to more opportunities. Thank you for understanding that in a large church such as ours, that it is never going to be possible for us to really get to know one another (outside of heaven), but thank you for not making it so important to know me as to know the Lord. Also, since I sometimes get interesting posts, it would be good if you want me to personally reply, to simply include your email address and I will do my best to reply, personally. If you do not go to this church, it would be all the more important to do so, as giving your name really isn't going to help me if I can't write you back! I get quite a number of emails a week, and I take the time to personally respond to each one of them, so if you want a response, please put your return address and I will get back to you! Or, if you'd like, write me at david@calvaryccv.org. God bless you all, and when you go to church this Sunday, try to listen to what is being said! You just might learn something about Jesus that will change your life and heart! Who knows, anything is possible!

Anonymous

2008-08-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Writing a blog is actually something I have grown to enjoy, in that it gives me an opportunity to write what is on my mind or heart in a spontaneous way. Church life, personal life, it all will eventually have an opportunity of being expressed, and for those who log on, it is something they have access to and kind of an open window to my life. Recently, I wrote of Christopher Laurie's home going and did so while reflecting on how this event would effect a friend of mine and of all who know him and his family. For me, as a minister, such tragic events seem to hit closer because of the similarity of duties shared amongst ourselves. It isn't that our lives are entirely different then other people's lives, it is that every person has an environment that they live in that makes their situation somewhat unique except to the group that shares that environment. Military personnel, police officers, fire fighters, and a whole list of others have a commonality that makes them closer to one another then they are to those outside of their chosen professions. Because of this, I had a sympathy for Greg and Cathe that is unique to my calling. My church was deeply touched by Christopher's death, sympathizing with the Laurie family, and I wrote concerning this. Which brings me to what's on my mind: Every person who has spoken to me about my praying for or writing concerning the Laurie's appreciated it. They realized it was out of sympathy and sorrow that I wrote, a sorrow they shared. Every person that is, except for one, whose name is anonymous. Funny thing, by the way anonymous wrote, I know who he is, but the things written were sad and tragic in their own way. Our church is fairly large, and most people do not know that we conduct between 40 to 50 funerals a year. I do not perform all of the funerals, and I do not mention names of those who have died from my pulpit. If I did so, I would more than likely be saying something about someone going home almost every week. Still, anonymous thinks I mentioned Christopher Laurie because his father "is a well known pastor". No, I mentioned this because his father is my friend, and as a shepherd I understand how it feels to suffer personal pain and to still come to a pulpit to minister to people. At any rate, the reason for this post is to simply say, if people sign their names to their posts, it is to be preferred over hiding behind the wall of anonymity and tossing hand grenades. Just last night in a leadership class I was asked if it bothered me when people made unfounded accusations, and I said no, you kind of get used to it. Still, I would prefer it if those who write me to at least sign their names, and if there is any rebuke or correction they think I should receive, well they can approach me at church and let me know face to face. I realize that the way people are today, those who are bitter will take the opportunity to write out their anger, and I have expected some interesting posts, but still, I continue hoping that this blog actually ministers to those who read it with an interest in our church and the maturity it requires to understand its purpose. This will be the only post like this, as from this time on I will simply delete the odd post and save all of you the trouble of reading me rant on!

Christopher Laurie

2008-07-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I was in the church foyer when my daughter Carin approached me, tears filling her eyes as she told me that Greg Laurie's son 'Topher had died in a car crash. I was stunned, and not two minutes later Marie found me, tears streaming from her eyes as she sobbed out the words that no father ever wants to hear...a beloved child has died. My heart breaks with Greg and Cathe for every reason imaginable: when it all boils down to it, plain and simple, we who are parents just do not expect to bury our babies. There is just something intrinsically wrong with that, and our hearts and minds reel at just the thought of having to do such a thing. I have known of and have personally known Greg and Cathe Laurie for a long time. As a young man and pastor, I have sat under his teaching for many years and have loved him and admired him as a pastor, evangelist, and just a great guy who really loves the Lord, the lost, and his family. Greg is a pretty reserved man, one who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, but I can tell you that his family is pretty much everything to him, outside of his love for Jesus. His son's death, especially in light of the fact that Christopher's wife Brittany is expecting their second child in November, is a tragic blow that will not soon be healed from. I find it revealing that this happened two weeks before the annual Summer Harvest Crusade in Anaheim and during the time that Greg is sharing his heart through his recent video/book testimony called Lost Boy. These things increase our vulnerability, and can be difficult in ways that not everybody understands. God is using the Crusades incredibly, reaching over 3.5 million people over the years, and the video/book testimony will reach many, many more. It is just like the enemy to attack at times like this, and I cannot help but believe that at the heart of this, is a full on attack on the Laurie family. Still, through it all, I know that the Lord will give them the strength and trust in Him to weather this, and to heal, but it is going to take time, a lifetime. We all need to hold them up in prayer, daily, that they might experience God's comfort and peace, a peace that only He can supply. One of the things Jesus promised to do is to be the One who "heals the brokenhearted". May God heal the broken hearts of His precious servants, Greg and Cathe Laurie, as well as Jonathan, Brittany, Stella, and Christopher's yet unborn little girl. We love them, and sorrow with them.

We need to pray

2008-07-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

I've had a pretty busy week, as I did my regular services last Sunday, taught Sunday night and had a wonderful baptism, taught my leadership class on Monday night, and then did my Wednesday night study. On Thursday, I went to the Twin Peaks conference center and taught two studies for Calvary Chapel Murrieta's family camp. All in all, it was a great week of ministry. We also had a week of vacation bible school, with hundreds of kids and volunteers involved from Monday to Friday, so our church was a beehive of activity. I am so blessed when I see so many kids on campus, especially knowing that the future of this great nation is going to be greatly impacted by our children. May the Lord bless them with a love for Him, and a heart to know and serve Him with all of their strength. May He strengthen our marriages and families, and may we come to understand the value of marriage and family. At the family camp, I was sharing that, according to one study, atheists have a stronger commitment to marriage than believers. There was a major study released in '02 by the Barna Research group that revealed that professing Christians have a least moderately higher divorce rates than the general population, including atheists and agnostics. 27% of those describing themselves as born-again believes are currently or have previously been divorced, compared to 24% of the general population. The rate, by contrast, among atheists and agnostics, was only 21%. With all the talk about concern for marriage, and the concern over "gay marriages", it seems sad to me that on the one hand, we evangelical Christians trumpet the sacredness of marriage, but apparently don't value it that much as a group. Homosexual Representative Barney Frank once said "They're saying that my ability to marry another man somehow jeopardizes heterosexual marriage. Then they go out and cheat on their wives. That doesn't jeopardize heterosexual marriage?" I truly have a great concern for the institution of marriage, and because of this believe it is time for our church to pray, and we are going to do so as a church on Sept 19th. I would encourage you, if you are able, to join us as we pray. If you can come to church that night, that would be great. If you can't join us physically, please pray in agreement with us. We need to seek the Lord for marriages, and our families, not to mention this nation's families. God help us all to see the value of our covenants with our spouses, and God help us as we seek Him for help in this time of need!

Interesting Feedback

2008-07-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

My recent post about my Joshua got some interesting feedback, so I thought I would talk a bit about it! First, there is no hidden message, I am not planning on leaving the scene soon and honestly hope to be in the pulpit well into my sixties, or longer. I can see how it could be construed that I might be sending a subtle message, but no, I am not hinting towards a soon departure, just musing about what I am looking to do in the future. Which brings me to the other thing I am responding to, which is why not be looking for a middle-aged man to take over. The way I see it, if I have a young man now that I am working with, or even in the near future, by the time I leave the pulpit, that young man will be what is called a middle-aged man! If I have the strength and ability to stay in the pulpit for, say fifteen more years, then any man that I may presently be mentoring will be fifteen years older, which would bring him into his forties, so in reality, though I may be looking for a young man to mentor, I will leave a seasoned man in the pulpit! But, if I have a man in his forties now, he might as well retire with me when I step out! Anyway, that is what I am looking to do, disciple a young man for many years and then hopefully, leave the ministry in his hands. But, enough of that already! I am looking forward to church services tomorrow, as once again I will have the joy of being with the church and enjoying the fellowship. I was told that our recent night of worship went beautifully, and that the Lord really was present with the people. This is wonderful. We even have seen the Lord bringing hearing impaired believers to worship, as one of the people coming can sign for the deaf. What a blessing that is! Truly the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, and it is such a wonderful time of singing and praising the Lord. I encourage you who are reading this blog that if you can show up to worship, by all means, do so. Come worship and praise the Lord with your brothers and sisters, and be edified in your walk with Jesus! I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, and on Sunday night, we will be so blessed to baptize so many believers! Praise the Lord, He is so good to us!

Looking for Joshua

2008-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to being back in the pulpit tonight. After a couple of weeks away, it always causes me great joy to return and to once again teach the word. One of the greatest joys of my life is simply opening up and sharing what the Lord has laid on my heart for our congregation. I was one month past my 23 birthday when I began sharing bible studies, and though it has been challenging and sometimes a very difficult task in many ways, still it gives me great pleasure to just share about Jesus and what He can do in our lives. Next month I will celebrate (God willing) my 58th birthday, and by doing the simple math, almost 35 years of my life has been spent opening up the pages of this one great book and talking about our wonderful and loving Savior. Still, as I begin to grow older I realize that I am not nor ever will be a Chuck Smith. My pastor is still in the pulpit at the age of 81, and I do not see him stepping away from it soon (and pray he doesn't). As for me, well I don't foresee myself having his kind of longevity, so I am praying for and waiting on my Joshua, a younger man who will take lead in our church and move it into the future God has prepared for it. Next Monday I begin a short series of messages designed to encourage a group of young men who sense a call to leadership, perhaps in a pastoral sense. Over the weeks we encouraged them to sign up for the class, read their registration/application forms, weeded out a few, and accepted others and we will have around 60 men join me to look more closely at what God may want to do in their lives. I will share some very basic principles of ministry, but look more forward to the time of questions and answers that we will have. It is during those times that I most enjoy connecting with our guys, and who knows, perhaps one day in one of these classes, my Timothy, Joshua, Elisha, or whatever the name may be will show up and I will know who the future pastor is. What a blessing it has been, is and what a blessing it remains for me to serve the Lord here in Chino Valley, and I do not anticipate leaving our church for many years, but like a good steward, I want to make sure that the house is left in order. One day I will go home to the Lord, but I will leave behind my very dear family of faith, and I want to make sure that they are cared for by the best pastor I can raise up. May God continue strengthening my hands to such a task. But until then, oh what a joy it is for me to be back with my church family. I love them so much and miss them terribly when I am gone. God has been so good to Marie and me, and I am blessed beyond words. One final thought: Marie was just sharing with me about what a blessing our ladies' fellowship Moments with the Master was, last night. She said there was a great group of ladies, good teaching, and sweet fellowship and she was totally blessed. I am so thankful for our women's ministry here, so many women who faithfully love and serve the Lord. Indeed we are blessed to be in Chino Valley!

Just Thinking

2008-07-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Marie and I are on vacation (kind of), but took the time to go to Washington DC and Manhattan. We went to the National Hispanic Pastor's conference and prayer breakfast in DC, and then went to Harvest Manhattan to minister. While in NYC, Marie shared at a woman's brunch, and I taught the Sunday morning service. While in DC, I was reminded as to why we believers have received a higher calling, a calling to teach the things of the kingdom of God. We both were saddened by the emphasis of the pastor's prayer conference, in that it seemed that the concerns were more of the political kind than of the spiritual. Of course, such conferences are designed with social concerns in mind, and I do not fault the organizers for such a direction, in that as salt and light, the church is most definitely called to exert influence in all facets of society (when possible). Still, after hearing the campaign managers for both presidential candidates, we were especially saddened to note that, when given opportunity to ask questions of the managers, none of the questions asked by my fellow pastor's related to moral issues, such as abortion, or gay marriage. We were especially turned off by the representative of Barack Obama, as he (in Marie and my opinion) exuded a kind of pride that was disturbing. We came away with a feeling that he was certain that Obama had our votes in his pocket, and it disturbed me greatly. As a pastor I realize that I am not in charge of my church's political thought life, and frankly have no desire to be in that kind of position. Still, it is disheartening when you hear pastor's applauding candidates that hold views that we the pastor's of America, are actually mandated to cry out against, and simultaneously know that many in our church will vote with their emotions and not with their moral conscience! I honestly fear for our nation, especially when I consider that many people are voting for change, but haven't even noted what kind of change may happen, and what will happen to us as a nation when such change occurs. Not all change is good, so this mantra of change has really gotten under my skin. Personality and charisma drives voters, and it concerns me that many seem to vote with their emotions and not with their reason. The next president will appoint Supreme Court justices, and we have all seen what happen when the unrighteous make judgments. Just consider the recent California court decision regarding homosexual marriages and you will see what is going to happen if a liberal president gets in to the White House. Morals are determined very often by the legality of an action, not the rightness of it. God help us all if we do not wake up and make our voices known at the ballot box. Sadly, the overwhelming evangelical voter eligible to vote, still does not cast the vote, and hence all it takes for evil to triumph is for the good to do nothing. On to NY, we were so blessed to minister at Harvest Manhattan. Pastor Mike and Diane Finizio are great people, and we truly enjoyed our time with them, as well as Jose and Julie Rivera. They are wonderful people and we really have grown to love them. Now, we are home for a few days and I am going to try to rest, but I look forward to returning to my pulpit and conducting our first baptism of the summer. We will baptize 2-300 people on July 13th, and it will be such a blessing. God is so good to us, we are so blessed and honored to serve Him. I already miss the church, and look forward to just being there with my people.

saying good bye to dear friends

2008-06-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well, last night we had a "going away" dinner for Pat and Lora Henderson. They have been with us for almost 26 years, and are so very dear to us. They, along with their daughter Jenna and her husband Dave Natelborg, are moving to Cave Junction, Oregon to plant a daughter church. I can't say how dear these two have been to us over the years. They were our only Sunday night children's ministers when our church was still young, and they without complaint were there for this church, week after week for years, in a time when few people were coming to church and even less were serving. Their daughters are true gems, and are a great testimony to a godly dad and mom. It is going to be very difficult seeing them go, but they left in the right way, with tears, prayers, friends, and a lot of love. So many people just get up and leave their church, without a good-bye, thank you, I love you, or anything else, they just melt out the door and sadly, complain that nobody noticed they are gone. Sometimes they go to other churches, taking gripes and complaints with them, and then invite their friends to join them. New churches are always more exciting, especially churches that are just starting out, and many find them alluring. It's like a new relationship: it is exciting, charming, refreshing, and oh so new! So, people leave, but so very often, they draw others with them. Not so with Pat and Lora, as they left with love and a blessing and will be sorely missed. Perhaps some of you reading this blog have decided to leave your church, for the new church down the road and know it is time to go. Praise the Lord how He leads you, and it is great to be free to go where He leads. My encouragement to you would be to say good-bye to your pastor and your church leaders, and get plugged in at your new church as soon as you can. I would also encourage you to resist the temptation of inviting your friends to go with you. As the Lord led you, He can also lead your friends if He so desires. It is wrong to invite somebody to leave a church based on your dissatisfaction: if you have issues it is always best to resolve them, biblically. Then, you can leave in good conscience, and if you should run across former church members, or your former pastor or his wife, you can look them in the face and say hello without that awkward pause I have gone through so many times! Pat, Lora, Dave, and Jenna left in the right way, and we will miss them but will always have fond memories of them.

random thoughts

2008-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed our study last night. Sometimes I just blow my mind at what the Lord has done, and what He is doing right now. I am so blessed by the sense of worshipfulness this church has. It truly blesses me to hear the singing, and to just be part of such a wonderful group of people. The Lord truly has been good to His word with us, and I am just so blessed to be here with such loving people. Next month we will celebrate 27 years of meeting on Sunday mornings. We actually began our church in May of '81, but it was meeting on Wednesday nights at that time. We didn't begin the study with the intention of starting a church, but due to various circumstances we created and found ourselves in, that Wednesday night study became a Sunday morning church. I didn't start Sunday morning services with any aspirations for such a large work, but in reality started Sunday services because I didn't know which church my family and I should attend, in that I had resigned my position of assisting Pastor of another Calvary Chapel. My sister in law Patty asked me where I was planning on going to church, and I told her I hadn't decided yet. She said until I decide, would it be ok if I taught her on Sunday's, and so I said that would be fine until we find a church to go to: that was 27 years ago next month. Indeed, God's ways are not our ways and yes, His plans are so much more than we could ask or even think. To God be the glory, He has been so good to us!

blogging

2008-06-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, after being asked several times about doing a blog, here it goes! I have been thinking about my desire for people to be open to the moving and filling of the Spirit of God in their lives. I really believe that there is just so much junk we are all dealing with that it is very difficult to hear the still small voice of God, over all of the noise of the world. Our confusion, guilt, sorrow, shame, greed, indolence, fear, lack of faith, and so many other things crowds out the Word of God and causes it to fail to bear fruit in our lives. I am asking the Lord daily to fill me with His Spirit, because I want to not only start well, run well, but I especially want to finish well. I recently read of two evangelists who both started their "ministries" when Billy Graham began his. All of the people at that time felt that, in comparison to the other two, Billy Graham was the least possible to succeed at his mission. To make a long story short, one of the evangelists renounced his faith, and the other died an alcoholic while in his mid-30's. They all started out well, but Billy is remembered for finishing well. I want to finish well, also, so with the power of the Spirit and a determination to bring glory to Jesus, I have asked Him to give me strength to finish well. I pray this is true for you, too!