tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75313695987885672582012-02-02T10:12:28.412-05:00Ralph's CornerI'm just a regular guy, a husband and a father who happens to be a Pastor. I've been called by God to do what I do and I love to communicate God's truth.
I love to play golf and ride my motorcycle when I'm not hanging out with my family.Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-2548508407552926142012-02-02T10:07:00.002-05:002012-02-02T10:12:28.422-05:00A well defined purpose...<div class="posterous_autopost"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A well defined purpose…</span></b><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">As I write this, I’m amazed to see the date and that it’s already February as the year is off to a fast start. Not much has changed in a couple of thousand years of serving the Lord. You see in Mark 6:30-31, the Apostles came back to Jesus after He sent them out to do ministry and they told Him all about it including what they had had been teaching. Jesus’ response to them was refreshing in that he didn’t say, “get back out there and keep at it, time is money.” Instead, Jesus said <b>“Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.” </b>Then we’re told <b>“For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”</b> I love the fact that the Son of God pulled His disciples aside from the rigors of ministry in order to rest and refocus. Ministry picked back up immediately following this time away apparently with great impact with the feeding of the 5000 and a myriad of other miracles shortly after.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">With all the hubbub of the holidays and the start of the new year, the earliest time our pastoral staff could pull aside for a planning and visioning retreat was at the end of January. For two days we pulled out of the office and set aside a time to worship together, pray together and work on refining our purpose as a church and our leadership roles. In my “State of the Church” address on January 8<sup>th</sup>, I stated that we need to analyze what it is that we do and simplify a number of things that hinder the work of the ministry. We seem to have much that keeps us very busy but we need to ask what impact does this busy schedule and myriad of processes actually have? </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m thrilled to tell you that our time spent together was a blessing and encouragement to each of us. I believe we came out of this planning retreat recharged, refocused and excited about our future together. We talked much about the need for a well defined purpose for all of our ministries and activities we engage in at Calvary. Most of the time the first instinct is to talk about what we should do and while that is important, what we do should flow out of our purpose. <b>Purpose helps answer the question “Why are we here?”</b> Purpose is not a goal to shoot for; it is our reason for being. Purpose provides direction, boundaries and motivation; a well defined purpose will move you forward to make a great impact. Plans, goals and activities should all flow out of the purpose. Purpose also helps you identify things you will not do.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the flip side, lack of purpose leads to a meager impact at best. A lack of purpose shifts the focus from ministering to people to a maintenance mode of maintaining programs or massaging personalities. We asked some tough questions related to what drives our church. Is it tradition – doing what we’ve always done? Is it personality – doing what he or she wants done? Is it finances – doing only what we can afford to do? Maybe programs drive the church – doing what everybody else is doing (or because the publishing arm of our denomination is pushing it). Maybe facilities drive the church – doing only what our space allows. Events can drive the church – doing what everyone expects. Some churches have allowed un-churched people to drive what they do so they do everything they can to make church not seem like church – <b>(that sounds silly and it is silly!)</b> Sometimes a “maintenance mode” drives the church – doing just what is needed to achieve last year’s results. These are tough questions to be sure and it’s okay to be honest that some of these components have driven us and currently drive us as a whole or specific ministries. We can’t improve what we’ve not willing to identify as a problem. We also need to understand that sometimes maintenance mode is a necessity because we lack appropriate leadership but it shouldn’t remain that way. These ways of thinking and “leading” don’t leave room to dream of what God might want to do in and through the ministry. Healthy churches are driven by purpose and I know all of us as a staff desire for us to be a healthy church that is flourishing for our Lord Jesus Christ and for His honor and glory. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This idea of a well defined purpose is not new and many of you have probably read this stuff before in Dr. Rick Warren’s books “The Purpose Driven Life” or “The Purpose Driven Church.” Since I don’t want to be guilty of plagiarism, much of these ideas come out of those works. I believe Dr. Warren actually got his ideas from Jesus because everything the Lord did flowed out of His purpose to <b>“seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).</b> The principles shared in those resources are very helpful and practical for both churches and individuals to identify their purpose. Now don’t worry, we as a staff have no intention of trying to turn Calvary into a Saddleback Church clone. Many church leaders have made the mistake of trying to take what works in a Southern California context and make those strategies and goals their own. In the process, they ignore their own ministry context and wonder why it doesn’t work. They simply didn’t take time to identify their own purpose, they just adopted Saddleback plans. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The great thing about a well defined purpose is that it forges your own unique identity and shows us we can minister appropriately according to our unique context here in Harford County. One of the things we want to do this year as a staff is to lead us to help define our purposes. We got the ball rolling a few years ago when we identified our purpose as “Encountering God, Experiencing Life Change.” That’s our DNA, our purpose in a simple concise statement – We want to be encountering God as we “do life together.” We affirm that authentic God encounters always result in lives being changed. </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This year we’re going to be encouraging us to think in terms of purpose across the board in our ministries. Our ministries must flow out of our overall purpose of encountering God, experiencing life change in the cyclical process of making disciples. We’re going to have a great time working through this together among our ministry team leaders (our committees). As you see some changes being made, it’s because we are identifying a well defined purpose for ministry so we can introduce more people to the Lord Jesus Christ and make Christ followers out of them. From an eternal perspective, that is the best purpose any individual or church family can have! It will be challenging, it will cause us to think, evaluate and examine if we’re actually carrying out our purpose. But I am convicted to the depth of my soul we must engage in this healthy dialogue of defining our purpose or we’ll be no further down the road of making disciples 10 years from now than the hamster that runs the little treadmill all day long. The poor critter is wiped out from lots of activity and spent energy but never got anywhere! </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So let us begin this journey together of a well defined purpose, from my little corner of the world to yours…</span><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ralph Green</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"></span></i></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"></span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span><br /><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-well-defined-purpose">Pastor Ralph</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-254850840755292614?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-49890212957902581892012-01-19T07:40:00.001-05:002012-01-19T07:40:50.067-05:00And we're off...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Christmas decorations put away, all the college football bowl games are over and the NFL playoffs are in full swing (Go Ravens!), annual “State of the Church” message has been preached, discipleship classes have started, it’s cold, it must be January. We’re off to a great start at Calvary after a nice Christmas and New Year break from our regular schedule of events. Our Wednesday evening schedule has resumed with our AWANA ministry to disciple children and is cranked up and running again for the Spring semester. These children are hiding God’s Word in their hearts, they are studying to be </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">A</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">pproved </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">W</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">orkman who </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">A</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">re </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">N</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ot </span><b style="font-size: 10pt;">A</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">shamed (AWANA). We have some dedicated leaders who work with nearly 100 children weekly making disciples of grade school aged children. This is an enormous opportunity and responsibility God has given us to plant the Gospel, a love for Jesus and His Word deep into the hearts of these children. We have a number of children whose parents do not regularly attend Calvary but over the years we’ve seen several families come to Calvary because of our AWANA ministry.</span></p> <p></p> <p>Right now they are gearing up for the AWANA Olympics where our team will travel to another church in Maryland to compete in the games they play. If you’ve ever wondered about the red, blue, green and yellow stripes on the fellowship hall floor, that’s for AWANA games. Their game time is a lot of fun as I’ve been down there during our second hour helping out. I need to make an appeal for help in this critical ministry especially during the 2<sup>nd</sup> hour from 7:15-8:15, especially for our men to step up and help. Our AWANA commander (who happens to be this pastor’s wife) has her hands full during that period because this is when our Sparks group of Kindergarten, 1<sup>st</sup> & 2<sup>nd</sup> grades are doing their game time. There are over 40 children in the Sparks group and without enough supervision and adults providing instruction for the games… let’s just say I think it would be easier to herd cats from Maryland out to the West Texas prairie. I know that may not be the best way to recruit but it’s the current reality because we don’t have nearly enough adults in 2<sup>nd</sup> hour. Many of our volunteers work with the Sparks 1<sup>st</sup> hour but then head out to choir practice 2<sup>nd</sup> hour so there is a void during the game time. I know it may be hard for many of you to arrive by our early 6:15 start time but making it to church by 7:15 would be no problem for you. The games are simple and the kids are obedient and listen because they want to play the games. Because of their ages and attention span, we need a 1 adult to 2 children ratio for it run smoothly. What we have currently is about a 1 adult to 8-10 children ratio and we need to change that! It really helps if we have a number of men involved because you just have a way of being “large and in charge”. There is a game leader who gives clear instructions, your job should you choose to accept it, is to take those instructions and help line the kids up, get them ready for the game and cheer them on. <b>(This tape will not self destruct in 5 seconds…I’ll keep repeating it till we get help</b><b><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>!) </b> The children have a ball blowing off energy after studying God’s Word and memorizing Scripture; a well run game time sends them and our leaders home happy and encouraged about their night at AWANA. I can tell you I participated in AWANA when I was in grade school and most of the verses I have committed to memory I learned in the AWANA club. If you want to help, you need to call Cheryl Green to see how you can get involved. </p> <p></p> <p>January also means for myself, Michele Emerson, Patty Wackford, and Matt Cruikshank, we’re less than a month away from our trip back to the region of West Africa I went last year to explore mission partnership opportunities. Because of security concerns for our IMB personnel, I’ll not share more about where we’re going specifically in this context. There is a bulletin board from our Mission’s Committee by the Greeters Desk that explains this. We’ll be working with Hausa and Fulani people groups telling Bible stories in their language with audio recordings and picture books, helping build relationships so the Gospel can take root in a Muslim culture. We’re also taking equipment to help the missionary show the Jesus film for the first time in the villages he’s been working in which will be a huge opportunity to see many people turn to Christ. I’ve heard of many accounts where the Lord used this video in other contexts to reach entire villages with the Gospel and the response was tremendous. The need is great, the people are friendly and receptive to this good news and it speaks volumes to them that we Americans would travel all the way around the world to share this important news they have not heard before. We also desire greatly to be a big encouragement to our missionary personnel faithfully serving there. </p> <p></p> <p>The logistics of this trip are very hard. Getting there literally is the most difficult and expensive part flying commercial air as far as we can to the capital city and then taking a small missionary aviation plane out into the bush where we’ll be working. 4 days of the 12 day trip are consumed with travel. Our team has been training on what to expect, the culture of the people, learning some basic greetings, getting all the paperwork, shots and gear ready. What we need is your prayers because Satan certainly doesn’t want us to go. Pray for the logistics of travel, for our luggage to arrive in full and especially for our equipment as we have to leave our large luggage at a bus station overnight to be shipped out to the missionary house since the small plane cannot take it. Pray for health, strength and a flexible attitude for all of our team members so the work of sharing Jesus would not be hindered. It would be easier to stay home quite honestly, but when I think it would have been easier for Jesus to stay home in Heaven than to come to earth in order to reach this hard-headed sinner, I’m grateful Jesus came so I could be forgiven. I can’t wait to share that with these special peoples. Our church is fully committed to mission endeavors as we develop an Acts 1:8 strategy, in this case to the uttermost parts of the earth, to expand God’s kingdom. Thank you in advance for praying for this trip and for our team.</p> <p></p> <p>God has great plans for us at Calvary in 2012 and we’re off to a great start. Let’s be obedient, let’s be faithful, and let’s celebrate Jesus as we encounter God and experience life change each week. Let’s ask God to help us introduce others to Him and to make us sensitive to the people around us and especially the children God has brought to us. Looking forward to a great year of serving the Lord together, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/and-were-off">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4989021295790258189?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-38193696111485851572012-01-05T11:37:00.001-05:002012-01-05T11:37:41.487-05:00Back to Reality...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I’m kind of in shock. I find myself here at the beginning of 2012 wondering what in the world happened and where in the world did 2011 go? Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year have come and gone with what seems like the speed of light but I kind of feel that way about the whole of 2011 also. Time off from the regular schedule and routine has been a nice break. Having the kids out of school and a chance to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest has been great. Going to parties or special events has been nice but the regular schedule and routine are slamming us all back to reality. The alarm clock for the high school kids sounds much too early and the pace of life is at freeway speed once again. So much of I wanted to accomplish in 2011 did not happen but that’s okay because I always have more work to do than I’ll ever get to in my lifetime (or at least what I think needs to happen). </p><p></p><p>By the time you get this article, I will have shared what I call “The State of the Church” message. It is an opportunity to reflect on the past year and the work the Lord has done through us. It’s been a good year for Calvary over all and we celebrate what God has done. As a leader however, I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the Philippian Church as the Holy Spirit inspired him to write: <b style="">“This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil.3:13-14).” </b>How many New Year messages have come from that text down through the ages? </p><p></p><p>Paul was a goal setting visionary leader who did not want to dwell in the proverbial “good ole days.” Paul was looking forward to the new adventure that awaited him in his walk with Christ. That’s the way we Christians are called to live; with eyes for the future and what the Lord would have us to do. I encourage you to set some goals for this New Year, prayerfully asking the Lord to help you with this in all areas of life. Ask the Lord to help you choose your priorities carefully and in a way that would be pleasing to Him realizing your life is not your own but it belongs to God. What I love about Paul’s writing here in Philippians is the encouragement that even if you blow it, you can put it behind you and press on. </p><p></p><p>An amazing Biblical principle and truth is that by God’s grace, we can always start fresh with God, not just at the start of a New Year, but literally at the end of every day and if we’re willing to, we can start fresh with God the second we blow it and the Holy Spirit convicts of us sin if we’ll repent immediately and ask for forgiveness. I think one critical mark of a Spirit filled Christian is one who takes responsibility for and repents immediately of sin in their life upon conviction. They don’t gloss over it, attempt to rationalize or justify it, they don’t blame-shift, and their response is like David’s when convicted of sin. <b style="">“I have sinned against the Lord…(2<sup>nd</sup> Sam.12:13)”. </b></p><p></p><p>I think one worthwhile goal every Christian ought to set is to resolve to repent the moment the Holy Spirit knocks on your hearts door and says “Hey pal, you blew it there.” The response should be: “You’re right Lord. I’m so sorry for that sin, would you please forgive me?” By doing so your relationship with Christ can be restored instantly and the repentant believer can have fellowship with Christ restored. </p><p></p><p>As we begin 2012 together as a church family, I believe the Lord has great plans for us this year. I believe we can make a huge difference for God’s kingdom if we resolve to put the Lord first in everything. Your Ministerial Staff will be making some plans and developing some strategies for this year at the end of January for two days of prayer and dreaming with God about what He wants us to do. We’ll be challenging our church leaders to examine their purpose for existence as a ministry and how that purpose fits into the overall vision and mission of our church. Where change is needed, we need to be flexible and willing to change. In areas and with processes that work well, we need to continue to be faithful but we need to be able to learn how to apply principles from that successful ministry into other areas. I’m excited to have an almost complete compliment of ministerial staff and office staff. But we cannot do what God is asking of us as a church without the dedicated service and ministries of our members. Will it be hard at times? It will be excruciatingly hard at times when personal life and church life vie for the precious commodity of time. I love the attitude of one of our men as I had lunch with him the other day. The gist of what he said was <b style="">“I have resolved that whenever God asks me to do something, I’m going to say yes no matter how much I already have on my plate.” </b>I was so encouraged by his tremendous attitude that his life belongs to the Lord and whatever God wants is what he plans to do with his time, effort, energy and resources. That attitude first is a God honoring attitude but it is contagious and exciting and I want our church family to approach 2012 with that same attitude because eternity is at stake for millions of people around this world.</p><p></p><p>Let’s press on together, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let’s let that be our reality here at Calvary. Looking forward to 2012, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/back-to-reality">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3819369611148585157?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-46718805922310219202011-11-10T07:43:00.001-05:002011-11-10T07:43:29.082-05:00Sowing and reaping...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Since we no longer live in a mostly agricultural or farming culture anymore, the principle of sowing and reaping is somewhat foreign to many of us. The principle is simple, what you sow or plant in the ground, will allow you to reap and harvest the fruit of what you planted later on. Oh there is a lot that happens in between the sowing and reaping/harvest time to ensure you have a good crop. Water, sun, fertilizer, pulling weeds and a whole lot of patient waiting, in some cases months or even years before you see fruit and enjoy it. Planting a sapling orange tree in the fertile Rio Grande Valley of South Texas where we lived for many years will take about 5 years to produce mature oranges. Some pear trees are the slowest in producing fruit, in some cases 6-12 years of waiting before the first pear is plucked and it’s sweet fruit is enjoyed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">God talks about this principle and through the Apostle Paul, He encouraged the Galatians in <b>Gal. 6:9</b> <b>“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” </b>It’s really easy to grow weary in sowing – in the context here of sowing good. Often the good may not seem good to others, especially in disciplining and correcting our children. The kids pretty much hate it; and make it clear they hate it. Consistently witnessing to a lost friend or family member may not seem good to them and they may respond with anger or reject us as friends. That kind of stuff can make you weary. Yet God makes a promise: <b>“in due season, we shall reap…”</b> Notice the harvest, the reaping happens in season. God doesn’t necessarily reveal when the reaping season is, but He promises there will be a harvest. His promise here is contingent on not giving up or quitting. The phrase <b>“if we do not lose heart”</b> is an old fashioned way of saying “if we don’t throw in the towel and quit.” Quitting guarantees the harvest will not come. Briars, thorns, weeds, animals, scorching heat, lack of water – downright neglect of the crop, quitting guarantees there will be no fruit at harvest time. In this context, the fruit produced from doing good, won’t be there because someone lost heart and quit. God’s encouragement is to keep at it. Keep sowing and working that field and in due season, you’ll enjoy the fruit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">I had something happen to me this week illustrating the principle of sowing and reaping proves true once again and it brought me tremendous encouragement. Briefly, it had to do with the church my family and I planted by God’s grace in New England. We labored diligently for 5 years and poured much blood, sweat and tears into that field God called us to work. We saw some great times of harvest as we literally plowed granite in the Granite State and gave everything we had to birth a church with just the 7 in my family. We had much support from our home church, FBC McAllen and my beloved Pastor Bill Sutton, along with many other SBC churches. In those 5 years, we saw old Satan pull out all the stops to try and keep this fledgling church plant from happening. By the grace of God, we eventually saw 130 or so gathering for worship weekly and saw the church beginning to flourish with disciples being produced. Yet there was a problem. God needed to move me out of the way. The reason why is not important for this discussion. In my heart, in spite of my desire to start and pastor the same church for 30 or more years, I knew God was going to move me to another field of service. After a year of praying about it and waiting on the Lord, God spoke clearly and moved us to Houston to labor in the vineyard there. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">There was a plan in place for the transition for the church; a seasoned interim pastor was to come on board but at the last minute, his wife became ill and he could not take the position. The lay leaders I had trained and handed leadership over to had some deep struggles internally after we left and sadly Satan got a foothold. From the bits and pieces we heard, the church pretty much shriveled up and for all practical purposes, had died. Many key leaders we love dearly left the church and found places elsewhere to serve. No one really communicated with us so we Greens had no idea what all happened. It was like we fell off the planet and for years heard nothing. Someone told our home church in McAllen the church had closed and that news broke our hearts. I found myself questioning whether it was worth it. My kids were broken at the thought that all those labors were for naught. We grieved as a family. My wife and I have shed many tears together and prayed for that church, wondering if our labors there were in vain…until this past Tuesday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The short story is I got a call from the original man I called “our person of peace” when we began to plant the church. This gentleman had been so helpful to us in helping us learn the community and avoid some pitfalls. He was un-churched at the time having been hurt in another church. He was a believer who had great leadership in his former church. It took many years but he began attending. In my discussions with him, he shared the church had gone through some deep waters because of poor decisions made after I left and attendance dwindled down to 7 or 8 people. But the church had called a New England native, serving in Arizona to be their pastor and now after 2 years of ministering, they had over 70 in worship last Sunday! At a recent fellowship dinner, they had over 100 attend and needed to cart in more tables and chairs! This man shared he often testifies to the labors and the foundation that was laid by our ministry there. The church continues to support our convention and missions and God is working!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Later on I checked out the church website and was astounded to see the pictures of ministry and gospel witness the church is engaged in with people being baptized, new faces I don’t know, new life, new preschoolers, grade school kids, new praise team. The church not only has a pulse, but it is flourishing! The tears of weeping I have shed in prayer for that little church plant over these years, wondering if we’d failed or misunderstood God’s call, gave way to tears of rejoicing! I shared this news with my family and they wept for joy also. I love what Paul said to the Corinthian church in <b>1<sup>st</sup> Cor. 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” Praise be to God! Thanks Lord, I needed that! </b>In<b> </b>Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build His church. Personally seeing Him do that in the face of Satan and his minions just fires me up! </span></p> <p><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"></span></b></p> <p><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The lesson is simple: <b>Don’t quit!</b> You will reap in due season, just don’t quit! Keep teaching dear Bible Study teacher when you think no one is listening or cares. Keep working with those little kids in the nursery; keep teaching those grade school children. Keep ministering to teenagers when they wear you out. Keep correcting your children mom and dad and teach them Biblical truth and principles, don’t quit single mom being dad and mom to your children, invest in those grandkids even though they seem to be straying from God. Keep working on your marriage when you think it’s hopeless. Keep loving on that friend, family member or co-worker that is lost and keep sharing Jesus with them. Keep speaking the truth in love to those basket case friends who keep making stupid decisions. <b>Be courageous and just don’t quit working for the Lord!</b> God promises you’ll reap in due season, on His time, if you keep sowing good and do not quit. I’m rejoicing in tears and praising the Lord for the principle of sowing and reaping, from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/sowing-and-reaping">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4671880592231021920?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-87481137283332087922011-10-27T10:03:00.001-04:002011-10-27T10:03:28.791-04:00Fiscal Responsibility...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>We have been subjected to relentless news media speculation, polls, pundits and prognosticators about the 2012 Presidential Election. Who is the best candidate, who is leading the latest poll, who has the best plan for economic recovery and so forth. You also hear a lot about government spending and calls for balancing the budget and fiscal responsibility. For all the hot air blowing out of politicians’ mouths in Washington DC just 65 miles south of us, you’d think our climate would be more tropical and there would never be a need for a jacket! </p><p></p><p>Well at Calvary, we take the concepts of fiscal responsibility and balancing our budget seriously because we are stewards of money that does not belong to us, it belongs to God who will hold us accountable for how we us it. (Wow – what a novel concept for our government – stewardship & accountability because the money they’re responsible for belongs to someone else! Sigh.)<span style=""> </span>We began our budget process in July of this year and after many rounds of discussion and tedious work, we believe we have a balanced budget plan for our church in 2012. Often the task of budgeting for ministry needs is pretty overwhelming and hard to actually calculate. Since we know it gets more expensive every year to operate, the ministry leader might create a safety valve and simply add 3, 4 or 5 percent to what was budgeted last year trying to plan and anticipate ministry needs. Sometimes this approach serves us well and we’re right on target. </p><p></p><p>For the first time in our church history that I’m aware of, our 2011 budget was just over $1,000,000 (one million dollars). While that is exciting to some degree, we’ve not consistently been meeting our weekly budget need this year. What I’ve learned in my experience and have been taught is that not meeting your budget need over the course of the year can have a negative effect on your overall church giving. People see that you are not meeting your budget and can become discouraged that it cannot be made up if the target is too far out there. </p><p></p><p>Okay, this is where I need to say <b style="">“relax and take a deep breath”</b> for some of you because you’re worried about the financial health of your church. We are fine financially. Our church is a great steward of the resources God gives us for ministry. Even though we’re behind in our budget giving, we never spend more than we take in and there are things we budgeted for that we’ve not spent or it cost less than we figured. This combined with the fact we’ve not been paying an associate pastor or full time ministry secretary mean we’ll end 2011 with a budget surplus that we’ll save toward future ministry needs. So the church is in sound financial shape and God’s people are faithful to give to support the work of the kingdom.</p><p></p><p>One of the things I asked our finance committee and our ministry leaders to do this year was to prepare their Ministry Action Proposals (MAPS) based on actual expenditures. This approach gives us a more accurate picture of what we really need to have to fund the ministries at Calvary. It is still hard however because of the generosity of God’s people who pay for ministry related needs out of their own pockets and never turn in receipts for us to reimburse them for those expenses. I have asked our ministry leaders and finance committee to pare this budget down to a more realistic figure but also maintaining a faith component and to dream God sized dreams for what He wants to do through our church ministries in 2012. This is no small challenge! I'm pleased that the finance committee's hard work has reduced our overall budget that we as a church family will discuss on Sunday evening November 20th. In this issue of "The Way", you will find a copy of this budget plan for 2012. </p><p></p><p>As your Pastor, there are several things I would like to ask of you related to this budget proposal. First of all, I’d like for you to review this prayerfully and become familiar with it knowing it represents much hard work by our ministry leaders and finance committee. Secondly, I’d like for you to plan to attend our budget discussion Church in Conference on Sunday evening November 20<sup>th</sup> at 5:00 p.m. so you can make an informed decision regarding our church budget. That meeting is your opportunity to ask questions or provide input to our budget process. I’m concerned that the vast majority of our members will vote on such a critical church family issue as our ministry budget and have no idea or understanding what they are voting on because they did not come to the discussion meeting. Thirdly, be ready to support the final adopted budget with your vote on Sunday December 4<sup>th</sup>. Finally, prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you commit to regarding your offering giving over and above your tithe. The tithe is non-negotiable to the Lord, 10% of your income belongs to God (Malachi 3:10). What you need to ask God to show you is what He wants you to commit to give in 2012 as an offering to Him. That is the percentage over 10% you give to the Lord. I remember my pastor years ago saying <b style="">“The tithe is a good place to start but a terrible place to end.”</b> I whole heartedly affirm that. Some years God has told me to give 11%, one year I remember God had me to commit to 14% of my income. Whatever God says to you, you can commit to be obedient to Him knowing He will provide.</p><p></p><p>Remember Paul’s inspired message to the Corinthian Church in <b style="">2<sup>nd</sup> Cor. 9:6-8 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”</b></p><p><b style=""></b></p><p>I praise God for the generosity of our Calvary Baptist Church family and for your faithfulness to the Lord in your tithes and offerings for Kingdom work. I appreciate all the hard work all of our ministry leaders in this budget process and our Finance Committee, particularly the leadership of our Chairman Bill Karczeski. I believe God has great things in store for us as church family in 2012 and I am excited to see what God will do as we partner together, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/fiscal-responsibility">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8748113728333208792?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-31005991018815393052011-10-12T20:48:00.001-04:002011-10-12T20:48:13.529-04:00That's how we roll...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">I have a very close friend who is wonderfully unique. He is unique in the widest and wildest possible use of that word unique. As a matter of fact, his entire family is unique in that way. He will always see things completely differently than almost 10 out of 10 people. As a matter of fact, if this guy was in a group of 100 people who were asked some kind of knotty question, while I’m not a betting man, I would be tempted put down cold hard cash he’d see the problem differently from 99 other people! If there was someone else in that group who actually saw it the way he saw it, my well experienced guess would be he’s related to them! This is actually why I love being friends with this guy because I know I’ll get a wise, fresh viewpoint that will always honor the Lord. Sometimes when I’m astounded yet again by his viewpoint and in the shock and awe of the moment, I’ll blurt out my surprise at his viewpoint. He’s responded on more than one occasion rather matter-of-factly: <b style="">“That’s how we roll”</b> and it will be followed by a slide splitting roar of laughter from both of us. It’s awesome to me to have a friend like this who cares not what people think and is proud of how he rolls through life. I’m proud to be his friend.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Well I’m proud to be the pastor of this group of believers named Calvary Baptist Church. Without a doubt, this church is one of the most unique churches I’ve ever been a part of. The story I’m about to relate demonstrates <b style="">“that’s how we roll” </b>wonderfully well. I had a lady call me for an appointment the other day so we set a time we could meet in my office. This lady shared with me how she has basically been out of church for over 20 years. I want to be careful not to betray confidences with this so I won’t go into all the details of what was shared. It was clear to me however there was a great burden <span style=""> </span>in her heart which kept her from finding a place to worship and serve. There were many “reasons” why this church wouldn’t work or that church didn’t quite fit as she’s visited many churches during this time. She told me that she’s been attending Calvary for some time now and I think it is safe to say she was probably looking for many reasons why we would not be a good fit for her also. She shared how she went to one of our Bible Study classes, a class that she really should not “fit” in with. Her station of life and this class group don’t really match up. Maybe she picked it on purpose so she’d have a “reason” to not come back; who knows? God however had other plans it seems. This class has welcomed her in with open arms and have been faithful in calling to check on her. Basically they have loved on this lady in a way that God has begun to change her attitudes and given her a desire to get connected again. She said she has a desire to begin to serve the Lord again in large part because of the love of this class as they’ve wrapped their arms around her. She shared how she’s been confronted by Biblical truth in my preaching which has been hard to face but the love she’s experienced here has kept her coming back for more! She asked me to help her “put the pieces back together” and to help her change. Of course we’re working on this but it is the Lord who does the changing.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">I have to be honest with you, I nearly had to bite my tongue and hold myself in my chair to keep from leaping up and shouting <b style="">“That’s how we roll!”</b> It is a similar story I’ve heard repeated many times in my tenure here as Senior Pastor. It is a story I pray to God will always be the case here at Calvary and that kind of love would always be said of us: <b style="">“that’s how we roll.”</b> Is that not what Jesus meant when He said in <b style="">John 13:35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." </b>That’s how every church collectively and how every individual disciple of Jesus Christ ought to roll; loving people to Jesus, confronting with Biblical truth. My heart was thrilled at the work that God is doing in the life of this precious woman who has been dealing with a myriad of hurt in her life that has kept her from God’s people and the Lord Himself for over 20 years. Her story reminds me that every time the saints of God gather here at Calvary, the people walking through our doors are hurting people. Calvary must never be a hotel and a spa for saints; there will be time for that in Heaven later. Here on earth, Calvary must always be a hospital for sinners and forgiven saints. I implore you to remember when you come to church the person you greet, that member you shake hands with, that child or teen beneath the surface smile may have a wound that goes deep; they may be in trouble and need help. That love you show may be just the thing God uses that day to encourage them to keep at it and keep coming back where God’s Word is preached and taught and where truth spoken in love brings about healing in the souls of men, women, boys and girls.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">I am so proud of you all. I feel like a proud papa seeing this church being the hands and feet of Jesus each week. We want people to <b style="">“Encounter God and experience life change”.</b> We want them to <b style="">connect</b>, with God and others in genuine relationships, we want them to <b style="">grow</b> in their faith as a disciple, we desire to provide a place to <b style="">serve </b>the Lord and also as we gather each week, to <b style="">renew </b>their spirits. That’s what we mean when you see those 4 words: <b style="">Connect, Grow, Serve, Renew. </b>We believe those encapsulate the cyclical process of making disciples as we seek to <b style="">“Encounter God and Experience Life Change.”</b> God is still in the business of changing and transforming lives. Authentic encounters with God result in life change, and <b style="">“that’s how He rolls!” </b>He invites us to be a part of His plans as we love those who come our way. Maybe you’re on the fringe here, have visited several times and you’re wondering what to do next. If you haven’t tried one of our amazing Bible Study classes, please check one or all of them out. It is the best way to find out how special Calvary really is. Maybe God would lead you to join us here as a member. I’d like the opportunity to talk with you about that decision so by all means, call me for an appointment about this decision or something else I can help you with.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Thanking God for how we roll, from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p><p></p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/thats-how-we-roll">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3100599101881539305?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-38921585209514115002011-09-15T09:54:00.001-04:002011-09-15T09:54:21.135-04:00Prone to Wander....<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Robert Robinson was a Pastor in England from 1759 till his death in 1790. Most likely, you have not heard of him but I bet you know one of the two hymns he wrote: “Come thou fount of every blessing.” Pastor Robinson got it right with that great hymn of the faith. There are a couple of lines in that hymn that speak volumes about a daily challenge for all believers, including us preacher types. “Oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter; <b>bind my wandering heart</b> to thee. <b>Prone to wander Lord I feel it</b>, <b>prone to leave the God I love</b>. Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.” Surely Pastor Robinson didn’t have that kind of issue in his life! Surely Pastor Ralph doesn’t struggle with what I’m struggling with! People may think that they are the only ones who have that struggle in their lives but the reality is, we are all prone to wander and drift away from God. It’s much like being out on a boat in the Chesapeake and you want to fish or swim so you throw an anchor overboard to hold the boat in place – there’s just one problem, the anchor didn’t get firmly connected to the bottom and before long, you realize you’ve drifted away or worse, you look up to find your boat is floating away while you enjoy a swim!<span> </span></p> <p></p> <p>What I’ve noticed is that the more pressure and stress I’m under, whether personally, some issue in family or finances, or professionally in church life, the more quickly I’m prone to wander and drift away from God! Make no mistake about it either, God is not the one who has moved on, it is me who has left Him. I fully understand Pastor Robinson’s poignant words because he’s describing a need we all have to be tethered to the Lord in intimate fellowship. That tether or anchor has several components and strands of the rope. One is your personal quiet time of Bible study and prayer. It is vital everyday to keep you connected. Corporate worship is another strand as we gather in worship with soul stirring songs that prepare us to hear the Word of God preached. One of the things I have to ensure I do is to listen to sermons regularly so I feed my spirit also. You might be surprised at how hard that actually is for a pastor to do because we’re laboring so much on what we’re preaching; it is hard to take time to listen to someone else. Another critical strand in that rope to keep us from wandering is personal accountability to a small group and beyond that to an accountability partner. I have men who have complete permission to ask me whatever they want and I communicate with and meet with these men often. </p> <p></p> <p>In spite of all that, I know in my spirit I’m still prone to wander! It’s frustrating for sure but I’m in good company. Paul wrote about this struggle extensively in Romans 7 making a point about how the law of God points out our need for the grace of God. The short summary of Paul’s struggle is found in vs. 19 and I paraphrase: “The good that I want to do, I do not do; yet the evil I don’t want to do and what I hate, that’s what I do!” WOW! I find encouragement in that the great Apostle Paul was not that much different than I am in regard to that inward struggle to keep from wandering from God. Happily, there is a solution as it means we have to stay close to God. When you’re out on boat in the middle of the bay and you realize you’re drifting, you take immediate action. When you sense you’re drifting in your spirit from God, you better take immediate corrective action. You also need to heed the Holy Spirit’s promptings in your heart that you’re off course and you need to correct it.</p> <p></p> <p>This fall, let me encourage you men to come to the men’s Bible Study we’ll be doing on Tuesday nights at church beginning Oct. 11<sup>th</sup>. There is information about this study being promoted in the Way and your weekend bulletins. Ladies, the women’s ministry has a couple of choices for you to get plugged in to I believe during the day and one in the evening also. These studies are practical and help you with the real issues of life. Our regular adult Bible Study classes on Sunday mornings are working through the Book of Romans. Don’t miss this rich study through one of the greatest books God inspired Paul to write.</p> <p></p> <p>While we’re prone to wander, it doesn't have to happen if you’ll constantly check to make sure that you’re anchored to Christ. That anchor holds no matter how much pressure you’re under. So here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, bind my wandering heart to thee! I want to encourage you to stay connected to Jesus and I’m confident He’ll keep you from wandering. Something to think about, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/prone-to-wander">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3892158520951411500?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-45513726023235380532011-09-01T09:26:00.001-04:002011-09-01T09:26:11.456-04:00I have learned to be content....<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="color: black;">"...<b>I have learned</b> in whatever state I am to be content, I know how to have a lot or a little, to suffer or not suffer, to be full or hungry; I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...."(Phil.4:11-13 in the RGV - Ralph Green Version). We humans are funny creatures. I never ceased to be amazed at how we can adapt to just about anything and everything that comes our way and how our “creature comforts” or lack of them bring out the best and the worst in people. This week in particular on the east coast, I've been able to witness this first hand having an earthquake rock our region last Tuesday, then with hurricane Irene wreaking havoc through the weekend. Here in Maryland from what I can tell with the limited access I've had to news, we fared quite well compared to places like the coast of North Carolina, flooded New Jersey and particularly Vermont where whole towns are cut off because of massive flooding. Some people take it in stride with a good attitude, others adapt but they are mad and are determined to be miserable.</span></p> <p><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;">At my home, we've not had conventional electricity for about 108 hours - starting our 5th day. Now before you feel all sorry for us, you are reading this from what I typed on my little laptop while I sit on my deck with an extension cord running through the kitchen, down the steps to the basement, through the garage & plugged into a generator God gave us shortly after we moved to Houston Texas to serve the Lord with my friend David Lino. God knew we needed that generator because in the aftermath of hurricane Ike, we were without conventional electricity for 11 days. We used that generator to be a blessing to our neighbors and provide for our meager needs. We are enjoying the blessings of that provision from the Lord even today, a gorgeous sunny day with low humidity. The semi-lack of electricity has forced me out on the deck for my morning devotional time where its cooler and I have sunlight to read by though dodging the shells dropped from the trees above me while the squirrels enjoy their morning breakfast - man they eat a lot and make a mess! </span><span></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;">This time has allowed me to reflect on Paul's inspired statements in Philippians 4 this week and I have had to re-learn what it means to be content. I have to admit when I was preparing for the hurricane and couldn't get my generator to start beforehand and even shortly after the power went out and the storm passed, my attitude was not very good. But as I worked to get that generator to start, doing it all with my limited knowledge of engines, taking the thing apart and putting it back together, sweating like a pig as we say in Texas, skinned knuckles and all; it still wouldn’t start. I finally gave up and prayed a quick prayer and just said "Lord, would you help me get this thing started?" I admit my motives were pretty selfish with that prayer because I wanted desperately to be a hero to my family. I had enough energy to give it two more pulls to start it and I was going to forget it. First pull, nothing. Prayed again and the noise of that generator filled the air as it roared to life. "Praise the Lord!" was my quick response. After figuring out what I needed to do to get us functional, I finally spoke to my neighbor and we ran some extension cords over to power his fridge and freezer. As far as I can tell, they do not know the Lord so once again, it was a chance for me to testify to them of God's provision and be a witness for Jesus. I have another neighbor who brought groceries from their house to store in our freezer. In talking to these two neighbors, their responses to the grace of God stand in stark contrast, neighbor couple 1: extremely grateful with thanksgiving - directed at us but the subject gets changed pretty quickly when I talk about the Lord. Neighbor couple 2: Flat out angry that "the powers that be" did not put all of our power lines underground…but our neighborhood was built over 30 years ago! He's got signs in his driveway reaming on BGE that we're out of power; he calls them daily to complain. Since I’ve had two church members call offering the use of their generators, I offered to get this guy a generator so he can get going; he refuses. Offered for him to come to the house with his laptop so he can connect to the internet, enjoy some lighting though it is limited. Again he refuses. You see to accept these offers of grace would remove his reasons to be angry at whoever he’s mad at. I’ve confronted him repeatedly with the truth that it could always be so much worse, tree on his house, basement full of water & mud; being cut off like folks in Vermont having to have groceries airlifted to them – all of it just dismissed so he can pout and the bottom line is so he can continue to be angry at God.</span></p> <p></p> <p>Seeing God orchestrating events in this man’s life to get his attention and show him grace, to help him count his blessings and maybe, come to know Christ; all to be rejected and dismissed saddens me greatly. He’s so lost and yet he has no idea. I’ve resigned myself that we may be out of power for a while (even though I know linemen are working 18 hour days to restore power) to force me to interact with my neighbor and I pray God’s grace will soften his heart while God continues to teach me how to be content and reflect on the ridiculous blessings He has supplied to me. <span> </span>What astounds me further is Paul wrote those words from a Roman dungeon and yet he said “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” <span> </span>The truth is, I got all the power I need because the Lord is with me, and yes He gives me patience in dealing with a crotchety neighbor to demonstrate the love, grace and mercy of God in a practical way. What a blessing to think that the Almighty God of the universe might just use our simple kindness with a generator He gave us to reach a lost man and his wife for Christ! Oh Lord may it be so!</p> <p></p> <p>I’ve spoken to so many of you in these last few days and over and over you’ve shared of God’s provision for you. I trust we’ve all learned more of how to count our blessings and name them one by one; that we’ve learned more how to be content no matter what; and that we have and will continue to take advantage of opportunities to share Jesus with people around us. Learning to be content, from my little corner of the world to yours…oh boy, time to run and refill the generator before it goes dark again in my little corner…</p> <br /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/i-have-learned-to-be-content">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4551372602323538053?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-18299569710482164052011-08-18T09:18:00.001-04:002011-08-18T09:18:06.051-04:00For the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body....<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">That phrase comes from Ephesians 4:12 and it is God's plan for how the ministries of the local body of Christ, the church, is to go about her mission of making disciples. The context of that passage outlines how God given leadership to His church has a responsibility to equip and empower the saints of God to carry out the work of the ministry of the church as a whole so the church will be edified or built up, strengthened and grow. When the church leaders and saints all do their part, the kingdom of God is expanded and God is glorified in that. </span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">I thought in light of that I'd update you on some of the work of the ministry that is taking place at Calvary highlighting a few committees that have been working hard at their responsibilities. The nominating committee has presented to the church the slate of workers for the new church year that begins in September. Also, all of our Sunday School positions are filled which is no small undertaking. Every classroom is full as people gather each Sunday at 9:45 to study God's word in the Bible Study hour. Our R.E.A.C.H. Sunday School teams faithfully follow up on absentees and prospects. Our Sunday school attendance continues to average from 70 to 80% of our morning worship attendance which is incredible and I say to God be the glory! This demonstrates the importance of getting people connected to a small group from the corporate worship crowd and how well ya'll do at including people. I'm so proud of you.</span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">Your trustees are hard at work maintaining our property. We've recently had a number of major things to deal with, our air conditioning, phone system, oversight of getting a bathroom installed in the Narthex, plumbing leaks and roof leaks that have caused some damage to the Happy Followers classroom are all major projects they've had to tackle. This is on top of the ongoing maintenance issues that need to be addressed weekly. Maintaining our property is a huge challenge and I'm thankful for these trustees.</span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">The Personnel Committee has been hard at work as well and has processed approximately 60 resumes for our associate pastor positions. Initially we are looking to fill the position for discipleship and administration. Farther down the road, we would like to see an associate pastor of missional outreach and family ministry. This is a slow and tedious process and they are earnestly seeking God's will for the man that He has chosen for this first position of discipleship and administration. We're much closer than we were when we started and they are actively interviewing potential candidates. Please pray with us that God will make His will known to each member of the committee in the upcoming days as they seek God's man to join our team. When we have someone to present to the church for consideration, that news will be publicized as appropriate.</span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">The ad hoc vision committee I appointed continues to pray for God's direction about our future. We're seeking the Lord's direction for the long term future ministries of Calvary and what we can do here to reach as many people with the Gospel as a neighborhood church and how we can make the greatest impact on our community for Christ. Through prayer, study and research on a number of spiritual and physical needs as our church is in the spiritual business of making disciples that takes physical logistics; we've been asking the Lord to guide us. We’re asking questions such as how we can maximize our existing space, what future space needs to we need to plan for over the next 20-30 years and what will this community look like in 20 to 30 years? How will BRAC and APG impact our church ministry? How can we plant new churches or develop other campuses to reach other areas when we max out our property here? Other immediate questions related to current space needs with a burgeoning children's and youth ministry weighs heavy upon us. One of the things the vision committee has sensed of the Lord's leading is to see what realistic options there are at developing our church property with an updated master plan. The current plan we have in place is over 30 years old so we’ve asked for the wisdom of local experts in their fields, knowledgeable with the town code and what limitations there are with current codes. Some folks from the vision committee and the trustees informally approached the appropriate town leaders with some initial ideas we had to help us with space needs. We learned that those ideas would not be well received. While that was disappointing, it was also helpful and gave us direction on how to proceed. You learn through these kinds of discussions that this process is a tedious one as we balance stewardship of resources, needs for space but also gaining the approval of our plans with the town and our neighbors. We are confident that as the Lord leads us, He will go before us to make it all work the way He wants. Pray for this team and the trustees as they pray and seek God’s face and the wisdom of others who can help us develop our master plan. </span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">These are just a few examples of the work of the ministry by the saints of God taking place here at Calvary for the edifying of the body of Christ. Space will not permit at this point to recognize all of our ministry teams/committees who are all actively putting together their ministry action proposals for our 2012 budget process that is well under way. I know some might be discouraged we’re not currently meeting our budget need this year but we’re always careful stewards of God’s resources and the church is sound financially as God’s people are faithful with their tithes and offerings.</span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p>We've had a great time in the Word of God with my summer preaching series seeking to answer the question of “What is God like?” as we seek to know the God the Bible and not the god of our understanding. Those messages are available on our website on the media tab and it is simple to invite someone to listen to it with an email invitation feature. We just recently added a feature that allows you to download the study guides that have been given out on Sunday mornings also. I trust these have been helpful to you and I’m thankful for all these volunteer committees who do their work so I can continue to labor in the study and preach the word. I plan to conclude this series on the attributes of God on Labor Day weekend with the names of God and how they reveal His character to us. You won’t want to miss it, but if you’re traveling, catch it later on the website. I plan to preach a series this fall through the Book of Revelation to give us an overview of the book and will conclude this series by Christmas. It should be an exciting adventure. </p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">One final thought as I’ve been discussing saints doing the work of the ministry. Last Sunday was the last Sunday Ernie & Marie Moretz would be with us. For 57 years they have been members of Calvary and they are faithful servants. They are moving to North Carolina to minister to their family. They have faithfully modeled servant-hood and the Ephesians 4:12 principle and we will miss them, but we wish them God’s blessings as they go. </span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;">What a joy to pastor a church where the saints are doing the work of the ministry and edifying the body of Christ. Updating you from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p> <p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"></span> </p><p style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #333399;">Pastor Ralph Green</span><span style="color: black;"><br /> </span><span style="color: #333399;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span><span style="color: black;"><p /> </span><span style="color: #333399;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"><p /> </span><span style="color: #333399;"><br /> </span><span style="color: black;"> <br /> </span></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/for-the-work-of-the-ministry-for-the-edifying">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1829956971048216405?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-60208546891553443512011-08-03T19:53:00.001-04:002011-08-03T19:53:32.504-04:00All it takes to grow a great church...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><b style="">“All it takes to grow a great church is everybody doing what they can do.”</b> That’s something my long time Pastor Dr. Bill Sutton would say quite regularly from the pulpit at First Baptist Church in McAllen Texas. Hearing that simple statement regularly from Brother Bill had a profound impact on me personally and on our church culture there at First Baptist and under his leadership and in the power of the Holy Spirit, became a great church. All Bill did was summarize the realities of the Christian life and the process of making disciples. A huge part of being a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ is to learn how to be a servant. Jesus Himself taught His disciples to be servants and commanded them to “wash one another’s feet” after Jesus took a basin of water and washed their feet. We don’t understand what that means in our modern culture but in the 1<sup>st</sup> century, the famous Roman roads were dusty and since the primary mode of transportation was walking.<span style=""> </span>Since Nike hadn’t produced a tennis shoe, sandals were the foot wear of the day. As people walked, their feet would get filthy with caked on dust and dirt. To make matters worse, they didn’t typically sit upright at table to eat; the custom was to lounge on your side by a low table and obviously your feet would be close to your neighbor’s space – those dirty, nasty feet. It was the custom to provide a basin of water for your guests to wash their feet or better yet, have a servant come and wash and dry the feet of your guests. Except Jesus was the host of the dinner and He strapped a towel around His waist and took a basin to wash His disciples’ feet. That exercise of washing the feet of your guests was so refreshing to them and so kind. It’s about like being on a long airplane ride and the stewardess brings you a hot moist towel to refresh yourself before landing. There were some important lessons learned that night those disciples never forgot; and Jesus made an amazing statement in that context of having washed the disciples’ feet in <b style="">John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” </b></p><p></p><p>Jesus was clearly saying that blessings flow to those who are willing to serve others. Is the work glamorous? No! Is it always fun? No! is it necessary? Absolutely! I share this because this past Sunday night in at our church in conference, we formally appointed over 270 volunteer workers who’ve said they will serve this next church year in some capacity here at Calvary! These folks have said yes to servant-hood, they’ve said they will wash the feet of others and have volunteered to carry out a variety of assignments that range from changing diapers in preschool to keeping records for Sunday School. No job is more important than another – in God’s view, the diaper changer is just as important as the most eloquent Sunday School teacher. I can tell you the child of God who is not involved in some kind of servant ministry is not growing closer to Christ and they certainly are not experiencing the blessings that flow from the throne of God into their lives. There is in many cases a lack of joy, peace and contentment in folks who refuse to serve. <span style=""> </span>One of the things that makes church life here at Calvary so wonderful is the presence of the Savior shining through the many volunteers who faithfully serve Jesus doing all the things needed for the church to minister effectively. Menial tasks that need to happen that may be nasty to perform, but so beneficial to the church body and the lost world looking on around us. Men laboring in a bathroom on a Sunday morning to mop up a water leak from a bathroom toilet that flooded the bathroom and destroyed the ceiling tiles in the classroom below. A dear woman on her knees pulling weeds out of a flower bed and planting new flowers to beautify the grounds. A mom and her kids cleaning up and organizing a storage closet. A woman preparing supplies for an upcoming promotion we’ll hold in August. A man with weed killer spraying weeds in flower beds, another man cleaning a bathroom with no real supplies between services because it needed attention. A group of adults leading a group of children to a homeless shelter with gifts – teaching them mission work…all these things are just some of what I’ve witnessed around here just recently. Every time I see volunteers working for the King of Kings around here, I can hear the echo of brother Bill in my head from years gone by <b style="">“All it takes to grow a great church is everybody doing what they can do.” </b></p><p></p><p>There’s always more that needs to be done though and some ministries haven’t even been undertaken yet because people haven’t stepped forward and said they will take that on. Sadly, we live in a consumer culture where many people are content to sit on the sidelines and be served. Some may think since they came to church on Sunday and found a spot in a seat that God has gotten the warm fuzzie’s about their presence; yet they wonder why there is a painful void and the nagging feeling that something’s missing. The “missing something” is not serving. Here at Calvary, we’ve identified 4 critical ingredients we all need to be adding to Calvary for our church to be all God intends it to be: Connect, Grow, Serve, Renew. I won’t take time to explain them in detail but we want simply to connect with God and each other in genuine relationships. In those connections with God and each other, we’ll grow in our spiritual walk as we’re intentional about studying God’s word together and caring for one another. As we grow, a natural result of that is serving the Lord. As the disciples hung out with Jesus daily, they learned how to serve others and minister because Jesus mentored them in how to do that. The renew part comes through corporate worship as God’s people gather, our spirit’s are revived and renewed because of the focus on Christ. The process of discipleship is found in those simple ingredients but I’m highlighting serving here today. Let me thank all of you who’ve agreed to serve the Lord here at Calvary this year. Do it heartily as unto the Lord and know that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. If you serve bountifully, you’ll reap bountifully. Maybe you’ve been burdened for a ministry and God is calling you to serve. Step out on faith and watch God do amazing things through your service. Maybe you’d like to be involved but never have before in a particular ministry – ask someone in that ministry if they’ll teach you. I’m sure you’ll find them receptive to that request. Those of you who serve, seek out someone you can teach how to do what you do. <b style="">I proudly echo my beloved pastor Bill Sutton: “All it takes to grow a great church is everybody doing what they can do.”</b> Praying you’ll find the rich blessings of serving our Lord Jesus, from my little corner of the world to yours…. </p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/all-it-takes-to-grow-a-great-church">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6020854689155344351?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-23428317524972515032011-07-20T19:24:00.001-04:002011-07-20T19:24:42.799-04:00A big thank you...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>VBS…a.k.a. (a.k.a. means “also known as” in police lingo) Vacation Bible School, has become something I look forward to in church life. Each summer the church building is transformed into some kind of adventure. I think my first as a church planting pastor in New Hampshire was “Amazon Outfitters” and with a whole lot of help from our home church, First Baptist of McAllen Texas, we turned the old Littleton Opera house in to a virtual Amazon jungle. The next year was “The great kingdom caper” which had a distinctly British feel and we had a plane full of FBC McAllen volunteers to help us with that one as well. During my tenure here at Calvary, we’ve been on the “Boomerang Express”, the “Saddle Ridge Ranch” and this year the “Big Apple Adventure.” One thing I’ve noticed with each VBS are a number of common denominators regardless of what church I was serving in at that time:</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>Much pre-planning and organizing in advance. Each January/February dedicated people who love Jesus, VBS and children begin the preparations for the mid-summer adventure. Decorations are planned out, supplies ordered, crafts to be considered, volunteers to be recruited and trained, music lyrics & choreography, Bible study lesson plans, meals to be planned, snacks, games, mission emphasis, what to do with preschoolers, how to pre-register/register children, how to advertise, what the family night<span style=""> </span>will look like, what the mission project will be, how the contest for the offering will be handled, who’s going to run sound, video, who’s going to help in each grade….you get the idea. I’m sure I’ve missed some important component in listing all this…the point is, there is huge preparation for VBS that starts in the beginning of the year and it takes an army of people to pull it all together. Each year the week before VBS, I look at VBS like I view one of those giant Air Force transport planes across the bay in Delaware at Dover AFB wondering: “How in the world will this thing get off the ground and fly?” But it does! It flies because a lot of people have planned all the logistics needed to make it happen.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How God shows up. With each VBS, I’ve been amazed at the little miracles that God does related to the weather since invariably we’re doing some part of it outside and our critical need for the weather to cooperate and God provides exactly what we need, without fail. How God protects the kids, the leaders, how He provides patience for leaders and preacher types who may not be exceptionally patient people in everyday life. How God blesses people with an attitude of flexibility and good spirits to faithfully show up each night for a solid week after they are exhausted from working all day long at their regular jobs. How God continues to reach children, parents, and yes even leaders and draw them closer to Him as the church endeavors to minister through VBS. God shows up in big and little ways during VBS and He shows me how He’s at work during that VBS week.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How much fun you can actually have as an adult making a fool of yourself with kids. I will not comment further except that I routinely see different sides of people you’ve never seen before<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="">J</span></span>.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How the music gets stuck in your head and heart for months. Music is such a powerful tool to teach kids and adults spiritual truth, and in VBS, it effectively does this in fun way that actually allows me to worship the Lord. I always get choked up and tears come to my eyes when I hear kids singing the ABC song for that week or a new song about serving Jesus. VBS is such a blessing each year.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How fast the week seems to fly by. Maybe I’m just getting old but time flies during the week of VBS. I wake up the Saturday morning afterwards exhausted and in shock at how fast VBS came and went and wondering what in the world happened.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How God draws children to make decisions for Christ – by salvation or to be obedient in believer’s baptism. Historically, I share the gospel with all the age groups during the ABC night when I get to teach the Bible lesson that special night. I don’t give an invitation to the kindergarten or 1<sup>st</sup> & 2<sup>nd</sup> grades; we just sow seed. We are intentional with 3<sup>rd</sup> & 4<sup>th</sup>, and 5<sup>th</sup> & 6<sup>th </sup>grades, and God always allows us to reap a harvest because faith Bible Study teachers and leaders have been sowing seeds with their groups. I marvel at the simplicity of the Gospel that kids not only understand but respond to and how the gospel reaches moms and dads as well. This year we had at least 3 decision for Christ and a couple for baptism.</p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span style=""><span style="">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>How I always loose the contest of the week whether I represent the boys or the girls, the pastor seems to be getting dunked, a pie in the face, or a Gatorade bath. I think every pastor should be able to write a book about the VBS contests he’s lost. ( I think my record thus far is 1 win and 8 or 9 losses. My “win” was against my dad who’s a minister also so I didn’t feel bad on that one!) The reality is that God’s Kingdom wins because kids have given generously to support whatever mission cause we supported. This year, our kids gave over $1400.00 to the Harford Homeless shelter and I’m thrilled to tell you that our church is going to match that gift. Over $2800.00 given to minister to folks right here in our community. I don’t care if I lose every contest till Jesus comes if it furthers Kingdom work!</p><p>There are other common denominators for sure but one of the biggest is just how thankful I am for every volunteer who tirelessly works to prepare and lead in VBS, who serve on the front lines or in a myriad of ways behind the scenes in preparing cookies or taking out trash, or having a preschooler crying on your shoulder; or just locking up each night; however you helped with VBS, thank you. I can’t list people by name or I’ll be in trouble for sure because I’ll forget someone. God knows who you are and I can tell you if you didn’t work or serve, VBS would have never happened. So a big thanks to our Calvary family for once again serving the Lord through the ministry of VBS. I’m so proud of you and thankful to God for you, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">CONFIDENTIALITY NOTIFICATION: This e-mail and any attachments to it may contain confidential information that is (1) subject to the Pastor-Penitent Privilege, (2) a pastoral work product, or (3) strictly confidential. Do not read this e-mail if you are not the intended recipient. Disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any information in or attached to this e-mail is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Unauthorized interception of this e-mail is a violation of federal criminal law. If you received this email in error, destroy the original and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner and immediately notify us by reply e-mail, or at 410-879-1808. VIRUS NOTIFICATION: Our computer system is equipped with a virus scanner. However, no warranty is made that this material is free from computer virus or other defect. Any loss/damage incurred by using this material is not our responsibility. Our church's entire liability shall be limited to re-supplying the material. ALTERATION NOTIFICATION: Because e-mail can be altered, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed.</span></b><b><span style=""></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-big-thank-you">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-2342831752497251503?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-38865713868265301862011-07-07T23:54:00.001-04:002011-07-07T23:54:45.062-04:00A word about Bible translations...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Historically, Baptists in general and Southern Baptists in particular have been known as “people of the Book”; meaning that we hold the Bible in high esteem and surrender to its authority over our lives, our faith, and the practice of our faith. The choice we make for the Bible you and I read in English is an important choice. It can be terribly confusing because when you go to the Christian bookstore, multiple choices abound. The impact of what we might call the “Wal-Mart” mindset where there are lots of options has found its way into how bookstores & publishers market books and Bibles. When I was a child, there was basically one choice, the King James version of the Bible. It was and is still a good translation, but it’s biggest drawback is that we don’t speak in old King James English today so it can be difficult to understand and therefore people quite reading it because they didn’t understand it. Thankfully, scholars recognized this and have worked diligently in most cases to give us newer, accurate translations. I spent weeks in seminary classes understanding all the translation philosophies but I won’t test your patience with all the details of that. I thought I would however; share a few highlights that will help you choose a translation that works for you.</p> <p></p> <p>First of all, I have a news flash for you; the Bible as originally inspired by God was not authored in English. The Old Testament was primarily written in the Hebrew language. The New Testament authors primarily wrote in the Greek language. You need to make sure that you choose a Bible that is translated directly from the original languages into English that faithfully expresses in English the words and meaning of the original text. The original manuscripts from the Hebrew or Greek that are used for translation basically can be divided into two camps, the Byzantine text and what is known as the Alexandrian text. I won’t go into all the details of what this means, but the most popular English translations all use one or the other of these texts to translate the Scriptures into English. They will typically footnote well any differences between the texts. For example, the King James (KJV), New King James (NKJV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB) all used the Byzantine texts. The New International Version used the Alexandrian texts for translation. Both the Byzantine & Alexandrian texts match about 90% of the time. In the roughly10% of the places where there are differences, those differences don’t change the overall meaning and message of the text. The bottom line is if you currently have an English Bible that is a translation and not a paraphrase, you have an accurate version of the Bible from the original manuscripts. </p> <p><span style=""> </span></p> <p>Secondly, readability is something you should consider when choosing an English Bible. I personally like the New King James and use this version when I’m preaching. Since I grew up memorizing the KJV, the NKJV has the same “feel” to it without all the “thee’s” and “thou’s” of King James English. It reads on about a 10<sup>th</sup> grade level and my preaching Bible is sized and formatted in a way that helps me communicate God’s word effectively. However, in my personal devotions, I’ve used a NASB, NIV, Holman Christian Standard but most currently I’m using the ESV or the English Standard Version. The ESV uses simple plain English and reads on about an 8<sup>th</sup> grade level and I enjoy the simple, clear reading of Scripture I find with it in my personal devotions. With the simplicity of the ESV, I’ve found I don’t need the aid of commentaries to explain what I’m reading and it allows God’s Word to speak on its own without someone’s opinion telling me what it means and this is a wonderful blessing. </p> <p></p> <p>As a Pastor, I have a duty to the Lord to warn fellow believers of dangers that can lead them astray. One of these dangers I’ve learned is in the new 2011 version of the New International Version of the Bible. I hesitate to justify calling it a Bible because I am of the conviction this should not be held on equal footing with other faithful translations. First a little background is in order. Several years ago, Zondervan publishing published the TNIV or Today’s New International Version. This translation made headlines because it was dubbed as the “gender-neutral” version. Bowing to political correctness, this translation did away with much gender language such as “he”, “him” or “she” and <span style=""> </span>“her” using terms like “they” or “them.” The obvious problem is this changes entire meanings of the text. Since all Scripture is inspired by God according to 2<sup>nd</sup> Tim.3:16; we must accept that God inspired the authors of Scripture to use the gender language we’ve been given. There was much conservative outcry against this version and rightly so because it undermined what God intended to be said. </p> <p></p> <p>This brings me to the 2011 NIV. This version retains about 75 % of the language used in the TNIV. It’s a repackaged rerun of the same thing that once again should be rejected by conservative Christians. I’m pleased to say the problems with the 2011 NIV were brought to the attention of the Southern Baptist Convention last month in Phoenix Arizona. A resolution was adopted by a large majority of convention messengers expressing our disapproval of this translation. Part of that resolution reads as follows:</p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“WHEREAS, Seventy-five percent of the inaccurate gender language found in the TNIV is retained in the 2011 NIV; and</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /> <span class="apple-style-span">WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention has passed a similar resolution concerning the TNIV in 2002; now, therefore, be it</span><br /> <span class="apple-style-span">RESOLVED, That the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 14-15, 2011 express profound disappointment with Biblica and Zondervan Publishing House for this inaccurate translation of God’s inspired Scripture; and be it further</span><br /> <span class="apple-style-span">RESOLVED, That we encourage pastors to make their congregations aware of the translation errors found in the 2011 NIV; and be it further</span><br /> <span class="apple-style-span">RESOLVED, That we respectfully request that LifeWay not make this inaccurate translation available for sale in their bookstores; and be it finally</span><br /> <span class="apple-style-span">RESOLVED, That we cannot commend the 2011 NIV to Southern Baptists or the larger Christian community.”</span></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(You may read the full resolution by clicking here) </span></span><a href="http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1218">http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1218</a> <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style=""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"></span></p> <p></p> <p>If you have an older copy of an NIV Bible, don’t go out and throw it away as it is still a good translation. I have a small NIV New Testament I keep in my truck for soul winning or hospital visits. I just want to caution you if you plan to purchase a new Bible that you research what you are buying before you plunk down your hard earned cash so that you don’t buy trash. In the front of most Bibles, they will explain their translation process for you so you can make a wise decision. I’d be happy to help you further if you have questions.</p> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">By the way, if you have a study Bible, let me remind you the study notes are someone’s insights and they are not inspired Scripture. Regardless of what version you prefer, let me encourage you to read it, study it, meditate upon it and apply it to your life daily. After all, it cannot be hidden in your heart so that you might not sin against God by osmosis. Encouraging you to be vigilant from my little corner of the world to yours…</span><p /> <br /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-word-about-bible-translations">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3886571386826530186?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-10158720153548731972011-06-22T20:25:00.001-04:002011-06-22T20:25:33.713-04:00A real life catastrophe...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>So the other day I’m riding up the road on an interstate, not quite in the boonies but you could see them from where I was. I’m driving along at highway speed and up in front of me, I saw the tell tale brake lights of about 15 vehicles in front of me suddenly coming on as cars, a tractor trailer, a school bus and other vehicles are slamming on brakes for some problem in the roadway I was not yet able to see. When I saw the tractor trailer begin to fish tale slightly next to the school bus, I thought “Oh this is not going to end well!” Fortunately the trucker did an amazing job of straightening out the truck, the school bus driver stayed in her lane and miraculously none of the other drivers over reacted and there was not a 15 car pileup.<span style=""> </span>The blue smoke from tires quickly dissipated and traffic keep flowing with some cars still veering left or right. I figured this meant there was some kind of debris in the roadway that was making people swerve. As I got to the spot mere seconds later, I saw the problem. A flock of about 15 terrified ducklings was going back and forth in one lane of traffic, disoriented and tragically confused. They were scurrying one way only to have a car zoom by and they’d reverse direction unexpectedly. Their choice of timing happened to be when all those cars were passing through an otherwise clear stretch of highway. It was terrorizing the ducklings and also the motorists who suddenly were risking life and limb to spare the lives of these ducklings; attempting to make several thousand pound vehicles do things only professional stunt drivers would attempt. Keep in mind this is all happening on a highway with a posted 65 mile an hour speed limit. As I avoided the ducklings with my vehicle, a quick glance at the roadway sadly showed there were a number of ducklings and or parents who were not so fortunate as the roadway was littered with feathers and bodies. I glanced in my rear view mirror in time to see an SUV swerve and miraculously drive over the flock – straddling them with his tires and I don’t know how but he missed them, I think only by the grace of God!<span style=""> </span></p><p></p><p>As the intensity of the near catastrophe I had just witnessed and been a part of with those other drivers began to subside; I finally exhaled and a flood of emotions and thoughts began to flow. The drama was so intense I blurted out some of my thoughts even though I was the only human in the car! Since I had a long drive ahead of me, I thought about that scene from a spiritual point of view. One of my thoughts was the irony of priorities. Here were ordinary humans, swerving all over the road or trying to stop on a dime; making a split-second decision and risking a major accident that could have very well meant major injury and possibly even death for them or others in order to save the lives of some ducks. Now before you think I’m heartless and don’t care about the poor animals, while I’m no Dr. Doolittle, I avoided the ducks because I saw the warnings of the conditions and was able to do so safely. If however I’d have been a few seconds faster and was forced to choose between my safety and the well being of those poor ducks, I’m sure the ducks would have lost. I was taught that people are more valuable than animals and certainly possessions. God’s word makes it clear this is the proper way to prioritize as mankind was the crowing act of God’s creative work. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care for animals, but we should not place animals above people in terms of importance. Our society doesn’t have these same priorities and there are numerous examples where people suffer so animals might prosper. </p><p></p><p>As I was driving after this intense near miss, I thought about the actions of those well meaning drivers and I looked at that little group of lost ducklings, without father or mother to guide them, running scared to and fro, terrorized and traumatized<span style=""> </span>and I thought of the compassion of our Lord Jesus who looked upon the multitudes with a gut wrenching view of the multitudes because they were weary (some translations say harassed), and scattered,<span style=""> </span>like sheep having no shepherd (Matt. 9:36). My next thought was that many Christian people arguably might care more for a flock of ducklings than for people who are doomed to an eternity in Hell. Many Christians would risk life and limb for those 15 ducks faster than for 15 lost neighbors on their street. Convicting isn’t it? At least it is to me. Yet I’m proud to tell you that many Christ following disciples here at Calvary are moved with compassion for those lost sheep who have no shepherd and they demonstrate this by their faithful service to Jesus. </p><p></p><p>This past week, 46 of our people left the comforts of home on two different mission trip opportunities, one group of 9 adults to Waterville Maine to work with Living Water Community Church in a place that is 98% un-churched. The other team of 31 youth and 6 chaperones went to serve in Philadelphia as part of a large mission opportunity involving a number of churches working in the inner city. I am so proud of Calvary as the bride of Christ because you consistently demonstrate your commitments to give, to serve and to go to minister and reach people who are more lost than those poor ducks. The urgency of the task for those who are in danger of perishing without Christ demands we risk everything to save them as that is exactly what Christ did for me and for you so that we could avoid a real life catastrophe. In our neighborhood, in our city, county, state, nation and even to the uttermost parts of the earth; people need the Lord. At our annual meeting of Southern Baptist Churches, we were challenged that every church needs to embrace one of the 3800 yet unreached people groups with no access to the gospel in order to win them to Christ. I accepted that challenge and believe God would have us do that here at Calvary. What will it take to move us? The image of those little ducks on the brink of disaster, scurrying back and forth is etched in my mind; but oh the joy of seeing them saved and rescued is thrilling. How the Lord delights when we do His will in reaching out to win those He died to save. How He delights in a church who engages in helping people avoid an eternal, real life catastrophe called Hell! By the grace of God, we’ll see God do the impossible in saving those people if we’ll be faithful to take all measures necessary to rescue the perishing and care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save… from my little corner of the world to yours and theirs…</p><p></p><div><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-real-life-catastrophe">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1015872015354873197?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-41492508022115319472011-06-08T20:41:00.001-04:002011-06-08T20:41:49.548-04:00A willingness to get involved...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I’ve often wondered why God has wired me the way He has and believe it or not, I’m actually kind of a shy person. <span style=""> </span>I take after my mom more on that naturally than my outgoing father who’s never met a stranger. Some of my actions comes from my training and background in law enforcement, but I believe God draws me to intervene and get involved in stuff that quite frankly the average person would think is none of my business. You see police officers, firefighters, emergency service workers like EMT’s, doctors and nurses are trained to get involved and respond when everyone else is just standing around. While that “get involved” mindset was enhanced with my police training, God has wanted that from me long before McAllen PD got their hands on me. As a college freshman, I was driving home from Liberty on the weekend and saw black smoke off in the distance. The cloud got larger and more intense as I kept driving and I’ll never forget rounding the curve and seeing a small truck next to a house that was engulfed in flames. The engine was on fire and the front tires had already begun to burn. I slung gravel as I sped up the driveway and ran to bang on the door to get someone’s attention. A man met me and I hollered his truck was on fire. He shared a few expletives at my news but I didn’t stand there waiting. I ran looking for a hose and only found two 5 gallon buckets and I became a one man bucket brigade. I’m not sure how, but I single handedly put out that fire with those two buckets while the man, his friend and his family stood watching. They never got involved to help even though it was their home that was in great jeopardy if that truck were to explode. Their fear paralyzed them from action and all they did the whole time was holler at me “you gonna get yourself blowed up boy…” I was thinking, “not if you’d get your rear in gear and help me!” </p><p></p><p>I share that story because in the last several days and weeks, God has given me the opportunity to get involved in people’s lives. A couple headed for divorce court, a young man at the end of his rope with no hope, a family experiencing the tragic death of a son, a woman trying to put the pieces of her life back together and looking for encouragement in the Lord. Honestly, fear of what might happen could paralyze this normally shy preacher, but by the grace of God, I got involved and the Lord is working in each of those situations. It had nothing to do with me, but is the grace of God and I’ve been merely a tool, an instrument in my Redeemer’s hands, a conduit of the grace of God. You might say – “good for you preacher, that’s your job” and then in your heart you’re thinking “boy I’m glad I don’t have to do any of that!” I hate to break it to you, but if God has saved you, He’s called you to get involved in people’s lives. The New Testament demonstrates that Jesus got involved in people’s lives, ordinary people going about their business, and Jesus got involved. Then he taught those He invested in to do the same with others. I love the passage in <b style="">John 4:4 that says “But He (Jesus) needed to go through Samaria.”</b> On the surface, that innocent little statement doesn’t mean much except that Jesus was a Jew and the Samaritans were half-breed Jews and the two groups hated each other more than feuding Hatfield’s & McCoy’s. No Jew went through Samaria even though it was the most direct route from Jerusalem in the south up to Galilee in the north. The Jews would go miles out of their way to avoid going through Samaria but Jesus needed to go there according to the Apostle John. Once you read the whole story, you learn why Jesus needed to go there. It was because He needed to meet a certain woman at the well and introduce Himself as the Messiah, the source of living water. Her life was gloriously transformed because Jesus got involved and went out of His way in order to do it. She in turn got her whole town worked up to come meet this Jesus – she got involved with others too!</p><p></p><p>The Apostle Peter, got involved in people’s lives. Paul, same thing – the Philippian jailer was about to commit suicide, the very man who beat Paul & Silas unjustly and put their feet in stocks, and Paul intervened by calling out to him before he fell on his sword. That jailer was gloriously saved and baptized that night as well as his entire family. The point is, God wants us to engage people. Two members here at Calvary told me stories<span style=""> </span>this week of how they were involving themselves in the lives of others. There are many other stories like that yet to be told as we live in a world of hurting people. Each Bible Study class should be investing in a family with our “boxes of love” efforts. We saw some of the fruit of that last week when 5 people were baptized & 3 members of one family were baptized who are a direct result of our church family getting involved in their lives. For those at Calvary who are intentionally getting involved in the lives of others, I want you to know how proud I am of you for being like Christ; taking “church” outside the walls of the building. I know “the people business” can be dirty, nasty work at times because of the sin in peoples’ lives, but when we involve ourselves and invest in others, God uses that to draw people to Him. Keep at it, keep investing and get involved in someone’s life, let God use you to be a conduit of God’s grace to that person who desperately needs for you to come their way. A couple of thousand years ago, Jesus needed to go through Samaria on a particular day, I wonder who God wants you to encounter today, tomorrow or next week? As you are passing through on the journey of life, your primary calling as a Christian is to share the good news and be a conduit of grace to others. As you do that, you honor your Savior who did that exact thing with you. Worship should not be something we do once a week on Sunday. Worship is walking with Jesus daily in obedience & as we go, dispensing grace to others. <span style=""> </span>I can tell you Satan doesn’t want you to get involved – he’ll be hollering at you the whole time “you gonna get yourself blowed up” – don’t listen to him. Obey your Lord and reach out to the people that God puts in your path and watch God literally perform miracles before your eyes. I’m looking forward to hearing your story of how you got involved in someone’s life for Jesus, how God used you to be a conduit of grace, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">CONFIDENTIALITY NOTIFICATION: This e-mail and any attachments to it may contain confidential information that is (1) subject to the Pastor-Penitent Privilege, (2) a pastoral work product, or (3) strictly confidential. Do not read this e-mail if you are not the intended recipient. Disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any information in or attached to this e-mail is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Unauthorized interception of this e-mail is a violation of federal criminal law. If you received this email in error, destroy the original and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner and immediately notify us by reply e-mail, or at 410-879-1808. VIRUS NOTIFICATION: Our computer system is equipped with a virus scanner. However, no warranty is made that this material is free from computer virus or other defect. Any loss/damage incurred by using this material is not our responsibility. Our church's entire liability shall be limited to re-supplying the material. ALTERATION NOTIFICATION: Because e-mail can be altered, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed.</span></b><b><span style=""></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-willingness-to-get-involved">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4149250802211531947?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-44840474726161805362011-05-25T20:13:00.002-04:002011-05-25T20:16:51.267-04:00Summertime observations...<div class="posterous_autopost">Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer even though around here, school isn’t out yet for a couple of weeks. Summer is one of my family’s favorite seasons as the days are longer, vacation is on the horizon, the kids are out of school, trips to the beach, possibly the mountains, the amusement park, or maybe just a run over to “Brooms Blooms” for ice cream or finding a local swimming hole make summertime a lot of fun. Much needed “R&R” for a family vacation is awaited with much anticipation or a long weekend and a chance to get away are always such a blessing. Jesus set an example for us and He withdrew from the rigors of ministry to rest and recharge with his disciples so if the Son of God needed this, we do as well. One of the observations I’ve made that happens in church life is there is an easy tendency to take a break from church and the things of the Lord during the summer. Most churches see a decline in attendance and offerings during the summer as people travel. Offerings tend to suffer as people either forget their tithe & offering or they choose to spend that money on their leisure (of course I’m sure no one at Calvary would do that)! <br /><br />I wonder what would happen if God decided one day He was going on vacation for two weeks “because He needed a break” so He cancelled all prayer requests, worship activities and He decided to withhold the usual blessings He provides because He needed “a little extra cash” for His vacation? Of course that is preposterous because one of God’s primary attributes is that He is always faithful, He does not grow tired or weary, He does not sleep or slumber. If God were to take a vacation for just one day, let alone two weeks, the end result would be disastrous.<br /><br />My point is that while families and individuals who make up the church are able to take a vacation, pursue leisure and enjoy a little R&R, the church does not go on vacation and continues with ministry and the expenses that go with that. Human nature is such that it is easy to forget that the church opens her doors week in and week out and all through June, July and August. As we are coming off Memorial Day weekend, let me encourage you to be faithful to support your church. My desire for you is to enjoy your summer and your vacation; that you’ll be able to rest, recharge, renew and come back refreshed. When you’re away, don’t take a break from the Lord, draw closer to Him; find a place to go to worship and honor the Lord on the Lord’s Day if at all possible. When you’re in town, be faithful in your attendance and stay caught up on your tithes and offerings. Our offerings have started to decline a bit for several weeks and I realize we’re still gripped by tough economic times, but God is always faithful to provide when we honor Him with our tithes and offerings.<br /><br />We’re about to finish our study through the Book of Ezekiel on Sunday mornings very soon. The summer message series I have planned at this point will be more topical in nature as the Lord is leading me to preach and teach on the doctrine of God. We’ll be looking at the aspects of His character so we have an accurate picture of God through what He’s revealed to us from the Scriptures and not what we imagine Him to be. If we’re not careful, we tend to get a one or two dimensional view of God and He is so much more than that! I know it will be a wonderful time as we journey through this doctrine together on Sundays and I trust you’ll have a deeper understanding of our Great God on the other side of our journey. After Labor Day, I believe the Lord would have me preach through the book of Revelation to help us understand world events going on around us. My desire is to help us with the big picture of the book of Revelation and I will conclude that by Christmas. I truly believe the Lord’s return is soon even though some so-called “preachers” have recently and very wrongly predicted when this will take place; the fact is, Jesus is coming back and we need to be about His business until He comes.<br /><br />In light of Memorial Day, I would be remiss if I did not say how thankful I am for all of those who have given their lives for the cause of our freedoms. The blood of patriots and heroes has been shed so we can enjoy the freedoms we have in America, one of the most important is to worship God as we see fit. To the families of those who’ve paid the ultimate price, we are thankful for you and our prayers are with you and your families. On Sunday July 3<sup>rd</sup> we’ll honor our military and veterans with an incredible musical tribute from our choir and musicians. I’m reminded we have an obligation to teach the next generations of the costs and sacrifices necessary to continue to secure our freedoms in this nation that was founded on Biblical truth and principle as “One nation under God.” We should never assume our children understand what this means. The story is told of boy staring at a plaque in the lobby of the church one day. He asked his mom what the plaque meant and she responded that it was in honor of the men and women who had died in the service. His surprised response: “Did they die in the 8:30 or the 11:00 o’clock service?” Let’s ensure we teach them that freedom is never free and comes from sacrifice; but let’s be faithful also to teach them where true freedom comes from, the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. Our love and devotion to Jesus should be demonstrated to our children all the time, even in summertime. Praying you enjoy your summer, from my little corner of the world to yours…<br /><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ralph Green</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"></span></i></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b><br /><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/summertime-observations">Pastor Ralph</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4484047472616180536?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-34636079659721303162011-05-11T20:52:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:35:06.142-04:00The one meal a week plan...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Early in our marriage, I used to frustrate Cheryl when she would ask me if I was hungry. I would invariably say “I don’t know, what time is it?” I seemed to have this thought in my head that if it was around 9, noon or 5 I’d be hungry. If it wasn’t in those time slots, I wasn’t hungry. Her response was always along the lines of this had nothing to do with time, you’re either hungry or not. I had what a scientist named Pavlov called a conditioned reflex – I’d conditioned myself to be hungry at those times of the day. Not much has changed after nearly 26 years of marriage as I’m still hungry at those times! Now suppose that Cheryl told me she was putting me on diet to help me lose some weight (please, no comments) but the diet she had in mind was one big meal on Sunday at noon. I could eat all I wanted at noon on Sunday but that would have to last me the rest of the week. No snacks, no junk food, nothing till the following Sunday. Everyone knows that would be a preposterous plan that is doomed to failure. I couldn’t possibly keep that up because my body needs physical food in moderation on a regular basis. </p><p></p><p>I’m amazed at how many Christians think that such a plan works spiritually so they are on the “one meal a week plan”. In other words they come to worship on Sunday mornings and gorge themselves on the spiritual food, offered in corporate worship. The really faithful ones show up on Sunday week in and week out, they probably snack throughout the week by reading a devotional, they might even get a sandwich by reading their Bibles, or the really zealous might get a microwaved left-over meal by listening to some preaching on CD or a podcast. (I won’t even talk about those really hearty souls who are on the once or twice a month Sunday meal plan…) </p><p></p><p>As the under-shepherd here at Calvary I take very seriously my responsibility before the Lord to feed God’s people a hot fresh meal from the Word of God when we gather for corporate worship. Here at Calvary, that is twice on Sunday mornings and in mid-week worship on Wednesday evenings. I know that 30-40 minutes of preaching on Sunday morning is not enough to “make disciples.” About 22 months ago, our church family voted to rearrange our church schedule to remove all the committee meetings happing during the week nights in the evenings and move them to a different Sunday night of the month. At that time, we had a Sunday evening worship service with no activities for children and we had AWANA ministry on Wednesday nights with nothing for adults not involved in AWANA. We moved our Sunday night worship to Wednesday because we had child care and activities in place. We said when we adopted this schedule change we’d give it 18-24 months to evaluate it. We’re in the time line of needing to evaluate this. Part of the plan with our schedule change has worked well freeing up weeknights for families without committee meetings. But quite honestly, I’m in a quandary because our Wednesday worship attendance started out around 40 and I had hoped that this would grow and flourish. That has not happened as we’re down to just a faithful few who make Wednesday worship a priority. We tried offering a fellowship meal before church to help families with dinner needs but that didn’t seem to help people come and participate in worship. <span style=""> </span>We’ve been consistently doing well with our AWANA involvement which is good; <span style=""> </span>but I wonder why we don’t have people eager to participate in Wednesday worship? I realize our worship time slot is a huge challenge because we start at 6:15 and go to 7:10 which makes it hard for commuters coming from work and to help families with school aged children we need to conclude everything by 8:15. </p><p></p><p>I bring this all up because corporate worship is critical for our spiritual well being. Mid-week worship is designed to encourage, strengthen, edify and build up the body of Christ in the midst of your personal daily Bible Study you should be doing. I know it’s hard to get to worship by 6:15, but I suspect that it boils down to a simple matter of priorities as people tend to do what they want to do and they afford what they want to afford. I’m as wiped out as the next person by Wednesday, but I prioritize to be in my place with the table set and ready to serve you. I know you think “well you have to be there, you’re the pastor!” Long before I became a pastor, Wednesday worship has been a priority for me and my family and with 5 kids, we had to work at getting there. Satan doesn’t want us worshipping God on Sunday, but Wednesdays too? He’ll make sure you don’t feel like going on Wednesday or something will come up. Worship whether on Sunday or Wednesday is not about what is convenient for me or based on how I feel. When the people of God gather to meet the Lord and engage Him in worship, God begins to do amazing things in our personal lives and our corporate church life. Quite frankly, I’m not willing to just roll over and play dead and give in to the evil one’s idea that it’s hopeless trying to have Wednesday worship. I’ll be talking to our leadership team about options because I know the time slot is hard, but will you evaluate your commitment to Wednesday worship? If you are hindered by God from being able to attend, that’s one thing, but if there are some changes that could take place, I encourage you to prioritize accordingly. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for unchurched people to see Calvary gathered mid-week in corporate worship and God would use our commitment to be salt in light in such a way it would make people hungry to know God? For nurses, doctors, emergency service workers who can’t gather on Sunday, how will they have a chance to come if we just quit offering an alternative worship service opportunity?</p><p></p><p>I’m not trying to goad or berate anyone with a big guilt trip. I’m genuinely wrestling with how to maintain midweek corporate worship opportunities in the middle of a culture that is maxed out in their schedules and lives. Will you pray with me on this? Let’s ask God for wisdom and a solution in our effort to make disciples and edify the body of Christ. I never have to be asked to feed my body through the week and I know the one meal a week plan won’t work. Oh that I would hunger and thirst for spiritual food as I do for physical food. Trying to encourage your spiritual appetite, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-one-meal-a-week-plan">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3463607965972130316?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-55820758052996405652011-05-05T06:12:00.001-04:002011-05-05T06:12:13.618-04:00National Day of Prayer...<div class='posterous_autopost'>In 1787 prayer helped determine the future of our country in a significant way. The Constitutional Convention was on the verge of total failure over the issue of whether small states should have the same representation as large states. In this hopeless situation, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin offered a suggestion. He was convinced Scripture is right when it states, they "labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1), so he said: <br /> “Gentlemen, I have lived a long time and am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.” <br /> The motion carried. From then on prayer was offered each morning. The change after prayer was introduced was so dramatic that in a short while a compromise was reached which is still in effect today. <br />On this the National Day of Prayer, let us obey they exhortation of Psalm 105:1-5 <br />1 "Oh, agive thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 4 Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! 5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth," <br />Praying for our nation today, from my little corner of the world to yours... <p /> Pastor Ralph Green <br />Sent from my iPhone <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/national-day-of-prayer">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5582075805299640565?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-70175361993390052322011-04-27T20:28:00.001-04:002011-04-27T20:28:19.875-04:00Exciting stuff...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I’ve often joked that with the Green family, there’s never a dull moment. I suppose with a family the size of ours, there is always going to be an adventure with someone. Your family is probably that way also. It should come as no surprise that there is never a dull moment it seems in our Calvary church family either. In the days and weeks leading up to Easter weekend, the church was the proverbial “beehive of activity.” We had large preparations that were needed for the annual pancake breakfast and Easter Egg hunt and an army of volunteers labored to make it all possible. <span style=""> </span>Our choir, orchestra, musicians, praise team vocalists have worked for months to make our musical and Easter Sunday music so special. Volunteers laboring to make our Good Friday service here a tremendous success and on top of it all, the normal ministry activities that happen because of dedicated servants. There’s no way I could recognize everyone involved in some way but I do want to say I appreciate all of you who served the Lord in getting ready for Resurrection Sunday and all the surrounding activities. I’ll resist the temptation to call specific names but I’m grateful to the Lord for your ministries. <span style=""> </span>We’re working on the prospects and decisions from all this but we know we had a number of un-churched people with us for the Pancake Breakfast & Easter Egg Hunt.<span style=""> </span>We had a large Sunday morning crowd as well with a number of guests. Thank you for parking in the parking garage to make room for our guests and inconveniencing yourself so that others could have easier access to the church. It was evident the Holy Spirit was speaking to hearts on Resurrection Sunday and we need to pray to the Lord to bring us a harvest. As we’re faithful to make our REACH contacts through our Sunday School, we’ll be laborers in the harvest of souls.</p><p></p><p>More exciting news is that we’re also going to have a new pictorial directory for our church membership which will be of great benefit to us to put names and faces together, especially with two different worship services.<span style=""> </span>We’re taking advantage of available technology to utilize on online directory which is easily updated. We’re producing this in house with volunteers who have invested in camera equipment and backgrounds as well as oversight of the appointment scheduling and making this available to the church. Our hope is to wrap this up before the end of May before everyone disappears on vacation. We’ll be able to print out a hard copy if desired for a small fee to cover the cost of printing. I believe there are plans in place to accommodate members who are shut in or have health issues so please call the office so we can make provision for you to be included in the directory.</p><p></p><p>Another bit of exciting news is that the trustees have approved and secured a contractor to install a much needed restroom in the Narthex. The funds for this restroom are already in place from our capital expenditures fund because of the faithfulness of God’s people with their tithes and offerings. The contractor tells us he expects two weeks from the time they start working here on site until it is complete and ready to use. Because of space needs and code related issues, it will be a small restroom that is handicapped accessible and we’ll have to use it “family style.” With that in mind, we’ll need to be diligent to keep it clean and ready for others. Steve Green had a song years ago that said “Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.” While I believe brother Steve had something else in mind, that should be the slogan stenciled above the mirror… I’m kidding of course – but this will be a practical need. Because of the location of this restroom, I have no doubt it will quickly be the most used water closet on campus. In light the heavy traffic we expect using this bathroom, I’m going to boldly go where few pastors dare tread, but I’m going to ask for a volunteer team of people with servant hearts to make that restroom their ministry on Sunday mornings. I envision a team of volunteers with a coordinator who sign up for a particular week to maintain the restroom appropriately throughout the Sunday morning activity; especially between services. It is not a glamorous ministry, but it is a chance to “wash one another’s feet” in a modern context, as Jesus set the example for His disciples. <span style=""> </span>I’m confident the souls who volunteer for such a ministry will have the warm smile of Jesus upon their labor of love for His sake. I’m not asking you to do something I’m not willing to do so I’ll take the lead and say to the coordinator God is calling now to oversee this ministry; sign me up for the first Sunday this restroom is in service, I’ll clean after the invitation at the end of the 8:30 service. </p><p></p><p>There’s exciting stuff happening all around us here at Calvary. I believe the Lord is going to show us some other exciting opportunities around here real soon. What a blessing to see the Lord at work in the lives of His saints as we gather each week to expand His kingdom and do His will. I love you and I am grateful to the Lord for allowing me to serve as your pastor. I look forward to more excitement, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/exciting-stuff">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-7017536199339005232?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-55942043051463261992011-04-25T08:42:00.001-04:002011-04-25T08:42:23.823-04:00Addison Lynn Deason<div class='posterous_autopost'>1 year ago today our 1st grand baby Addison Lynn Deason was born in distress. She was & will always be precious to us. I'm thankful for the grace of God & His comfort to us as promised in 2nd Cor. 1:1-11 has been amazing. Heaven is sweet & a better home for Addison than here. Happy birthday Addison. Pops loves you dearly & would you give The Lord Jesus a hug for me. You have some amazing parents & a wonderful new little brother. Your Pops could not be more proud of your family. We miss you but we choose to say today blessed be the name of the Lord. <p /> Pastor Ralph Green <br />Sent from my iPhone <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/addison-lynn-deason">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5594204305146326199?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-62014742232674020862011-03-31T16:34:00.001-04:002011-03-31T16:34:56.770-04:00What in the world is going on?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>News reports of uprisings in Middle East and North African countries, the earthquake off the coast of Japan and the resulting tsunami and devastation of that Asian country, the ensuing nuclear disaster that as of this writing has yet to be contained; along with our own economic woes in the United States or for that matter, the global economy, cause me to ask routinely “What in the world is going on?” There is so much disaster, hardship, tension, difficulty, and this overwhelming uncertainty happening in our world today. Worldwide there seems to be a leadership vacuum and the world seems to be clamoring for someone to take charge. All of this chaos simply adds to the stress of life we experience in our work places, and in our families. If we’re not careful all of these events can bring about much anxiety and worry about tomorrow.</p><p></p><p>Well for believers, we need to remember that this world is not our home, we’re pilgrims on a journey of faith that will ultimately lead us home with Jesus. Jesus had something to say about the kind of world situation we live in. He wanted to prepare His disciples for the day when the foundations would be crumbling and the Holy Spirit inspired one of them, Matthew, to record what Jesus said in Matthew 24. Space will not permit me to explain this whole chapter here but I want to point out verse 6: <b style="">“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” </b>He went on to explain that there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places and that all this is simply the beginning of sorrows before the tribulation time. As I look at current events around the globe, I believe we are living in the last days. This passage also warns us to not be deceived by false prophets. Earlier today while driving, I saw a guy driving a van that had written all over it that judgment day is coming May 21, 2011. I’m not sure where he got his information and while I’m no prophet, I doubt this is true because Jesus said in vs. 36 of the same chapter <b style="">“But of the day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” </b><span style=""> </span></p><p></p><p>Yes there is much to be concerned about and I agree that we need to be paying attention, but we need not live in fear and dread today, tomorrow or of any day in the future. We should see all this uncertainty as an opportunity God is handing to His bride the church to be diligent to be laboring for His kingdom. People are hungry for the truth and they are hungry for assurance that everything is “going to be alright.” That kind of assurance is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. We’re headed into the Easter Season and all the activities planned during Holy Week. <span style=""> </span>Let me encourage you to pick up several invite cards that are by all the exits, use that card to invite your lost friends and loved ones to the Easter Musical, Good Friday Service, Pancake Breakfast & Easter Egg hunt or to our Easter Worship services. People still respond to personal invitations and we can see God move in a great way in these days if we’ll do the work needed to prepare for a harvest. As we’re working through our Sunday morning study of Ezekiel, I’m certain God’s message about the need of repentance & His desire to save is as true for us today as it was 2500 years ago. <span style=""> </span></p><p></p><p>I’d also remind you once again “we never get a second chance to make a first impression” so be conscious of guests and be intentional about reaching out to them to introduce yourself. Don’t worry if they tell you they’ve been attending, they’ll be glad someone took interest in them.<span style=""> </span>Include them with your Bible Study class of offer to take them to a class suitable for them. We need to remember we were all new to something along the journey and what a difference it made if people helped us. I look forward to seeing a mighty movement of God because He is ready willing and able to transform people’s lives. We’re aiming at “Encountering God, Experiencing Life Change.” We want to <b style="">connect </b>people to God and ourselves in genuine relationships, we want to help people <b style="">grow</b> in their faith, we want people to learn how to <b style="">serve</b> the Lord and finally we all need to <b style="">renew</b> our spirits in corporate worship. Let’s ask God in advance of Easter for a great harvest.</p><p></p><p>On a personal note, thanks for all the prayers and your encouragement for our daughters who’ve now both delivered their babies safely. John Thomas Miller was born to Rachel & Thomas Miller on February 28<sup>th</sup>. On March 28<sup>th</sup>, Landon Michael Deason was born to Ginny and Stephen Deason. We’re so grateful to God for His gracious provision for our family with these two boys and their births without complication. As I look at my two grandsons, I wonder what kind of world they will grow up in. As a human granddad, I’m prone to worry but I know that God is in control; that He has work for us to do and for sure, He knows “what in the world is going on” from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a><span style=""> </span></span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/what-in-the-world-is-going-on">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6201474223267402086?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-63792109947056400782011-03-16T09:26:00.001-04:002011-03-16T09:26:19.422-04:00A little spring cleaning...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Spring is coming rapidly to us in Maryland and I am looking forward to this time of year as Resurrection Sunday is just around the corner. It is one of the two times each year where we have a wonderful opportunity to reach un-churched people who will come to church if they are invited. Knowing we have guests coming and we don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, our trustees have scheduled a work day here at Calvary on Saturday morning April 2 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. We need to do a lot of work on our grounds with mulching and picking up limbs and debris from the ravages of winter. They have a number of projects they’d like to complete but in order to do that, we need lots of help. <b>Exodus 36:1 says “And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.” </b>God has gifted this church family and put into you wisdom and understanding to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, and we need you to put your <b>“sweet skills”</b> to work Saturday April 2<sup>nd</sup>. I’m sure there will be coffee and donuts and probably some more food later in the day. It will be a great day to hang out with your brothers and sisters in Christ while working on God’s property. If the heavens open and the deluge comes, April 9<sup>th</sup> is the rain date because much of our work is outside. Yard tools are helpful if you want to bring your own to share with other willing hands so let’s make it a great day to spiffy up our buildings and grounds.</p><p>Also, as you are cleaning out your house and you uncover items you were going to haul to Goodwill or sell in a garage sale, one of our young adult Bible Study classes wants to do a mission project with a “reverse garage sale” where they will collect your items that still have life and use left, and distribute them to places like Alpha’s Glory Crisis pregnancy center and others who have need. While we’re not interested in broken junk and trash, the landfill still is. Collection for this will be happening after we celebrate Easter so be watching for more information on that. Mark your calendars now for this important work day here at Calvary. Time for me to get to cleaning, from my little corner of the world to yours… </p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-little-spring-cleaning">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6379210994705640078?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-2066464633401464142011-03-02T20:05:00.001-05:002011-03-02T20:05:17.247-05:00A Pastor's Personal Devotions...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>In church life we often hear about the need to read and study the Bible personally. We call it “walking with God”, or having our personal devotions, having a quiet time or something else. Maybe you’ve tried the “read through the Bible in a year” plan and here we are in March and “the plan” fell by the wayside because we got too far behind and we have no hope to catch up. What does all that mean and how does one go about having devotions? There is no shortage of devotional materials in Christian bookstores, or some collection of devotionals by famous pastors or based on some kind of theme. While I think these kinds of things can be good and I’m appreciative these are made available to help Christians wanting to grow; I often wonder if these things don’t stunt spiritual growth more than they do promote spiritual growth. I’ve said on several occasions that if all you read is someone’s devotional guide, you’re not having your devotions, your having someone else’s devotions. I think it would be like sitting down to a gourmet feast and having a host who enjoyed the 7 course meal in front of you, they chew on the delicacies for a while and put them on a plate and pass them around to their guests. They got all the flavor and the nutrients and you got the ground up food. You protest “that is so gross” as the teenagers would say. We’d never dream of doing that with physical food, but we do it with spiritual food all the time. As I look at the walk of many Christians today, I’m not at all surprised we have churches full of malnourished and anemic Christians. Now let me say, “left-over’s” are not a bad thing and I haven’t become the size I have because I turned down warmed up leftover food! Sometimes though you get tired of the leftovers and you want a hot fresh meal. What I’m saying is if you use a devotional, make sure you focus on the Scriptures the devotional is written about. </p><p></p><p>I thought I’d share a few thoughts on how I have my personal devotions to help you see some of what I do to keep from getting stale in my spiritual nourishment. For years I used a tool called the “Word of Life Quiet Time Diary” which had a year long passage guide with a journal page for each day that asked two simple questions: (1) What is the writer saying? (2) How can I apply this to my life? There was a space to write a few short sentences about the passage. What was nice about this is it forced me to examine and meditate on a Bible passage on my own without someone else’s thoughts. It provided great accountability because that blank page from yesterday reminded me I missed it. Somewhere along my journey I added a 3<sup>rd</sup> question: “What did I do about what God told me to do yesterday?” Honestly, I hate that question because it forces me to acknowledge whether I’ve been obedient to the Lord. This simple formula could be applied on your own to any passage of Scripture and you could get a journal and study a Bible book on your own systematically. I also have a Bible I don’t mind marking in and I’ve gained much from taking a “Precepts Inductive Bible Study” course through a Bible book on how to look for common and recurring themes and how to study the Scripture in historical and literary context.</p><p></p><p>I’ve also learned for me it’s best to set an appointment with God that I keep every day. We set appointments with our Doctor, Dentist, in tax season now with our tax preparer, and we keep those appointments because they are important to us. For me, I want to give God the best part of my time and I’m fresh and more alert early in the morning before the kids get up. It’s me, my Bible, journal, the Lord and a pot of coffee. Rarely do I miss that appointment because it has become a Godly discipline in my life. Some people are more creative and alert late at night when the kids have gone to bed. It matters not as there’s support in the Psalms for both morning & night time devotions. The main point is God has your undivided attention and you can focus on His Word without distractions. No TV, no radio or IPod, no email, Facebook, Twitter, or cell phones. God speaks in the still small voice (1<sup>st</sup> Kings 19:12) and I think many times there’s too much noise in our lives to hear Him. I’ve read that if you will do something for 21 days straight, it will become a habit. Having a personal quiet time with the Lord is a critical habit to feed your spirit and I know for certain the message you get from me on Sunday is not enough to sustain you all week any more than breakfast on Monday would last all week, even if you ate at Cracker Barrel.</p><p></p><p>Picking what to study can be overwhelming. I do think somewhere along the way you should read through the Bible from beginning to end to get the big picture. The key I’ve found to success in that is being realistic about your time available. When I first started, I found a 7 day a week reading plan for me was not realistic; especially on Sunday with prayer, last minute sermon review and mad dash for church in full swing. I simply figured out how many pages in the Bible, how many week days I was able to read and divided it out. Voila – I found a way to read through the Bible in about 13 months. I have done this now several times and I’ve applied the same method to read only the New Testament as I did in 2010, I’ve done it with the Old Testament also. In 2011, I’m dissecting the Psalms. I’ve found this particular method in the Psalms to be rich and rewarding for me. I will also read a chapter in Proverbs which is great because there are 31 chapters and do I ever need the wisdom each day of the month! For a steady diet, it’s better to read smaller portions of Scripture and meditate on it to fully digest it so to speak but be disciplined to cover all the Bible books along the journey. Face up to the fact there will be stuff you just don’t understand. That’s okay – focus on what you do understand and some time the Holy Spirit will open your heart and help you understand those hard passages.</p><p></p><p>A major part of my devotions is praying and this actually is something that takes place all through the day. I just have a running conversation with the Lord as though I’m talking to my best friend – (and I am) all day long till I pass out at night. We talk about everything, and often pick up a discussion we did not finish. Sometimes He’ll nudge me in the middle of the night and we’ll pick up again. I hope you’ll find some of these ideas helpful to you and you’ll find your personal devotions to be exactly that, personal. You and God, on an exciting journey of love & faith together. I can assure you God will reward your effort as you learn to dig out gold from God’s Word for yourself. Just a little insight on a Pastor’s personal devotions, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-pastors-personal-devotions">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-206646463340146414?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-45404414047032533122011-02-17T14:47:00.001-05:002011-02-17T14:47:33.027-05:00Experiencing God...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Henry Blackaby’s study “Experiencing God” is a study that has impacted literally thousands of Christians including many of us here at Calvary. One of the principles of that study is to see where God is at work and then prayerfully ask God if you can join Him where He is working. On Sunday February 20<sup>th</sup>, I shared with the church my experiences on my West Africa vision trip with two other pastors from our association and state convention. I can honestly tell you it was an amazing experience to see God working in the hearts and lives of people who had never heard any truth of Scripture before. It was almost unreal to me to be sitting on a mat in thatched roof hut or gazebo sharing Bible stories with people who cannot read or write in an oral format, with a picture book and a cassette tape player telling the stories of Scripture in their language. Seeing Jehovah God stirring in their hearts the desire to know this God of love and grace or at least to begin to wonder about this God these white men had spoken about. To see smiles of gratitude as we bid farewell and then having a man who raises chickens go to his flock of maybe 25 birds and pick out two chickens to give us a gift of appreciation for sitting in the desert heat with him for 4 hours telling these stories from God’s Holy Word the Bible; that’s a humbling experience from God! Those chickens represent a reproducible asset from a man with less than the poorest person in our county! I sat in our missionary’s truck and cried at the thought that God would allow me the high privilege to be part of sharing Biblical truth with a man who’d never heard it before and that the man would want to honor us with a gift that cost him dearly. </p><p></p><p>Getting to meet International Mission Board personnel I consider real life heroes of faith who serve the Lord in obscurity in difficult places because God has called them to it and the real dangers and difficulties they face daily even in the simplicity of having enough safe drinking water is something I’ll never forget. I was able to get reacquainted with a friend Cheryl and I know from college who serves in this part of the world with her husband and 3 young daughters. My heart ached for her as she shared that they’ve been serving in Africa for 10 years and she’s had malaria something like 50 times, yet they continue to serve because our Savior Jesus Christ and the Gospel are worth it; challenges me to the core of my soul and causes me to wonder what price I’m willing to pay for Jesus. I understand what God calls these heroes to do and endure for His sake may not be the calling He’s placed on me directly but I do know He wants me to be engaged with this great big world full of people He has created and that He loves dearly. It was evident to me God is at work in that region and He’s inviting us to be involved in what He’s doing because these heroes need help to engage people groups who’ve not heard the good news. I’ve already begun working with our missions committee to discuss how we can be involved in this corner of God’s kingdom and labor in this field of harvest.</p><p></p><p>On the home front, I know God is at work in our community and here at Calvary. Right before I left on the trip, we had a meeting to discuss some ministerial staff positions. I owe my church family an apology because I don’t believe I appropriately communicated or clearly articulated the vision I believe the Lord has for our future. I thought I was on the right track having begun to develop these job descriptions with the personnel committee going back to last July. We discussed these proposed positions with the deacon body, church council, and vision team; but it was evident in our CIC that there remained much confusion and misunderstanding. For that I’m very sorry because to me that is my failure to communicate and clearly explain what I believe the Lord has for us. I’ve told my church family before that “I’m often wrong but never in doubt about it.” So as your pastor and spiritual leader, I take full responsibility for that and I commit that I will sit back down with the personnel committee and we’ll work to clarify and simplify these positions and I’ll work to communicate vision and direction clearly. I realized after going back over everything, it feels as though we’re taking a giant step to hire two new ministers and in uncertain economic times, that is a scary thing. The reality is we have a vacant position we’ve already budgeted for in 2011 and for long-term ministry needs, the personnel committee sees the need to add one more position as we engage in the work God has for us to do here in Bel Air and around the world. I believe as a church family, our hearts desire God’s will and as we pray together, we fast and we seek the Lord’s face in sincerity and truth; He will direct our steps in the whole process. I also know God’s timing and not ours will be perfect and we all need to be committed to walking with God as quickly or as slowly as He leads. I recognize for some of us, we perceive God moves way too slowly, for others of us, we perceive God moves way too fast. God’s work and the plans He has for us as His church often test our patience and comfort levels but I’m thankful the Lord is in control and He’s walking along with us. Experiencing God…what an exciting adventure, whether in West Africa or in my little corner of the world or yours…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/experiencing-god">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4540441404703253312?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-79259296022911671592011-01-27T20:46:00.001-05:002011-01-27T20:46:52.729-05:00A tribute to Aunt Lucille...<div class='posterous_autopost'> 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. <p /><div>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. </div><p /><div>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. </div><p /><div>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....</div><div>We love you Aunt Cille!<p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <br /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-tribute-to-aunt-lucille">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-7925929602291167159?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-77254332922695562402011-01-19T20:38:00.001-05:002011-01-19T20:38:08.662-05:00Mystery trips...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>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 <b>Hebrews 11:8</b> God’s word says <b>“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.” </b>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.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>We’ll be gone from January 31<sup>st</sup> and returning Lord willing February 11<sup>th</sup>. 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…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/mystery-trips">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-7725433292269556240?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-52123796904202973832011-01-06T15:09:00.001-05:002011-01-06T15:09:04.974-05:00A new beginning...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>On January 2<sup>nd</sup>, 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<sup>th</sup> 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<sup>th</sup> at 5:00 p.m.</p><p></p><p>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…</p><p></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-new-beginning">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5212379690420297383?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-12276932338921117892010-12-25T20:39:00.001-05:002010-12-25T20:39:10.314-05:00Christmas reflections...<div class='posterous_autopost'> Our family Christmas celebrations have all been wonderfully unique and somehow strangely different than each one previous; but not in a bad way. It's just that at Christmas we are routinely involved in ministry responsibilities and that's been going on long before I became a Pastor. Somehow the places of ministry have changed over the years, housing situations have been very unique and different, finances have been good, bad or downright ugly. We've been separated by extremely long distances from either my parents or Cheryl's. I've been in hospitals praying for divine intervention for members in distress. I've chopped wood with my father on Christmas Eve for a member who desperately needed wood for heat and made it home through a blizzard in time for Christmas Eve dinner. I remember once in seminary we spent $50.00 on our total Christmas presents ($35.00 for 5 children $15.00 between Cheryl & I). This was made possible because of the generosity of the members of Bayleaf Baptist Church in North Carolina with their seminary toy chest - they bought the toys and the most we could spend as we shopped for each child was $7.00. I was supporting all 7 of us on a 35 hour a week salary and my boss needed 60 hours a week from me while I was going to seminary full time and teaching Sunday School. No matter where we've been or what was going on in our lives, two things have been consistent, the presence of Jesus superintending and guiding our footsteps as we've walked with the Lord together; and all of our children being with us for Christmas....until this year.<p /><div>For 24 years, Cheryl and I have enjoyed all of our children being with us and seeing the excitement on their faces as we've read some portion of the Christmas story before opening presents. It has always been so special as we've shared gifts with one another and it seems like yesterday it was just three girls and they were each getting dolls made to look like them. Boys were added to the mix along the way and "GI Joe's" or Nerf guns were plotting surprise attacks. Now in our 25th year marriage, for the first time, one of our married daughters was not able to be with us on Christmas so we're in new chapter of life. Once again adding a unique twist to our Christmas celebration but with the aid of technology, we were able to video chat with them as they celebrate with our son in law's family in Texas. Sad in a way but part of the spice of life and the adventure we're on with the Lord. You see He has never changed and He always makes our Christmas celebrations so special because our focus is on Him, not on us. Like the Apostle Paul, we've literally learned that whatever state we're in to be content. Whether we have much or a little, whether our housing is great or lacking some things we'd desire. Whether we were having a church full of people or whether it was 9 of us - the 7 in our family and one other couple; we've learned to be content.</div><p /><div>I think this may be part of the "Peace" that the angelic messengers proclaimed to those shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. There is a contentment that only Jesus can bring to your life no matter what your condition happens to be. The world system wants you to buy in to the lie of Satan that contentment comes from more stuff, the latest, greatest, newest, or whatever happens to be the hot must have item. The world system says the next relationship will be the one, the next job, or whatever. But the void in our lives seems to get bigger and the Lord says "What are you doing"? How long before we realize that the Lord Jesus Christ alone can fill that void our lives? </div><p /><div>Our circumstances have been so dramatically different now for 25 years of marriage; there is no doubt in my mind next Christmas will unfold some unique challenge or situation for us as a family. This one has been different for sure. Last year at this time, we were given a stuffed bear with the recorded heartbeat of our 1st granddaughter Addison Lynn Deason in anticipation of her birth in the spring. Little did we know instead of giving her her first Christmas presents as her "Nana" & "Pops"; we'd not have her with us and that she would in fact be with Jesus whose birth we celebrate. Little did I know I'd be able to feel the movement of my second grandchild in the womb of our eldest daughter at this Christmas and talk with Addison's mommy & daddy online who are expecting grand baby number 3 as well. Seeing first hand new life forming in the wombs of my precious daughters this Christmas causes me once again to take a deep breath and stand in awe and wonder of that night 2000 years ago when a young virgin named Mary gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I stand in awe that our Lord would come to earth so each member of my family could be forgiven of their sins, that God would call me to serve Him full time as a pastor to proclaim that message of salvation, and that He offers forgiveness to all who will accept it by faith.</div><p /><div>I hope you'll never get over the wonderful truth of Christmas that <b>"unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." </b>I don't know what your circumstances are, but I can promise you no matter what they may be, if you'll make Jesus the center of your lives, you'll have peace that only He can provide no matter what adventure you're in at the moment. I hope these Christmas reflections will encourage you, and Merry Christmas; from my little corner of the world to yours...<p /> <br /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <br /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/christmas-reflections">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1227693233892111789?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-85900270100648297792010-12-15T21:43:00.001-05:002010-12-15T21:43:22.954-05:00Encouragement from the courthouse...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>We live in a world where only bad news sells it seems in the news media and watching the local or national evening news can be downright depressing. We’re told all that’s going wrong in our country today. Politicians seem to be able to easily talk out of both sides of their mouth to please the particular audience they have at that moment. They have the unique “skill” to be non-committal on everything and sufficiently vague with their comments so they can’t be pinned down to their views on certain controversial issues. The court systems seem to be nothing more than a charade of justice because justice really isn’t blind if you can pay. Well I had the occasion to be at the Harford County Courthouse this past Tuesday to be with one of my sheep who was to appear before a judge to see if the unfortunate incident he was involved in would finally be resolved. Because of my law enforcement experience, I know the “hurry up and wait” routine really well. It seems to me in my experience that the proverbial wheels of justice grind slower than a slave trying to push a mammoth grind stone alone. Continuances, lawyers double booking cases, detached judges not interested in other people’s time, officers detained and not able to appear, witnesses who don’t show and you can begin to see why stuff takes so long to get resolved as this is the “normal” courthouse routine. </p><p></p><p>While waiting for my friend’s hearing and having a general interest in the law since I actually considered law school as a career, I enjoy watching the proceedings to kill time since you can’t have your cell phone or computer with you in court. Well I was treated to a wonderful breath of fresh air watching the honorable Judge James Vaughan hold court. From what I was able to glean, Judge Vaughan is a highly respected judge in Maryland who retired from his full time post and apparently was filling in on Tuesday. He was prompt and kept things moving. We were treated to his discussion with an attorney representing a client from out of state related to a traffic ticket and she did not show up for court apparently for the last time. Judge Vaughan warned that attorney he was tired of this woman manipulating the system and the taxpayers of Maryland with her shenanigans and that there would not be a next time! </p><p></p><p>We were treated to a public defender who was extremely late coming into the courtroom after having Judge Vaughan’s bailiff go tell the lawyer the court was in session and waiting. When he finally came in with a flippant “my apologies your honor”; Judge Vaughan instantly corrected the young barrister that his delay and apology were not acceptable to the court. He told the attorney he had a courtroom full of people waiting for him, people with jobs, lives and things to do and he had no right to delay when he was summoned to the courtroom and the judge did not appreciate him holding all of us hostage. He told this shocked attorney now standing before this no-nonsense judge that if he needed more time to prepare, he could have the time but he needed to ask for permission from the judge and not presume upon the court’s goodness. Wow - A judge who cares about other people’s time and lives and won’t stand for arrogance from anyone, no matter what law school they went to!</p><p></p><p>We were shocked and saddened as Judge Vaughan had to decide a case where a father had taken a car belonging to his 22 year old daughter, who consequently pays the car payment faithfully and her own insurance, and withheld it from her for 3 months, driving it and even wrecking it and filing the claim on her insurance, along with her purse, checkbook, bank card and numerous personal items leaving her no choice to file theft charges against her own dad. Judge Vaughan asked the question everybody was dying to holler…. “What kind of father????” In finding this man guilty, he told this man point blank he was a thief and a bully; a man who steals from his daughter and bullies his own child. Yet the judge was compassionate and gave the man a chance to leave with a deputy to get the poor girl’s belongings, 45 minutes provided to make amends before sentence pronounced. I wondered while watching this public servant preside and decide cases what it must have been like to watch King Solomon render justice in Israel <b>(CF 1<sup>st</sup> Kings 3:16-28).</b></p><p><b></b></p><p>As he pondered my friend’s case and read all the reports; not having had any exposure to any of the previous discussions in court, I appreciated him examining the evidence of my friend’s unique medical situation that caused his encounter with law enforcement. This Judge did not publically disclose the problems my friend had that would embarrass him; showed great kindness in allowing him to remain seated and signed off on the agreement reached by the state and the defense. An answer to prayer for sure as the case turned out the best for all parties involved and justice was served. </p><p></p><p>As I walked out of that courtroom and headed to my truck after a morning there, I thanked the Lord for the honorable Judge James Vaughan. I was encouraged to see all hope is not lost for our country and there are still people who serve the public faithfully with the wisdom only God can provide. I was thankful for seeing a public servant, a man with authority given to him by Almighty God exercise some good old common sense in dealing with people who’ve royally messed up their lives, holding them accountable but also with compassion and dignity. I don’t know if Judge Vaughan is a Christian but I pray that he becomes one if he is not already. Paul was inspired by God to write <b>“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (1<sup>st</sup> Tim.2:1-4).” </b>What an opportunity we have as believers to influence our communities for Christ by praying for <b>“kings and all who are in authority” </b>that God would save them! There is hope for our country, it’s not in judges, lawyers, or the government, it’s in <b>“God our Savior.”</b> It’s amazing that verse 5 continues <b>“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” </b>As much as I’m thankful for Judge Vaughan, I’m thankful the Lord Jesus is my mediator, my advocate with God the Father. When I stand before the Judge of the Universe someday, I won’t have to fear because Jesus will plead my case for me and He’ll tell the Judge that He’s already paid my sin debt and that I’m forgiven; Satan has no case against me; not because I’m good, but because of Jesus Christ and what He did for me on that old rugged cross.</p><p></p><p style="">So I remind us all of our obligation to pray for our public servants to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth and to thank God for them. Pray that God will grant to them wisdom to rule with righteousness, justice and mercy and they would walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). I was encouraged at the courthouse the other day and thought I’d share it, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/encouragement-from-the-courthouse">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8590027010064829779?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-24514849382889127642010-12-01T11:38:00.001-05:002010-12-01T11:38:43.482-05:00It's the most wonderful time of the year...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">When I was a kid, I remember my mom playing Christmas records (that’s right a record…a big, round, black piece of plastic with a little hole in the middle that went into a huge console stereo system with a needle that when placed on this record, made sound come out through the speakers). We had no concept of CD’s, IPods or MP3 players. I remember her decorating the house and smells coming from the kitchen where you didn’t really know what was in the oven, but the anticipation of delight would make its way through your nostrils to the pit of your stomach because you knew something good was on its way. One of the songs I remember being sung which to this day is one of my favorites; was by Andy Williams called “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. While it’s a secular song and there’s not really any reference to the Christ of Christmas, the song mainly focuses on the traditions of families and friends as they gather to celebrate and the familiar refrain “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” I think that refrain alone is one reason why this song continues to be so popular and one of my favorites. It really is a wonderful time of year and probably would be considered by most believers to be the most wonderful time of the year with Easter being a close second. Probably because Christmas is the celebration of the Savior, Jesus Christ and His birth into the world. Easter cannot ignore the cruel death on the old rugged cross and the pain of that knowledge in our souls, so because of the pain involved around Easter, my suspicion is that most of us would rank Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">There’s something about the wonder of the Christmas season and the birth of this special Child named Jesus, Emanuel – God with us; the long awaited and promised Messiah, the one who would “save His people from their sins” (Matt.1:21) that makes young, middle aged or old want to celebrate. There is a magic about Christmas like no other holiday that turns strangers in the hustle and bustle of life into cordial acquaintances. People who would at any other time of the year not greet you on the street or going into the store but at Christmas begin to do so. There’s an anticipation that begins around Thanksgiving that builds with excitement and downright joy begins to well up in hearts usually more calloused due to the rigors of life. Who can explain how a baby changes everything? Who can explain how people who never attend church 50 weeks of the year are suddenly drawn to attend at this most wonderful time of the year? There’s something truly special about this time of year. For believers, disciples of Jesus Christ, we know the answer to that. We know that Jesus is the reason for the <b>CHRIST</b>mas season. The announcement of the angels to the shepherds foretells of this divine act of God some would call “magic” in <b>Luke 2:10</b> “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring <b>good tidings</b> of <b>great joy</b> which will be to <b>all people</b>.” I think the Lord begins to stir in the hearts of even the most hard-hearted individuals that there is something unique about Christmas even now, over 2000 years after that blessed first Christmas when Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem and laid in a cattle feeding trough. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">I hope and pray that you’ll take full advantage of the wonderful God-given opportunity we have at this most wonderful time of the year to be a faithful witness for the Lord Jesus. Never miss an opportunity to wish people you encounter “as you go” a hearty “Merry Christmas”. While the Satan & politically correct crowd would want to convince you in order to not be offensive to not talk about Christ and substitute a bland and tasteless “Happy Holidays”; don’t shy away from reminding people of the Greatest Gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. Take advantage of the opportunity to give joyfully to our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. Our church goal is $28,000.00 and we can reach it if we each ask the Lord what He’d have us to give sacrificially so that others may come to know Jesus as Savior. Take advantage of the opportunity to invite a friend, co-worker or family including in-laws and “out-laws” to come with you to our Christmas musical on Dec. 19<sup>th</sup> or our Christmas Sunday celebration Dec. 26<sup>th</sup>. There is no time like Christmas where people would come if personally invited. God is already working in their hearts to prepare them, all you have to do is ask. Take advantage of the opportunity to pray for a harvest of souls, new birth in Christ as people respond to the message of Christmas, pray for me to have boldness and clarity as I share these good tidings of great joy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">From all of us here in the church office at Calvary, we want you to have a marvelous and Merry Christmas at this most wonderful time of the year. May the Christ of Christmas bring great joy to you and your family as you celebrate the Savior’s birth. It is my thrill and joy to serve as your pastor and I love you, from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p><p></p><div><p style=""> <b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p><p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-2451484938288912764?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-32479589609892403112010-11-23T12:47:00.002-05:002010-11-24T10:50:40.984-05:00A word about the new NIV Bible translation...<div class="posterous_autopost">With Christmas coming, a new Bible might be on someone’s gift list and a quick trip down to the local Christian Book Store to check off your gift list and you have a Bible. But should you buy a Bible based on the sale price that happens to be going on? The leather cover, the fancy notes and colorful illustrations and the study notes (which by the way are not inspired, infallible or inerrant, but a human’s study into the Bible). You need to remember that Bible publishers need to sell Bibles to make a profit just like anyone else in business. Christian Book stores, even the one connected to our denomination need to sell books and Bibles so publishers and book stores will market and provide prime floor space to help them sell their products. Big publishers have more money to spend to market their product and that is fine within certain moral limits. <br />When purchasing something that is designed to feed your soul and spirit, in this case a Bible; or it is to feed someone’s soul and spirit you care about deeply, you want to make an intelligent and informed decision on that purchase. That being said, I can heartily recommend a New King James Version which is the Bible I preach out of each week. It is a faithful translation of the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts. I like this Bible personally as I grew up on the old King James version so it has that kind of feel but in a modern more readable language easy to understand. I would also have no problem recommending a New American Standard, Holman Christian Standard or English Standard version. I have copies of each of these and like each of them as they are faithful translations of the original languages. My personal devotions and Bible reading each morning is out of an ESV which I have grown to love. <br />The NIV Bible is published by Zondervan Publishers and while I have NIV Bibles, I’m hesitant to recommend it because a few years ago they came out with the so called “gender-neutral” Bible the TNIV. Bowing to the winds of political correctness, the publishers tried to neutralize clear references to either male or female under much criticism and controversy. They are set to come out with new version of the NIV in 2011 where they have tried to correct some definite problems from the TNIV. Sadly, there are apparently still issues with this new version so I would caution you to steer clear of this translation. Until Zondervan sorts through their translation philosophy and abandons the desire to be politically correct or overly culturally relevant; I would think the problems that spill over into their translations of the Bible will continue. In the mean time, you need Bible and you need to hear what God wants to communicate to you as He loves you whether you’re a male or a female and He needs no one to apologize for what He wants to say to you – stick with a Bible choice from the list above and you’ll be on solid ground. All you need to do is make time to actually read the Bible you purchase. If you’re interested in reading further about these concerns related to the NIV, you can check out this statement made by the “Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.”<br /><a href="http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/CBMW-Responds-to-New-NIV2011">http://www.cbmw.org/Blog/Posts/CBMW-Responds-to-New-NIV2011</a> <br />There is much to understand about Bible translations and the philosophy behind that translation that I cannot go into here but inside each Bible should be a statement from the publisher about their process of translation. Books like “The Message” are not really Bibles but simply a paraphrase by one man who paraphrased what he thinks the Bible says. While it may make for interesting reading, it may not give you an accurate picture of what God said in His Word. With accurate translations that translate word for word from the original manuscripts readily available in readable and understandable English, you don’t need someone telling you what he thinks it says; you can read it for yourself. I hope this helps you make some educated choices as what you feed your spirit and those you love because this is of critical importance. Just a simple word of caution from my little corner of the world to yours…<br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ralph Green</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"></span></i></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3247958960989240311?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-43124360529431985882010-11-09T19:22:00.001-05:002010-11-09T19:22:23.595-05:00Oh give thanks to the Lord...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <div><p></p><p style="display: inline !important;"><span class="apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="color: black;">"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><b>That phrase occurs in 6 different passages of Scripture (1st Chron.16:34, Pss. 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, and 136:1).</b> Now God only has to say something one time for it to be authoritative but 6 times in the Scriptures God commands His people to give thanks to Him for He is good and to acknowledge that His mercy endures forever. As we head into the holiday season, Thanksgiving is first on the horizon where we celebrate the historical holiday the Pilgrims first marked in the new world in 1621 in the Plymouth Colony. Observances of Thanksgiving were held by the American colonies but it was not consistently observed at the same time till President George Washington made it a national holiday in 1789. It is a time that is set aside to reflect with thankful hearts what the Lord has done for our country and for each of us as families and individuals. Christians ought to be the most thankful people of all because of the Lord Jesus Christ and His birth which is observed at Christmas just a few short weeks after Thanksgiving.</span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">My family has much to be thankful for as we enter this time of year and I want our family to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy does endure to us forever. He’s sustained us through the death of our sweet grand-daughter Addison Lynn Deason. He’s continued to provide for us even though as of this writing, our house in Houston has not sold, we’ve never missed a meal for lack of groceries and we’ve not lost our home there; nor a roof over our heads in Bel Air. He’s been so faithful to the Green family but space will not permit me to share all that our wonderful and gracious Heavenly Father has done for us. As the leader of my family, I give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever!<b></b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">I’m thankful as the under-shepherd of Calvary in scary economic times when so many churches are struggling; Calvary’s giving continues to outpace our budget need which is a testimony to the generosity of God’s people whose giving shows their gratitude to God for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. I’m thankful to be the pastor of a church that loves Jesus and seeks to honor Him in all we do. I’m thankful to be the pastor of a church that seems eager to hear the Word of God preached each week and is excited to worship Him. There is an excitement and anticipation in our midst each week as we gather together to praise our God, to proclaim the wonderful Gospel message that Jesus saves, to mine out the unsearchable riches of the Scriptures, and to genuinely encounter God and experience the life change that authentic encounters with God produce. I’m thankful for prayer warriors in our church family I can ask without embarrassment or hesitation to pray for me and our church. I’m thankful for faithful saints of God who serve in so many capacities so that when we have a major staff change as we’ve had recently with Pastor Bob being called to another field of service, the church does not suffer and the work of the ministry continues, but that’s not us or the product of human effort, but we can give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever! <b></b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">As I pen this brief note, I’m holed up on a spiritual retreat seeking God’s face and direction for my next sermon series after we conclude the book of Ephesians just before Christmas. I’m reading much Scripture, writing, but most of all I’m praying for the Lord’s direction for this needy preacher that He would in fact feed me the truth I need and in turn He would use it to feed you my church family. I’m thankful as I believe He is answering me on what I need to pursue next for our Sunday mornings together. Quite frankly, I’m overwhelmed by what I think the Lord will have me preaching next year, but I believe God’s church needs to hear the message He’s proclaimed through the prophets and I know He’ll use it to challenge us, convict us, break us and ultimately restore us to further His purposes. I have much work to do and I want to be faithful to it for God’s glory.<b></b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></span></p> <p><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">On the church front, I am working with the personnel committee on revising the job description for the position of associate pastor that Bob held. We are prayerfully asking the Lord for His wisdom as it is apparent to all of us that Bob had way more to do and was responsible for far more than one guy could possibly do. I anticipate sharing directly with the church early in January after the holiday season passes what we believe the Lord would have us to do related to our staff needs. Please be in prayer now for me and our team as we seek to lead us in these exciting days. On the other side of it, I’m confident we’ll be saying once again: “Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever.” Thankfulness and excitement is abounding in my little corner of the world, I hope it is in yours… <b style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"></b></span></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; color: black;"><br style="" /><span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></p></div><div style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <p /><br /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/oh-give-thanks-to-the-lord">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4312436052943198588?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-16656241270998969032010-10-28T10:41:00.001-04:002010-10-28T10:41:09.462-04:00Clarity of focus...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Somewhere along the way someone got the idea to have “Pastor Appreciation Month” during the month October. I’m not sure whose idea this was and honestly I feel a little weird talking about it given my position as a pastor. I have a beautiful picture above my work desk given to me by the first church I served as pastor when they expressed their appreciation to me years ago. The picture is called “The Legacy”; it portrays a pastor holding his Bible in the pulpit proclaiming the Word of God. Portrayed on either side of him are “the great cloud of witnesses” from Hebrews 12:1 and one of the figures apparently represents the Lord Jesus, standing beside his messenger with his hand on the Pastor’s shoulder as the Pastor preaches. It is one of my prized treasures and I wanted it above my study desk because it helps me have clarity of focus on the primary duty I have to proclaim the Word of God. </p> <p></p> <p>Pastor Appreciation is a Biblical concept that appears in several places in the New Testament. One of these is found in <b>Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who rule (lead) over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”</b> I can’t really speak for Bob, Ken and Wally, but I think they would say ya’ll have indeed remembered us with so many cards, notes of encouragement, the gift cards from the church and other tangible expressions of your love for each of us. I think it would be safe to say we’re all overwhelmed by your love and encouragement and we’re so appreciative of what you have done for us. Your thoughts and gifts mean so much and we’re thankful. Many of you tell us throughout the year you are praying for us and that you appreciate something we did.</p> <p></p> <p>The writer of Hebrews however was inspired by the Holy Spirit to immediately record verse 8 in that context of remembering your pastors: <b>“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”</b> One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ and so He inspired the writer to remind each of us we need to maintain clarity of focus and exalt the Lord, to keep our focus on the Lord and not on the men He has called to serve as under-shepherds. You see the reality is each of your pastors is human, just real men, men with flaws, fears and failures. We may show glimpses of inspiration but we’re certainly not infallible or inerrant. The sad part is that when God had to call pastors, He had to recruit from the human race so He got us, warts and all. The good news in this is that it magnifies Jesus and His grace even further. Pastors’ kind of live in a fishbowl, everyone is watching us and through that fishbowl, we look larger than we really are. When we do something wrong, we make a mistake in our judgment, or we flat out fall on our face in sin; it can be devastating to people because they are not looking past us to Jesus. <b>So remember that Jesus is in fact the same yesterday, today and forever.</b> He’ll never disappoint you even though we will. He will never leave you or forsake you even though He might call us to another place of service and battle as He has done with Bob. The reality is under-shepherds come and go, but the Chief Shepherd always remains steady and faithful to His bride.</p> <p></p> <p>These are historic times here at Calvary, included in this edition of “The Way”; you’ll find our proposed 2011 Budget for review. We’ll discuss this budget on Sunday evening Nov.21<sup>st</sup> and vote on it on Sunday December 5<sup>th</sup>. It is a historical budget in that for the first time in Calvary’s history, our budget is over one million dollars ($1,000,011.00)! It is definitely a faith budget of what we’d like to see God do but it is grounded in reality as well as we’ve considered actual expenses in order to be accurate with our planning. It has been through a myriad of processes, committees and staff review to ensure we’re being wise stewards; and I’m confident we are presenting a realistic guide for our 2011 ministries. While a million dollar budget may be a shock to your system, in my simple view of the world, it helps me gain clarity to realize the weekly need will increase $1,229.00 over our 2010 budget to $19,231.00. Our unchanging God who provided last year for His bride will provide this year as well.</p> <p></p> <p>With Bob Brown’s obedience to God’s call and departure to a new field of service, we’re also entering a historic season in clarifying and quantifying the staff needs the church has. I told you of Jean Carr’s plan to retire at the end of the year and I can tell you that your personnel committee is already hard at work planning for our future staffing needs. It is important the church choose staff for her long term future based on the clarity of focus the Lord is providing and His vision for what He wants Calvary to accomplish. Embracing God’s vision for us will require we keep our eyes fixed squarely on the Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever. His constant faithfulness, His vision, His clarity of focus and His wisdom is what we must all pray for as we walk through these historic days together by faith. I don’t know about you, but I’m thrilled to know Jesus is always the same yesterday, today and forever, that knowledge encourages me and helps me see clearly, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">CONFIDENTIALITY NOTIFICATION: This e-mail and any attachments to it may contain confidential information that is (1) subject to the Pastor-Penitent Privilege, (2) a pastoral work product, or (3) strictly confidential. Do not read this e-mail if you are not the intended recipient. Disclosure, copying, distribution or use of any information in or attached to this e-mail is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Unauthorized interception of this e-mail is a violation of federal criminal law. If you received this email in error, destroy the original and its attachments without reading or saving in any manner and immediately notify us by reply e-mail, or at 410-879-1808. VIRUS NOTIFICATION: Our computer system is equipped with a virus scanner. However, no warranty is made that this material is free from computer virus or other defect. Any loss/damage incurred by using this material is not our responsibility. Our church's entire liability shall be limited to re-supplying the material. ALTERATION NOTIFICATION: Because e-mail can be altered, the integrity of this communication cannot be guaranteed.</span></b><b></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/clarity-of-focus">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1665624127099896903?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-81062426415644224522010-10-17T18:50:00.001-04:002010-10-17T18:50:21.095-04:00Changing Seasons....<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>October 14, 2010</p> <p></p> <p>Changing seasons…</p> <p></p> <p>I love living in Maryland for a lot of reasons, primarily because God has called me to serve Him here, which in and of itself should be and is for me more than enough reason to love it. Every reason I can come up with beyond the call of God is icing on the proverbial cake. I’ve come to embrace our field of service in so many ways over the last 21 months mainly because of relationships we’re establishing and it’s wonderful to have access to so many regional interests. It doesn’t hurt to have a great football team to root for in the Ravens and I enjoy seeing the team spirit as purple becomes the order of the day. (This is especially good for me seeing the Cowboys are currently in the cellar!) </p> <p></p> <p>One of the things I love about Maryland is the true four season climate we enjoy here. Reasonable winters with enough snow (or as in last winter an abundance of snow) to enjoy, but then it goes away. A gorgeous springtime as trees blossom with beauty that is difficult to describe. How can you not love seeing those cherry trees in front of the church in full bloom? Nice hot summers to enjoy the water in the pool, on the lake, the bay or the beach with sky blue cloudless days for extended periods and rain when needed to cool off and replenish the soil. And now we’re entering fall. Cooler mornings and evenings, training myself to remember to take a jacket out to watch my boys play football and the leaves begin their turning process. Each day reveals more color and each bend in the road reveals another splash of beauty. Raking leaves at my house is another story altogether! </p> <p></p> <p>The point is to some extent, as seasons we love go by like summer, there is a degree of sadness which takes place but our Lord brings the new season for us to embrace and look forward to for its own unique blessings and benefits. I’ve learned through my ministry there are definite seasons in the life of the church as well. New eras and periods on the horizon but with the fading of one season there is a degree of sadness that goes along with it. With Dr. Carter’s retirement after 20 years of faithful ministry, Dr. Jackson’s steady transitional interim ministry, and my arrival and efforts to get up to speed with a new system and church family, many changes afoot, and your kind patience with me as your new pastor; we’ve been in an extended season of change. One of the reasons from my perspective my transition to Calvary has been so smooth and such a blessing is because of the steady, faithful and wise ministry of our Associate Pastor Bob Brown. Bob has helped me learn the church DNA, helped me understand some dynamics I couldn’t have known had he not given me insight. He’s provided me with a completely opposite perspective I may not have considered which has helped me and our staff make wise decisions and plans. </p> <p></p> <p>By the time you read this article, Bob has notified the church of God’s call upon his life to pursue a new ministry opportunity. He personally shared with me his call to this and how the Lord orchestrated his being accepted into a chaplain internship in York, Pa., at the hospital there. Obviously this represents a huge change of seasons for us at Calvary and for Bob and Jenny. On one hand we are sad because they have both been tremendous servants here to our Lord and church family. On the other hand we are excited for Bob and Jenny as this will be a great blessing to their family and their future. I want us as a church family to see this call upon Bob’s life as a great thing for the work of God’s Kingdom. To my kingdom way of thinking, I see Bob going as a missionary to a new field of harvest. I can totally see Bob in this role as I’ve watched his pastoral care and how he thrives in this environment. I have no doubt that Bob will see many people come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because of his care for them and witness to them. The wonderful news for all of us is we’re partners together in ministry and we’re sending the Browns out as missionaries to the hospital and medical community along with all the patients and their families. We’ll have a church wide reception for Bob and Jenny on Sunday night Oct. 31<sup>st</sup> immediately after our church in conference business meeting to celebrate God’s working in their lives. </p> <p></p> <p>I’ve also been notified formally by our Administrative Secretary Jean Carr that she plans to retire at the end of the year. Jean has served Calvary for 18 years and had told the personnel committee when hired for the position she currently holds she’d serve for 2 years so we’ve known her plans for some time. No doubt as we draw closer to her retirement we’ll honor her service and ministry in a special way.</p> <p></p> <p>For several months already, I believe the Lord’s guidance has been preparing us for these staff changes. I’ve been working with the personnel committee to rewrite Bob’s job description and divide the multitude of responsibilities he carries. We were already in the planning stages of<span style=""> </span>adding a family and discipleship pastor to our team because of our growth and intentional desire to reach and disciple young families. God’s timing is perfect and we can be confident as He’s calling Bob to a new field of service and prompting Jean to retire; He already knows what His Bride at Calvary is in need of and He will make known to us His will as we seek His direction for these positions. The job descriptions may in fact look completely different to what we’ve had but we have a marvelous team serving on our personnel committee and I’m confident in God’s provision for us as a church family. I’m also confident that you’ll encourage and support the Browns and Jean and that you’ll begin now to pray for them and our church family as we walk through this season of change together. I echo the sentiments of the Psalmist in <b style="">Psalm 118:23 “This was the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” </b>The changing of the seasons can be a beautiful thing to behold if we see it as the Lord’s doing. It is marvelous in my eyes from my little corner of the world to yours…</p><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/changing-seasons">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8106242641564422452?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-11070448825474245492010-09-28T17:21:00.001-04:002010-09-28T17:21:05.484-04:00Where true security comes from...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Over the last few days, we’ve had several in our church family undergo various kinds of struggles and difficulties particularly with health issues, others have marked recently or will mark in the next few weeks the anniversary of the death of a loved one, some I’ve come to learn are going through much difficulty emotionally, or they are stressed beyond belief about their job or lack of one. A family and high school in our community were devastated by the tragic death of a high school freshman. Economic and political turmoil is all around us and there are demands on each of us we couldn’t possibly complete in the time we have. Honestly, I’ve struggled recently (and still do some days) with some personal concerns that weigh heavily on my shoulders. All of this added together can be overwhelming to us.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Then I open my Bible in my morning quiet time and I read several word pictures of our Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Mark that strengthened and encouraged me. Hopefully God will use them with you at the point of your need. I love the Gospel of Mark because it was written in a condensed form – kind of simple facts about the life of Christ, quick snapshots of Jesus’ ministry. In chapter 6, there’s the snapshot of Jesus feeding 5000 men (conservatively more like 25,000 people with women and children considered). He took the meager lunch of a young boy and He multiplied it to meet the need of the people there. He did so with abundance as there were 12 baskets of leftovers – nothing like a good old Baptist pot-luck, except there was no “luck” involved in this. It is the Lord meeting an overwhelming need that was humanly impossible to handle with the resources available. The practical lesson for us is that no matter the size of the need, Jesus is confidently able to meet the need facing each individual with abundant supply. In short, He’s bigger than any problem we’ve got, lack of resources is not an issue for Him. So when your faith begins to waver because you’re overwhelmed by a huge need, be secure in this fundament truth that Jesus is bigger than your need!</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The next snapshot in the same chapter is Jesus sending the disciples off in the boat across the lake while He goes to the mountain to pray. One quick lesson is if the Son of God carved out time alone to pray because He not only wanted it but needed it, you and I better find a place to pray too! But the text continues in 6:47-48 that the boat with the disciples was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on land, and the text says <b>“He saw them straining at the rowing for the wind was against them.”</b> Another quick lesson is that you cannot escape the watchful eye of Jesus who sees you in your struggle. He knows the strain you are under and He knows the winds of life are against you much of the time. The text continues that Jesus came walking to them on the sea! Lesson? Physical barriers are not a big deal to Jesus and He’s willing to come to you no matter what is in the way! It’s interesting in Mark’s account that Jesus <b>“would have passed them by.” </b>He didn’t impose Himself on the disciples but He revealed Himself to them so they knew He was there. It scared the dickens out of them because they thought it was a ghost – after all who walks on water? But they called out to Jesus and He comforted them in the midst of the wind storm by saying: <b>“Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid (6:50).” </b>Jesus got in the boat with them and the wind immediately stopped – again scaring them and amazing them that He controlled the wind and waves. So when you’re in a storm, you’re scared, straining at rowing through life – Jesus is nearby and He’s waiting for you to call on Him. The other lesson is no matter what you are going through, Jesus wants you to be of good cheer because of who He is and He commands us to not be afraid! Verse 52 makes a curious statement <b>“For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” </b>See we can become calloused to the miracles God is working all around us. They had just seen Jesus overcome that huge need to supply food for so many people, yet the disciples are back in a storm and they were insecure once again. The text continues about Jesus healing and meeting the physical needs of so many people. Again, security comes from Jesus, no matter what we’ve got going on.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The final snapshot I’ll talk about here starts in chapter 7 but it stands in stark contrast to what we’ve seen. The Pharisees, leaders of the religious crowd, were insecure because Jesus was upsetting the status quo. He was not conventional, He was not traditional and rather than trust in Jesus, these people clung to the security of their traditions. One lesson of many coming out of this section is that people, including many religious people and even leaders, can hate change. Rather than acknowledge and embrace the work God is doing, they criticize it and undermine it because their tradition is more comfortable, or their area of control is weakened. Jesus called their number on it in 7:6 saying <b>“This people honors Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me.” </b>Sometimes well meaning people say and do things in church life that are upsetting in some cases because their security is not coming from the Savior, but from some tradition that is comfortable that they control. They appear to be spiritual by paying lip service to Jesus, but their hearts are not trusting and they are good at going through the motions. Their insecurity usually is displayed in the form of fault finding and harsh criticism because they forget Jesus is “Lord of the impossible” and that our security comes from Him, if we’ll trust Him completely by faith. More often than not, what upsets people clinging to tradition is something pretty small in the grand scheme of things. Our challenge as disciples is to remind people to get their eyes off the problem no matter how big, or off the tradition no matter how comfortable, and back on the Savior from where true security comes. I’m not sure what’s going on in your corner of the world today as you read this, but I’m trusting in Jesus by faith for my security, in my little corner of the world today…</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/where-true-security-comes-from">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1107044882547424549?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-60721318460973207722010-09-16T12:52:00.001-04:002010-09-16T12:52:30.361-04:00Learning to set limits...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>One of the responsibilities I have as a Pastor is to shepherd the people of God. Talk of sheep and shepherds often gives us a cuddly view of sheep and the serenity of sheep grazing in lush green pastures from the picture Psalm 23 paints for us may come to mind. A small pond in the middle of the pasture with the heavy morning dew wetting the grass, a light haze and fog lifting above the sheep under the ever watchful eye of a gentle shepherd sitting on the hill with a blade of grass protruding from his lips with his walking stick or shepherd’s crook resting on his shoulder. The leaves of the nearby forest are beginning to change into their myriad of colors, there is a fresh crispness in the air and a cool refreshing breeze is gently blowing. The clock doesn’t matter and it’s a pristine day with bright sun under a cloudless day. Sounds inviting doesn’t it? </p> <p></p> <p>With school starting back, I doubt many of us with kids in school have this kind of picture taking place in our homes and lives…the obnoxious alarm clock is going off for the third time which means we’re already late after trying to get 5 more minutes of shut-eye. The mad morning dash is on to get the kids up dressed, fed and to school. The stress going on by the time we begin our drive to work is nearly at max levels because of the wreck/traffic blocking our progress. We finally make it the office and the full court press is in full swing until quitting time and the dash continues to pick up the kids, get homework started and hopefully finished before practice, lessons, recitals or who knows what else. Dinner on the run if we’re lucky, and if not, staring at the pantry at 9 p.m. wondering what to eat because we didn’t quite get to the grocery store, trying to get the already grumpy kids in bed. You collapse for another run at it tomorrow, started a conversation with your spouse but one or both of you passed out . Sounds more like reality doesn’t it? It’s more a picture of a ravenous pack of wolves scattering the sheep!</p> <p></p> <p>The second picture I’ve painted is more like what I hear more and more from the sheep God has entrusted me to shepherd in His pasture land called Bel Air Maryland. I appreciate our Lord’s feelings recorded for us in<b> Matt. 9:36 “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary (harried) and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” </b>In talking with so many of you and people in our community; I know you’re harried and weary and you and your family seem to be scattered all over the place. I know this as it is a challenge for me and my family too. Added to all of this is the general stress of life, bills and expenses get higher and higher and our hard earned paycheck doesn’t go very far. The reality is all of us are limited in our time, resources and energy. We simply cannot go full speed and sustain that lifestyle for very long. We can’t live on the edge of our limits in any category very long without breaking down and going over the edge. Jesus sensed the same problem going on in the 1<sup>st</sup> century culture He lived in also and it bothered Him then and it bothers Him now as He’s watching our lives. He’s inviting you to step back from the edge and live with limits that you set in the choices you make for yourself and your family. We began a study last night after worship called “Take it to the Limit” and the message of learning to set limits will be a fantastic help to those who come. It spoke to my heart deeply as your shepherd as I’m concerned that my sheep are struggling and seem to be maxed out in nearly all areas of their lives. Will you ask God to give you wisdom to set limits and how you can build in margin to your time, your finances and your energy? Living without limits and margin is a recipe for disaster.</p> <p></p> <p>Let me encourage you once again to make Wednesday nights at Calvary a priority for you and your family. We’ve dubbed it W@C (Wednesdays @ Calvary). We just had our second week with our AWANA clubs, worship in the sanctuary at 6:15 till 7:10 and then from 7:15 to 8:15, there is a discipleship class, Bible Study or choir for you, a youth Bible study for your teen, while the AWANA club continues till 8:15. Why is this important? “Don’t you know Pastor Ralph we’re busy through the week?” Yes I do and that’s precisely why you need to make W@C a priority because I believe you’ll find it to be just what the doctor ordered. Our staff has identified 4 pillars that support our mission of teaching God’s people very well so they will love Him very much and serve Him very effectively. <b>Those pillars are connect, grow, serve, renew.</b> Each one of those pillars is part of our W@C strategy. Our Wednesday crowd is not so overwhelming and you can actually get to know people so you connect with each other and connect with God through the study of His word. As you connect with God and others in genuine relationship, you’ll grow in your faith (this is making disciples<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>), the growth as a disciple produces a servant heart and there numerous chances to serve with W@C. Personally, I love W@C because on the “hump-day” of the week, I’m renewed and refreshed in my spirit for the remainder of the week. While it’s a chore sometimes (even for the pastor to get back to church on Wednesday), I’m always glad I made it a priority. I know you’ll have to make some choices elsewhere in your schedule, but that’s part of learning to set limits and a step toward being less weary and scattered. Something to think about from your shepherd’s busy little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/learning-to-set-limits">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6072131846097320772?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-4876917872608944712010-08-31T17:32:00.001-04:002010-08-31T17:32:31.431-04:00Mind your tongue...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">That’s something I’ve heard several times in my life, maybe not exactly that way but something similar. Maybe it was “Boy, you better watch your mouth” – a warning from my father that I was perilously close to danger; as sobering to me as if I were in the Texas bush and heard the tell-tale warning of a rattlesnake which has made my blood run cold hearing it. You know when you hear a rattlesnake, your first instinct ought to be to freeze, figure out where the critter is and back off from it very slowly! As scary as my dad’s warning was when I was a boy, or that old rattle from that viper shook me in my boots, Jesus issued a warning in <span style="color: #0070C0;">Matthew 12:36</span> that ought to cause all of us to freeze and it really ought to scare the living daylights out of us. He said simply: “<span style="color: #0070C0;">But I say to you that <b>every idle word</b> men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”</span> Wow! Every idle word? Is He serious? Yes He is. The Lord is going to hold each of us accountable for our speech some day and I shudder to think about all the stupid things I’ve said in my lifetime that I’ll have to answer for with Jesus. Oh how thankful I am for the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all sin! <span style="color: #0070C0;">Proverbs 21:23 wisely advises “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”</span> The Apostle James devotes nearly all of chapter 3 of his letter to the difficulty of taming our tongues. We Christians can sometimes be so self righteous thinking we’re not breaking the 10 Commandments but we say pretty much anything and everything we want and sin with a poisonous tongue that spews venom that would make a cobra proud. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The reason I’m bringing this up is that in the last several days, I’ve gotten feedback about some things people have said to others that grieved my heart and if they would grieve my sinful heart that is sometimes calloused to such things, I know it grieves the very heart of God. In one case a lady was having a tough day in her grief and as she’s coming to worship, someone asked her casually how she was doing and she honestly said she was “just leaning on Jesus.” The person she was speaking to simply laughed at her. While that’s not direct speech, the impact of that response spoke volumes to a lady in distress. In another case I was made aware of, a woman who’d been attending church regularly for a lengthy period of time but had yet to join the church was told that if she wasn’t going to join she had no business attending! How in the world can I engage that woman whose no longer attending now? One of my daughters shared with me several weeks ago of a verbal beating she received from an acquaintance at her church in Texas that really hurt her feelings. Folks, we need to be reminded to mind our tongues. My dad also used to tell me that it was better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you’re a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. I think that wisdom might come from <span style="color: #0070C0;">Proverbs 17:28</span> <span style="color: #0070C0;">“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” </span>The stupidity bug can bite any of us if we’re not carefully minding our tongues. Sometimes what you’re wanting to say may be correct but the time to say it is not right. With most people and how they use their tongues, the approach is usually “ready, fire, aim.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Let me encourage you to realize that words have power and words have meaning. What you say, when you say it and how you say it have great impact on people for good or bad. When you come to church or wherever you go; to school, to work, to the gym, the store; people are hurting. Behind the smiles and superficial responses of “I’m fine”, people are really hurting and struggling as they have life and the hardships of it beating on them. I believe if Christians began to mind their tongues, we would see revival break out in short order that would sweep like wild fire when we used our speech to encourage and edify people who are hurting, even if we don’t know they are. We’ve been studying through the Book of Ephesians in worship on Sunday mornings and it addresses this in <span style="color: #0070C0;">4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is <b>good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.</b>”</span> The very next verse in 4:30 warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God in direct context of what we say. (I’ve also heard some questioning of why our Bible Study lessons are now going to be from Ephesians as well this quarter – Hmm, maybe the Lord wants us to study it in depth until we get it right?) Contrary to the children’s’ rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”; words do bring hurt and heartache to people at home, at work, at school and sadly at church as well. I pray that will not be how you use your tongue. I pray that the word of Christ would dwell in you richly in all wisdom (Col.3:16) and that when you uncoil your tongue to speak, what the hearer hears is a soothing balm of Godly wisdom that edifies and builds up their weary soul, that soothes their heartaches like a bottle of aloe vera cools a sunburn or brings healing to a cut. I think I’ll shut up now, and mind my tongue from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/mind-your-tongue">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-487691787260894471?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-61363755526911226922010-08-18T22:27:00.002-04:002010-08-19T09:46:58.551-04:00Lessons from a boat...<div class="posterous_autopost"><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Everywhere I’ve lived as an adult, I’ve tried to enjoy the culture and worked to educate myself on the community that I lived in at that time. I’ve looked for local history markers, embraced the local sports teams, and tried to learn how people think in that area. When we were starting a church in New Hampshire, we got ice skates so we could skate in the parking lot of the town post office when they flooded a portion of it and made an ice skating rink. We enrolled our kids in skiing lessons and for six weeks every winter on Friday afternoon, all 7 Greens could be found swooshing down a mountain near Mount Washington. Since I’ve been in Maryland, we’ve taken in the sights, enjoyed the inner harbor on a number of occasions, found the Rocks State Park and I’ve perched myself on the King and Queen seat (but I soon come down as I can tell I make Cheryl nervous hanging out up there). One day in the inner harbor, I saw a number of sailboats and I thought to myself that day I’d like to learn how to sail. I did some checking and found a great sailing school in Havre de Grace. On my vacation last week, I took our daughter Beth and we learned how to sail a 22 foot sailboat. Honestly, I had a ball being on that boat with Beth for 3 days along with our instructor and two other folks learning with us. </span></span></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I thought about some spiritual applications from that experience of learning to sail. First of all, you can’t just go down to the dock, jump on a sailboat and go. I had to be trained and equipped to do this. I took advantage of a school and the training it offered me to learn this sport. I was excited about getting trained because I wanted to sail. I wondered why more people don’t take advantage of the training classes offered at Calvary to help them be better equipped disciples of Jesus Christ. Could it be we’ve lost our excitement about being disciples? Let me encourage you this fall to sign up for one of our discipleship training classes we’ll offer on Wednesday evenings after worship. You’ll see more about these class topics soon but let me encourage you to take advantage of this training.</span></span></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I also learned that sailing takes planning ahead and constantly being on the lookout for dangerous situations that can develop quickly. Life is like that also as Satan is constantly laying traps for you but God has given you a manual and an instructor to guide you through life in the Bible and His own Holy Spirit. He’s offered you the safety and security of a church family to help guide you. All of us on that boat were alert and pointed out danger as we saw it as we were all quite literally “in the same boat”. We studied the manual, learned “the rules of the road” for safe boating and how to get out of the way of trouble when it was looming. We started our day in class before heading out on the water to sail. I must spend time in the Bible each morning before I head out as it shows me principles needed to navigate away from the snares of the devil. </span></span></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I learned it takes a team of at least two people to operate that sailboat but there was the support of the marina crew we needed. We witnessed a number of boats come to the aid of a little Hobie Cat that overturned. People rearranged their plans to get involved for a pressing need. It takes lots of people to serve in the ministries of Calvary. Many of you have said you’ll serve in some way and we’re thankful for that. Some are still considering it but let me encourage you to get involved. If you’re not yet a member, let me encourage you to commit to joining Calvary and get to work with us as there is a pressing need to reach our community for Christ.</span></span></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To get certified in sailing we had to successfully complete a “man overboard” recovery drill on the water. If we didn’t do it correctly our “victim” (in this case a life jacket) would drown. As we go about our lives, we need to remember people will die and go to hell apart from Jesus Christ and we must do everything we can to share with them the Gospel – God’s provision for salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. You may be the only one who can get to that friend, co-worker or loved one in time with the good news that Jesus made provision for their sin. In order to reach my "victim" in that drill, I was intentional with a proven plan to reach him. Be intentional in your relationships with a proven plan in order to reach them. (Hmm, "becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC..." comes to mind).</span></span></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="ecxmsonormal" style="line-height: 14.25pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One final thought for now at least. I also learned that while I’m able to sail a small boat, I still have much to learn and even though I made mistakes and was downright overwhelmed at times, patient and faithful perseverance pays off in the end. The more I learn as a disciple of Jesus Christ, the more I know there’s more to learn. I know when I make mistakes, the Lord patiently guides me back to the truth and patient, faithful perseverance in walking with God daily will pay off no matter how overwhelmed I am. In the Gospels, I see that Jesus was comfortable in a boat no matter what storm was raging. Even though His disciples were scared and overwhelmed, Jesus brought peace to them. He does that for you and me too when we trust Him by faith no matter the storm is going on in our life. I thought you’d enjoy just a few lessons from a boat, from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></span></div> Pastor Ralph Green<br />Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<br /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/" target="_blank">www.calvarybelair.com</a><br /><br /><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/lessons-from-a-boat">Pastor Ralph</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6136375552691122692?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-82520131003944651932010-08-05T15:33:00.001-04:002010-08-05T15:33:03.346-04:00The power of a vision...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>This year is another big year in the Green household as we travelled with our youngest daughter and middle child Beth down to tour Liberty University in June and are making plans for her to head off to college this fall. We’re also seeing our oldest son Ralph headed to High School this year as a freshman. Cheryl and I have always had, as most parents do, dreams and hopes for our children in how they will turn out. We’ve been intentional in our parenting to raise them to love Jesus with all they have and to serve Him all of their days. While this is still an active process and we’re at a very different stage at this point in our lives, where we are today in our relationships with all of our children began as a dream, a vision if you will, that burned in our hearts from before they were born. That vision for what we wanted them to become has meant we’ve had to make some tough choices along the way that were not popular with them at the time but the vision helped shape what we said yes or no to. If we felt like what they wanted to do would help them in line with our vision, we said yes. If we felt like it would prevent them from becoming what we envisioned, we said no and stuck to our guns no matter how much whining or belly aching followed. Cheryl and I have parented with the end goal in mind, the vision of what we desire them to be. (This is not to suggest that as parents we always made or make the correct choice!)</p> <p></p> <p>As we walked around the vast campus at Liberty University, I could not but help to reflect back 28 years ago when I was a freshman student on that very campus. I remembered going to Thomas Road Baptist Church and hearing Jerry Falwell casting his vision for a world class university that would someday have more than 50,000 students enrolled. I remembered singing the little jingle they had developed “I want that mountain” referring to the mountain in Lynchburg that has become “Liberty Mountain.” I walked through a huge building that used to be an electronics manufacturing plant which now houses the new Thomas Road Baptist Church and also the student center. Driving by the huge football stadium now on campus, I had a flashback to being at an LU football game at the old Lynchburg City stadium 28 years ago and to my delight as a freshman student, there was Dr. Falwell standing on top of a concrete dugout in front of a few thousand fans urging them to get fired up to root Liberty on to victory. As I saw the myriad of changes there that have taken place in 28 years, one thing kept coming to my mind, this is all the result of the power of a vision that burned in Dr. Falwell’s soul and caused him to wake up every day and go to work to see that vision fulfilled. By the way, Liberty University now has close to 60,000 students enrolled worldwide including their online students!</p> <p></p> <p>You may be sitting there reading this and thinking ”so what Pastor Ralph, what does that have to do with me or Calvary?” Quite frankly, everything. Part of <b>Proverbs 29:18 says: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”</b> This is true for your life and family personally, and for our church corporately. We must live personally and corporately with the end goal in mind, the vision of what God wants us to be and what we want to be. The people who find joy and contentment in life are those who desire that their hopes and dreams align with God’s dreams for them. People who resist God’s plans for them find themselves to be miserable. Last night, I met once again with our vision team members. God is drawing us together and He’s speaking to each of us about what the future of Calvary Baptist Church. We are having a great time together just dreaming and asking God what He wants to do here at Calvary, what He wants to do in Harford County, this region and the world. We’re working through our personal devotions and study of God’s Word, exercises, selected books, even some sermon CD’s to help us clarify a fresh vision for Calvary, how we can help people <b>encounter God and experience life change.</b> How can we fulfill our mission statement your staff has identified <b>“Teach my people very well, so they will love me very much and serve me very effectively.”</b> That’s making disciples, that’s fulfilling the Great Commission in the context of Calvary Bel Air Maryland. When I begin dreaming what God wants to do in us and through us to reach this community, our region and the world; I see much of what God has in mind for us and it fans my flame. It’s exciting and it’s scary but it’s all good because God is the author of it! You’ll be hearing more as we pray and develop a fresh vision we believe God has for us. </p> <p></p> <p>I’m thrilled to tell you under Dr. Carter’s leadership, a number of folks from Calvary worked on a “Strategic Action Plan” several years ago. In looking through those notes and that plan, they dreamed with God and much of what they envisioned has been implemented and is already in place. That vision and plan has gotten us to where we are today. Pray for us as a staff, pray for us as a vision team and pray for us as a church family, that we’ll have the courage to embrace God’s vision for Calvary. Maybe 28 years from now, someone will be strolling through Bel Air Maryland and they’ll see the reality of the power of a vision, that transferred from God to my little corner of the world and to yours…</p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-power-of-a-vision">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8252013100394465193?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-2724933763030389912010-07-21T11:44:00.002-04:002010-07-21T14:38:23.941-04:00I've got the post VBS something...<div class="posterous_autopost"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve heard people talk about getting the “post-__________ blues”. It may be the blues that settle in after we marry off our last child and we’re empty nesters. It could be the blues that settle in after our vacation is over and we’re swallowed by the reality of work and “normal” life (if there is such a thing). Well I’ve got the<b> “post VBS something.”</b> It’s not really the blues per say because while I love VBS and the ministry that is accomplished that week, it is just a grueling schedule for the week that VBS is going on. It is flat exhausting to be quite honest because for the typical volunteer, you work all day, rush home to change clothes, rush down to church, inhale the supper provided, dash off to your area of responsibility before the kids begin to arrive and you don’t exhale till you collapse in bed late into the night. Your mind is swirling with all of what you experienced that night with plans of what to do the next night to make it better and while your body is screaming at you to get horizontal, your mind is too keyed up to let you go to sleep. In my case, usually passing out around midnight and getting up to carry on the next day. Monday through Friday, 5 days of blurring excitement and activity, songs ringing in your head and just like that, it is over. It was a long week on one hand but on the other, you blinked and it was finished. Except after Friday night’s activities, we have to tear down all the decorations and get the church cleaned for events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. From the toll it takes on the volunteers physically, I’m not sure it would be accurate to say I have the post-VBS blues; but I do have the <b>“Post-VBS something.”</b> </span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I marvel at the numbers and variety of volunteers from teens to senior adults, faithfully working alongside each other ministering to children in the myriad VBS responsibilities. I won’t list all the positions of responsibility because I’d be sure to miss someone. It was gratifying as a pastor to see the saints of God doing the work of the ministry which is what Ephesians 4:12 says is the job of the pastors to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry.” <b>I marvel at the generosity of volunteers with their time to help us win at least 7 children to Jesus for the very first time!</b> I marvel at the generosity of children and parents who emptied their piggy banks giving cash and baby items of over <b>$1000.00</b> to support the work of our local crisis pregnancy center “Alpha’s Glory”. This ministry helps very young parents who need to choose life when they find out there are people who love their unborn child. I marvel at the great attitudes of volunteers which is contagious to the children participating so there is an electric atmosphere of excitement and joy throughout our building the entire week. I marvel watching VBS much like I do when I see a huge Air Force transport plane driving by Dover AFB. Seeing the size of it, I think there is no way that thing gets off the ground and flies – but it does! I marvel at the speed which decorations come down, hay and stray get vacuumed up and the church is cleaned and ready for other uses. I guess you could say I’ve got <b>“Post-VBS Thanksgiving.”</b> I’m grateful to God for events like Vacation Bible School which draws the church together, where it matters not if you attend the 8:30 or 11:00 o’clock service, the saints of God work together to impact the lives of children and parents for the Kingdom. For all of you who helped us in VBS in any fashion, I want to say thank you for serving the Lord to make this event a wonderful success, not just for Calvary, but for the lives that will be in Heaven someday because of your faithfulness.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I also wanted to pause and say thanks to all of you who ministered on two opposite ends of the spectrum on Saturday. Some of you labored to celebrate the life of a new baby coming to a family and encourage a young couple by giving them a great baby shower. Some of you ministered to a grieving family and a host of law enforcement officers in a myriad of ways and in doing so, you reinforced the Gospel message they heard at the funeral through practical acts of love and service. Then many of you also came to worship on Sunday and labored and served all over again after 7 straight days of ministry! I’m so proud of all of you servants of the Most High God. I believe the Lord is pleased and proud of you also and only eternity will tell of the fruit of much if not most of your labors. <b>“All it takes to grow a great church is everybody doing what they can do.” </b>To God be the Glory, great things He has done through you saints this week. I love this <b>“Post-VBS something”</b> feeling I have, from my little corner of the world to yours….</span><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ralph Green</span></i></b><br /><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif; font-size: 10pt;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"></span></i></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: ti, serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b><br /><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/ive-got-the-post-vbs-something">Pastor Ralph</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-272493376303038991?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-80791271255211783462010-07-08T06:31:00.001-04:002010-07-08T06:31:13.151-04:00A willingness to serve...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;">I had the wonderful benefit of being raised in a family that loves Jesus. I met Jesus at the age of 5 and He has been my Savior ever since. Oh there were times I would have nearly given anything not to be a “preacher’s kid”, there were times I thought my home address was whatever church we were members of, and quite frankly times I didn’t want to have anything to do with church, I just wanted to be “normal” like everyone else. Well I’ve learned some things now that I have more gray hair than brown. I’ve learned to appreciate my parents and all the values they instilled in me and their consistent example of serving the Lord Jesus with everything they had. I learned to serve the Savior primarily watching my parents each involved in ministry in our local church. I saw firsthand their love and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ because they lived out in front of me that love in how they served the Lord in a variety of ministries – even though they became “full time missionaries” when I was about 12 years of age. Even though their jobs were working for the Lord, I’ve watched them volunteer and serve God in their local church, something they continue even now in their 70’s.</span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;"></span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;">I’ve also learned that the only way I can have peace, contentment and joy is by consistently giving my life away in service to Jesus. I’ve learned that when I begin to pursue my own agenda and not the Lord’s, when I begin to focus all my efforts on my own entertainment, leisure, finances, family or anything else, something begins to happen in me and my family; <span style=""> </span>the contentment, joy and peace disappears and the wheels begin to come off. I reprioritize and get back to serving the Lord with all my heart and the contentment, joy and peace returns to me and my family. Honestly, it is just weird. It’s almost like God takes His hands off me and says, <b style="">“Go ahead, do it your way and tell me how that plan is working for you.”</b></span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;"> </span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;">This brings me to my point, as I see a church full of very harried, busy, stressed out and over committed people pursuing everything under the sun and it appears there isn’t much joy, contentment or peace in their lives. Let me give you a little secret from Jesus in <b>Luke 9:23-25</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>“Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>In other words, Jesus is saying the secret to “having a life” is losing your life, your agenda, your plans, picking up your cross – the service God has for you to do for His kingdom each day. In all our efforts to entertain ourselves and “get a life”, we’re just more stressed out, tired and dissatisfied with the life we are living. In another passage, Jesus tells us to store treasure in heaven because it lasts forever.</span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;"> </span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;">On the other hand, the church as a whole and Calvary in particular struggles to place people in ministry positions because everyone is already “too busy.” <span style=""> </span>Leadership positions like AWANA commander and leaders, Missions committee members, trustees, children’s teachers, deacon positions will go unfilled as we begin our church year (just to name a few). We have a dire need to multiply our youth ministry to High School and Middle School departments, yet we’re not able to do so because we don’t have enough workers. As a result, we’re forced to keep 6<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>graders with grade school children when in their schools, they are in middle school. We are facing some major difficulties with some key ministries here at Calvary for lack of leadership and volunteers. Your staff and nominating committee continue searching for people to serve only to be told no because people are too busy.</span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;"> </span></p> <p class="ecxmsonormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #444444;">I don’t have it all figured out, but I know Jesus is capable of multiplying our meager loaves and fishes we’ll bring to Him by faith. I know Jesus promised to give you “life and that you’d have it more abundantly” when “you take up your cross and follow…”. Your church has need of you to serve and you have need for your church, because it is the God-ordained place for you to find the joy, contentment and peace you’re breaking your neck to find with worldly pursuits. God established the church for you to use your gifts, talents and abilities and especially your weaknesses to magnify His glory and expand His kingdom, the place for you to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Churches and families working together produce disciples. <span style=""> </span>I’m grateful to God for having learned this lesson of serving God from my dad and mom who still faithfully serve Jesus, who still help me grow as a disciple. They are so full of joy and life it is amazing. They’ve found a great life; I’ve found a great life serving the Lord. I have joy, contentment and peace that is astounding. It starts with a willingness to serve; from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p> <p></p><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/a-willingness-to-serve">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8079127125521178346?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-27960338962045831692010-06-24T08:12:00.001-04:002010-06-24T08:12:37.373-04:00Of distress, disaster & deacons...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="color: black;">I've been greatly burdened to have so many people in our church family to be in physical need. With a church the size of Calvary, it is inevitable that some part of our church family will be in distress with physical needs or the loss of a loved one nearly every week. Honestly there are times it is just overwhelming to me as a human pastor. Many times I find myself so burdened for the physical and emotional needs of people in the church it’s hard for me to concentrate on messages I need to be preparing as Sunday morning and Wednesday night roll around with great regularity and frequency. Then I'll hear a little bit of feedback on occasion that someone doesn't feel like they are being cared for properly by the pastor. This breaks my heart as a shepherd that one of my sheep is in distress and all I'm able to do at that moment is pray for them. Well the "all I can do is pray" thing is the most important thing I can do for them. I'm thankful for a great staff and deacons who take the pastoral care seriously and serve as extensions of my arms to care for you. Please know if they come and minister to you they share the heart of your pastor and his concern for you, they represent me but more importantly they represent the Lord Jesus Christ.</span></p> <p><span style=""></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;">Then there are seasons in the church family where on top of the physical need, the wheels come off and disaster strikes. It could be some tragic trauma, sudden accident, or it could be someone stumbles and falls into sin that becomes very public in nature because of the type of sin they are ensnared with or they got arrested in the process of their sin. Our first response upon hearing of this kind of disaster among the body should be a broken and contrite heart that begins to pray for the individual(s) involved. One thing I've learned about these times of disaster and public sin in people's lives is that Christians are notorious for shooting their wounded soldiers who fall on the battlefield by how we respond to such situations. We talk about it, we gossip, speculate and criticize to the detriment of the persons involved, to the church and the testimony of the Lord before a lost world that is watching. We will turn people off to the Gospel and they'll want nothing to do with being a disciple of Jesus Christ if that's how we operate. The Scriptures give us instruction on what to do when disastrous sin entangles a believer. <b>Paul said in Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”</b></span></p> <p><b><span style="color: black;"></span></b></p> <p><span style="color: black;">These are simple and straightforward instructions of how we are to respond when one of us gets tangled in Satan’s web of sin. Our aim is to be restoration of the individual – helping them to get back on track spiritually and in fellowship with the body. We are to conduct ourselves in a spiritual manner in a spirit of gentleness. This means we’re careful to not cause more hurt and damage in an already difficult situation. But we’re also to keep watch on ourselves because we could be ensnared in sin also so we guard against that. Bearing one another’s burdens – we do that in prayer. We don’t put our mouths in gear to talk about it to others; we simply talk to God about the situation. </span></p> <p><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;">This brings me to deacons and deacon ministry. They are the individuals God has given to His church to assist the pastoral staff in ministering when there is distress and downright disaster going on in a member’s life. According to 1<sup>st</sup> Timothy 3, God holds them to the same standard as He holds pastors to so they will not take advantage of anyone in difficulty. I called on one of our deacons Monday evening to respond with me to a situation where one of members was caught in sin and disaster has overtaken. The details will become known soon enough but we’ve already begun the process of restoration and caring for this distressed member and his family. How we respond as a church will be critical to show the lost around us how Christians are to care for our wounded. I’m determined to lead us to respond Biblically and in a way that brings glory to God.</span></p> <p><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: black;">I’m also burdened as I’ve talked with deacons who are approaching men about the possibility of serving alongside them as deacons. Often, the response is “I do not feel like I’m called to do that” or “I do not feel like I’m worthy to do that.” I think there are some false notions about what deacon ministry is all about when I hear that type of response. Acts 6 helps clarify what deacons do – aid the pastors with pastoral care and solve disputes. The initial qualifications were twofold: of good reputation, full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. You say “Pastor, you can’t count that’s three.” I would respond its two because if you’re full of the Spirit, you’re full of wisdom and He will give you what you need when you need it. So men, if you are approached or have been, do not base your response on how you feel. You’re being asked to serve because someone observes these two qualities in you. Pray about it and let God call or not call you, but let God decide who He wants to help us aid the body in distress and disaster. It’s not just the burden of the pastors or individual deacons, we bear these burdens together…from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p> <p><span style="color: black;"></span></p> <p>Pastor Ralph Green</p><p><span style="color: #333399;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span><span style="color: black;"><p /> </span><span style="color: #333399;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"><br /> </span></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/of-distress-disaster-and-deacons">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-2796033896204583169?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-83427990687059458872010-06-17T13:43:00.001-04:002010-06-17T13:43:58.641-04:00SBC Annual Meeting Recap<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>For those of you who couldn’t attend the convention but are interested, here is a great recap and some insight from a pastor friend of mine who summarizes the annual meeting well. I would echo his sentiments and observations for the future of our convention and the clarion call reach the unreached peoples of the world. His comments follow:</p> <p></p> <p><span style="color: #1F497D;">“</span><span style="color: #1F497D;">The 2010 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is over. Here are some thoughts I'm thinking:</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--A big initiative called the Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) was passed overwhelmingly. A high profile committee of 23 presented 8 recommendations for change to/in the SBC after an extensive and far ranging 1 year study of the SBC's agencies and systems. These recs are meant to refocus the SBC on the GC after a 10-plus year lack of focus on the GC. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">Time will tell if our churches have truly recommitted themselves to the GC. It will be reflected in international missions giving and going as well as church planting and revitalization here in the States. It will be reflected in the reallocation of monies in our 41 state conventions. Currently, only 2.5% of SBC money makes it overseas to 95% of the world's population. Most of the money gets kept in our state conventions which too often try to substitute for the work of the local church instead of supplementing it. I'm thankful our state convention, the SBTC, does the latter. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The GCR debate over the past year has demonstrated there are at least two distinct camps in the SBC. My prayer is that we aren't divided over whether the SBC is broken in many ways, but rather over the solution to the problem. The fact that the SBC needs an overhaul is clear: we have had declining #s of CP giving and baptisms for years, we can't hit our missions offering goals, and we can't afford all of our current missionaries, never mind sending new ones to the field. We need change. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The passing of the GCR rocks at least expanded the pool of top tier SBC leadership, if it didn't usher in new leadership. Most opposition to the GCR came from the SBC's old guard, with notable exceptions, and opposition was strong. Thus, the overwhelming approval of the GCR means SBCers are listening to new voices. Men like Johnny Hunt, Danny Akin, and Al Mohler are now the official visible leaders of the SBC. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">New systems, emphases, and leadership in no way devalue the success and victories of the recent past. In fact, the leadership of today is only possible because of the conservative resurgence. If this new leadership is wise, they will take heavily into consideration the wisdom and input of leaders from the conservative resurgence. They may be aging, but their wisdom and perspective are like precious jewels. As well, I hope the new leadership is like a wise successor to a long tenured pastor and regularly provide public affirmation and value to those who have made the SBC the incredible denomination it is today. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--Southeastern Seminary announced a formal intern program with local church partners across the country to give students field experience. Students can earn 3-15 hours of credit. The vision is for 100 partnering churches. The lack of apprenticeships are the biggest weakness in the SBC's system of training future ministers. This is really close to my heart and the announcement has me pumped. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The SBC has launched a program to financially help ministers adopt children. This is a great move. If ministers adopt, many people in the churches will adopt. Adoption is an incredible picture of what the Father has done for us. Talk about painting a picture of God for the watching world!</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The SBC passed a resolution on divorce. As divorce becomes more common in our churches, pastors are addressing it less and less. The SBC churches resolved to continue to teach what the bible says about divorce and marry only those who meet the biblical guidelines for marriage. SBC churches must remain a people of the bible. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The oil spill, the biggest nature related disaster in US history, spurred a resolution on our responsibility to steward nature well. Drilling for oil is fine and good as God has given us dominion over nature. However, the Scriptures define how we should steward our dominion and the SBC took a step toward defining it. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--The new CEO of the SBC was elected with a majority vote of less than 60%. I'm not sure I know any pastor who would accept a call to a church in peaceful times on such a small majority, so the new CEO's acceptance of a call of this nature has me concerned. Nonetheless, it's a done deal and I think Frank Page should be given the opportunity to prove he can do the job well. I pray for him to have great success. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; color: #1F497D;">--Attendance at our 6 seminaries is really strong which is a good sign, especially for our future. </span></p> <p><span style="color: #1F497D;">To be sure, our SBC is in need of some changes, but she is a huge vessel and it takes time to turn around an aircraft carrier. The new de facto leaders, the passing of the GCR, the enrollment #s in our seminaries, and other signs of life are evidence that a course correction has begun. It may take time to see, but I truly believe a recalibration of the SBC is beginning. I'm optimistic about the future of the SBC and by the grace of God, we will see great years of harvest in the years to come.” <p /> </span><span style="color: #1F497D;"></span></p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/sbc-annual-meeting-recap">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8342799068705945887?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-37444516917392941992010-06-10T11:22:00.001-04:002010-06-10T11:22:26.831-04:00Raising the bar of expectations...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Last night in our Wednesday worship service (yes <b>we do have</b> Wednesday worship that most members apparently don’t know about or are ignoring it); I was sharing “God’s Call to Abram” from Genesis 12. The context is roughly 292 years after the worldwide flood. The last time we’re told God spoke to anyone was to Noah & his sons and all of a sudden, God speaks to this guy named Abram (before the Lord changed his name to Abraham). Not only was it strange that God suddenly speaks, but He also makes a ridiculous demand of this guy Abram: Pack up, leave your home country, your extended family and your elderly father and move to a place I’ll show you when you get there. God then gave 7 promises to Abram that He would do for Abram if he obeyed and <b>Gen.12:4</b> says “<b>So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him</b>,<b> </b>and Lot went with him. <b>Abram was 75 years old</b> when he departed from Haran.” Think about Abram’s radical obedience to this audacious God who interrupted Abram’s life and the turmoil God caused in Abram’s family – yes turmoil is the right word if you can imagine trying explain this to your wife, your parents and grandparents that you heard a voice from heaven and you’ve been told to move to some place, you don’t know even where it is but the voice is going to tell you when you get there so you’re going to listen to the voice…. our families might haul us off for a psychiatric evaluation! I was trying to put Abram’s experience in the context of our church life here at Calvary and I think we’re missing something, somehow we’ve come to expect less of people of faith.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We look at Abram and think it wasn’t that big a deal, that somehow it was easier for him than it would be for us to obey God today with that kind of radical faith and commitment. Abram was 75 years old at the time and I know how much stuff I’ve accumulated in 46 years and how much I detest moving. The Bible tells us Abram had a lot of people (servants) in this mix also so this was not simple. He didn’t have a moving company to come pack him up, he had herds and flocks to move and where God took him was nearly 400 miles away as the crow flies, all on foot. I read about a guy with this kind of radical faith and obedience and wonder why we can’t get people to respond to our preschool director’s plea to move out of the sanctuary once every 8 weeks to pull a shift in the preschool department on Sunday mornings, much less move to the other side of the world as a missionary! </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The faith and commitment to obey God like Abram convicts me and rattles my bones at how little we expect from modern Christians. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the many volunteers who faithfully serve here at Cavalry but I’ve got to wonder why we don’t raise the bar of expectations higher, why don’t we call people to a radical faith of service and sacrifice. I think it just could be that we’re not interested in a “radical Christianity”, we just want a “comfortable Christianity.” I would submit to you that the God of the Bible is not into “comfortable Christianity.” He makes radical demands to obey, He stretches us to do the unthinkable to further His plans and He expects, demands and deserves obedience from us as we seek to build His kingdom, and we do it by faith. The good news however is the rewards of having God be our supplier and protector, the one who promises He’ll take care of us as we obey Him is far more valuable than the sacrifice of stepping into the realm of the unknown and risking the upheaval of the status quo in our life. It really is a great adventure to obey God, to ask Him to call you to do something with you that is bigger than you can dream. It matters not how old you are, God has an adventure for each of us as believers to pursue if you have the courage to listen to the voice of God and obey Him like old Abram did. You too can be a hero of the faith in a modern context by obeying God, even if you don’t know all the details of the call. I think it’s time to raise the bar….from my little corner of the world to yours…</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/raising-the-bar-of-expectations">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3744451691739294199?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-41103560930648369092010-05-27T11:27:00.001-04:002010-05-27T11:27:19.180-04:00Where opportunities abound....<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Church Family,</p> <p>I continue to marvel with a thankful heart at your expressions of encouragement to our family and to me personally with everything we’ve had going on and then so many of you expressing birthday wishes on top of it. I’m not sure there is a pastor in the country who is more blessed than I am and I thank God for you. </p> <p></p> <p>With Memorial Day in the books by the time you get this newsletter, I’m reminded summer is here. The kids will be out of school shortly but our church summer schedule is already in full swing. Let me share a couple of wonderful opportunities the Lord has provided. We have for several years provided in our budget for a summer intern position for us to utilize a student who wants to learn more about church ministry. After consulting with the staff and personnel committee chairman, Stephen Deason is going to work with us for 10 weeks this summer as our summer intern. These are Addison’s parents and Stephen is studying at the College at Southwestern Seminary and is called to youth ministry. He’s worked as a summer missionary with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention where he spent a week at a time ministering in different churches across Texas. He’ll be working primarily with Wally and our youth ministry but he’s also going to assist Bob Brown on some projects we have for the fall. It will be a wonderful blessing to our church and to this young couple preparing for vocational ministry.</p> <p></p> <p>Brother Ken is attempting to lead our grade school aged children in a summer musical called “The Sermon on the Mound”. This baseball themed musical is a great opportunity for our kids to have a ball, learn music and about the Lord. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough kids participating so far. Ken really needs at least 26 kids in order to do this. Our desire would be they’d perform this on Wednesday August 25<sup>th</sup> but this cannot happen unless parents make a commitment to support this effort. I know kids are all busy with sports and other activities, but those activities will not impact them spiritually or sow seeds the Lord will use to grow them closer to Him. It’s not to late to get involved so let me encourage you to make this a priority for your children and grand children. After the musical practice, they have an hour of sports recreation with Wally and our youth. This runs from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. each Wednesday. </p> <p></p> <p>While the young people are doing music and sports, we’ve adjusted our time for worship to 6:15 to 7:10 in the fellowship hall. I know I cannot teach all the Bible you need to know for the 40 minutes I have on Sunday mornings. Wednesday worship is a perfect mid-week encouragement for you spiritually to sing, pray and hear from God’s word. I’m preaching through Genesis and it’s been well received by those who attend. I’m sad that our Sunday morning attendance average is between 350-400 yet our Wednesday worship average is 35-40, roughly 10 percent. This means 90 percent of our church family does not regularly support mid-week worship. I recognize one of our biggest challenges is the time slot because of work commitments. This is why we’ve moved it back to 6:15 p.m. to try to assist you to get here. God has called me to prepare a hot fresh meal for you from the Word of God and I will be faithful to put it on the table, but I cannot force you to come. It’s an opportunity for spiritual growth missed if you don’t come. Immediately after worship, we’ve got opportunities for more growth. We have a Bible Study class for those serving who cannot attend Bible Study on Sunday morning so your spirit gets fed too. We have a class on the fundamentals of the faith called “What Every Christian Ought to Know” and a deeper study on “What we believe here at Calvary.” Our desire in our disciple making process is that people would work through these studies because it’s important to know what you believe. Religious pluralism abounds in our society and people think it does not matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere. Well that sounds great until your believe system is tested by fire and your left without much. The Word of God must be a steady part of our diet both personally and corporately and we’re doing our best to equip you but again I cannot force you to take advantage of it. </p> <p></p> <p>Finally, summer affords the opportunity to go on vacation for some much needed R & R. Go. Rest. Relax. Don’t take a vacation from the Lord, visit a church where you are if possible or have a worship service with your family. Honor the Lord on your vacation and He’ll help your rest and relaxation to be just that. Remember your church never goes on vacation so our expenses continue while you’re out of town. Let me encourage you to make provision with your tithes and offerings as you go and return. While I’ll definitely miss you as you travel, I’m excited for you to be able to take a break and I’ll look forward to seeing you when you return. I love you and I’m excited about these opportunities that abound, from my little corner of the world to yours….</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/where-opportunities-abound">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-4110356093064836909?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-73230937755429232502010-05-13T11:26:00.001-04:002010-05-13T11:26:14.914-04:00How can we say thanks?<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Sweet church family, there simply are not enough words to express to you appropriately how grateful we Greens & Deasons are for your love and support to our family during these difficult days. It seems like such a whirlwind since I shared with you what was going on in our family on Sunday, April 25<sup>th</sup> 2010 when Addison Lynn Deason was born to our daughter Ginny and son in love Stephen. Your expressions of prayer, love, and support through cards, emails, Facebook messages, phone calls and financial gifts to help with added expenses has absolutely overwhelmed us. Saying “thanks” really doesn’t seem to be adequate but we are filled with gratitude to our Lord Jesus for each of you and we’re amazed at what God has done for us through the saints of God. God has blessed your prayers on our behalf and I can tell you He’s been answering those prayers in abundance and His abiding presence has sustained us constantly. I know this has been difficult for you all because we’ve been so far away with our family in Texas. You’ve wanted to show your love and care to us but you’ve had to do so via long distance. I have been astounded at the out pouring of love you have lavished upon us and we’re humbled by all you’ve done for us. The financial gifts have been overwhelming to help us with funeral expenses, airline tickets and the myriads of costs associated with such an event. I know the sacrifice this represents for you as you’ve done this above your normal tithes and offerings to the Lord and I can promise you that you cannot out give God as you’ve cared for us on His behalf. I can also tell you that our family is doing amazingly well in response to your prayers and we’re profoundly thankful. We’re filled with gratitude for the time we had with Addison and for the opportunity to minister to others in the process of walking through her short little life and home-going to Heaven.</p> <p></p> <p>Birchman Baptist Church, under the leadership of Dr. Bob Pearle in Fort Worth where our kids and the Deasons are members hosted us for Addison’s celebration. It really was more of a celebration than a funeral. Our church friends in Houston and in many other places along with the Southwestern Seminary have all been an amazing blessing and encouragement to us as well. I sensed your prayers that day as I stood to preach and honor the Lord and His orchestrating all of this. There was a large crowd who attended that day and it was evident the Lord used the message He had given me for the occasion which I called “Honoring the God of all Comfort.” Upon my return here to Bel Air and my interaction with many of you so far, it is evident that you all are grieving along with us and our hurt, heartache and pain is yours as well. The Lord has prompted me to share the same message I preached at Addison’s funeral here at Calvary. Lord willing, I’ll share that message on Sunday May 23<sup>rd</sup> in both services. I will be honest and tell you I thought I had strength to do it only once, so I’m nervous about walking down that path again. I know however I must be obedient and I know the Lord will honor my obedience to Him even though I think it will be even harder for me and my family a second time. I do want to share of the Lord’s provision and grace granted to us with the prayer that when you face an unimaginable trial of your own, or if you’re still trying to work through some trauma in your life, God will teach you through our experience and the text of Scripture I’ll share. Let me encourage you to please come with a prayerful heart for your Pastor as I stand and deliver and a prayerful heart that God will speak to you. Let me also encourage you to invite others you know who’ve experienced some trauma or who do not know Christ as their Savior. I believe the Holy Spirit will draw people to faith that day but you must invite them to come. Feel free to tell what you know of our story as you invite them if that will help you and lets pray that God will expand His kingdom that Sunday and we’ll all be changed by it. </p> <p></p> <p>I love you more than I can express. Our family is grateful to God for calling us, bringing us, and planting us here at Calvary to serve our Lord Jesus with you. We pray our ministry for God’s glory here with you will have profound eternal impact and that many will come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. There is truly something special, something amazing God has planned for our future together and I can’t wait to experience the movement of God that is coming here with my sweet church family. Standing in awe of Jesus, with thanksgiving and anticipation from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/how-can-we-say-thanks">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-7323093775542923250?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-32433493178779108002010-05-12T23:56:00.001-04:002010-05-12T23:56:30.668-04:00The 500 pound elephant...<div class='posterous_autopost'> You know it's there, it sticks out like a 500 pound elephant that just wandered into the room. You know its there, everyone around you knows its there, but everyone seems to want to ignore this obvious thing that just crashed into the room! The elephant that I'm describing is what happens when someone has experienced a loss like we Greens & Deasons have experienced with the home-going of our sweet little Addison. It is the tension everyone feels when part of the family walks into the room and everyone has so many questions they are dying to ask, they are scrambling for words to say and nothing seems to be appropriate so what in the world do we do? We can pretend the 500 pound elephant doesn't exist, we can say something silly that we wish we could take back, we can ask "How are you doing?" and hope upon hope the obligatory "Fine" response comes back immediately. We can talk about the weather, we can talk about sports, anything and everything to avoid that elephant. <p /><div>Well let me help a little bit at least with me; and I think the rest of my family would echo a couple of thoughts, but they are all unique and very different so I could be wrong.</div><p /><div>1) We've never lost a daughter, grand-daughter, great-grand daughter, or a niece before so we're working this out as we go. We honestly don't know how we'll be feeling literally from one second to the next, we may be doing great, we may be falling apart when you see us, so we'd like for you to be patient with us as we're processing our sorrow. <b>We are sorrowing, but not as those who have no hope.</b> Jesus wept at the tomb of His best friend Lazarus and I figure if the Son of God was crying over the death of His friend, we can cry because of Addison. It kind of comes and goes in waves and it's the most strange thing because seemingly neutral things can set off a wave of emotion. I was in Starbucks the other day and for no particular reason, I was overcome and just had to go outside to get some air. So if we fall apart next to you, don't feel badly, it probably was not you, it's just us sorting through the grief process. By the way, please don't ask "How are you doing?" unless you are willing or interested in getting an honest answer that may not be the customary "fine." We're all pretty much direct and we've all learned to be honest - so consider yourself warned. </div><p /><div>2) Please don't feel like you have to say anything when you see us, but let's agree together not to ignore the 500 pound elephant. So many of you have said nothing more than that you're continuing to pray for us and that you've been praying for us. Honestly, that means more to each of us than you'll ever be able to comprehend and we'll always be profoundly grateful for each of those prayers. God's grace, peace and mercy continues to flow to us through the conduit of your prayers and it is such an amazing blessing. Cliches and platitudes are of no help, but the simple prayers of the saints of God and the Word of God heals the soul. </div><p /><div>3) It's humbling to us when we see you are hurting with us and you are experiencing grief with us. Honestly I've been moved to tears because I see how this whole thing has been affecting many of you and no one has been praying for you. So thanks for sharing in our grief and walking alongside us. Let me encourage you to tell us how this has affected you so we can pray for you. Sharing tears with our brothers and sisters is a wonderful salve the Holy Spirit will use to bind and heal our wounds together. If you want a great Bible Study, do a search through the "one another" passages in the New Testament.</div><p /><div>4) Ya'll need to know we're not super human, we're not super saints, we're certainly not perfect. We're just like you. My eyes leak a lot sometimes when its just me and the Lord; sometimes I'm just kind of numb from the flurry of activity and running on adrenaline that we've been on, sometimes I may appear incredibly strong. The strength you may see in me or or any of us is not us at all, but the empowering of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God at work in us. I can't explain it, but know that God's grace is indeed sufficient in our weakness. So please don't think we're some kind of abnormal super Christian. We're nothing more than sinners saved by grace and people that God has blessed tremendously.</div><div>I believe what bothers a lot of people looking on at us through this thing is the nagging question of how they would respond, or how they responded to something similar that happened to them. Maybe our walking with God through these amazing days has brought to the forefront of your heart and mind something that God wants you to consider. Do you really trust Him to this extent? Is God really faithful even in my darkest hour? How would I respond to this? Those questions are all questions you need to be talking to God about. He wants to talk with you about the issues of life, He wants to commune with you in prayer and Bible Study now so that when trouble begins a stampede in your life, you have someone much bigger than you guarding you. If you would have asked me 18 days ago if I had the faith & strength needed to survive and glorify God in this, my honest answer would have been "I don't know. I would like to think so." </div><div>The truth is, I'm still not so sure, I'm just walking with God one step at a time. At the end of today as I'm about to lay down and collapse in bed, I can tell you God's grace was sufficient and His strength was made perfect in me today. Even though I felt out of it and numb, God sustained me this morning and through the day. See in my human daddy and grand daddy "Pops" frailty, I worry I'll have a major melt down tomorrow, or the next day, or maybe it'll come next week, but I worry about it because of my sinful, human condition. But how wonderful to me that the grace and strength I need doesn't depend on me! God has an incredible track record of faithfulness so I will rest tonight because the eternal God has already been in my tomorrow, next day, week or year. He's already working in me and orchestrating my steps that no matter what, He'll be producing the peaceable fruit of righteousness in me and He'll give me what I need at the time. But this peace that passes all of my understanding is being reaped now from years of sowing and investing in my relationship with God. The only difference between me and you may be that I recognized years ago I desperately needed the Lord each and every day and I needed His Word to flow through me, so I have to read it, study it, meditate on it and put it into practice; talking with God about how to apply it to my life. If you'll start walking with God today and never quit, I can promise you, those nagging questions you might be scared of will be answered with the grace and strength God alone provides when you walk through your own trial. The "super saints" are simply those people who choose to walk with God each day, and the reality is, the Lord is the super one, the special one, not anyone who happens to have the name Green or Deason attached to them or any other name. Jesus is the name that's above every name. I'm a Christ follower - that's it, through the good, bad and downright ugly. </div><p /><div>Well that may be a lot of hot air to some, but I thought I'd help us learn how to handle that 500 pound elephant: offer him a peanut (I love peanuts, a cup of coffee or a diet coke); and you'll find that elephant is not so big after all. Since the elephant was present a couple of times today, no doubt he'll be lumbering into my space tomorrow, I figured I ought to share, from my little corner of the world to yours... </div><div><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <br /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-500-pound-elephant">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3243349317877910800?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-56349553257134503382010-05-10T23:36:00.000-04:002010-05-10T23:37:00.143-04:00My message from Addision's funeral<div class='posterous_autopost'> I don't know if anyone will want to take the time to read this; but I thought I'd post my message notes from the message I preached at Addison's funeral. I believe it will help those in a storm, the Lord blessed it on the day of the funeral and I share it in hopes it will help those who read it also. Keep in mind, this was written for the preacher using it at the time of delivery, so there may be incomplete sentences that were there to remind me of the idea to be shared; but for the most part it expresses what I actually said. I may figure a way out later to post the audio recording of the message. It will help to have your Bible handy to refer to the text as referenced.<p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <p><b style="">Welcome – </b>On behalf of the Greens and the Deasons, we’ve all been overwhelmed with your expressions of love and support through this most difficult time in Addison’s home going. We’d like to thank once again all the hospital staff who cared for Ginny and Addison, the life flight crews, and particularly the staff at Cook Children’s Hospital for allowing us all to spend as much time with Addison as we could. For our many friends in all of our churches, Birchman, NEHBC & Faith Family in Houston, and Calvary Baptist in Bel Air; thanks so much for all of your prayers. There is no doubt as we’ve walked through these days that the Lord has been answering and will continue to answer your petitions for us. We’ve been strengthened and encouraged and have sensed these prayers as the blessed Holy Spirit has come alongside us and carried us through these days. On more than one occasion, I’ve commented that it is overwhelming to know so many are praying for us when so many others have it so much worse than we do, but we’re grateful for the prayers of the saints of God. </p> <p><b style=""><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Introduction – </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">10 days ago, my wife was awakened to a phone call in the wee hours of Sunday morning that Ginny was in labor and Addison was on her way into this world. Knowing that I was going to be preaching in a few short hours, I turned back over to sleep and began to pray for Stephen, Ginny & Addison figuring my nurse wife would be talking Ginny through this. I was disappointed for Cheryl as we’d planned on her heading down a few days before Ginny’s due date so this meant Cheryl would miss being there for the birth of her first grandchild. I remember thinking well the Lord’s timing is perfect. In my slumber, I noticed that Cheryl was communicating with text messages back and forth to “the kids” as I call them, meaning my two daughters and sons in love. It wasn’t long before Cheryl left the room and I fell asleep. I awakened for my Sunday morning routine of praying and reviewing the message the Lord had given when Cheryl informed me that Ginny and Addison were both having a hard time. It appeared they were going to have to do a C-section on Gin to get Addison here safely. Of course we continued to pray and ask for the Lord’s favor for them. The Sunday morning dash was on and we rushed off to our church responsibilities. Somehow the Lord enabled me to preach the first service ironically (or not) on being filled with the Spirit from Eph. 5:18. Honestly, I think it was the best sermon I’ve ever preached. Sometime during my message, Cheryl got a text message from Rachel that she needed to get down to Fort Worth ASAP. Between services, I changed Cheryl’s flights and sent her dashing off to pack and get on a plane. (Thankful for a Deacon Chairman named Ernie Owens who along with Kay carried Cheryl to BWI).<span style=""> </span>I remember calling Rachel, Ginny & Stephen to pray with them. We were weeping on the phone together it was heart wrenching to me as a dad to hear my girls telling me they wished I was there to hug them and there was nothing I could about it (10 minutes before our 2<sup>nd</sup> service started). I pleaded with the Lord to care for my kids and grand daughter and went back and preached again – amazed literally as I felt like I was standing off to the side watching myself preach and listening to the Holy Spirit use me as I shared what was going on in our family and how we had to depend on the Holy Spirit to be the controlling influence in our lives – a second by second process in the rigors of life. Little did I know on that Sunday, I’d be preaching Addison’s funeral a short 10 days later. In talking with Cheryl Monday, it was apparent that I needed to get to Fort Worth sooner rather than later. In a fitful nights rest, I woke up with a start about 3 in the morning in a panic, thinking I could well be preaching Addison’s funeral at some point. As I tossed and turned, alternately praying and thinking of passages I might use as a text: Job worshipping and saying ‘the Lord gave & the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord’; Ps. 46 – God being our refuge and strength; Ps. 91 on taking refuge under the shadow of the Almighty came to mind. Romans 8:28-39 was in my thoughts and “Old faithful” – Phil. 4:6-7, 13. Numerous other Scripture passages came to mind as my weary mind chugged along through the “card catalogue” of years of studying the Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>Morning finally arrived and I settled into my morning spot to meet with the Lord for my quiet time with a cup of coffee. I had finished reading 1<sup>st</sup> Cor. the day before and was scheduled to begin 2<sup>nd</sup> Corinthians. I hadn’t read long when I realized all those passages I’d thought about through the night were not the text but were brought to mind by the Holy Spirit for my comfort and benefit. My heart melted with warmth as the Holy Spirit took this text in II Cor. 1:1-11 and applied it to me as a the sweet balm of Gilead so I share it with you today.</span> <b style="">Transition –</b> <span style="color: red;">I want us to notice 4 <b style="">observations</b> from this text whether you’re looking at this distress surrounding Addison from the inside out as family, or the outside looking in at us as friends or brothers & sisters in Christ, the Lord has something for us to see as we honor the “God of all Comfort.”</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">I.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in His perfect will<span style=""> </span>– vs.1-2</b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">II.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God’s comfort has no limits, it knows no boundaries – vs. 3-5</b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">III.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in that our distress has a definite purpose – vs. 4a, 6-7</b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">IV.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in His faithfulness – vs. 8-11</b></p> <p><b style=""></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">I.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in His perfect will<span style=""> </span>– vs.1-2</b></p> <p><b style="">Explanation – </b>Paul affirmed to the Corinthian Church that he was in the position that he was in as an Apostle <b style="">by the will of God.</b> Paul didn’t choose to be an Apostle, God chose him on the road to Damascus in Acts 9 and part of God’s call upon Paul included a lifetime of difficulty and suffering. As a matter of fact, God’s call upon any who would honor the Lord Jesus Christ with their lives need to understand it is God’s will that you will experience hardship, struggle, trial and difficulty. <span style=""> </span>Jesus said to his disciples in <b style="">John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” </b>Paul also said to a young pastor named Timothy in <b style=""><span style="color: red;">2<sup>nd</sup> Timothy 2:3</span></b><span style="color: red;"> “</span><span style="color: red;">You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”</span><span style=""> Also in </span><b style="">1<sup>st</sup> Tim. 3:12 “Yes all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” </b>Where did we ever get the idea that walking with God does not involve pain and difficulty? Is it because we don’t have enough faith? I’d argue quite the opposite it’s because we had faith!<b style=""></b></p> <p><b style="">As we’ve been walking through this incredible difficulty with Addison and then when we began to understand she would not be with us long, we have been comforted in knowing that this is part of God’s will.</b> I know I’m a Pastor by the will of God, I’m in this position because God has placed me here. <b style="">That means that God is going to mold me and make me to be like Jesus and the only way for me to be fully like Christ is to be a partaker with Him in His sufferings. </b>I’ve not experienced the death of my first granddaughter as a cruel act of fate, some random act of chance, I experienced this by the sovereign hand of my loving God and Father who counts us Greens and Deasons worthy to suffer immense trial at His hand to make us more like Jesus! God chooses to do this with us because He loves us too much to leave us in our previous condition. He’s chosen by His perfect will to use us to suffer deeply in order to magnify His great name as a testimony to all who care to watch His children suffer, yet still glorify Him. We’re awed and humbled that God would find us trust worthy to endure this before so many – we marvel that He trusts us not to bring reproach upon His character and His great name. He trusts us to be a witness of His grace and mercy in the midst of it, trusts us to give thanks and praise instead of cursing. Through it all, I’m comforted in that I know this is God’s will. Jesus told His disciples in <b style="">Matt. 10:29 that two sparrows were sold for fractions of pennies in the economy of the day but not one of those sparrows falls apart from the will of God and then He says we’re of more value than many sparrows!</b> Jesus’ prayer in the Garden before He went to the cross was not my will, but your will be done and I know God the Father comforted God the Son as His death was God’s will. Notice:</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">II.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God’s comfort has no limits, it knows no boundaries – vs. 3-5</b></p> <p><b style="">Explanation – </b>Notice that in the midst of trials and tribulations, God is still to be <b style="">blessed “eulogized” if you will – to be praised. Why? Because He is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. </b>We humans make the mistake of thinking God owes us something, that we inherently deserve blessings and not cursing. We think we deserve heaven when the reality of our sin means we deserve Hell. Ginny & Stephen have repeatedly praised God for blessing them with little Addison and Ginny has said a couple of times that some parents know if their children died today they would go to hell, but not Addison! She is a recipient of God’s mercy – he covers those little babies who are unable to accept or reject God’s offer of forgiveness with His mercy and grace – which brings us great comfort that Addison is safe with Jesus, not because Addison, Stephen or Ginny deserve it – we’re all sinners – but because of God’s mercy we can be saved. <b style="">Addison will never experience evil, temptation, sin and grieving the heart of God! Like Job, we worship, eulogize or bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ saying the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”</b></p> <p><b style="">But notice a little word in vs. 4, “all”</b> – It does not say who comforts us <b style="">in some</b> of our tribulations, <b style="">most of </b>our tribulations, or just the ones where everyone lives happily ever after. God comforts us in the worst nightmare you could ever dream! Paul goes further to say that as our suffering abounds and multiplies in Christ; God’s comfort abounds and multiplies to meet the distress. <b style="">As distress and tribulation drills to the depth of your soul, God’s comfort drills to the same depth of your sorrow and distress!</b> </p> <p><b style="">Illustrate – </b>Got here on Wednesday and went to the hospital and was over come when I saw Addison, all connected to a ventilator, reading her Scripture and praying for her. I’ve told several people I had peace, not necessarily Addison would be “normal” whatever that means, that she would live or even if she died. I had peace knowing we all, including Addison would be alright because God is still in charge. Thursday was cry day – travelling to the airport to pick up family – weeping in the car and the Lord just holding me. A friend sending text messages telling me how encouraged he was seeing my faith in Christ, that God trusted me to suffer for His glory. Friday, we knew would be the day Addison would meet Jesus. I woke up feeling like I’d been beat with a pipe. My body was racked with pain and I could barely sit up. I laid in bed and wept for my daughter Ginny who’s wanted to be a mama since she could hold a doll – and dad can’t do a thing. I was praying in bed saying “God of all days, I need to be strong and here I am in bed and can hardly move.”<span style=""> </span>The gut wrenching anguish felt like a boulder crushing me – and the God of all comfort touches me – strengthened me in my distress. Allowed us to minister to Drs and nurses and hospital staff later that day, to hold Addison’s little hand, knowing I was going to hand her back to Jesus. Oh the comfort God supplied! Oh the depth of the love of God and His mercy to allow our family – 17 of us to hold that baby in NICU! I’m here to tell you there is no limit to the comfort God is able to provide. God’s comfort knows no boundaries and there is no trial or distress that is greater than God’s comfort. Here I’m worried sick for Ginny – when I meet her at the hospital, she’s smiling, got a bag full of clothes to put on Addison so we could take pictures. God was like “you see? I’m caring for you far more than you can!” </p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">III.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in that our distress has a definite purpose – vs. 4a, 6-7</b></p> <p><b style="">Explanation – </b>For a child of God, we can rest assured that God is going to use our distress and tribulation for our good and for His glory according to Romans 8. <b style="">That’s what Paul affirms here also that one of the purposes (vs. 4a) of His comfort in our distress is so that we in turn may comfort others.</b> Repeatedly through this process I find myself helping comfort others who seem more distraught on the outside looking in. I’ve marveled that we’re living the trauma and we seem to be doing better than everyone else on the fringe. We’ve seen and experienced God’s care first hand and the comfort we’ve shared with others is out of the abundance of God’s comfort in us. <b style="">BTW –</b> <b style="">it is our privilege to know how we can encourage and comfort you if you’ll ask us. </b>Ya’ll are in mourning also since we’ve all participated with Ginny’s pregnancy for 9 months on Facebook! <b style="">In vs. 6 Paul says “It is for your consolation and salvation” – </b>We’ve been sensitive to the Lord as to who we can share with about the hope we have in Christ and His provision for our sin. Our desire is to see people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through our distress, that the Holy Spirit would draw you to faith b/c of what we’ve gone through. <b style="">Share ABC’s.</b> <b style="">Vs.7 </b>Our hope for you is rock solid as we know God is going to use this to draw people to Himself.</p> <p><b style="">Illustration – </b>I had opportunity to witness to the lady on the plane. I’ve watched Ginny and Stephen witness for the Lord, listened to my dad sharing the Gospel in the NICU to one of the nurses, got to pray for our family over Addison’s bed with people listening on around us. Over and over we’ve been able to testify of the Lord’s grace, his peace and strength and His desire that people would come to know him. Even thanking the nurses in the unit after Addison met Jesus. That is not normal – a great chance to share the love of Christ! Finally:</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">IV.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span></b><b style="">God comforts in His faithfulness – vs. 8-11</b></p> <p><b style="">Explanation – </b>No matter how much we’re in despair, even though sometimes the pain was so great we thought we’d rather just die – that’s what vs. 8 says: but the situation is so completely overwhelming we cannot trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead! God has a way of putting us in a spot where we can do nothing but trust in Him to rescue us! <b style="">Notice vs. 10 – Past tense – “who delivered us from so great a death”(the cross), present tense – and does deliver us (present trial), and finally future tense, “that He will still deliver us.”Future storms and ultimately at the end of our lives! </b>You see the reality folks is that our everlasting God is everlastingly faithful! God’s faithfulness, not only as a part of His character brings us great comfort. He’s been faithful to save us from spiritual death, physical death holds no control over us as we know Addison is safe with Jesus. I know I’ll see my granddaughter again. As I sat there holding her, her little hand gripping my finger – I had a vision of this sweet gal meeting me someday in Heaven – “Pops come look!” showing me around heaven. God was faithful to sustain us through every part of this, He’s continuing that faithful comfort right now in helping me preach, He’s going to continue faithfully to care for us in 6 months and a year when the rest of the world has move on. <b style="">Vs.11 – We still need the help of others in prayer; with the aim being many more people would praise God for His comfort – through the gift – that’s right, the gift of suffering granted to us in Addison’s home going.</b></p> <p></p> <p><b style="">Close – </b>Repeat reading of vs.3-4. So what about you? What is your response today going to be? How has the Holy Spirit spoken to you today? Maybe you want to give your life to Christ today?</p> <p>Maybe you need to rededicate your life to Christ – maybe you’ve been embittered toward God because of some trauma you’ve been through and you need to repent of being angry at God. I’m going to pray and then Brother Cory is going to play an invitation song. I’ll be here to meet & pray with you; Brother Bob will pray with you, there are other believers here who can help you make a decision for Christ today. </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/my-message-from-addisions-funeral">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5634955325713450338?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-32843281864584289372010-04-15T10:14:00.003-04:002010-04-15T10:24:33.734-04:00Reflections from the whirlwind...<div class="posterous_autopost"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In 1st Kings 19:9-18, we have the interesting account of the prophet Elijah going through a bout of depression, hiding in a cave because the wicked Queen Jezebel was seeking to kill him. In chapter 18, we're told that Elijah had exercised profound faith against the prophets of Baal, had seen God send fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice and altar proving He is the true God and the people responded by seizing the 450 prophets of the idol Baal and killing them. After that great victory, Elijah is running for his life from Jezebel when the Lord wants to speak to him. God tells Elijah to get out of the cave and go stand on the mountain before the Lord. Elijah does so and God sends a whirlwind to tear at the rocks around, Elijah, then an earthquake and fire, but the Bible says God wasn't in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but then there was this still small voice - the voice of God speaking to Elijah...</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I kind of feel that way in the sense that myself, Wayne Tapscott and Vince Hammond have been on a whirlwind trip to Moscow. We'd experienced a wonderful Easter and then flew off to Russia to see the Lord's work there in Moscow with our international missionaries, the Cherry family. I can't speak for Wayne and Vince but I kind of feel like I've been in a cave for most of my life since this was my first trip to Europe. I've been to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, but most of my understanding is only of America. In the midst of this whirlwind trip, I heard the still small voice of God that convicted me to get out of the cave of my American comfort and accept more than just mentally that Christ came for the nations. That the Great Commission is not exclusive to the United States, but for the peoples of the world. I was broken to realize how blessed I am personally and how blessed we are corporately as a church. The greater Moscow area has about 15 million people living there. There are about a 120 Evangelical Churches there which means they preach salvation through Christ alone by faith alone. That may sound like a lot of churches, but the reality is this is one church for every 125,000 people! Clearly from a simple numerical point of view, many more churches must be started to reach this population of people. Lots of Orthodox Churches hold sway over the people teaching a dead religion that worships icons painted on old walls; but using religious terminology similar to ours, just in Russian.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I was humbled by the still small voice of God as I preached on Saturday afternoon to a small church start plant that began last November, the Dedication Church about the urgency of repentance. I was challenged by God that I need to repent personally of my pride. I heard the voice of God seeing and hearing this small group of believers worship in their native Russian tongue singing "God of Wonders" and "Blessed Assurance". While the words made no sense to me, I recognized the tune and there was drawn into worship of the Great God we serve who has this amazing plan that every tribe, tongue and nation will be worshiping Him someday in eternity. Realizing this little fledging church shares it's worship space with 21 other churches each weekend because the cost of real estate is so expensive broke my heart. Each church rents this room for a 2 hour block of time beginning early Saturday morning and continuing till some time Sunday night. Dedication Church happens to have it from 3-5 Saturday afternoon. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I was humbled by the Bethany Church believers on Sunday, 80 or so crammed into a small room in a different location above a tire changing business. They also have 1 Bible Study classroom/kitchen and 1 small conference room. The church is not the building they assemble in, it’s the people; a people of all ages hungry for God and His word. A family of the people of God who emphasize the repentance aspect of salvation. They describe people in terms of those who have repented and those who have not. I saw their zeal and love for the Lord, their passion for and commitment to obedience to God and His Word, and I heard God speak to me of my relative lack of zeal, love for and passion to obey God and His Word. I met Pastor Zanin Alexander and his sweet wife Valentina, who would much rather live in the country doing something else, but stay in the city because God has called them to reach Moscow. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I heard the still small voice of God saying to me He’s blessed me to be a blessing, that there is much more I could be doing to expand His kingdom and reveal His glory to others, not just in Moscow, but in Harford County. I believe a lot of Christians are trying to hear from God above the noise of our iPods, Christian radio, the busyness of our lives, and the show put on in the local church; but I’m not sure God wants to use that to speak to us and Elijah’s experience demonstrates that the voice of God is in the still small voice. I’ll be sharing more in the near future as we’ll hear both from the Maine mission team and the Moscow team on a Sunday morning. I urge you now to get out of your cave and stand on the mountain in front of the Lord and get ready to listen to the still small voice of God….from my little corner of the world to yours….</span></div><br /><span style="color: #333399; font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting';">Pastor Ralph Green</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333399; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br /> <span style="color: #333399; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/">www.calvarybelair.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /> </span></div><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/reflections-from-the-whirlwind">Pastor Ralph</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3284328186458428937?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-88228903875448039822010-04-10T14:55:00.001-04:002010-04-10T14:55:23.084-04:00Thanks for praying!!!<div class='posterous_autopost'> Prayer warriors,<div>Thanks so much for praying for me as I was preaching today in a Russian Baptist Church plant that only began last November. It has been a marathon day (after a restless night) and it was evident you were praying. The service started late because Pastor Andrei was scrambling around trying to locate a translator. The lady he had secured for this project realized she had already made a commitment and could not do this. I spoke to three individuals in succession trying to figure out who could translate literally minutes before the service was to begin. I had probably 2 minutes to speak with a young man named Maxeem who was scared to death but agreed to translate for me. I gave him a copy of my notes and he studied them while the music was going on and then he translated for me. He had never done this before and neither had I so we both had quite an adventure. I felt so badly for him because I at least knew what I was planning to say, he had to do this on the fly. Between Maxeem and the Associate Pastor who read the Scriptures for us, it appears the Lord blessed as I preached. Only the Lord could have worked this out. I think Maxeem was probably the most relieved of all when we finished and he made a hasty exit. He did a great job and Wayne Tapscott was able to catch him to thank him before he left for which I was grateful.</div><p /><div>For my Faith Family friends, you would have been like me today, feeling like a proud grandpa or dad seeing Carly leading worship on the keyboard and vocals and Jack backing her up on the guitar in Russian! Carly is in 8th grade and Jack is in 6th grade. It was all I could to do keep from weeping watching these two serving our Lord Jesus Christ this way. What was amazing was they were singing praise songs in Russian that we would recognize in English, including "This is the air I breathe", "Blessed Assurance", and "God of Wonders". While it was being sung in Russian, I was singing in English and it was wonderful.</div><div>After I finished preaching on "The Urgency of Repentance" from Acts 17:30-31. Pastor Andrei</div><div>sang a Russian song about repentance and another leader in church spent about 20 minutes challenging believers to tithe from many Scriptures and ended up sharing the Gospel again before they took up the offering! </div><p /><div>We returned to the Cherry's apartment for a Saturday night English club they lead for Russians who want to learn English through a Bible Study. Many times unbelievers come to this but tonight, it was four young women who are believers. We had pizza after the Bible Study and then 45 minute Metro ride back to our hotel, changed trains 3 times and our faithful Navigator Vince Hammond has steered us safely back every night. </div><div>I'd post pictures, but I'm beat. Maybe tomorrow. We attend another Russian Baptist Church tomorrow (Sunday) and then a visit with the Pastor who apparently is the Precept Director for Russia. I hear he's an amazing expositor of the word. There is a huge need here for the love of Jesus Christ. Believers here describe salvation not by someone praying a prayer or walking an aisle, the say "He or she has repented." Believe all you want in their minds, it is whether or not you've repented. The sadness is people's faces as they trudge through life without Christ breaks my heart. The Cherry's are heroes to me. They are investing their lives into the Russian people so they may know Christ. It will be long, hard difficult work, but God is faithful to bring the harvest. We must pray, we must continue to give, but most of all we must continue to come to Russia.</div><div><br />To my Calvary family, I miss you and I will be praying for you as you gather in worship tomorrow. Wally Yocum will be be preaching and I know he will challenge and encourage you in the word. I'm looking forward to returning to be home with you, I love you and thank God for your heart and love for Jesus through missions.</div><p /><div>Blessings in Christ,</div><div> <br /> Pastor Ralph Green<br /> Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com">www.calvarybelair.com</a><p /> <br /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/thanks-for-praying-0">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-8822890387544803982?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-32423328397740366382010-04-01T12:18:00.001-04:002010-04-01T12:18:53.081-04:00The one who came back to say thanks...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>By the time this article in our Way Newsletter appears in your mailbox, Easter weekend will be over and I will be in Moscow Russia on a mission/vision trip along with Wayne Tapscott and Vince Hammond. I’ll talk about the Russian trip in a bit. In thinking about all of our activities with Good Friday, the Pancake Breakfast, Easter Egg Hunt (including all you who donated candy and eggs), our Palm Sunday musical with our choir, orchestra, praise band, childcare workers, ushers, flower committee and the myriad of volunteers to make all of this possible, well I wanted to just say thanks. I’m constantly reminded of the ten lepers Jesus healed from that awful disease and of that group of ten, only one came back to say thanks. I’ve determined in my life, I may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound like superman, but I can be thankful. I’ve determined I will have “an attitude of gratitude” and I want to be like that one leper who took time to say thanks. So if you volunteered or helped in any way, let me tell you that I appreciate you so very much for volunteering and serving however you helped out. I also want to say thanks to you who went out of your way to greet visitors and engage them to make welcome here at Calvary. This church truly is something special and it is my joy to serve as your senior pastor. I can honestly say there is no place, any place, in any case, quite like or as special as this place! (Say that 5 times fast!). We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I marvel at God’s goodness to us. Somehow “thanks” here doesn’t seem to be enough, but I’m banking on our Heavenly Father to reward you appropriately in Heaven as you’ve been storing up treasure there. </p> <p></p> <p>On Wednesday 4-7-10, Wayne, Vince and I departed for Moscow Russia. We are going to see Rhenn and Terry Cherry, their two kids Carly and Jack. The Cherry’s were members of our church in Houston at Faith Family Baptist Church under Pastor David Lino where I served as his associate pastor. I knew there was something special about the Cherry’s when I met them as you could just tell in their family, the Lord had done a miracle. Rhenn was a corporate executive with a major energy corporation and was on his way to being extremely wealthy on the fast track up the corporate ladder. There were some problems in his company with the head executives that he didn’t know about and the corporate dream life he was living crashed down around them when the company declared bankruptcy and went under. Rhenn was one of the last officers to go down with the ship so to speak and had the responsibility to help relocate employees if possible, handle the gut-wrenching process of laying off people he knew, worked with and cared about, and then finally, he turned in his stuff and he was done also. During all this, the Lord got Rhenn’s attention under the ministry of Pastor David as we affectionately call him. God called Rhenn, Terry, Carly and Jack to be missionaries in Moscow Russia. Rhenn enrolled in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Houston to prepare for the mission field. The Cherry’s received an appointment with our international mission board (IMB) and after graduation, left most of their earthly possessions behind, packed what they could put in crates and moved to Russia. For the last several years, they’ve been in heavy training in language school, and now have their assignment in Moscow with Rhenn supervising a group of IMB missionaries in Russia. I’ve been watching their ministry and I’m confident God has His hands on this special family. Our purpose for this trip is to see how we can partner with the Cherry’s in their work, specifically among Russian Baptist Churches to make disciples in Moscow. On 4-10-10 I will be preaching in a new church start called “Dedication Church”. It will be my first opportunity to preach overseas with a translator so I would appreciate your prayers and that the Lord would speak through me. On Sunday, we’ll be visiting another Russian Baptist Church to explore how we can assist these strategic churches before currently open doors might close in the future. While the door is open, we want to get involved as the Lord leads and if it is his will. Would you pray for the three of us to have wisdom and discernment as to the Lord’s leading and that we’ll be a blessing to the Cherry’s, and the pastors of these two key churches? You may have seen there was a terrorist bombing in a Moscow subway on Monday March 29<sup>th</sup>. From what I hear, there is much fear and terror in Moscow and if you have no hope in the risen Savior, this is understandable. I can’t wait to tell you all about it upon our return. In the mean time, thanks in advance for praying, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-one-who-came-back-to-say-thanks">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-3242332839774036638?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-68446910020360916612010-03-18T11:20:00.001-04:002010-03-18T11:20:42.073-04:00When hope is lost...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is the adventure of Paul and Luke in Acts 27 where Paul is a prisoner being transported to Rome on a ship for trial and they get caught in the middle of a Nor’easter. I love this chapter because I’m fascinated by Paul’s ability to be a leader and a man of profound influence even though he’s a prisoner. The other morning in my quiet time, I was on a roll pulling out leadership principles from Paul’s example in this chapter that I’ll develop into a sermon or seminar series someday. But what struck me was Luke’s statement in 27:20 where they had not seen sun nor stars for many days, he makes an unbelievably sad statement: <b>“all hope that we would be saved was finally lost.”</b> As I meditated on that statement, I thought about the myriad of struggles I know of in our church family with people being deathly ill, major surgeries, and catastrophic injuries with long roads to recovery. I also thought of families who are walking through serious crisis with their children, members who have some serious challenges in their businesses and jobs, the possibilities of being laid off or having to lay people off as a boss. Meeting this week with some elderly prospects who’ve visited Calvary and the heartache they carry in their current church situation and the profound sadness they have at the thought of having to find a new church at this stage of their lives. As I thought of all the difficulties my sheep the Lord has entrusted me with are experiencing, I could feel the stress, pressure and burdens building as I read again <b>“all hope that we would be saved was finally lost.” </b>After my quiet time, I began to get dressed to head to the office and turned on the news to catch up on the bad news out in the world. I don’t know why I bother, it would be more depressing to listen to all the garbage going on, but I subjected myself to it anyway. I was still thinking about Luke’s statement: <b>“all hope that we would be saved was finally lost.” </b>As I stood there shaving, staring at myself in the mirror, I was talking to God about all this stuff going on, praying for many of you by name, asking God to take these burdens, for His grace and peace to be upon our church family in the midst of trials, I could feel the stress and weight of the world being lifted off my shoulders. The blessed Holy Spirit reminded me of recent studies through Revelation and that we’ve already won, He reminded me of Jesus’ promise: <b>“I will not leave you nor forsake you.” </b>Reminding me also of Jesus’ promise to His disciples, <b>“In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” </b>Looking outside the window next to me, I saw the sun already ablaze, the sky was clear blue, seeing buds forming on trees in the woods behind my house, I gazed up into the expanse of space and thanked the Lord for who He is, knowing that my Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and at that moment, He was making intercession, praying to the Father for me and for all of you! The Lord knows all of the hurts, trials, pressures and struggles you and I are experiencing. The need for hope in our church and society is profound, but I would remind you that Jehovah God is bigger than all that stuff and He’s inviting you to talk to Him about it. Paul was one of 276 people in a desperate situation & he encouraged the other 275 people on this ship that He had a word from the Lord that they would be saved. I got a word from the Lord that morning too, and I walked out into the day walking in confidence that my God is in charge and He’s walking with me and “hopelessness” just becomes incredible “hope”! This is not a dream, a fantasy, not naivety, but the calm assurance that I’m securely in God’s care and that I can count on His provision. Oh what a blessing to walk with God through the good bad and the downright ugly. The people around your circle of influence desperately need hope and you have the keys to share it with them if you walk with God daily through prayer and consistent Bible Study. Paul’s hope and confidence in God was contagious and mine and yours can be also in a world that desperately needs it. So take courage, be strengthened and know that all hope is not lost that we can be and will be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, not just for eternal salvation, but through the storms and trials of life. <b>“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1<sup>st</sup> Peter 5:7). </b>I thought I’d spread a little hope, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/when-hope-is-lost">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-6844691002036091661?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-58775807756759397352010-03-04T11:27:00.001-05:002010-03-04T11:27:47.082-05:00Where Great Things Are Happening...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>I’m a product in many ways of Dr. Bill Sutton, my pastor at First Baptist Church in McAllen Texas because it was under his ministry I heard God’s call upon my life to the Gospel Ministry as a pastor. I learned so much from Brother Bill as we call him and he is a tremendous leader I love dearly. One of the things Brother Bill would say on Sunday mornings as he welcomed people to FBC McAllen was “Welcome to First Baptist Church where great things are happening.” It was true. God was moving and working and great things were happening. In my Quiet Time, I’ve been reading through the Book of Acts and you’d have to be nearly in a coma to not see the great things happening in the early church because God’s Holy Spirit was at work in and through the people. The Jerusalem Church was exploding with growth as they went from about 120 people to 3000 by Acts 2:41 and the Bible says that <span style="color: #0070C0;">“the Lord added daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).</span> By the time Acts 4 begins, the Bible makes a point to tell us there were about 5000 men who were part of the church (4:4) and some commentators estimate the real attendance to be close to 25,000 people when women and children are factored into the mix! Honestly, that makes my chest hurt just thinking about the stress of a church that size. But because it was the Lord’s doing, His grace was sufficient for the humans involved and it’s His Church to grow as He sees fit. </p> <p></p> <p>l say all this to highlight for us that wherever the Lord is working “great things are happening.” It is evident to your leadership team here at Calvary that the Lord is working and great things are indeed happening. We continue to see guests and visitors checking us out nearly every week. Many are new visitors and many are coming back for a second look. Our Deacon Chairman brother Ernie Owens pointed out to the deacon body in our last meeting we need to be thinking and praying about the growth the church is experiencing and the logistics of space as we have more people come. In another meeting with the Church Council Brother Ernie said our motto needs to be “Semper Gumby” – which he translated as “Always Flexible”. I love that! I’ve said for many years in the places I’ve ministered we have 3 rules, be flexible, be flexible and in case we forget the first two, the third is “be flexible.” Just to give you an example, Our worship attendance average on Sunday for January was 317 and in February was 349. What’s amazing is this includes the Sunday we had to cancel February 7<sup>th</sup> for the blizzard. Last week in Bible Study, we had 285 people and our worship attendance was 375! Many people define success simply by the numbers of people in attendance and if the church is meeting the budget. That’s not how I see success in the Book of Acts as I’ve highlighted above, the Lord adding to the church daily those who were being saved is part of the success, but as the rest of the book demonstrates, the success is in the disciples that were being made and how they carried the gospel around the known world. When disciples are being made, the Lord is working to transform lives. </p> <p></p> <p>I need your help as we grow larger in a couple of areas which will help us as the Lord adds to His Church. Remember to always be flexible. Each “number” represents a person that Christ died for and wants to make a disciple. This means we need to be willing to include new people we don’t know. I was so proud this past Sunday as I saw several of our members speaking to guests at length after church. We need to be sensitive to this especially as the weather improves and Easter is just around the corner. I know it is not comfortable to be the one to initiate the greeting but let me encourage you to reach out quickly to guests you don’t know to welcome them. I also need you to be flexible if your class needs to be rearranged to add more chairs. An 8 foot table may be nice to hold your Bible and coffee but it takes up a huge amount of space and keeps guests from getting plugged in to Bible Study because there aren’t enough seats. Those tables may have to go to help us make disciples by freeing up space. I also need you to fill out our screening paperwork to protect our kids and volunteer to work in our children’s ministry. Last Sunday for extended session, we had nearly 30 preschoolers! I know you may have raised your kids, but that’s precisely why we need your wisdom and help to minister down there during worship. Our Preschool Director Mandi Yocum has a goal to have enough volunteers so you would only need to work 1 time every 8 weeks. Many hands make light work. From my little corner of the world to yours where great things are happening, “Semper Gumby”!</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/where-great-things-are-happening">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5877580775675939735?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-51618168161578335402010-02-18T13:20:00.001-05:002010-02-18T13:20:05.512-05:00Giving Glory to God...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>One of my favorite hymns is “To God be the Glory” because it’s a reminder to celebrate the work of God in bringing us to redemption. It challenges us to praise the Lord, to let the earth hear His voice and let the people rejoice. The final phrase of the chorus is “Oh come to the Father, thro’ Jesus the Son, and give Him the glory, great things He has done.” Well this past Sunday, we saw the Lord move in tremendous ways in both services. First of all, I challenged us to be faithful to catch up on our tithes and offerings because we had to cancel the previous week and only had one service the week before. God’s people responded and our offering was $36,596.53 which is huge considering we still had a number of people who could not attend because of the conditions. Our weekly budget need is $18,002.00 so we exceeded our budget need for the last two Sundays by a little over $296.00. In a tough economy, with lots of added expenses for groceries, snow removal and all the expenses that goes into dealing with a blizzard of the magnitude we’ve experienced in the last two weeks, I believe a holy hallelujah is in order to praise God for providing for His Bride this way. Many churches are struggling financially at this time and cancelling a service nearly means disaster for them because typically people don’t catch up on their tithes and offerings. I’m so proud of our church family for being obedient to bring the Lord’s tithe and an offering to Him on the Lord’s Day but this is not our doing, it is the Lord working in our lives and for that we must give Him praise!</p> <p></p> <p>Secondly, we must praise and give God the glory for the movement of the Holy Spirit in our services. Because it was Valentine’s Day, I preached on God’s Amazing Love from John 3:16 and at the end, I challenged the church to take two sets of two cards we had made, one a “My Influence Card” and the other was a simple “Invite Card.” With the influence card, we were to list the names of 3 people we believe to be lost without Christ. When we finished that card, we were to keep one as a reminder for us, and come forward and place the other card in a basket as an offering to God that we were making a commitment to pray for an opportunity to invite those lost people to come to Calvary and that they would come to know the Lord this year. The “Invite Cards” are simple business cards that we will use to invite people to be our guest at Calvary. It has our worship times, church info and a map of how to get here. I had no idea what to expect but shortly, one by one, people began to leave their seats and walk forward with cards in hand, then groups of people began to come forward, whole families, young people, older people, children. In both services, I saw people with tears in their eyes as they were burdened for lost friends, family, co-workers, or even mere acquaintances, they were going to pray for to come to know Jesus. At the end of the services, I held up that basket of names and we prayed right then for these people to come to know Jesus. This is the very heartbeat of God but sadly it is not the heartbeat of many Christians. Winning people to Christ is not a natural thing for us to do. I asked people to pray that God would help us see people the way He does, they are either saved or lost and all of the ways we segregate people do not matter. I was so amazed to see the way the Holy Spirit moved in people’s hearts. We had 223 cards turned in with at least one name on the card and 210 cards with 3 or more names printed on the card. </p> <p></p> <p>Most of our invite cards were taken but we’ll have more for you to pick up here at church each week. This means we’ll continue to see guests come through the doors at Calvary. Remember church family, each one of these people is someone Jesus died to save. We only get one chance to make a first impression so be sensitive to guests, people you don’t know and don’t recognize. It matters not how they’re dressed, what they have tattooed or pierced, whether they are wearing a suit or their Sunday best and look like they stepped out of a magazine, if you don’t know them, please greet them warmly and welcome them to Calvary. Then pray that they’ll respond to the Gospel message I’ll be bringing that day. </p> <p></p> <p>I want to praise God for working in our hearts and lives, for challenging us and stretching us and I’m so thrilled to see the Holy Spirit’s movement here. Glory to God, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/giving-glory-to-god">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-5161816816157833540?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-23102355615878588622010-02-07T12:19:00.001-05:002010-02-07T12:19:54.618-05:00The Theology of Snow...<div class='posterous_autopost'> Working the dumb end of a snow shovel gives you time to think, and think and think some more because of the amazing and record amount of snow we got here in Maryland. It snowed for roughly 29 hours straight and the results are incredible. The news people were urging people to be careful saying this is a heartattack making snow storm - meaning the weight of it and the exertion of shoveling it could send you into cardiac arrest. I have to admit, I was extremely frustrated because I used to have the equipment to deal with such a storm when I was a pastor in New England - a ginormous snowblower that would cut through the worst New England blizzards had to offer like a hot knife through butter. I gave it to my lost neighbor and witnessed to him once again when we were moving to Houston. The more I shoveled by hand, the more frustrated I became because I felt like I was using a soup spoon to empty the ocean of snow blanketing my driveway.<p /> I was also frustrated in that this is the second weekend in a row our weekend church activities had to be postponed, rescheduled or cancelled completely because of the snow. I talked to the Lord alot about it wondering why the business world doesn't get interrupted during the week day but church does with snow on the weekend. After all, the Lord can control when this happens and I know He's not oblivous to the fact His people assemble on Sunday. Well a couple of thoughts came to mind that I thought I'd share today since we're not going anywhere soon and we aren't in church.<p /> First, I thought the Lord is serious about the 10 commandments, even in the 21st century. The 4th commandment is "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy" (Ex.20:8). The thought occured to me that the vast majority of people in our community and nation for that matter have no regard for the Lord's Day whatsoever. The Lord helped me see how He could orchestrate it to where people had no choice but to stay home on the Lord's Day by sending enough snow to where they couldn't go anywhere - no mall, no shopping, nothing. Stay home and watch my power. Whether humans remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy or not, God still does.<p /> Secondly, I researched what the Bible has to say about snow and found some interesting things. Only twice in Scripture is actual snowfall recorded and these both refer to the same incident. 2nd Samuel 23:20 says "<span>Benaiah <i>was</i> the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day." (See also 1st Chron. 11:22). This warrior was one of David's mighty men of valor. This made me thankful for our men and women of valor who work in emergency services and serve the public even in the middle of a storm. I saw police officers on patrol in my neighborhood, a fire truck drove in on a call also, not to mention the city workers plowing, and nurses & doctors caring for people at the hospital. I heard a news account of a national guard soldier who had to rescue a stranded motorist in a humvee and said it was scary driving even in a humvee. I'm sure David was thankful for Benaiah and I hope you're thankful for these modern "Benaiah's". I prayed for those firemen and policemen I saw while I was holding the dumb end of my shovel. </span><br /> <span></span> <br /> <span>When the Lord was helping old Job see the reality of His might and power by asking Job if he knew of the inner workings of the universe, He said in Job 38:22-23 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or have you seen the storehouses of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?" In other words, the Lord is reminding me "there's more where this came from and I have my purposes in it." As I was shoveling with my little shovel, working for hours and barely making a dent, I bowed in my heart and mind and told the Lord I was in awe of His might, His power and His majesty. I told Him I fear Him and acknowledged how small I am and how great He is and continues to be. I thanked him for His grace and mercy in the middle of the storm and His provision for us. I guess you could say I was worshipping the Lord on the end of that shovel.</span><br /> <span></span> <br /> <span>Thirdly, as I write this, the brightness of the sun and snow is overwhelming to my already squinty eyes. It's hard for me to gaze very long at it as my eyes cannot handle the brightness. It simply a reminder that our God is pure and Holy, the Scriptures describe Him this way: </span><br /> <span>Daniel 7:9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; <strong>His garment was white as snow,</strong> And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;"</span><br /> <span>Mark 9:3 "His clothes became shining, <strong>exceedingly white, like snow,</strong> such as no launderer on earth can whiten them." This is referring to when Jesus was transfigured in the presence of His disciples to show them a glimpes of His glory.</span><br /> <span>Revelation 1:14 "His head and hair were <strong>white like wool, as white as snow,</strong> and His eyes like a flame of fire;" This is how Jesus appeared to John the Revelator who saw Jesus in all His glory in eternity future. </span><span>All of these demonstrate the purity and holiness of God. </span><br /> <span></span> <br /> <span>Finally, the Scriptures share with us God's desire that we too be holy, clean and pure, like God Himself. In Psalm 51:7, after David's great sin with Bathsheeba and his murder of Uriah, He said "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and <strong>I shall be whiter than snow."</strong> Isn't that an awesome description of the cleansing power of God and the forgiveness He offers? In Isaiah 1:18 the Prophet said "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, <strong>They shall be as white as snow;</strong> Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool." There is no sin you've ever committed or will commit that God cannot forgive and cleanse. (Yes - I know of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - that's a different discussion for a different day.) </span><br /> <span></span> <br /> <span>The story is told years ago of a woman in Wales who was walking with her infant baby she had wrapped in a blanket. Sadly, an awful blizzard swept in before she could get home safely. The next day, searchers found her frozen body partially buried in the snow. They did not understand why she had no clothes on when they found her but as they lifted her frozen body, they found a blanket and to their shock, they found that infant child, wrapped snuggly in his mother's clothes and blanket alive and well. She used her own clothing and body warmth to shield and protect that child so that he might live. In the midst of the tragedy of a white out blizzard, life was found because of the sacrifice and amazing love of a dedicated mother. That's how our sins can be made white as snow, because Jesus laid down His life, shed His blood and covered us so that we might be saved. There's great theology to be found in snow. Theology is simply the study of God, so while we're snowed think about the lessons you can learn in studying God via the teaching tool of snow. Something to think about, from my snowed in corner of the world to yours....</span><p /> Pastor Ralph Green<br />Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church<p /> <a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/">www.calvarybelair.com</a> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-theology-of-snow">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-2310235561587858862?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-13557235993273205772010-02-04T15:49:00.001-05:002010-02-04T15:49:58.760-05:00The Manifest Presence & Power of God...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p>Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Pastor’s Conference hosted by the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville Florida. It was wonderful time of refreshing for me spiritually to hear some of the greatest preachers of our day and a time of intense learning and understanding of the current trends and issues in the world today. It was encouraging also to dialogue with other pastors and ministries about what the Lord is doing in and through these churches and pastors. At one of the sessions I attended, Henry Blackaby, the author of “Experiencing God” spoke to us about “God’s Conditions for Revival.” Many of you would be familiar with this study but many of you may not know that the Lord has profoundly used this “Experiencing God” study in so many incredible ways literally around the world. Dr. Blackaby shared how the prison warden at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana went through the study and in turn made the workbook available to all the inmates at his prison who wanted one, particularly focused on those inmates awaiting execution on death row. What has been happening in that prison is an absolute miracle as many of these inmates have come to know the Lord Jesus as Savior and revival is happening there. Dr. Blackaby shared from Matt.16:18-19 of Jesus’ promise to build His Church in such a way that the gates of Hell will not be victorious against the church. He made the point that the manifest presence and power of God will cause the doorposts of Hell to fall down around where His church is engaged in Kingdom business. However, he warned that revival does not happen unless the church repents first and becomes engaged in significant prayer efforts to learn of God’s will and work in their community.</p> <p></p> <p>Later in the conference we heard from Jim Cymbala, Pastor of the famous Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York. Pastor Cymbala’s church regularly has about 2000 people who come to their Tuesday night prayer meeting where the people gather to pray for God’s manifest presence and power to be made known there. Pastor Cymbala preached from Acts 12 regarding Peter’s imprisonment while “constant prayer was being offered to God for him by the church” (Acts 12:5). As I listened to these men speak about the need for prayer in the life of God’s people, I was reminded of a paper I wrote in seminary tracing the influence of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon in London. It is well documented that Spurgeon had hundreds of people praying for him in the basement of the Metropolitan Tabernacle nearly constantly. Spurgeon called it the “boiler room” and affirmed that the ministry of those prayer warriors pleading with God to work in mighty ways to bring people to faith in Christ in London and literally around the world the key to what God was doing there at that time.</p> <p></p> <p>As I meditated and thought about prayer in the life of our church and the desire to see the manifest presence and power of God taking place in this community, I wondered why we don’t see the gates of Hell crumbling around us. I wondered why we don’t see people being saved and baptized on a regular basis. Sadly, I also wondered how much of what we do around Calvary can be done and is being done without the manifest presence and power of God? In other words, how much of our ministry could and would take place if God didn’t show up? These thoughts convict me in my own life and I’m reminded of Jesus’ admonition to His disciples in John 15:5 that He is the vine, we are the branches and those who abide in Him bear much fruit. Jesus also said “without Me, you can do nothing.” Oh sure, we have much activity, we have a full calendar, but how much of it depends on the manifest presence and power of God? Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying all of what we’re doing isn’t bathed in prayer because I know we have people praying, but I am trying to make us think in an honest fashion about prayer or the lack of it.</p> <p></p> <p>I believe we will see and experience the manifest presence and power of God if we will be willing to humble ourselves and pray. I will be intensifying my prayer efforts and I am asking you to join with me. I will be asking God to allow us see the gates of Hell crumble around us and that lives will be transformed by His grace and mercy. I will be praying that God will allow us at Calvary to see His mighty work, that His power and glory will be made known in this place and that His kingdom will be expanded, and that the Lord will do a fresh work in all of our lives. I long for the manifest presence and power of God, from my little corner of the world to yours…</p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Ralph Green</span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><i><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: ti,serif;">Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"></span></i></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: ti,serif;"><a href="http://www.calvarybelair.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.calvarybelair.com</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Subscribe to Pastor Ralph's Blog: <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com/</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style=""><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Follow Me on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/RalphGreen"><span style="color: blue;">http://twitter.com/RalphGreen</span></a> </span></b></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://pastorralphgreen.posterous.com/the-manifest-presence-and-power-of-god">Pastor Ralph</a> </p> </div> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7531369598788567258-1355723599327320577?l=pastorralphgreen.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Pastor Ralphhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07673163640718301402noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7531369598788567258.post-49105430883485550732010-01-19T12:44:00.001-05:002010-01-19T12:44:03.067-05:00Visioning...<div class='posterous_autopost'> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">January 1, 2010 began a new decade of service and ministry. As I had a little time off over the Christmas and New Year Holiday, I began to reflect on the previous year and the whirlwind of activity I had personally in our family with two moves, two weddings and trying to learn a new system of church life and ministry, getting to know a new church family and settling in to the rigors of preaching at least twice a week. I found myself scrambling to get up to speed in so many areas, sometimes it was quite overwhelming quite honestly and I think there were times I felt like I was peddling a big wheel on Interstate 95! But the Lord is so good and He’s brought us through an amazingly wonderful year. As I’ve been reflecting, praying and talking to the Lord, I’ve been reminded of <b><span style="color: #00B0F0;">Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”</span></b> The warning of the sage is God’s people need to seek the prophetic revelation of the Lord – if they do not, there is a tendency to just do anything and everything we want to for our own selfish agenda. He follows this warning with a promise of God’s favor and blessing to those who keep the law of God; which is a constant expectation for God’s people, even while they are waiting for further instructions from God.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The Lord is inviting us to seek His face for the vision of our future, I know very well there is a tremendous need and I have a burden to hear to the Word of the Lord as to the heading and course we are to undertake; what His vision is for what He intends for Calvary to be over the next decade and beyond. On April 26<sup>th</sup>, 2009, on the occasion of our church’s 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary, I shared with you a message called “A recipe for our future” from Mark 2:1-17. I shared with you 10 ingredients from that text that need to be present in our church life for a successful future. Recently I pulled up the podcast off the website and listened to that message again, I’ve studied my sermon manuscript and have been refreshed by the Lord for the big picture related to our future. I’ve been burdened with the need to flesh out the vision God has and incorporate ways in my communication with you to “vision cast” what God wants us to be, what God wants us to do in our mission of making disciples. This comes through much prayer both from me and our church family. Our staff has begun to pray and develop some strategic plans related to our future and we’re going to be working on this more throughout the course of this year. We’re going to have to make some hard choices related to some of what we’re currently doing, how we’re doing it, how does it fit into the scope of what the Lord has for us in the future and so on. We’ve got to evaluate what is working well and what is not; we’ve got to revitalize what is not working or drop it all together. I want to help us work smarter, not necessarily harder because I don’t want us to burn out as I know many of you are involved in multiple ministries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The main thing I need you to be doing right now is to pray. Pray specifically that God would clearly reveal to me and to our ministry team as a whole what His vision is. Pray that God will help me communicate this vision with you and how t