#1: Great surprise to see so many people come out for all three services on a holiday weekend. My expectations and prayers were exceeded! God is good!

#2: Calvary is blessed to have founding Pastor Larry Dewitt and his wife Beccy as a part of our church family. It was so good to see both of them today after the 9am service. They have been out of town for almost two months. Larry and Beccy are such a great encouragement to me!

#3: “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors, see all the people” relates to adults in a worship service just as much as it does with three-year-olds in Sunday School. Yes, and some people love the “where are all the people” version too.

#4: Praying with people about the heavy stuff they are going through never gets old. What a privilege to come alongside others!

#5: After mentioning that we needed 15 people to work in the children’s ministry during the 9am & 11am services, 16 people in total after both morning services said they were interested in helping. Thank you Lord & thank you 16 God-sensitive servants of Christ!

#6: The faith of Mrs. Manoah in Judges 13 provides a great narrative from which we can learn how to position ourselves to get glimpses of God in everyday life.

#7: After emphasizing how important it is for each of us to include others in our spiritual journey, a number of people (especially after the 6pm service) stopped by to talk to our Small Groups Team. Looking forward to hearing on Tuesday how many stopped by and/or filled out the card expressing their interest in being in our helping lead a small group.

#8: Loved how in the 9am & 11am services Kimberly introduced the song “I See The Lord” with Isaiah 6. Then, in the evening Mark had Tony start our time of worship by reading the passage from Revelation that describes John’s vision of worship around Heaven’s throne. Love Scripture as an integral part of worship.

#9: Glad people at Calvary are patient with their pastor when he struggles to make his point.

#10: It was great to have my new Pastoral Assistant, Jeremy Haynes, working alongside me throughout the day. Welcome to the Calvary team, Jeremy!

I could list many more thoughts about the day, but these were the first to make it to the page.



To God Be the Glory!


Shawn

TRUST HIS HEART – by Babbie Mason & Eddie Carswell
All things work for our good
though sometimes we can’t see how they could
struggles that break our hearts in two
sometimes blinds us to the truth

Our Father knows what’s best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim, and you just can’t see Him
Remember you’re never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hands
So don’t live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him

We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry He’s weaving you and me to someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand
Trust His heart

He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
So when you don’t understand
When you don’t see His plan
When you can’t trace His hand trust His heart

In italics below is a nice summary of the concept of “The Angel of the LORD” from Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology:

Angel of the LORD
(Heb. mal’ak yehwah). Supernatural being who bears a message on behalf of God. In many passages in the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is identified with God, while in other instances a distinction is made between the Lord and the angel. In general, however, the terms “the angel of the Lord, ” “the Lord, ” and “God” are interchangeable.

Bibliography. A. Bowling, TWOT, 1:464-65; G. B. Funderburk, ZPEB, 1:160-66; J. B. Payne, Theology of the Older Testament.

Everything above in italics was shared to my blog via Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology via Bible Study Tools Online through their “PressThis” feature.

Another nice summary with connections to the New Testament:

“The Angel of the LORD (Heb., Yahweh) went up from Gilgal to Bokim. The Angel of the Lord was not merely “an angel”; He was a theophany—an appearance of the second Person of the Trinity in visible and bodily form before the Incarnation. Prominent during the time of Moses (Ex. 3:2-15; Num. 22:22-35) and Joshua (Josh. 5:13-15), this divine manifestation also appeared during the period of the Judges to Gideon (Jud. 6:11-24) and to the parents of Samson (13:3-21).”

“The Angel of the Lord was Deity for He was called Yahweh (e.g., Josh. 5:13-15; Jud. 6:11-24; Zech. 3) and God (e.g., Gen. 32:24-32; Ex. 3:4), and had divine attributes and prerogatives (cf. Gen. 16:13; 18:25; 48:16). Yet this Messenger of the Lord was also distinct from Yahweh, thus indicating a plurality of Persons within the Godhead (cf. Num. 20:16; Zech. 1:12-13). New Testament allusions suggest that the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was Jesus Christ (cf. John 12:41; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 8:56; Heb. 11:26).”
-Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Jdg 2:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Doctors helped to set up an ongoing medical clinic and gave training to the Haitian staff. They saw more than 500 patients. Four of them would have died without treatment! There were four nights of open-air church services and three days of training for local pastors. More than 600 kids came for “Calvary” Vacation Bible School, which had been translated into Creole.

Another very exciting thing that happened was the completion of Calvary’s water reservoir project. The community of Lamothe, just outside Port au Prince, received access to clean drinking water for the first time last Saturday. The doctors said that more than 50% of the patients they saw had illnesses related to contaminated water or dehydration. Watch the video at the bottom of this posting showing children gathering some of the first drops of water to come out of the reservoir that will benefit more than 7,000 people. What a privilege it is to see God bringing together so many of the things our Haiti team has dreamed of and worked on for so many months!

We see glimpses of God when we serve. We can see Him clearly working through Calvary in Haiti and also here at home. This Sunday we will look at Judges, chapter 13. These verses describe some of the ways we can see God working in our lives, in our community, and through service.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Calvary family.

#2: “You Never Let Go” is an incredible song!

#3: What a blessing it was to have someone thank me for praying that God would bless specific people at Calvary financially and that they would have the wisdom to invest it in His Kingdom. I shared with the congregation several weeks ago that I prayed that daily. This person told me God surprised him with a great bonus at work. While not sharing the amount, he humbly shared how God had nudged him to give 4 times his normal offering today. Isn’t God amazing in how He works!

#4: People laughed at my encouragement to read the bulletin while I preach, because we all know they already do!

#5: It was cool how two different songs (one in the am services and one in the pm service) emphasized “The Lord God Almighty – Who was, and is, and is to come.” Both “Revelation Song” and “Holy” preceded my prayer. Great way to “tee up” a prayer to the one true God!

#6: I am so thankful for Calvary’s heart for people who are often marginalized and forgotten. Our Haiti team arrived home tonight. Our Special Needs ministry was part of filming today for a PBS television video being prepared about the life and ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada. Thanks to all the families and volunteers for caring for people with disabilities.

#7: Pastor Drew wrote and led us through a great responsive reading that helped personalize the truth that God NEVER gives up on us!

#8: God is at work in the Calvary family. My best guess is that several hundred people asked me to pray for them about how God was working in them regarding their need to get rid of idols in their lives or to repent of waywardness (by lifting their hands at the end of the service). Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit continues His work in each life this week.

#9: Every week individuals and families who make up our congregation experience shocking, life changing stuff. After each service today, I prayed for people who just started to deal with the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a notice of foreclosure, a diagnosis of cancer, or a crisis with a child.

#10: I have got to remember my teaching Bible, my sermon notes, and my computer when I head out for church on Sunday morning (I left them all at home today).

I could list many more thoughts about the day, but these were the first to make it to the page.

To God Be the Glory!
Shawn

There have been times when I’m too busy to think about God…

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I chase after everything but God, hoping to find fulfillment

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I’ve stepped into a rut of people pleasing rather than God pleasing

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I tend to trust myself more than God to get me out of sticky situations

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I spend more time thinking about enlarging my kingdom than God’s kingdom

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I’ve shaped God in my own image and forgotten that God shaped me

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I approach God and the Church asking, “what am I going to get out of this?”

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I have a hard time loving my neighbors let alone loving myself sometimes

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

I go through the motions of loving God and think that God does the same in return

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

Like a moth to the flame I keep coming back to the same sin

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

When I think God’s silent I silently give up on God

But God, You Never Give Up On Me

Listen to it by CLICKING HERE and then pushing the play button next to the song title.

Look at these incredible lyrics:

MERCIES NEW

Is it fair to say, ‘€œI was lured away?’€
By endless distractions and lovelier attractions then
Or fairer still, my own free will
Is the better one to blame for this familiar mess I’ve made again

So I would understand
You were out of patience
And I would understand
I was out of chances

Your mercies are new every morning
So let me wake with the dawn
When the music is through or so it seems to be
Then let me sing a new song, old things gone
Every day it’s true, You make all Your mercies new

The distance left between East and West
Is how far You would go to forget the debt I’d owe
And thrown into the sea, the wicked ways in me
Will never have a chance to wash back on the sand

So I would understand
If You would make me pay
I would understand
Lying in the bed I made again

Your mercies are new every morning
So let me wake with the dawn
When the music is through or so it seems to be
Let me sing a new song, old things gone
Every day it’s true, You make all Your mercies new

Up comes the sun
On every one of us
Gone, gone, gone the
Guilt and shame that knew Your name

Your mercies are new every morning
So let me wake with the dawn yeah
When the music is through or so it seems to be
Let me sing a new song, old things gone
Every day it’s true, You make all Your mercies new
Every day it’s true, You make all Your mercies new

The evening promises to be fun and worshipful. Many have seen the Gaither Homecoming Videos or remember the Cathedral Quartet. If you have been blessed by either of those, you will truly enjoy this concert. If Southern Gospel is not your style of music, you may know a friend or relative that would be blessed by your telling them about it or bringing them to it.

Below are a couple of clips of the group performing:

Oh, What a Savior

Then Came the Morning

Glory to God in the Highest

Never Give Up, Never Give In

#1: With many of our key staff and volunteer leaders away on vacation, those who stepped in to fill their shoes did not miss a beat! Praise God for willing, gifted servants of Christ!!

#2: I love meeting people who are new to Calvary. I think I personally met 25+ people today who have come to Calvary over the last few weeks. What a great opportunity we have to make a difference for Jesus!

#3: Our children’s ministry team is coming into a real sweet spot under the leadership of Pastor Kevin McCloskey. I am so excited for the way they are blending the various ministries under a united leadership team. Today they did a great job staffing an information table in the lobby for parents and others interested in what Calvary does to serve kids from birth through 5th grade and their families! Way to go guys! Should be an incredible fall!!

#4: Abimelech (the son of Gideon) was one horrible dude!

#5: God has blessed Chad and Erika Reiser (today’s 9am & 11am worship leaders) with incredible voices they use wonderfully for His glory!

#6: People of all ages and walks of life long to leave a lasting influence for God even after they have stepped into eternity. I had some great conversations after each service with people who sincerely want to live according to the way of Jesus so they can leave a legacy like He did.

#7: I am blessed to serve in a church setting where we had great speakers while I was gone the last two Sundays and the church family still seems genuinely glad I am back. That’s a nice thing!

#8: Not sure there are too many characters in Scripture whose influence ended as quickly as Abimelech’s (son of Gideon) did: “When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home” (Judges 9:55). This has become my favorite verse of the whole story! He’s dead and they simply go on with life as if he never existed! Now that’s an empty legacy!

#9: Mark White’s song “I Want to Be a Man Like Jesus” summarized the thrust of my heart and today’s message. Thank you God for giving him that song!

#10: Proud to be a part of a church that has partnered with local pastors in Haiti to provide aid and assistance to the body of Christ and the citizens in that struggling nation. Yesterday we sent the fourth team to serve in Haiti. Our Care Pastor, Steve Day, leads them. They will complete a community water project providing fresh water to hundreds. They will train church leaders, will hold nightly evangelistic meetings, and will assist in a Vacation Bible School that will reach hundreds of children! Go team! We are praying for you.

I have many more random thoughts (one has to do with how many people also identified with looking in some way like “Napoleon Dynamite” in the 1980′s), but these are the ten that popped out on to this page.

To God Be the GLORY!
Shawn

As followers of Christ, we are about being Jesus in the lives of people who need to see His love and hear His Good News. Now is the time for the church to be the church toward the people of Pakistan.

Today I received an email from Pastor Kirk Dewitt (Calvary’s Pastor for Outreach to our Community and the World). He shared with me how Calvary will be a part of the flood relief in Pakistan. We are pointing people who want to make a difference right now in Pakistan to a great partner ministry – The Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF). CHF has containers with 500,000 meals on the way and is raising $19k to cover shipping and distribution.

Here is how the CHF website describes the crisis: “Compared to the world’s response to the earthquake in Haiti, aid for victims of the massive floods in Pakistan is incredibly slow. Those affected are losing hope. 20 million people are now homeless. The flooded region covers 62,000 square miles, roughly the size of Italy, and spans one-fifth of the whole country.”

We are encouraging people to donate to Children’s Hunger Fund if they would like to get involved. If God is nudging you to do something to help the flood victims, I suggest you go directly to CHF’s website related to this crisis in Pakistan: CLICK HERE.

Let’s be the church together!