New Leadership Team Members for Calvary - 2018

This year at our annual business meeting (March 4, 2018) we will present for approval two new Leadership Team members.  The meeting will be at 10:10 am in the sanctuary.

The new members to be elected are:

Keith Young:  Keith and his wife Kim have been members since June of 2010 and they are very active in Calvary's Worship Ministry where they both sing on the praise team and in the choir.  Keith also has been a Sunday School teacher at Calvary for many years, currently leading the "Young" class which is one of our groups meeting in the sanctuary.  Keith and Kim have also been strong supporters of the college and young-adult ministries.  He has previously served on the Leadership Team and rotated off in March of 2017.  He is an assistant principal at Stewarts Creek Middle School. They have three children, Eli, Cy, and Wyatt, who have been a part of Calvary's ministry.

Dan Troup: Dan and his wife Liz have been members of Calvary since June of 2000, and have served in support roles in many ways over the years.  Most recently Dan and Liz have served in the Living Nativity Ministry and Dan's servant's heart has led him to  be involved in the set-up team's ministry of preparing the sanctuary for Wednesday night meals and for other functions.  Dan works at MTSU and is the Manager of the Crops Unit.  They have two children, Ethan and Kate, who have been a part of Calvary's ministry.

New Leadership Team Members 2017 - Annual Meeting 3-5-2017

New Leadership Team Members for Calvary:

Each year at our annual meeting, Calvary approves two new Leadership Team members. The persons to be presented are Phillip Umbarger and Bobby Hicks.  We will conduct our annual meeting at 10:10 am on March 5th in the sanctuary.

Bobby was raised in Southern Baptist Churches and met his wife Patrice while they served as counselors for a youth group.  Before moving to Murfreesboro, they lived in Franklin for 25 years where he provided leadership as a deacon and as a Sunday School teacher. They have been in Murfreesboro for approximately five years and joined Calvary in February of 2014.  Bobby currently assists the Men's Connect Group as a substitute teacher and Patrice volunteers in the church office. He owns Homeland Marketing, an organization that reaches throughout the Southeastern U.S. They have a married daughter and a granddaughter.  

Phillip and Rhesa moved here from Kentucky where they had been part of a Church plant and where Phillip had been involved in Leadership. They have been members of Calvary since February of 2011 and their family has been involved in the youth ministry and the adult Connect Groups where Phillip leads a Sunday morning class. Their oldest daughter is a college student at Lipscomb and she  was involved in our youth ministry and their youngest daughter is a freshman in High School and serves on the Youth Leadership Team. Phillip is an executive sales rep for the pharmaceutical company Novartis.   In addition, their family has participated in the Camp Barnabas Ministry.

Life Hacks: A Study in Psalms Survive Psalm 1

Life Hacks:  Psalm 1

Keyword: Survive

(sermon preached on 2-5-2017)

In the context of Psalm 1, the themes are:

1. Surviving temptation and the pull of a wayward world

2. Surviving scoffing and seasons of doubt

3. Surviving beyond circumstances by remaining planted in Him

4. Surviving by flourishing in your spiritual relationships and ministry

5. Surviving by the Lord's provenance in our lives

I.  Blessed is the Person vs 1

A. Regarding Poor Counsel

B. Regarding Appropriate Manner

C. Regarding Indecisiveness or Doubt

II. The Position of Such a Righteous Person vss 2-3

A. Regarding the Word

B. Regarding A Spiritual Aptitude

C. Regarding Spiritual Roots

III. The Disposition of Such an Unrighteous Person vss 4-5

A. Inability to Discern Truth

B. Inability to survive judgment

C. Inability to experience truth in community

IV. The Destination vs 6

A. The Provenance

B. The Punishment

Conclusions - We survive:

1. When we choose His option over the world's offer

2. When we immerse ourselves in His frame of reference rather than the world's point of view

3. When we trust His plan even when circumstances seem contrary to His purpose

4. When we refuse to give up, and commit to the end point in Him

5. When we fall down, we get back up - because His grace supersedes our failures

Life Hacks: A Study in Psalms Better 1-29-17

Sermon Notes: 1-29-17

Life Hacks: A Study in Psalms

Key Word: Better

Scriptures: Psalm 37:16-19, 84:10, 118:8-9, 63:1-5

Note: See below for six conclusions.

I. Better: is Little than Much -  Psalm 37:16-19

A. Experience Contentment - Phil 4:11-13, Heb 13:5

B. Pursue Godliness - Phil 6:6-8, 1 Tim 4:7-8

C. Have Integrity - Prov 11:3

II. Better: is Serving than Being Served - Psalm 84:10

A. Servanthood and Worship

-  Better to Be Like Him  - John 12:26

- Better to serve others  - Mark 9:35,  Luke 22:26

- Better to Serve as Worship - Romans 12:1-2 

B. Selection of Yahweh for Life

- Better to be the doorkeeper 

- Better to live in a manner worthy of the Lord. 

III. Better: is the Refuge of the Lord - Psalm 118:8-9

A. Where do We Retreat?

B. Who do we Trust?

IV. Better: is His Love than Life Itself  - Psalm 63:1-5

A. First Love - Mt 22:36-37

B. First Priority - Mt 6:33.

C. Above All - Psalm 95:3, Phil 2:9-11

Conclusions:

1. 2017 will be better not because we set expectations lower, but we set them more clearly regarding purposeful decisions, and in line with God's agenda and purpose.

2.Contentment in Christ tames the fleshly yearn for things, yet it cause the spiritual flame to burn more brightly as we understand the true and real value of knowing Him and pursuing His kingdom.

3. A life well lived is one in which right choices have been made and right directions have been followed.

4. Your destination is often determined by the people you journey with.

5. Being available to the Lord likened to being the doorkeeper who stands instantly ready to serve the Master.

6. What you hope "better for" may determine the "how you get there." That's why it's important to hope for the right things.

Life Hacks: Abound - Psalm 23

Life Hacks - A Study in Psalms

Key  Word: Abound - Psalm 23

I. The Person of Yahweh

He is Shepherd - Provider - not just the provision, He is provider!

Now the Provision:

A. He causes me to lie down - Rest

B. He leads me beside tranquil waters - Restoration

C. He renews my soul - Renewal

D. He guides me into his fullness - Re-position

II. The Profession of the Believer

A1. Even in the deepest darkest places/circumstances

B1. Your Rod and Staff

- weapon and guiding staff

- scepter and kingship

A2. In the Presence of my enemies

B2. You anoint my head with oil

- my cup is filled, beyond over flowing. 

NT reference verses:

1. Romans 15:13

2. Ephesians 3:20

3. 1 Corinthians 2:9

III. The Perpetuity of His Provision

A. Good and Love Pursue Me - all the days of my life

B. I will dwell in the House of the Lord - for length of days

We Wait in Hope for the Lord Psalm 33:12-22

(Sermon preached on 1-15-2017)

I. There is a Blessing for the People of God

II. The Lord Looks Down Upon His People

III. He Discerns Their Actions

A. The King is Not Saved by His Army

B. The Warrior is Not Rescued by His Strength

C. The Horse is a False Hope for Victory

IV. The Eye of The Lord is Upon Them

V. We Wait in Hope for the Lord

A. We wait

B. He Helps

C. We rejoice

D. Because We Trust

VI. The Blessing of His Faithful Love

Guatemala - Parramos update related to the Construction Project

A significant part of the mission trip last May was to explore opportunities for Calvary to develop a partnership with a Church in Guatemala. We visited and discussed the possibilities with Pastor Samuel at Iglesia Bautista Nazareth, a church located in Parramos, Guatemala.  They shared with us an immediate need related to the Christian School in their church. There was great concern about keeping their accreditation which was due a review in the next few weeks.  If the construction of an upper classroom addition was not complete, the church school could lose its state accreditation.

Calvary and Lascassas Baptist together raised the funds to provide the resources for the completion of the addition. While on a mission trip to Guatemala in November where Jan taught at the Women's Conference and I taught an Introduction to Biblical Hebrew at the Seminary, we were able to visit Nazareth Baptist Church again and view the completed project.

On our most recent trip we discussed with Pastor Samuel further needs which include the construction of additional restroom facilities on the ground floor, as well as the possibility of scholarship programs for students and sponsorship of a school lunch program. We'll provide more information on these opportunities as things shape up.


The pictures below will give you a short summary of the school and the work completed.

The Nazareth Baptist Church in Parramos

Children in existing classroom

The block walls of the incomplete addition with rubble from construction.
Note there is only a partial ceiling.

The outer walkway looking into the construction area.

The completed walkway with door on left.

Completed classroom in second floor addition!

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 5:6-12 The Testimony

 Illuminated

1 John 5:6-12 The Testimony

preached 11-13-16

I. The Testimony of Jesus vs 6

II. The Testimony of the Spirit  vss 6-7

III. The Testimony of the Father  vs 9

IV. The Testimony of the Believer vss 10-13

A. We have been given eternal life vs 11

B. The one who believes has life vs 12

C. You will know you have life vs 13

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 4:7-19 Perfect Love

Illuminated

11-6-2016

1 John 4:7-19

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear!

I. Love Presented

A. Love is From God ... and God is Love vss 7-9

B. Love is revealed (vs9)

C. Love Consists in this vs 10

II.  Love Proven  (and Perfected) vs 12

A. God's love in us vs 12

B. God's love assures us

- through the Holy Spirit vs 13

- through the testifying vs 14

- through the confession vs 15

III. Love Perfected

A.  There is no fear in love vs 18

B.   Perfect love drives out Fear vs 18

C.  Love is greater than punishment vs 17-18

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 4:1-6, 5:1-5

Illuminated  10-31-16

1 John 4:1-6, 5:1-5

Greater is the One in Us

I. Test the Spirits 4:1

A. Societal Relativism of Truth

B. Deception of Immorality

C. The Work of the Anti-Christ

II. The Test of the Spirit of God 4:2-3

A. Confession of Jesus as the Christ 4:2, 5:1

B. Acknowledgement of His Nature 4:2

C. Lack of Confession verifies the spirit is not from God  4:3

III. Greater is Christ in You - Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world

A.  You are born of God, and thus Greater 4:4, 5:1

B. You obey God and thus are have Victory 5:4-5

C.  Because we are in Christ: (let's put this in a personal and practical perspective)

1. The grace of God is greater than your guilt

2. The love is God is greater than your shame

3. The comfort of God is greater than your sorrow

4. The strength of God is greater than your weakness

5. The hope of God is greater than your despair

6. The plan of God is greater than your agenda

7.  The power of God is greater than your adversity

8. The provision of God is greater than your need

9. The deliverance of God is greater than your temptation

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 3:10-20 Living a Different Kind of Love

10-23-16

Illuminated 1 John 3:10-20

Living a Different Kind of Love

I.  Love's Message

A. Love One Another - 3:11

B. The Lack of Love is Equated With Evil - 3:12

C. Love of our Christian Family is the Fruit of Salvation - 3:14

D. The Lack of Love is Equated with Death - 3:15-16

II. Love's Messenger  3:16-17

III. Love's Method

A. We Sacrifice - 3:16

B. We Serve - 3:17

C. We Speak - 3:18

D. We Act - 3:18

IV. Love's Confidence

A. Confidence of His Truth in Us When We Love - 3:19

B. Confidence in His Love, it is Greater Than Our Hearts -  3:20

C. Confidence in His Full Knowledge of Us - 3:20

A Unique Look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The following is a paraphrase of the “love” verses based on the question of “what if one paraphrased love as a negative rather than a positive?”  This gives a unique and startling perspective on love and highlights the positive attributes of the kind of love that God has for us and gives to us.

First, the text from the NIV:

1 Cor 13: 4-8  ^4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ^5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ^6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ^7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ^8 Love never fails . . .  (NIV)

A Paraphrase of the Negative Concept:

What if ... Love is short fused, impatient, hurried and rude; it is irritable and often annoyed by others.  It is jealous and resentful, arrogant, prideful and bragging, puffs up and shows off.  It is impolite and discourteous, even disrespectful; and selfish, imposing, demanding.  Flashes with rage, sets off easily; holds grudges, and is bitter; keeps track of mistakes, and uses them as leverage.  Love appreciates inequity and watches gleefully any wrong doing; squashes the truth, hides the truth, doesn’t listen to truth.  Love preserves self, takes advantage of others, doubts others, suspects others, disbelieves others; love renounces, quits, resigns, falls short, lets down, disappoints, dissatisfies.  Love always fails.

A Paraphrase of the Positive Concept:

Love is not short fused, impatient, hurried or rude; it is not irritable and never annoyed by others.  It is not jealous, resentful, arrogant, prideful and bragging; nor does it puff up and show off.  It is polite and courteous, even respectful, and self sacrificing; never imposing or demanding.  Love doesn’t flash with rage, doesn’t set off easily; holds no grudges, and refuses to be bitter; doesn’t track mistakes to use as leverage.  Love appreciates equity and cannot take part in any wrong doing; it cannot squash the truth or hide the truth, and always listens and speaks truth.  Love is not self preserving, takes no advantage of others, doesn’t doubt others, nor suspects and disbelieves others; love will not renounce, quit, resign, fall short, let down, disappoint, or dissatisfy.  Love always triumphs and never fails.

 (written by Mark W. Gregory)

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 2:28-3:10

10-16-16

1 John 2:28-3:10

Being Children of God

I. The Claim as Children

A. Bold and not ashamed vs 2:28

B. Doing what is right vs 2:29

C. Called children by His great love vs 3:1

II. The Calling as Children

A. The world doesn't know us vs 3:1

B. We are called be like Him vs 3:2

C. We are to be pure vs 3:3

III. The Commission as Children

A. Living beyond the grasp of sin vss 4-6

B. Living for righteousness vs 7

C. Living for the Son vss 8-10

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 2:18-27 The Line in the Sand

10-2-16

1 John 2:18-27

The Line in the Sand

Introductory Comments: These verses draw a definitive line between:

1. Those who are in the Father/Christ or not

2. Those who oppose the Father/Christ or not

3. Those who confess the Father/Christ or not

I. The Defining Line - at the Last Hour vss 18-19

A. Some have gone out

B. Some have remained true

C. The Antichrist and antichrists

II. The Anointed Ones vss 20-23

A. You have the Holy One and the Holy Spirit

B. You have adequate knowledge

C. No lie comes from the truth

III. The Remnant Remains  vss 24-27

A. What you heard must remain

B. Do not be deceived

1. by false teaching/teachers

2. by knowledge that is prideful

3. by reason that justifies sin

C. The Anointing remains

1. The Holy Spirit remains in you

2. The Holy Spirit will teach you

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 2:12-17 The Great Trade

10-3-2016

 Illuminated 1 John 2:12-17 

The Great Trade

I. The Reason for Writing

Question 1: What's the Reason for the Passage?

Question 2: Who are the Children, the Fathers, and the Young Men?

Question 3: What is the sequence of responses?

II. The Resulting Trade

Question 4: What is the Connection?

Question 5:  What is the Contrast?

                Father                                                                                   World

Forgiveness and Healing                                               Guilt and Shame

Healthy Relationships                                                    Broken and Dysfunctional Relationships

Victory and Progressive Sanctification                    Self Improvement without Sustained Capacity

Satisfaction and Fulfillment                                         Self Absorption without Satisfaction

Permanent                                                                         Temporary

Conclusion:

Question 6: What are the Implications?

1. There is a baseline of grace and mercy resulting in forgiveness and relationship.

2. We know God through His Word and we experience Him in our daily walk.

3. We walk in strength through increasing our knowledge of His Word.

4. Movement toward the Father moves you away from the world.

5. A Growing love for the Father displaces in your heart a love for the world.

6. Though you remain in the world, the pull of the world diminishes as you grow stronger in the Lord and in His Word.

1 John Series: Illuminated 1 John 2:3-11 The Commanded Reality

 9-25-16 

Series: 1 John - Illuminated

1 John 2:3-11 The Commanded Reality

I. How Do We Know?

A. We Keep His Commands - vss 3-4

B. The Love of God is Perfected in Us - vs 5

C. We Remain in Him and Walk with Him - vs 6

II. The Commands - Old and New - vss 7-8

A. The Old is the Message You Have Heard - vs 7

B. The New is to the Walk in the Light of Christ - vs 8

III. The Character of Christian Care

A. If We Hate - We Walk in Darkness - vs 9

B. If We Love - We Walk in Light - vs 10

C. A Righteous Walk Leads to Ongoing Revelation - vs 10

D. A Walk Apart from the Light Leads to Blindness and Misdirection - vs 11

1 John Series - Illuminated 1 John 1:5-2:2

The Root Issue of Sin

1 John 1:5-2:2

 preached on 9-18-2016

I.  The Comparative Perspective of Fellowship 1:5-7

A. The Contrast of Dark and Light vs 5

B. The Practice of True Fellowship vs 6-7

II. The Conditional Perspective of Sin and Forgiveness 1:7-9

A. If we say we have no sin vs 8

B. If we confess our sins vs 9

C. If we say we have not sinned vs 10

III. The Conclusion to our Personal Dilemma 2:1-2

A. The Hope for Personal Improvement 2:1

B. The Advocate for our Perpetual Problem 2:1

C. The Savior Who is the Propitiation for our Sin 2:2

1 John Series - Illuminated 1 John 1:1-4

Sermon Text 1 John 1:1-4

Preached on 9-18-2016

I.  In the Beginning vs 1

II. In the Personal Knowledge of Jesus vs 1

A. The Affirmative Statements

1. What we have heard - AKOUO

2. What we have seen - HORAO

3. What we have observed - THEAOMAI

4. What we have touched - PSELAPHAO

B. The Father's Revelation vs 2

1. Seen it - HORAO

2. Testify - MARTUREO

3. Declare - AGGELLO

C. For the Purpose of Fellowship  vs 3

Fellowship - KOINONIA 

D. For the Result Of Joy vs 4

Joy - CHARA from CHAIRO

III. The Personal Nature of Faith in Jesus

A. He is a Real Person

B. He is Really God

C. He Desires Real Fellowship with Us

Calvary and a New Youth Pastor

The Leadership Team is pleased to announce that Tyler Clem has accepted the call to serve as the Youth Pastor for Calvary Baptist. 

There will be more details in the next few days regarding his arrival, but we want to welcome Tyler and Andi, their son Liam who is two, and their newborn son, Harper, who was born this past Sunday.

Tyler has been serving as the full-time youth pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Williamston, SC, for the last five years and has a wealth of proven experience, spiritual depth, and enthusiasm which he brings to our ministry.  We have appreciated your feedback regarding each of the candidates and we weighed carefully the qualifications and experience with what we saw and what you shared.  We clearly sensed that Tyler is the person who has the right mix of ministry gifts and experience for our ministry.  

Thank you for your prayers as we have walked through this process.  

The Leadership Team

Preaching in Parramos

The day started early at 6 am with a quick gathering for breakfast, then we left the capital city to travel to Chimaltenango where our team preached in four different churches. My assignment was actually outside Chimaltenango in a smaller community called Parramos.

Interestingly, the church where I preached was celebrating their 68th anniversary and I was able to congratulate them on their legacy and encourage them in their hopes for their future.  This is the church where we may have the possibility of developing a partnership.  There's a significant need for construction of classrooms for their school in order to not lose their accreditation.  We will return there on Thursday to talk further with pastor Samuel.

Preaching at Parramos

The pastor's conference starts tomorrow and I'll be preaching the first of the conference sermons.  Please be in prayer for me as I finish preparing for the sermon this evening and tomorrow.

I will share more tomorrow night and try to add a few pics.

Also, be sure and check Jan's blog site for additional pictures.

Until tomorrow...

Guatemala Updates and Links

I'm posting here as well as in a couple of other different places the link to Jan's Photo blog where you'll be able to see picture updates and comments of the Guatemala Mission Trip.  I'll also post on this blog site as well.

Jan's Photo Blog Site

We hope you enjoy the journey!