Week after week I find joy and encouragement in pastoring Calvary Baptist Church. These twin feelings come from YOU, the people – the real church. The church is not the buildings or budgets or programs. Even though we have decided that those are things we have, if you were to take them away it really wouldn’t change the fact that WE are Calvary Church!

Seeing you each week fills me with hope. The hope comes because transformation is possible through God’s Word. The Bible is what God uses to change every day people into extraordinary servants. And change is slow sometimes; we have to be willing to wait for the changes to occur. We can’t always have what we want, when we want it. God’s kingdom is not Burger King! It takes a lifetime to raise kids; the same principle is true of discipleship.

This is going to take patience. Patience is something I have to be constantly reminded of to practice. James points out that patience is part of the discipleship process when encountering trials.

“For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect [i.e., “mature”] and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:3-4)

Because trials are of “different” kinds we have to realize that once we’ve made it through one trial another of a different type is on the horizon. Trials come to mature our faith, to grow us spiritually. And nobody can ever say, “Hey, I’m done with trials. I now have my act together.” We know that nobody has their act together this side of eternity.

So what do we do? We buckle up, hold on for dear life, sink our teeth into God’s Word, and go for it! Faith demands this kind of tenacity. Living by faith is risky business, but it’s the best type of life to live because it is the only life that pleases God (cf. Hebrews 11:6).

I as sit here early in the week my heart is filled with hope for God’s church. Why? Because you keep coming back. Why is that? Because deep down you know that gathering as God’s people, united in purpose, worshiping as a family is necessary to scattering into the world as missionaries. My prayer is that all of us will be successful missionaries to our world.

Grace & Peace,