A tribute to Aunt Lucille...

Well today we learned some sad and happy news for our family. Cheryl's great Aunt Lucille Cooper went home to be the Lord this morning a little after 6:00 a.m. central time at the ripe old age of 103. It's sad for our family because all of us loved "Aunt Cille" as we called her. She had lived with Cheryl's parents for a number of years after her husband Uncle Dick passed away. On the other hand, this news is happy because Psalm 116:15 says "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." I preached that text at Grandmother Cotten's funeral who was Aunt Cille's sister and Cheryl's grandmother. It applies to Aunt Lucille as well because she had placed her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ years ago and she was ready to meet Jesus. 

She lived a wonderful life and though Aunt Cille had no children of her own, she loved us all like we were her kids. She was a young woman - not in age but in attitude. She gave up her driver's license when she was in her 90's and when she was in her 70's she drove a red Pontiac Firebird. I remember once when we were in South Texas for a visit and we were trying to get Aunt Cille to go with us to the mall and she didn't want to go because it would have been hard to walk around a long time. We tried to convince her we'd push her around in a wheel chair and she flatly refused because as she put it, "It would make her look old." We were all cracking up because we were thinking "Aunt Cille, you're nearly 100 years old - you are old!" Aunt Cille used to walk around Mom & Dad Wychopen's house in a pair of little pump shoes even when she had to started using a walker. She wanted Mom Wychopen to get her hair fixed, her make up and lipstick on so she'd be presentable when my father in law Hal came home from work. I remember she had beautiful hands and routinely wore red nail polish on her manicured nails. She was a constant fixture and blessing to our entire family at family gatherings. She stay up with us and just do what we loved to do most, hang out together. She'd quietly listen and interact with us until she couldn't stay up - she'd bid us all goodnight and retire to her room. I remember my kids all greeting her and giving her a hug on our arrivals from a 4 day drive from New Hampshire to south Texas. I also remember the many tears we'd all shed having to say goodbye to "Momo & Papa" and Aunt Cille for the long journey back north, wondering aloud in most cases if that would be the last time we'd see Aunt Cille this side of heaven. 

I know it's sad for my beloved in-laws Hal & Carol because they've faithfully cared for Aunt Cille the same way they did for Carol's mom Grandmother Cotten having them both living in their home for many years. My father in law Hal  built a garage and apartment that was home for both Grandmother and Aunt Cille at various points along the journey. Aunt Cille and Grandmother Cotten both had the sweet disposition of a Proverbs 31 woman and it was evident those sisters were filled with the Holy Spirit and they loved the Lord. Aunt Cille would ponder why the Lord didn't just take her home because she outlived all of her friends and almost all her immediate family. 

Well Aunt Cille, you need not wonder any longer, the Lord has carried you safely home. I'm not sure but I have a feeling that your neighbor in your new heavenly mansion is your beloved sister Aileen. I can picture the Lord Jesus himself escorting you on one arm and Aileen on the other, with Uncle Dick and Grandpa Royal walking behind you with great anticipation to see your reaction on your first tour of Heaven. You've finished the race here on earth and you've joined the cloud of witnesses the writer of Hebrews told us about. Well done Aunt Lucille! We love you and we'll miss you, but our sorrow is not like those who have no hope because of Jesus. Would you do me a favor? Would you hug the Savior for me? Would you hug Addison for me and tell her that "Pops" is thankful she's safe with Jesus? Maybe you can meet my grandparents and tell them all hello as well. Have fun in worship with the heavenly throng singing praises to Jesus and give Uncle Dick the responsibility for saving the rest of us seats....

We love you Aunt Cille!

Pastor Ralph Green
Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

  www.calvarybelair.com

 

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

Mystery trips...

One of the things my father has done with his grandkids and I’ve done on occasion with my kids is to take them on what we call a “destination unknown”. It’s simply a surprise, fun outing to the bowling alley, the mini-golf place or maybe something more adventurous like a hunting or fishing trip. In every case, these destination unknown outings are always a lot of fun for the kids and for their dad or granddad as the case may be. As much as I’d like to give credit to my dad for dreaming up the destination unknown idea, I can’t do it because I believe the destination unknown idea belongs to none other than God Himself. You see, in Hebrews 11:8 God’s word says “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” This refers all the way back to God’s call and promise to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12 when God chose Abram to be the patriarch of the Jewish nation. Abraham obeyed the Lord and God led him on quite the adventure, a lifetime adventure of faith. We could say Noah went on a mystery trip, a destination unknown with the Lord in the world-wide flood in Genesis 6. I believe that Adam went on a mystery trip and destination unknown many times when He walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day before sin entered the world. Adam was definitely in uncharted territory when he boldly went where no man had been before being the first to experience the mystery trip of marriage to Eve.

Hebrews 11:8 holds a special place in my heart about old Abraham because it was this verse God used to confirm His call upon my life to full time ministry as a Pastor. When I said yes to God, I agreed to go on a mystery trip with my Lord having no idea what adventures lay ahead. That mystery trip adventure of faith began with seminary, planting a church in New Hampshire, moving to an associate pastor role in Houston and now back to a senior pastor position here at Calvary. I’m excited however as the mystery trip continues as I’m preparing to leave for my first mission trip to West Africa. Many of you have asked about this trip so I thought I’d share a little of what we’ll be doing. Because we’re going to a country that is not “Christian”, I’ll not share the exact location here in this format. I will say that it is a very difficult place and the purpose is to see how we as churches can work together to reach unreached people groups where we don’t have a constant missionary presence with our International Mission Board (IMB). This is of prime importance because we cannot not expect the IMB to engage all the people groups without access to the gospel that have been identified. It’s going to take churches like ours who will take on the responsibility for engaging these peoples with the Gospel message of salvation. It will be up to churches like ours to develop and train lay pastors in remote villages to help them reach their own people. I’m thrilled to be going with two other pastors of sister churches in our association and state convention and we’ll see how our three churches can make a difference in a dark part of the world.

We’ll be gone from January 31^st and returning Lord willing February 11^th. We’ll be meeting with village chieftains and tribal leaders building on relationships already established by the pastor leading myself and the other pastor. We’ll be utilizing a “Bible Story” cloth which provides a visual illustration of a major Bible event leading all the way to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. We’ll depend on local translators to help us share the stories of Scripture. We’ll also be training some lay pastors in some aspect of ministry. We’ll spend much time developing relationships “with people of peace” praying for open avenues of access to these remote villages. We’ll base camp in a house of some sort and make 2-3 day trips via bush taxi or hiking out to remote areas and we’ll live out of a back pack on those excursions and will probably be sleeping on the ground in villages. The conditions will be harsh. Disease is rampant and I’ve even heard of people being kidnapped by terrorist groups who have training camps in the region. Am I a bit scared? Yes and no. On a human level, I’m concerned I’ll get sick and not be effective for the team or worse for the Lord. But I know God has called me to go on this adventure with Him and that He’s going to care for us. Even if I were to die on this trip, I know God would be glorified and He’d take care of my family. I’m scared in that I’d do something culturally offensive to the people we’re trying to reach and I don’t want to do that and alienate them from the Gospel.  I pray in my weakness, God will make Himself strong. I pray He’ll open many doors of opportunity and we’ll see Him do some amazing things. I can’t wait to share with you on the other side of this trip and I know God is going to do a real work in me personally. I’m excited about this mystery trip of faith and who knows, maybe I’ll be taking you along with me next time… Until then, I’d appreciate your prayers for myself, Pastor John and Pastor Curtis on this particular mystery trip from my little corner of the world to yours…

Ralph Green

Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

www.calvarybelair.com

Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/  

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RalphGreen  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph

A new beginning...

January 2, 2011 began my third year of ministry as your Senior Pastor here at Calvary and I continue to marvel at our Lord’s goodness in calling me to such a wonderful church. Your many cards and notes of encouragement have been such a blessing to my family. I know all of our staff appreciates so much the tokens of your love for us all that have been shared this past Christmas. I know with each passing year there is the reality for all of us that time continues to fly past us. Many will reflect on 2010 as a good year, many others for a variety of reasons are thrilled to see 2010 draw to a close. New Year resolutions have been made and some may have already been broken which if we let it, can discourage us. A New Year is greeted with anticipation by most as it represents a chance for a new beginning in so many areas. Sometimes we have plans, hopes and dreams that do not come to pass and unmet expectations cause us great difficulty in many cases. Many times we’ll hunker down with a sour attitude early on in January because the New Year hasn’t at all started the way we hoped and the New Year just becomes another year of the rut we find ourselves stuck in. I heard someone say one time that at rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out of it. We trudge through year in and year out and wonder about the purpose of it all.

Let me encourage you that each day is an opportunity to start fresh with God. With every setting of the sun, you have the opportunity to pause and thank the Lord for His many blessings and ask Him to forgive for the many failures we may have had that day. With each dawning of a new day, you have a marvelous opportunity to sow your time in personal devotions, a quiet time, an appointment you set with God where you read His word, you  allow Him to speak to you and you begin your day in prayer. You cannot do anything about the failures of yesterday, you can only focus on what God wants you to do today and must not worry about the challenges of tomorrow. When I look at what I hoped to accomplish in 2010 that didn’t happen, when I contemplate how much more I wanted to do, I can become discouraged. When I look forward to the mountain of challenges and decisions that await in 2011, I can become overwhelmed with it all. Yet the Lord Jesus invites me to step into each day fresh with Him, to walk with Him by faith and not by sight, to commune with Him in fellowship and trust His guiding hand that He’ll be with me no matter what adventure, challenge, difficulty or distress that comes my way.  I don’t know what 2011 holds for me, I don’t know what 2011 holds for you and I certainly don’t know what 2011 holds for us a church family; but I know that this can be a great year if we all choose to walk with God each day as individuals and as a church family.

On January 2^nd, I realize we had families still traveling and many who were ill or hindered from being in worship. In that service, I shared with the church what I called “The State of the Church” message. We celebrated God’s work from 2010 among us here at Calvary and I cast a vision of what I believe God would have for us in our future, not only in 2011 but for many years down the road. I shared with the church the Lord’s leading with me, our staff and in consultation and work with our personnel committee, along with the prayers and encouragement of our deacons and vision team, some direction related to ministry staff positions. I shared a two pronged approach of winning people to Christ and discipleship and ministry to family units and the leadership needed in these critical areas of Calvary’s future to carry out the Great Commission. I provided the church with drafts of job descriptions for two positions: 1) Associate Pastor of Missional Outreach & Administration; 2) Associate Pastor of Discipleship & Family Ministry. If you were not able to attend, please pick up a copy of each job description in the Narthex or at the greeter’s desk to review and prayerfully consider. At our January 30^th Church in Conference, our primary agenda will be to discuss these two ministry positions and vote on them. I’m hopeful CD’s of that message or the podcast will be available for you if you’re interested in hearing it to give insight behind this vision I tried to articulate. One way or the other, I’m prayerful that God’s will would be confirmed for us as a church family. Our personnel committee and vision team has been earnestly seeking God’s direction and working hard to help guide us and I’m grateful for their continued efforts. Please pray and plan to attend our CIC on January 30^th  at 5:00 p.m.

I hope 2011 is a wonderful year for you and your family, I pray it will be a great year of faithful ministry for us at Calvary and that we’ll accomplish much for God’s honor and glory and to expand God’s kingdom. I’m so proud of you as a church family and I’m thrilled to begin a new year of ministry alongside you. Looking forward to a new beginning from my little corner of the world to yours…

Ralph Green

Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

www.calvarybelair.com

Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/  

Follow Me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RalphGreen  

Posted via email from Pastor Ralph