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A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR...
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"He
is risen indeed!"
As I
think about the new health care legislation that was recently signed into law
and all of the controversy regarding the effects it will have on the whole
abortion issue, I cannot help but reflect on how we keep moving further and
further away from the way God wants us to live our lives. We were recently reading through 2
Corinthians at my Tuesday morning Men's Bible Study when the reasoning behind
such foolish decision making, under the guise of 'improving things', came to
light. The apostle Paul writes,
"But even if our
gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god
of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." [2 Corinthians
4:3-4 (NKJV)].
Paul
also said it this way in his first letter to the Corinthians, "For the message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing..." (1 Corinthians 1:18). From the beginning of time, man has
disregarded God's ways and done his own thing.
History tells us that this has repeatedly gotten him into trouble. When God wanted to be their King, they
insisted on having a human king like everybody else.
Even after telling them what these kings would do and the oppression
that would come under their rule, they insisted they knew what was best.
The
prophet Isaiah, whose book we just began studying last Wednesday, said, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good
evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). Just this past week, as we read through
Deuteronomy, we read Moses' final instructions to the Israelites before crossing
into the promised land. Moses is telling
them the consequences of obedience (blessings) and the consequences of
disobedience (curses) when he says the reason God wants us to hear these
curses,
"...and so it may
not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in
his heart, saying, 'I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my
heart'- as though the drunkard could be included with the sober." [Deuteronomy
29:19 (NKJV)].
In
other words, they will have only themselves to blame when things
start falling apart. Solomon wrote, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12). We
must never think that we can do our own thing, apart from God's ways, and think
good will come of it. By God's grace,
all who call upon the name of Jesus shall be saved. We are among those who have called upon His
name and have thereby been delivered from the foolishness which once ensnared
us.
This
week, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. As we rejoice in the power of the risen
Christ, evidenced by the empty tomb, let us be mindful that He has been, still
is, and will always be the only hope for the foolishness of this world. He is
the only One who can shed His marvelous light upon the hearts of those whose minds the god of this age blinded. As the old hymn declares, "I once was lost but now am found, was blind
but now I see."
He is risen...He is risen indeed!
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APRIL UPCOMING EVENTS
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For a complete list of what's coming up at South Hill Calvary Chapel, please visit our website.
South Hill Calvary Chapel events page
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EVENT HIGHLIGHT: WOMEN'S 2010 SPRING RETREAT
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 Psalm
51:10
"Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
What is a clean heart? And how does God go about
creating it in each of us? These are just two of the questions posed and
answered at the Women's Retreat as many of the women from church gathered to
listen to the Lord.
 Between
the hustle and bustle of getting kids ready for school, getting ready for work,
making bagged lunches and tiding up the house before leaving in the morning, it
is easy to get bitter and critical of yourself, your family, and others. However,
those emotions were quickly lost after arriving at the Gwinwood Retreat Center in Lacey, WA on Friday, March 19th.
This year's retreat was unique from those in the
past. Of course, it included several Bible teachings, worship, fellowship, a craft, and meals. However, additional time was focused on listening to
testimonies and spending individual time with the Lord - asking Him what He had
for our own personal lives with Him. Over the weekend, the women were
able to laugh and cry as they soaked up the passion ate testimonies of a handful
of brave women who spoke about all that God has brought them through.
On Saturday morning, Heather Spagnolo taught about the "Diagnosis of the
Heart" or finding the true condition of our hearts before God and how we are
able to tell what is truly in our heart through the words that we speak and the
thoughts that we think. Some of the challenges the women heard included
the following: "Are my words
foolish or wise?" "Do I use excessive
words, or do I listen?" That night, Michaele Shannon gave a enthusiastic talk on the "Remedy
for the Heart". She spoke of the beauty and pleasure of
repentance because it brings each of us back to an immediate intimacy with the Lord...which is God's greatest desire. On Sunday, Jenny Sanchez gave the final
teaching on the "Prescription for the Heart." She taught how we could apply God's Word in
our lives. She spoke of how the Word is living and active, how to let
the Bible speak to every situation, and how God wants to say something to each
of the women every day.
Between the sessions, some time was devoted to "fasting from
talking." In between the teachings, we heard the testimonies of what God has
done in the hearts of five of the women at SHCC. Although it was a non-stop
weekend, it is the best kind of busy you can be: busy learning about God, busy fellowshipping with sisters in Christ, and busy learning
to experience God's love more and more with each and every moment.
Written by: Tracey Jones and Jenny Sanchez
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MISSIONARY UPDATE: HEALING HEARTS MINISTRY
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 It was at the 2009 Women's Retreat that the inspiration
first came from the Lord. Sherri
Youngward, the guest speaker, had been sharing about her trip to Israel and,
more specifically, her time helping a ministry that reached out to prostitutes
in Tel Aviv. Sue Liljenberg, founder of
Healing Hearts Ministries,
with a miraculously free schedule, happened to be at
the women's retreat this year, unusual due to the needs of her own
ministry. (Healing Hearts Ministries is a post-abortive women's ministry, which also reaches
out to any woman who needs healing from her past). Little did anyone know,
the Lord wanted Sue at the retreat the year Sherri was there because a story of a prostitute they encountered would touch her heart with the
compassion of the Lord.
One year later, Sue found herself in Israel with one other woman from
Healing Hearts, Donna Murgola, Pastor Ron, and his daughter Whitney. It was evident that the Lord had opened wide
the doors for them to be there, but even before they were on their way,
discouragement seemed to be mounting. News
came that the ministry they were wanting to come alongside had closed down due
to lack of funding. Their other contact was Pat Apple, the pastor's wife of Calvary
Chapel Tel Aviv, and she had come down with pneumonia and would not be able to meet with
Sue and Donna as desired. Sue says of
this time, "This was very discouraging, but we knew that God wanted us
there, so we prayed and trusted that His will would be accomplished, not our
own."
And through the discour agement, the Lord opened new doors, proving once again that
He is all powerful, has a perfect will of His own, and that He is not willing
to share His glory with man but to prove that He is deserving of all
praise. The owner of the hotel that the four
were staying in happened to be a Messianic Jew, and, in many ways, deepened the
compassion in the hearts of Sue and Donna towards the Jewish people. Though not able to meet with Pat Apple, the
four were introduced to a couple from Cairo,
Egypt, who were
temporarily in Tel Aviv. They attend the
largest evangelical Christian church in Cairo
and were excited about Healing Hearts and what Sue had to share.
 A long
lunch meeting with Pastor Stephen Apple of Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv also
encouraged the women that their journey was not in vain. He practically showed the four what it would
look like to minister to these prostitutes.
They learned much about human trafficking and that these women in the
"Red Light District" are considered the "leftovers." It was heartbreaking, but all felt the desire
to drive through and see what was happening.
Sue and Donna were able to see first hand what it was like. Sue said, "It was hard to drive away
knowing that for this trip, at least, we would not be able to minister to the
women there, but we are confident that God will send us back one day and
ministry will take place in His time and in His way."
And in
His will, Healing Hearts will be able to reach out to the hurting women of Tel
Aviv and be able to bring the Word of God to the hearts and minds of the women
there. This will not only provide temporal healing but, ultimately, everlasting
healing.
Written by: Whitney Martin
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MEET THE LEADERSHIP: MARK STACK - HOSPITALITY LEAD
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 Name:
Mark A. Stack
Family Info: Happily married to
Jody with four children, ages 7, 16, 18, 20.
Occupation: Maintenance director of retirement home in Tacoma
Favorite Dessert: One that comes right after dinner
Brief Testimony:
I was born in Seattle, raised there by
my Mom, and saved at a Pentecostal church in Ballard at the age of 12. I fell
away from the Lord for many years, and I got lost in drugs and alcohol for most of
my life. In 2001, I recommitted my life to the Lord. I was married once before I
was saved; it ended after 5 long years of fighting over religion. Then I met my
wife, Jody, and we were quickly married. We have been happily married for 2 1/2
years.
Jody and I were attending one of
the local mega churches, and we were both leaders when the Lord called
us to South Hill Calvary Chapel. We have fallen in love with the
whole church body here and are growing more each day.
Favorite Verse & Why:
Matthew 5:16 "Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father in heaven."
This verse was one of the first
verses I memorized because the Lord showed me early on that one way I could
change the world for Him was to shine bright. I was to be a light for Him by smiling and
letting the world know that He is very much alive in my heart and letting it
show in a good way.
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