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!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
New life
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!
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!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
anniversaries
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!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
what is in our future
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!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
God loves us
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!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
just a thought or two
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.
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.
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