Hey there…I’ve been doing some brainstorming that I’d like to share with anyone who is reading this.

When we designed our Web Campus a year and a half ago, we included this Word Press blog feature because…well…it just seemed like the thing to do. But since doing so, I’ve noticed that it doesn’t really drive much relational interaction, and I’m not one for doing things just to do them.

With that in mind, our Web Team is designing a whole new system/structure that will be much more interactive and “real time” (instant messaging & chat driven), and that will NOT include this blog format. We’re doing this because we haven’t really seen much happen with it and we want to move forward with something that we believe will.

So this is your chance to weigh in on whether you feel this needs to stay or if it could totally go away. Again, the Web Ministry ISN’T going away, just this blog. Please share your opinions.

In Christ,
PASTOR DAN

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OK, since I’ve gotten good feedback on the previous 2 posts on my summer reading, I figured why not keep with it? The book I’m currently into is by E.M. Bounds and is simply titled “Satan”.

As you probably guessed, it’s a biblical breakdown of the person and work of Satan, and follows the the “know thine enemy” line of logic. While we shouldn’t make the devil our main focus, it’s good to be reminded of his reality and agenda.

Here are a few quotes that I felt worth passing on:

“[Satan] is a great manager. He manages bad men, often good men and bad angels. Indirect, sinister, low and worldly, is the devil as a manager.”

“To Christ the devil was one of the most real persons. He recognized his person, felt and acknowledged his power, abhorred his character, and warned against his person and kingdom.”

“Christ affirms the devil’s high position, but signs and seals his destiny and doom.”

“[Satan] says nothing good about the good, and nothing bad about the bad. He is always at church before the preacher is in the pulpit or a member in the pew to hinder the sower, impoverish the soil, or to blast the seed.”

“He has large experience, big brains, a black heart, great force, and tireless industry, and is of great influence and character. All his immense resources and powers are laid out for evil. Only evil inspires his activities and energies.”

“His master and supreme effort is to get control of the Church, not to destroy its organization, but to abate and pervert its Divine ends.”

Stay sharp! (1 Peter 5:8),
Pastor Dan

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I figured why not share a few thoughts from the next book I’m working my way through this summer. It’s a book about John the Baptist written by British pastor/evangelist F.B. Meyer. Here are some quotes that have stuck out so far:

“Unbelief has the effect of shutting man out of the enjoyment of life, and hindering his usefulness.”

“We can believe in the wonder-working power of God on the distant horizon of the future; but that He should have a definite and particular care for our life, that our prayers should touch Him, that He should give us the desire of our heart…this staggers us, and we feel it too good to be true.”

“It is important to remember that while the motto of the old covenant was Exclusion…that of the new covenant is Inclusion.”

“We become weak by continual contact with our fellows. We sink to their level; we accommodate ourselves to their fashions and whims; we limit the natural developments of character on God’s plan; we take on the color of the bottom on which we lie. But in loneliness and solitude, wherein we meet God, we become strong.” [obviously there has to be a balance to this one].

“God demands not advocates, but witnesses; and we must see for ourselves, before we can bear witness to others.”

“Righteousness is blessedness.”

Just a few that stood out…enjoy!

PASTOR DAN

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Summer can be a great time to get alone with a good book. I’ve had the pleasure of reading through a book by Charles Spurgeon titled, “John Ploughman’s Talks”.

Spurgeon wanted to write something that was totally readable for the less educated tradesmen and women of that day, including ploughmen (hence the title). It’s chock-full of simple yet profound truths. Here are a few of my favorites, enjoy!

On idleness, “Idle men tempt the devil to tempt them.”

On religious grumblers, “If hearers were better, sermons would be better.”

On patience, “An ounce of health is worth a sack of diamonds…It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness…What can’t be cured must be endured”

On gossips, “An open mouth shows an empty head. If the chest had gold or silver in it, it would not always stand open…the worst evil you can do a man is to injure his character.”

On keeping one’s eyes open, “Don’t believe the man who talks most; for mewing cats are seldom good mousers.”

On thoughts, “Vain toughts will knock at the door, but we must not open to them…Snails leave their slime behind them, and so do vain thoughts.”

On debt, “Poverty is hard but debt is horrible…A real honest man would sooner get as lean as a a greyhound than feast on borrowed money.”

On spending, “Men do not become rich by what they get, but by what they save.”

On godly wives, “When there is wisdom in the husband there is generally gentleness in the wife…He who consults his wife will have a good counselor.”

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Growing up, I was totally into the concept of the “secret weapon”. You know, that one thing the enemy hadn’t counted on or factored in…unleashed at the most pivotal point in the battle…and when it was…victory.

I fully believe that God is into the secret weapon thing too. Every believer is an enlisted combatant against the Kingdom of Darkness. We fight for God’s Kingdom. And I have found that in order to make us all the more effective, God gives all of us something special and unique, a secret weapon, that accomplishes His Kingdom’s agenda.

For me, it’s what I’ve been through the past few years…leaving Florida and landing and living in an area where I don’t experience the day-to-day interaction with others that most people do. It’s changed my heart and outlook on what it means to be isolated and cut-off. And it’s become my secret weapon in my ministry as Web Pastor because now I can relate to those who are isolated and cut-off on a whole new level…and God is really using that to His glory!

So what’s your secret weapon. What has God specifically and uniquely allowed you to experience in order to help further His Kingdom?

Pastor Dan

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Previously, I posted about Joe from Michigan who attended our recent baptism. His wife saw the post, contacted me, and gave me the rest of the story…which is worth sharing with you.

For starters, she had been praying for Joe for several years, because he hadn’t really “taken the plunge” into the things of God. She also shared that 6 months ago they had planned to take a cruise, which didn’t happen. She was really disappointed and went through one of those “Why, God?” times.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and they’re in Ft. Lauderdale for a “make up” vacation. Since she had been watching us via the Web Ministry, she wanted to attend one of our services in person. Joe went along with her, and they both heard about the upcoming baptism.

She was determined to go, but she figured Joe wouldn’t be into it. To her surprise, he told her the night before that there was something about Calvary Chapel that he really liked, and that he was going to “take the plunge” with her. He did, and God is now working in both of their lives.

Amazing. If the cruise happened 6 months ago, they wouldn’t have come to Ft. Lauderdale, or Calvary Chapel, or the baptism…and the change in Joe’s heart probably wouldn’t have happened. It shows that when God takes one thing away, it’s for the purpose of giving something FAR better. Remember that one!

Pastor Dan

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Just a quick story about how the Lord is using the Web Ministry. This past Saturday our church hosted a baptism in the Atlantic Ocean. A few hundred took part, but I want to mention one person in particular.

A gentleman named Joe from Michigan came forward to be baptized. When asked how he got there, Joe shared that although he lives in Michigan and hasn’t been able to connect to a church in his area, he attends our Web Campus on-line. So he knew about our church services and our baptism, which he decided to be a part of.

To me, that’s just one more good reason to do what we’re doing with the Web Campus. It’s about building relationships with people like Joe who love the Lord, but aren’t practically able to be attend our church locally. It makes me wonder how many other Joes are out there and it excites me to think of how we can serve their spiritual needs. Go God!

Pastor Dan

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Last year I set out on a mission to go through the Psalms verse by verse. I didn’t want to do what I usually do with this book, which is go to the passages that I’m most familiar with or inspired by. Instead, I wanted to see the whole book from a bird’s-eye view. I wanted to look at the entire thing as a whole and boil it all down to one simple sentence that would stick in my heart. You know, the “less is more” principle.

Not only was I able to walk away with one succinct sentence, but I was able to trim the Psalms, all 150 of them, down to one single word…perspective.

A pattern kept showing itself over and over. The Psalmist (usually David) would share a prayer that was a wrestle between focusing on the problems of life and the security and goodness of God. Sound familiar? Sometimes the Psalmist is up, sometimes he’s down. When read from end to end, it’s like a roller-coaster ride. God is good, but then we’ve got the “yeah, buts” of our daily grind. And when it comes right down to it, it’s a matter of having the right perspective, of focusing on God instead of the problems of life.

But check out how the roller coaster ride ends, “Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6). It ends with the right perspective, by focusing on God.  So much of our lives will be determined by our perspective, let’s get it where it belongs.

Pastor Dan

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Forgive my ignorance, but before this past Sunday I didn’t even know there was a place called Kyrgyzstan.

For those like me, Kyrgyzstan (KUR-gi-stahn) is a mountainous country located in the former Soviet Union. It became fully independent of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, and has a population of 5.2 million.  The society is relatively rural, and the indigenous population has historically been semi-nomadic herders, living in round tents called “yurts” and tending sheep, horses and yaks.

Why the tutorial on Kyrgyzstan? Because someone there was watching our on-line church service this past Sunday. It showed up as a red dot smack-dab in the middle of central Asia on our global map that tracks our visitors, and by my calculations they would have been watching between 1-3 a.m. their time. We get a lot of foreign viewers, but someone in this particular part of the world is new. I thought to myself, “Kyrgyzstan…really?”

I’m routinely amazed by the impact of this Web Ministry. To think that someone in the middle of Kyrgyzstan in the middle of the night is hearing the truth being taught from the Fort Lauderdale pulpit…amazing!  It’s a real reminder that the Church is a global entity, a network of like-hearted men and women who share Jesus as their hub.

So to whoever you are in Kyrgyzstan, thank you.  Thank you for the reminder of how far-reaching the Body of Christ is, and how far-ranging God’s truth is.

Pastor Dan

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You know, it’s funny…the real test of character doesn’t happen when you’re known by some spiritual title in some sort of spiritual context. It doesn’t happen when you’re exercising your spiritual gifts in front of an audience. It happens in a place like Big Lots.

Yesterday; I need a new garden hose and plastic storage bin. So I do the smart thing and buy them at the local Big Lots. Great prices. I make my way to the one register that’s open where a nice middle-aged woman is checking out. Items in hand, waiting patiently, here’s the exchange at the register as I overheard it:

“That will be $24, do you have your Buzz Card?” “Oh what does it look like?” “It looks like this (holding a sample up).” “I think maybe I got one…oh yes, I left it at home.” “Do you have an e-mail address and I can look up your account.” “Oh, I think it is ——@aol.com.” “I don’t see anything under that e-mail address.” “Maybe try this one instead, ——-@yahoo.net.” “No ma’am, I don’t have one for that address, either.” “I think that’s my e-mail address, I’m just not sure. Wait a minute, I think I have a card thingy on my keychain from you guys, will this work?” “No, I’m sorry. That isn’t a Buzz Card, that’s a Kroger Card.” “Well I don’t know how I could have misplaced it.” “Can I just give you a new one?” “Sure, that’d be great.” “O.K. this will only take a few minutes.”

Right there, right then…under the florescent lights at Big Lots, with a woman in front of me getting her new Buzz Card, storage bin and hose in hand, with now a line of people behind me stamping their feet…my character was being tested. “Lord, I know this is silly. I know that You died on the cross for me, and martyrs were burned at the stake for your name. But please Lord, help me to not lose it in this line right now. Help me to stay patient and be nice.”

It’s there, in the little things of life that our character is molded and shaped by God. Because until we learn to rely on Him to transform our hearts in the little things of life, our spirituality will be superficial at best when we encounter the big things.

Pastor Dan

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