Calvary Call

12 things to help you grow in your walk with Christ in 2012

2012-01-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

2012 is going to be a great year of the Lord's work at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church. I want to be a part of it and I hope you do too. Here are twelve suggestions that you can consider to help you grow closer to the Lord. (If you do not attend Calvary, apply this to your church.)

Top 12 Things To Grow As A Christian in 2012

Pray for your pastor
Pray for your church
- Ask the Lord to help us reach people with the Gospel
- Ask the Lord to send laborers to help with the work here
- Ask the Lord to continue to bless and provide needed finances
- Invite people to come to Calvary
- Financially support the work of Calvary
- Pray for our missionaries
  - Bill and Lorraine Crank (Cartersville, GA)
  - Donnie and Susan Burke (Castle Rock, CO)
  - Barry and Jessica Long (Aurora, CO)
  - Matt and Cristina Price (France)
  - Heath and Joni Hubbard (Creative Access)
  - Nathan and Linda Snow
  - Visit our national missions agencies’ websites for information on these and other missionaries.
    - International Missions: www.fwbgo.com
    - Home Missions: www.homemissions.net
    - Read your Bible daily
    - Attend Sunday school
    - Attend worship consistently
    - Make monthly contact with a missionary (It only takes a few minutes to send a card, email, or make a phone call.)
    - Visit someone who is sick or in the nursing home on a regular basis
    - Volunteer with a community organization (Feeding the Valley, Valley Rescue, Bethany Christian Services, American Red Cross and others are always looking for help)
    - Serve your church in a ministry

Do Pastors Really Need Education?

2011-08-04T06:28:00.001-07:00

People often ask me why I am working on a Doctor of Ministry degree. It is not so that I can climb some denominational ladder. It is not so that I can pastor a larger church or do something else in ministry. My motivation is that I want to be better equipped to do the work that God has called me to. I have had the great privilege of sitting under some wonderful men and women who have taught me a great deal. I have learned from some godly professors that not only love the Lord, they love students. They teach because they want to help equip tomorrow’s pastors and leaders to serve Christ and His Church. In my educational career I have learned a lot of very valuable lessons from others. I am fortunate to have learned from others’ knowledge, as well as from their mistakes. You see if I learn from their mistakes, I do not repeat them myself.

There is a saying that tells us “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” That is certainly true of pastors. Part of that qualifying for a pastor is a good Bible centered education. It is certainly true that there are many wonderful preachers and pastors in our movement that do not have a college degree. (I dare say I bet they wish they did have.) However, they certainly are learners. Pastoring is really one of the hardest jobs a man can undertake. It is important that he prepare for it as best as possible.

A college education is important for our pastors for many reasons. However, I think that churches will agree that they reap rewards of a pastor’s education as well. An education from one of our schools will equip pastors with exposure to the depths and truths of the Word of God. This helps them to better proclaim God’s Word to the congregations that God has called them to. It exposes the pastor to a wide variety of ideas and theories about ministry and every other area of life. It gives the pastor guided practice in developing the art of preaching and pastoring. It helps him to develop the critical thinking skills that are necessary for the pastorate in teaching, preaching, and reaching people for Christ. It equips him to deal with the vast array of moral issues that will creep up in every congregation, even our rural churches.

The church benefits by stronger, equipped pastors who are able to lead them. They benefit by having a preacher that can deliver solid, Bible centered and Bible inspired sermons. They benefit by having a pastor that has been broadly trained in denominational distinctives and history. So, you can see, education is important! Especially for our preachers.

In our state, we have many men who have answered the call to preach later in life. We have many that serve as bi-vocational pastors. With the economy the way it is right now, many men are giving the excuse that they just cannot justify leaving their job and moving, often with families in tow, to Nashville to get a Bible degree. The great news is that Free Will Baptist Bible College offers an Associates degree program that can be earned entirely online. No need to quit your job or ministry to attend classes. While many schools offer an online program FWBBC is the ONLY Free Will Baptist college that is regionally accredited. This means that credits that are earned at FWBBC will transfer to any other college if a student should decide to continue his education and training. Rev. Shane Suggs (native of First FWB Church in Columbus, GA) is Georgia’s first graduate of the online program at FWBBC. He recently moved to northeast Alabama to help Len Blanchard plant a new Free Will Baptist Church. He says of the program: ““The on-line learning program offered by FWBBC has been a tremendous and foundational help to my ministry. Not only did I get great insight from the professor’s, I was engaged by fellow students to stretch my understanding of sometimes difficult subject matter. In addition, it equipped me with the structure and discipline to know how to continue learning outside and beyond the classroom.”

Another benefit of the online program at FWBBC is that its students are eligible for financial aid, including a scholarship awarded each semester to students who are from Georgia who apply.

Finally, you may wonder, is this online program really college level material and beneficial? I have had the privilege of working with FWBBC’s online program for the past year as an online instructor. When I first began this challenge, I had similar questions. I can assure you that the requirements are just as rigorous as on campus programs. Also all online faculty have advanced degrees in the subjects that they teach. One of the benefits and a unique feature of FWBBC’s program is that actual classroom lectures are a component of the program. Online students listen to the same lectures that on campus students do. They are able to interact with an online instructor and their classmates for discussion, just like on campus. You might also be interested to know that studies show that online students learn just as well, often better than students in a traditional classroom.

Have you been putting off getting an education? NO MORE EXCUSES! Let me also take this opportunity to encourage our church members to encourage their pastors to investigate continued education and training. In fact, this is something that every church should expect and help pay for! It not only makes your pastor a better pastor and preacher, it pays untold dividends to the church as well.

For information about the online program or to apply, call 1-800-76-FWBBC and speak with Mrs. Jena Simpson or Mr. Allan Crowson. If I can answer any questions for you or be of help to you, please feel free to email me directly at pastoraaron@knology.net.

The Big 10

2011-06-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

This summer I will be preaching a new sermon series on the ten commandments. Some may tempted to say, "Preacher, we don't need to know about the ten commandments, we are under grace." It is true that we now live in the age of grace, but God has not done away with the law. In fact, I argue that grace cannot exist apart from the law. The law was never intended to save anyone. The fact is it can't. However, it serves three purposes: 1) to remind us that God's people are different than others in the world, 2) to show us our sinfulness, and 3) to help reveal how the solution to our condition would come through a Savior.

A man in our church asked me awhile ago "Why is our church not growing like it should?" That is a great question, even if it was asked with the wrong motive. My reply to the question today is the same as it was that day. Sin. Our soft feelings in regard to sin keep God from being able to use us to our full redemptive potential. This side of heaven we will never be sinless. However, God expects us to deal with our sin and not "sweep it under the rug." Until sin is dealt with individually and corporately, God's power cannot fully operate through His Church.

Does this mean that churches that are growing are in God's will and those that are not are out of His will? Certainly NOT! There are plenty of "churches" today that are growing crowds and making big names for themselves. However, the power of God is absent. There are small congregations that God is actively moving and doing great things yet they are not "busting at the seams." We need to remember that God never commands His Church to attract a crowd, but rather to make disciples. If a church is doing that, it is working well. If it is not, then there is something wrong.

The Ten Commandments, as well as biblical Law as a whole, was never intended to be an all-inclusive listing of behavioral expectations for holiness. Rather, it is intended to provide some general principles that can guide God's people in living lives that honor and please the Lord. We are spending these two months talking about the big 10 because they help us gain an understanding of what it means to be the Church. We are called to be different, not like the world. We are not saved by keeping the commandments, but strive to keep the commandments because we have been saved by God's amazing grace.

I hope you will join us every Sunday morning in June and July for this sermon series. It just might change your life and your church! If you cannot be present with us for service, check out the sermons on our website, www.calvary-fwb.com or on iTunes (search Calvary Free Will Baptist Church and you will find our feed.)

Resource of the Month

2011-05-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

People often ask me to recommend books that would be good for them to read that would help them in their walk with Christ. I hope to make some recommendations on this blog every month to accomplish just that.

I believe with all my heart that the most important book that a Christian can own is a Bible. God's Word should be so precious to the child of God. What will help the believer to grow in their faith is a deepening understanding of God's Word. To that end, a good study Bible is necessary. There are many on the market today that are good and helpful. In my estimation, the best available right now is the Life Application Study Bible. It has hundreds of pages of notes, maps, and commentary throughout the text. What is great about this particular study Bible is its application focus. The Life Application Study Bible is available in several translations, including the New King James Version (NJKV), which I use in preaching at Calvary.

BTW, Lifeway Christian Stores have the Life Application Study Bible on sale this week through May 28th at 50% OFF! This is a tremendous deal, and I encourage you to take advantage of it!

(BTW, in case you are wondering, I do not recieve any type of "kick back" from letting you know about these resources. I just want to help equip you to be the Christian God wants you to be.)

Loving Out Loud

2011-03-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

On March 6 I preached a sermon titled "Loving God, Loving Others" from Luke 10. I challenged our church to show someone in a tangilble way that God loved them and so did they. (If you missed the sermon, or would like to listen to it again, check out our iTunes page or http://www.calvary-fwb.com/ and click on the "sermons" tab.) The following week, I asked the church to write down on a notecard how they loved out loud over the past week. Here are some of their responses:

"I loved out loud to my children this week by telling about Jesus."

"I had the opportuntity to love out loud to several teenage co-workers and hopefully start them on a Christian path...knowing they are loved by the one who loves eternal."

"Told my friends on facebook how much I love them."

"Asked our friends to come to church with us."

"I called my ex-neighbor to check on their children in Japan."

"Gave money to a needy family."

"Reached out to my sister."

"Called to encourage a sick church member."

"Bought supper for a friend who has been discouraged."

These are all great ways to let people know that they are loved. I hope and pray that we will not forget to share God's love every opportunity we have to do so. So folks, let's LOL! (That's love out loud!)

Pastor Aaron

A Lesson From Running

2011-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to exercise more this year. (It is not hard to too when you haven't exercising much at all -- like once a month). Today I walked/ran for the first time in a few weeks. I haven't been able to because I did something to my knee the last time that I did. The doctor put me in a knee brace and limited activity for a few weeks. I wore the knee brace today and made the fastest pace mile yet. When I started several weeks ago it took me just over 18 minutes to go 1 mile. Today I went 1 mile in 15 minutes and 20 seconds. While it is nothing that will shatter record books or impress anyone, it taught me a valuable lesson.

Yes, there are many who can run farther and faster than me. There are many that can run 2 or 3 miles in the time that it took me to run 1. We often get discouraged because we see someone else doing better than we are at different things. The thing that we need to remember though is that God has not called us to be anyone else but who we are. God loves us just as we are (though He is not satisfied to leave us just as we are -- He always wants us to be growing and learning to be more like Him.). Just as we are -- not because we are someone else. Instead of looking around at what others are doing, we need to evaluate ourselves and see what we are doing (or are not doing). We only see our progress when we look at what we have done, not what others have done. Celebrate your progress, even if it is small -- progress is progress. I am also struck by the truth that if you are progressing you are regressing. This lesson is applicable in all areas of our life.

Celebrate the small things and keep moving forward!

Aaron

Change in the Church and why we are in trouble!

2011-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

This week as part of my research for my dissertation I have been reading two books by Alan J. Roxburgh. The first one that I read was The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World which he co-authored with Fred Romanuk. The second book is Introducing the Missional Church: What It Is, Why It Matters, How To Become One which he co-authored with M. Scott Boren.

It was the title of the first book that grabbed my attention and caused me to buy the book and subsequently the second one. The basic premise of both of these works is that the Christian Church has been operating on an attraction driven paradigm of ministry and church growth. I think this is one of the correct assumptions in the book. The thing most of our churches are most concerned with is "How do we get more people to come to our church?" The question is not entirely bad, but shows that there is a great disconnect when it comes to the missiology of many Christian congregations. The point of the Church has never been to draw a crowd. Though Jesus drew crowds everywhere that He went, He never instructed the apostles or His Church to make that mission. The point of the Church since its founding has always been to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ came, lived, died, and rose again so that all people could have new life if they trusted in Him. Reconciling people to God has always been the ordained assignment of the Church, NOT drawing a crowd.

Our world has radically changed and transformed itself over the past few decades. However, not much in most churches has changed. They are still operating in the same manner using the same program, singing the same songs that they have been using since the 1950s. Most of our churches are still very comfortable with the 1950s which is exactly why there are not many people in them born after the 1970s. However, the answer is not new programs, a new pastor, but rather a new perspective. These two Roxburgh works lay a groundwork for what they term "Missional Change Model." This is a whole new way of thinking in which the local church seeks to become a local expression of its community. In both works the authors argue that God is working through the ordinary, common experiences of ordinary everday people. To that I say a hearty "Amen!"

While there are some good things about that, we must understand that there are some shortcomings that go along with it. We must fully understand as the Church that the message does NOT change EVER, but our methods can, and I dare say MUST change OFTEN. In my opinion the shortcoming of Roxburgh's works are in their omissions. I wholeheartedly agree that a paradigm shift needs to happen within many local congregations if they are to be the people and church God intends for them to be. Far too many of us have been so self absorbed and self interested that we have not only ignored God in our "doing" of church, but we have also ignored and neglected the community that God has placed us in to transform. However as I read these two works there were two glaring ommissions.

First, Roxburgh and his co-authors argue that congregational change and transformation is a "grass roots" effort that is brought about by the congregation through their attentive listening to their unsaved neighbors and seeing where God might be at work in their lives and in the life of the community. While I agree that the people of a church certainly do have a role to play in being a transformative community, this transormation is not grass roots, but rather Jesus rooted. The transformation that must take place can not occur by personal effort, but only by the transforming power of Jesus Christ Himself. Rather than catering to the whims of the people of the congregation and the people of the neighborhoods, the Church must attend to the direction and mandates of Christ, the Head of the Church. Christ still speaks today. As Al Mohler proclaims in a recent book, "He is NOT Silent!"

Also downplayed in the model presented is the role of the pastor and preaching in bringing about transformation. While Roxburgh does write that Scripture plays an important part in the process of transformation, he leaves it up to the people to decide for themselves how God is working and how the biblical narrative shows what God is up to. Certainly Scripture is applicable to us today. It is the very living Word of the Almighty! However, it cannot say what we want it to say. It also often does not speak to what is but rather what should be in the lives of the Church. God has always used the preaching of His Word to bring about transformation. As God's people sit under the sound, exegetical preaching of the Bible, they are transformed as God's Spirit brings conviction, admonition, and enpowerment. It is not merely enough to reach people where they live -- to show that the Church is relevant to the lives of the community. Scripture must be shared and allowed to penetrate the hearts of those in the church and the community at large in order for transformation to occur on any level.

Sometimes it takes time, but He is NOT silent!

2011-01-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

What a busy time the past few weeks have been for me. I spent the last two weeks in Birmingham attending a doctoral seminar at Beeson Divinity School that dealt with the pastor as leader in local congregations. The class was a great time of learning and growth for me. I am so thankful for the opportunity to study under and with some tremendous men of God.

During my time up in Birmingham I was given the assignment for the next course that I will be taking. It is an "independent" course called Research in Ministry. I have to identify 25 or so books and 15 journal articles that deal with my dissertation topic which is "The Pastor's Role in Revitalization of a Local Congregation in Embracing its Christian Mission." One book that I identified and started reading today was Albert Mohler's He Is Not Silent. I am about half way through it so far and am finding it a very good, challenging read. The premise of Mohler's book is that preaching does matter. It matters because it is the vehicle that God has chosen to communicate to us His perfect will.

Aren't there times in our lives and in our walk with Christ when we really wonder if it is all really worth it? We wonder if things will get better. We wonder when the results will come. They do come eventually, but God forms and shapes us while we are waiting. While it seems that God is silent, He speaks, even when He does not say anything at all. The problem is not God's inactivity but our ability to identify His working among and around us.

I am convinced now today more than ever before that God has His hand upon Calvary Free Will Baptist Church. He has a work for us to do. He is continuing to move and is beginning to reveal a tremendous plan that He has in store for our church. Lives are being changed. People are coming to faith in Christ. Marriages are being restored. We are not packing in the crowds, but slowly we are building the Church. (By the way, Christ never calls us to gather a crowd. He does, however, command us to build His Church by making disciples. When we think on this though, we must realize that we can not do that. Only God can accomplish that. The good news is though that He chooses to use US to to do it. Not overnight. Not with accolades. Not with ease. Not big programs and promotions. He does it by speaking to us through His Word. But I wonder if we are listening.

I am. How about you?

Pastor Aaron

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-06T13:40:00.001-08:00

December 6, 2010

Dear Friends and Family,

Again, it is hard to believe that it is Christmas time again already. We are excited that it is here though. It has been a busy year full of challenges and blessings. The weather down in Georgia has finally decided let winter settle in. A couple of weeks ago it was almost 80 degrees. Last night it got down in the 20s! We were able to take a trip to Mississippi and Alabama the week of Thanksgiving. We gathered with the Walleys for a special gathering on Tuesday. We celebrated Thanksgiving outside in warm weather in Mobile with Leslie's grandparents and family. Leslie joined the gals on their regular Friday shopping spree at 3:30 am.

Aaron is keeping very busy between several tasks. The church is keeping him busier than ever (that's good because it keeps him out of trouble.) He is also keeping very busy with school. This will be his last year of classes and in January, 2012 he will begin writing his dissertation. This year Aaron also joined the adjunct faculty of our alma mater, Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee, as an instructor in their online program. This year he has taught the course Introduction to Biblical Studies twice. In January he will teach Bible Doctrines. It is a challenge to keep up with everything but he really enjoys all that he does. In October, Aaron had some surgery and is recovering very well. The doctors are very pleased with the progress that he has made so far, and we are glad that it has seemed so far to have fixed the problems he had been having. It has been an adjustment though getting used to a new diet but he is doing really well.

Leslie is also very busy these days. This year she is teaching third grade at the same school she has been at since we moved to Columbus. Her class is not quite as big this year (which is a big blessing) but they are still a handful. Her class and the other third graders presented the Christmas program at the school this year. They were all so cute and did a marvelous job. Leslie has also had her hands full helping with the Christmas programs at church this year. With all that, she still somehow finds time to continue to work on her Master's degree. Her studies continue to go well and she will finish this next semester with her classes and have comprehensives in the summer. She has done so well in school that she was inducted in the national honor society Phi Kappa Phi!

Walley has fully recovered from last year's homeward journey when he was a runaway for three months. He has gained all of his weight back and does not seem so interested in exploring the world anymore. He enjoys going on trips with us though, even if it is just to the store, he always wants to ride along.

We pray that you and your family have a marvelous, Christ-filled Christmas! If you find yourselves in Columbus stop in for a visit. We would love to have you.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Aaron, Leslie, and Walley

All Alone

2010-09-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day for mowing grass at the church. It was our team's turn so I headed out early before it got to terribly hot. I lost my mp3 player sometime over the past few months (no worries, I am pretty sure that Santa will be bringing one for Christmas this year. I have been especially good ;) ) I also forgot my cell phone at home. I was "disconnected." So for 2 and a half hours I spent time alone on a mower. This turned out to be a great time of prayer with the Lord.

It was also an important reminder that we all need to take regular time to be alone and disconnnected so that we can connect with the One. With our busy lives it is hard to find just a few minutes that are not scheduled or spoken for by someone, something, some activity. However, in order to keep balance and perspective, it is essential that we on a daily basis take time to disconnect from this world. This is the only way that we can really connect with it. Remember Jesus' words, "Without me you can do nothing." The important thing to remember is that as we disconnect form this world and think we are all alone, with God in our lives, we are really never alone.

Thank you Lord for your blessings on me!

2010-08-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church. Things just seemed to fit together and the worship and preaching just flowed. School starts tomorrow, so a lot of folks that have been traveling around for the summer are back home and were at church this morning for which I am very thankful. I preached this morning from Luke 5:33-39. This text helps us to see that change is a fact of life and can be a great thing. Through Jesus Christ, God offers us an opportunity to share in a 1) a new celebration, 2) a new covenant, and 3) a new choice. Tonight we continued our look through the Old Testament book of Joshua. What has amazed as I have studied, prepared, and preached through this text many centuries old is how incredibly relevant and applicable it is to the Church today. God's Word, the Holy Bible, really is a living book unlike any other.
After services tonight Leslie and I went to Fuddruckers with some other folks from church. (Have you heard that Fuddruckers is going out of business??? That might be another post for another time.) After eating, I stopped by the Hospice house in Columbus to check on a dear saint who was suppose to have gone on to Heaven several days ago according to the doctors (Yet another post for another time). Sis. Jifkins is a kind, sweet Christian lady. As I walked into the room she raised up and motioned for me to come over to her and give her a hug, which I of course did. I visited for a few minutes and then had a word of prayer with her and her daughter.
As I traveled home, I began to reflect on today. I realize how tremendously blessed I am. God has been so very good to me. MUCH better than I deserve that is for certain. I have so much to thank Him for. Today, though in the midst of the harried Sunday of the pastoral life, God smiled down on me as I looked up to Him. I have the great honor of serving not only God, but a loving church family that means the world to me. I have the honor of breaking open God's Word for His people and He speaks through it and lives are changed.
There are certainly days when pastoring is a tiring affair. There are those Sunday nights and Monday mornings that make pastors cringe and think about throwing in the towel. But it is days like today that make it all worth while. No one became a Christian (that I am aware of) in services. We did not have record attendance. I did not baptize anyone today. (These seem to be the conventional ways we judge the success of a church/ministry/pastor.) However, people responded to God's Word being preached. People came to the altar and prayed that God would help change them for the better. I was able to minister grace and comfort to a family facing the loss of a loved one, and enjoy the encouragment and fellowship of a group of people that have become part of my family. I think that it has been a good, successful day! Indeed God has certainly been good to me. I just wanted to stop and say, "Thank you Lord for your blessings on me!"

So tell me, how has the Lord been blessing you?

A Fact of Leadership

2010-07-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a great email that I received this morning from Doug Fields. He makes the great observation that leaders are always going to be criticized. I think of that old adage, "You can please some of the part of the time ...." Someone is always going to be unhappy with those in leadership. Unfortunately, many good, godly leaders forget this and allow unbiblical and unwarranted criticism, as well as deserved, criticism to keep them from being and doing all that God has created them to be. I was challenged to learn to be more compassionate towards those who criticize. BTW, you can find more about Doug and his ministry at http://www.youthministry.com/.

Doug Fields writes:

If you're a leader you can't escape it—you will be criticized. Criticism is aimed at leaders because everyone (including leaders) is imperfect and hurting and hurting people end up hurting others. At the beginning of one's leadership journey it's very difficult to try to separate personalized criticism into a truth or untruth category--criticism jumps straight to personal hurt. The criticism may not always be true, but it always stings.

While critique does hurt, it can help to know that the people who dish it out are usually hurting themselves. When a leader can better understand why a critic squawks, it can actually trigger compassion, which can help turn a pain into a positive. In our experience, here are some of the reasons why the critics squawk:

Critics usually aren't serving.

It's so much easier to sound off at others than it is to serve others. Armchair quarterbacks have all the answers, but lack the drive to get out of the chair and engage in the real game. It's sad, but some people will serve no where or invest in no one and their lack of ministry involvement gives them extra time and ignorance to critique.

A move toward compassion: These types of critics are missing out on God's best for their lives. Since they aren't engaged or serving they lack the feeling of significance--it's within this spiritual vacuum where this criticism is fueled.

Critics are unaware of their intent: "I'm just trying to help."

Not every critique is an attack. Some people speak up and their words sting unintentionally when inflicting pain really wasn't their motive. They genuinely want to help and honestly believe their comments are assisting the movement or ministry. These critics typically have an investment in your ministry (like a parent or volunteer) and sincerely want to see the ministry flourish.

A move toward compassion: It's been our experience that it's easier to feel compassion for these types of critics. They mean well, but they usually have poor tone and/or timing and a unguided sense of their own importance.

Critics have been gathering ammunition and need to shoot someone.

Some critics have been wounded and in their wounding have nursed grudges and gathered ammunition (some for many years). These types of critics tend to have several different targets and you just happened to be in sight when they released the ammo… lucky you. These types are the poster children for the old slogan: "Hurt people hurt people."

A move toward compassion: These critics have a long history of negative baggage. As a leader, it is so difficult to have patience to wade through all their "stuff." While it's reality, it's definitely unfair that you have to bear the brunt of their longstanding pain. On the bright side, the force of their criticism doesn't belong to you, it has been transferred courtesy of their sinful resentment. Bottom line: it's not about you… it's all about them.

Critics are struggling with shame, guilt, and sin.

Let's be honest, there are many folks within the church that are losing the struggle against their sin nature. When they lash out at others, it enables them to ignore their own problems (at least for a short time).

A move toward compassion: Everyone struggles with sin and when you realize that sin is the real and hidden issue behind their attacks it can 'be easier to be a leader/minister who can reflect the grace God has shown you (key word: "easier"…not "easy").

Consider the last few criticisms that were aimed at you--where do you think they originated? Why did your critic squawk? Share your thoughts and opinions with us on youthministry.com

So What's Up Doc?

2010-03-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

That crazy utterance came often from Bugs Bunny as he confronted those trying to do him in like Yosemite Sam or Elmer Fudd. They would think that they had Bugs trapped in a hole and he would appear behind him or in front of him sometimes and le an on his gun and issue those famous words. "What's up Doc?"

I wonder if God does not ask that same question to us sometimes. The Lord reaches out to us so many times. Yet some chose to run from him. Perhaps it is fear becasue they the sin that is in thier life is so dark. Perhaps they have not had enough "fun" yet and want to live before they turn their life over to Him. Maybe there are some that have been hurt by members of the church in some and are resentful of God because of it. There are yet others that are running just because they are certain what they will find if they stop and turn around.

Our efforts to run from God amuze Him. He does not chase us. Just think for a minute that He is everywhere all the time. There is nowhere we can run where He is not there already. From the top of the Alps to bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, God is there.

I think that a reason that people from teens, young adults, and older adults too, are running from God is that they have a false understanding of who God is and what He wants from them. We need to understand that God knows all of our sin (in fact, He even knows the sins we have not even thought of yet). Despite, this, He loves us and offers us to love Him in return. Whatever you have done, wherever you gone, God says "I know, and I forgive you. Come home."

So how are you going to answer when God shows up to your corner and asks, "What's up doc?"

Let's Remember What It Is All About

2009-12-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

The lights are finally twinkling. The sounds are ringing through air. Christmas time is here! Unfortunately, the true meaning, and the true blessing of Christmas are often lost on the commercialism that has invaded our society. For many Christmas is nothing more than some pretty decorations and exchanging a gift or two. How sad to miss what Christmas is truly about. This Christmas I pray that you and your family will celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

To help us, we are introducing a new Christmas tradition to Calvary—the advent wreath. From the Middle Ages, Christians have used this evergreen and holly wreath to help them prepare their hearts for Christmas. The wreath has four red candles, representing the four Sundays before Christmas. The red reminds us of the reason that Jesus Christ came that fateful night: to save us from our sin. Each candle has a special significance in what it reminds us about Christ.

The sermons on Sunday during Advent will also coincide with the week’s theme. The series is titled: Joy to the World: The Difference that Christ Makes. Christmas celebrations change when one becomes a believer. Christmas is not about packages, parties, and pleasantries. Remember that was the lesson the old Grinch learned in the classic Suess tale. “Perhaps Christmas doesn’t come from store. Maybe Christmas means a little bit more.” Yes indeed Mr. Grinch. Christmas is about Jesus Christ coming to earth to save mankind from the curse of sin. God gave the greatest of gifts. “For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

That first Christmas two thousand years ago would forever change the world. Has it changed you? I sure hope so.

Pastor Aaron

Revival Coming To Calvary

2009-11-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

If you are anywhere near the Columbus Georgia area, you should join us at Calvary FWB Church this week. We will be in revival with Bill Crank, pastor of Cartersville Family Church. We are looking forward to God doing some amazing things in our midst this week and would love you to be a part of it.

Before asking you to make a commitment to do something, I am going to tell you what I am going to do this week.

In just a moment, I am going to pray for every member, attender, and visitor that has recently come to Calvary by name. I am going to ask the Lord to speak to my heart and to their's about areas that we as a church need to work on individually and corporately.

After I am done with that I am going to annoint every pew and the pulpit and pray that God would show up in a BIG way at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Columbus Georgia tomorrow. I am going to ask Him to remove every excuse that anyone has for not coming to church tomorrow. I am going to ask the Lord that He would speak to hearts.

Then, I am going to come to church Sunday morning EXPECTING that God will hear and honor my prayer. Not because I am some big spiritual power house, but because my God is a BIG GOD that can do amazing things.

Well, that is what I am going to do. What do I want you to do?

1. Take a minute today and over the next four days and pray for Calvary Free Will Baptist Church and the meetings that we hold this week.

2. If you live in or near Columbus, GA, come to church tomorrow at Calvary. We are having Family and Friends day and will have a great lunch after the morning service. Sunday school starts at 10 am. If you do not live in Columbus, tomorrow find a church near where you do live and go to it.

I have said repeatedly over the two years that I have had the privilege of pastoring this great church that God is preparing Calvary for great things. I believe that this revival will be the tool that God uses to bring our church to the next level for His Kingdom. I have told you what I am going to do, what are YOU going to do?

Quit Complaining and Get Involved!

2009-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

A great truth of harvesting that we have also been talking about in our Sunday morning worship hour at Calvary is that the harvest that you get is dependent upon the seeds that you sow and how you take care of that seed as it grows. If a farmer merely throws out some seed on the ground and leaves it there, he might get a sprout or two, but not much of a harvest. Why? Because he did not take care of the seed. He was not a good sower. So often we are like that in our spiritual life. We come to an altar and ask Christ to come into our life. Then we go about business as usual. Not much else changes, except we come to church occasionally on Sundays. If that is the way that you are living your life, can I tell you that you are not going to have the harvest that God intends for you to have!

I recently received an email that mentioned how empty church seemed to this person. I can assure you that Calvary is not empty of God’s presence and power. So what is the problem? It is not the church. It’s the person. Remember, you get out of something in proportion of what you put in to it. No time, no effort means no harvest and no reward. Does church seem empty to you? Perhaps it is because you have not been putting much into it. Does your spiritual life seem dull and routine? Often it is because you have not nurtured it the way that it needs to be.

Well, what do you do about it? Make the determination that you are going to get a better harvest from now on! How? Get involved! Find a good Bible believing, Bible preaching church and get involved in it. Find one and get busy. However, it is important to remember that busyness does not equate with nourishment. You need to be involved in your church, but you more importantly need to be involved with your Lord. Spend time individually in prayer and Bible study. Find a group to get involved in as well.

Most of the time complaining will not do any good, but getting involved will.

Help Support Operation Christmas Child

2009-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is such a joyous time for most of us. Even when times are hard like they are now for many, we are still able to gather with family and celebrate this wonderful season.

Imagine though that you lived in a place of great poverty. You have never heard of Jesus Christ. You have never seen a Bible. You have never heard of Christmas. You have never even seen a toy.

There are boys and girls all around our world that fall into that category. This year Calvary is partnering with Samaritan’s Purse and participating in its “Operation Christmas Child.” This SP project collects shoe boxes filled with toys, crafts, and personal items from people around the US and then ships them to parts of the world where the joy of Christmas has never been known. In addition to the gifts, a gospel message is given in the child’s own language. For many of these children, and their families as well, it is the first time that they have met a Christian and heard about Jesus. Each year many come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through this ministry.

We have been so blessed at Calvary and in America. Maybe we do not have as much as we think we need or should have, but God has seen to it that our needs our met.

Operation Christmas Child is a great opportunity to share God’s love in a tangible way with those that need the hope of Christ so desparately. Families, this is also a great opportunity to show your children in a very tangible way the true meaning of Christmas.

If you would like to help support Operation Christmas Child, pack a shoe box with small toys and personal items, and bring it to the church on Nov. 8th. There are instruction pamphlets and information in the vestibule or you can download the information on the internet by going to www.samaritanspurse.org.. During our morning service Nov. 8th we will pray over the shoe boxes that have been collected.

If you are able, please also include $7 to help defray the cost of shipping the shoeboxes overseas. If you would like, you can donate online at the Samaritan Purse website

Outside of the Columbus area, go to http://www.samiritanspurse.org/ today to find your drop off location.

Wednesday Nite Dive

2009-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

Join us at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church on Wednesday evenings as we dive deep into a study of God's Word. This month we are diving into Psalm 119.

Oblivious

2009-10-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Has the Lord ever taught you a lesson in the most peculiar of ways? A couple of weeks ago, He spoke to me one afternoon at lunch time at the Arby’s on Manchester Expressway. The other day on the way to the hospital to see one of our church members I stopped at Arby’s and had lunch with Bro. Willie Martin. As I was leaving this elderly lady who had parked in the back parking lot came to cross the parking lot. Or so I thought. Instead of crossing to the other side, and walking down to the door, she decided to walk down the middle of the road to the front door. I patiently waited for her while several cars had piled up behind me. What took the cake was she apparently knew the people that were in the drive thru lane and stopped, waved, and talked for a minute or two, all the while standing in the middle of the parking lot. Eventually this lady finally made it to the front door, completely unaware that she had been holding up traffic for about five minutes.
I had finally made it to the hospital parking garage. The Lord was not finished teaching me my lesson just yet, because the exact same thing happened again. As I rounded one of the levels, there was a man and lady meandering down the middle of the road looking for their car. Unaware, oblivious, to the fact that they were walking in the middle of the road! This time after only a few seconds, the man noticed the car and scooted the lady over to the side.
So Preacher, what was the lesson that you learned that day? Well it wasn’t not to get in a hurry, because I still do. The lesson was how oblivious I am, we all are, sometimes to the world around us. We become so absorbed with what is going on in our world, that we forget that we are a part of something bigger. We go through problems and forget that there are others going through them too. I wonder if your experience is like mine. There are times when I become self absorbed. Absorbed with myself, my family, my church. I forget about others who are hurting. Others who have needs. Sometimes I wonder if we miss the Lord’s moving and working because we are oblivious to Him! Although I have not fully learned, it is my sincere prayer, “Lord help me to never again be oblivious!” I hope you will make it your prayer as well!

Pastor Aaron

A Lesson From 2 Fish

2009-08-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

Today as part of my Bible reading, I read Matthew 14:13-21. This is a familiar passage of Scripture to most of us. It is the story of Jesus feeding the thousands. As I read, reflected, prayed, it was as if the Lord was drawing me into His story. Through the years there have been a lot of sermons preached from this passage. The Lord brought a new old thought to my mind this afternoon about the meal that the thousands of people enjoyed with the Savior.

Let me share with you the background of the story before I share the application that I got today. Earlier in the chapter John the Baptist, who was Jesus’ cousin, was beheaded by Herod. John’s disciples took the body of John and buried him. They then went and told Jesus about what had happened. No doubt Jesus was heartbroken. (BTW, it is certain I think that Jesus already knew the news before these men came to Him.) He did something quite understandable. He got into a boat and sailed off alone. Matthew goes on to tell us that the crowds that had been following Him and listening to His preach followed Him along the shoreline. When Jesus came back to shore, the crowd was waiting for Him. The day was gone. It was nearing dark. Jesus’ disciples begged Jesus to send the crowds away so that they could go to town and get something to eat. His response: “They don’t need to go anywhere. You feed them.”

His disciples were a bit clueless, and replied to Him, “Jesus we just cannot afford it. We only have five crackers and two sardines. That is not enough” (my paraphrase of Matthew 14:17). The disciples did not realize how true their words were! Jesus knew the situation though and knew His resources. “Bring it here,” Jesus demanded. Matthew then tells us the most peculiar thing. Jesus took this lunch for one, lifted it up to Heaven, prayed, and told His disciples to feed the people. I am sure the disciples wondered what on earth was going on, but they did just as Jesus had told them to do. They were astonished. They came to the second person, there was still food, the four thousandth person, still food. In fact, Matthew records that after everyone had eaten, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

This is indeed a miracle story. We must not lose sight of what drove the miracle though. In the hands of Jesus’ followers, those few pieces of bread and two tiny fish were barely enough to feed one person. In the hands of the Master, those same few pieces of bread and two tiny fish feed thousands of people (5000 men plus women and children). I love this gospel story. Have you ever thought that the same Jesus that fed those people nearly 2000 years ago is the same Jesus lives today! If He could do that then, He can do that now! I applied this story today to life here at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church, where I serve as pastor. In my hands, or the hands of our church members, we can accomplish very, very little. However, in the hands of the Master, He can feed thousands with our “little church.” And leave more leftovers, than we started with!

I’m hungry, how about you?

Planting Seeds

2009-06-02T11:31:00.001-07:00

The following article was written for our church newsletter this month. Please read it and then respond and leave how people have planted seeds in your life. Then send them an email with the link to this page.

Planting Seeds by Pastor Aaron R. Baldridge

It is so hard to believe but summer is upon us! The kids and teachers are all rejoicing that they have two months out of school. Summer is always a busy time for families and for churches. There are a lot of ministries that will take place over the next two months. In just a short while we will kick off Vacation Bible School. The teens will have the state teen camp in Lizella at the end of the month. July brings the 4th of July, the National Youth Conference and National Association meetings in Cincinnati, OH, and so much more. There will be cookouts, baseball games, fish frys, watermelon eating, gospel singings, and on and on. There is certainly enough to keep you busy that is for sure!

Maybe you are like me and sometimes wonder, “Is all this really worth it?” The fact of church life is a great majority of expenses are experienced during the period when giving is the lowest. We expend a great deal of money on sending kids to camp, putting on VBS, and all the other ministries that we have going this summer. Let me tell you my friend “IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH IT!” We may not see immediate results. But I have been reminded by the Lord that we should not expect immediate results. The Lord Jesus told us that we will “reap what we sow.” Sowing is a process. When you start a garden, you have to plant seeds or plants and take care of them for some time before any fruit or vegetables sprout up. This summer as we invest in ministry to children, teens, and adults we are planting seeds. We will see some fruit for our labor, but not necessarily on our timetable. Let me share with you what I mean with a personal story.

Most of you know that I grew up in a family that did not regularly attend church. However, I did have some very important interaction with the Church when I was a young boy. There were two or three summers that my grandparents sent me for a week of church camp. It was a fun time. I learned every day something new about God. Seeds were planted in my heart. Those church workers made a profound impact on my life, but they did not know it at the time (and today still probably do not know), but they invested some important seed into my life. The summer after I finished the 5th grade my friend Brian invited me to come to Vacation Bible School at his family’s church. I went every night. It was fun. Here again I learned some important lessons about God. Those earlier seeds were watered and new ones were planted. The good folks at that Baptist Church never knew about the impact that they made in my life that week of Bible School.

I am sure that there were other seeds planted in my life before I came to know the Lord personally. You see it was not until I was nineteen years old that I gave my heart to the Lord during a midweek service at a church in my hometown.

Since I gave my heart to Jesus, I have never been the same. God has totally changed my life for the better. But you know what? It didn’t just happen. Two things played a part in me finding a personal relationship with God. The first factor was God’s Holy Spirit moving in my life. In all the mess, in all the turmoil, in all the good things, He was there! And He was drawing me to Him. I was stubborn though it took a long time before I surrendered to the Lord and gave Him my heart. Scripture reminds us that “No one can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws Him.” However, there was a second important factor, seed. Without many godly people planting seeds into my life, I do not believe that I would be where I am today.

Is sowing seed worth it? I think the great congregation that I have the privilege of serving would say yes. I think that those that I have been honored to lead to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ would say yes.

I want to challenge you to read the parable of the soils found in Matthew 13:1-23. In this parable Jesus talks about different types of soil and how they receive the seed that is sown into to it. Does the sower stop sowing simply because some of the seed falls on bad ground? Of course not! Some of the seed is bound to fall on good ground and give a harvest later on! I believe that the law of sowing and reaping still applies today. The Church must continue to sow so that we will be able to reap a harvest. If you are not satisfied with the harvest that you are seeing, ask yourself two questions: 1) Have I been patient enough to allow the seed to sprout and grow? 2) Have I sown any seed? If you do not plant anything, you cannot expect to harvest anything.

I hope that you see that giving to the Lord monetarily and in service is ALWAYS worth it! You may not see immediate results. In fact, this side of Heaven you may never know the results, but rest assured if you have sown, some of that seed has fallen on good ground!

Sorry

2009-06-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

My goodness! It has been two months almost since I have posted anything here on this blog. Have been so very busy the past couple of months. God has been doing great things at Calvary and in Leslie and me. We are so blessed. Our newest news is that we have a new nephew: Joseph Avery Craft. He is by far the cutest of my nephews! Hope that I can figure out how to add a picture of him on here soon.

Easter Week Challenge

2009-04-06T11:52:00.001-07:00

What a marvelous time of year -- Easter. The season of resurrection, of new life. Yesterday I preached a messaged entitled "The Wonderful Cross" from Mark 15. Without the Cross there would not be hope for any of us. But, with the wonderful Cross, there is hope for ALL. Jesus suffered and died a criminal's death so that all men might go free. However, even though the penalty is paid, each individual is still responsible for recieving the gift that has been purchased for them. What a great time to ask the Lord to come into your life. (If you would like to talk more about this, please send me an email at pastoraaron@knology.net. I would love to talk with you.)
I challenged our church to read a crucifixion passage each day this week. I issue that same challenge to you. Read the passages below and reflect upon what Jesus Christ did for you 2 millenia ago.

Monday Read Isaiah 53
Tuesday Read Matthew 27
Wednesday Read Mark 15
Thursday Read Luke 23
Friday Read John 18 and 19

My friend let me know what God shows this week as you read these passages!

Happy Easter!

So what is happening at Calvary?

2009-03-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

That is a question that I get asked a lot. I am always glad to share what God is doing and how He is moving here at our church. It is important that we sometimes take a look and see where we are and where we have come from and remind ourselves where we are going.

God is doing a great work at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church. Two weeks ago a young teenage girl gave her heart to Jesus Christ. This past Sunday a man in our church recommitted his life to Christ. On March 29th I am going to baptize at least three people during our morning service. Each week God has allowed me to personally meet new people and talk with them about Jesus and invite them to come visit our church. I hope that I will see some of them really soon.

I have been preaching three different sermon series at Calvary. On Sunday morning our series is "Diving Deeper: Lessons in Discipleship." We will be talking all month about how we can grow in our relationship with God and grow in our discipleship. (You can hear the first sermon in the series on our church's website, www.calvary-fwb.com). Sunday evenings I am preaching through the book of Nehemiah. God's people had been taken captive and the land of Israel had been destroyed. During Nehemiah's time, God had allowed the people to return from captivity and Nehemiah was charged with rebuilding Jerusalem. There are many lessons we can learn from Nehemiah as reclaim God's purpose and power in our lives. On Wednesday nights I am teaching on prayer. Prayer is one of the most important tools in the Christian's arsenal. It is also one of the most neglected and unused tools.

It is a great time to be a part of the Calvary family. We hope if you are looking for a church home in the Columbus area that you will give us try!

See you at Calvary!

CRAZY?

2009-03-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a month and a half since my last post. What is up with that? Sorry. I am going to try to do better. February was an absolutely CRAZY month for me, my family, and our church. The circumstances have changed, but it is still crazy around here. You know what I think I am discovering? Life is crazy. I know you watch the sitcoms and tv dramas where problems arise and are solved in either thirty or sixty minutes. Things are always happy and "hunky dory." My friend, that is not real life!

Sometimes as we go through life, bad stuff happens. Disappointments come. Feelings get hurt. Arguments occur. That's a PART of life, but that is not all there is to life. This is why the apostle Paul could say, "In all things give thanks. Learn to be content." He knew that bad things are a part of life, but there are also some really good parts of life too. Celebrate those!

Because life is so crazy there are some things that I am finding are really important. One is you have to make time for God in your life. Without Him at the center of your life it will not be what He created you for. Take time to pray. Take time to be involved in church. Take time to read the Bible. You will be amazed at what a difference it will make. (By the way, if you need some suggestions on a good church, email me and I would be glad to tell you about some wonderful churches that I know.)

You also need to make time for family and friends. We have filled our calendar with so much stuff that we do not have time anymore for people. We are either running kids or there, do this or that for work, trying to unwind from that stressful crazy day at work. Sometimes, if we are not careful, our spouses, family, and friends will be shut out. Take time to talk with your spouse and children. Do things with them (watching tv does not count). Have fun together.

Finally, let me tell you that you need to take time for you. There needs to be time in your schedule where you do things that you enjoy. Maybe you need to block out an afternoon to read a book. Take a walk. Go to the gym. Take a class at the local college. Take care of yourself!

My friends, I am not Dr Phil. These are just some lessons that I have learned over my 35 young years of life. I am still trying to sort it all out and put it into practice myself. Let's support one another and help each other deal with the CRAZY life!

What a great revival

2009-01-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

My goodness what a great revival we had this week! Bro Billy Hanna did a magnficent job bringing God's Word to us each service. I want to give special thanks to our wonderful cooks who took their afternoons and prepared meals for us this week. You are awesome. (Please help me tell them, because they don't have computers so they won't be able to read this. :)) Also great job to our choir and those who sang specials.

I was particularly challenged by Tuesday's message and am determined to be a better witness for Christ. Lord give me the want to!

How did the Lord speak to you during revival?

Join us for revival!

2009-01-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Revival is finally here! Join us January 18th as we kick of revival during the morning service. Sunday school at 10 and worship at 11. We will have a great lunch after the morning service. Fried chicken and all that good stuff that goes with it! Revival will continue Sunday night at 6.

Monday through Wednesday the wonderful ladies of our church are cooking supper from 5:30-6:30. Revival services start each night at 7:00.

Come and join us for a great revival!

God is so AMAZING

2009-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

I want to share something with you. This Sunday, January 18th, Calvary will begin its Winter Revival with Bro. Billy Hanna, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Albany, GA. We are looking for great things to come during this week of revival. We must remember that revival is for the church. If a person has never been made alive in Jesus Christ to start with, he/she can not be revived. Help us to pray that God will work in mighty ways in our hearts and in our church.
In preparation for revival, we are holding cottage prayer meetings. Our first one was last night in Phenix City. I was pleased that we had the turnout that we did. We took time to share prayer requests and the names of those who needed a touch from the Lord. After that we gathered around in a circle and prayed. I invited anyone who wanted to pray to do so as we went around the circle. I was moved by the passion and concern that our people have for our church, our families, and our community. I was especially moved by the prayer of a young lady who only recently gave her heart to the Lord. When it was her turn she'd didn't pass. Instead she prayed one of the most beautiful prayers. It was humbling and honoring to hear this new Christian pray to new found Savior for her pastor. By the way, I will have the great privilege of baptizing her next week!
It is amazing how God works. His timing is always perfect. Remember -- God is always right on time. (hey, that would make a good song wouldn't it? :) How wonderful and amazing to see how God is working among His people!

2009 IS HERE!

2009-01-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? 2008 came and went and now we are in the midst of a new year. I am excited about what God is going do with me and our church in 2009. Did you make some resolutions? Have you already broken them? Leslie and I decided that we were going to work out and exercise more. Friday night we joined the YMCA here in Columbus. So we have joined, now if we will just go. I am also going to do my best to update this blog more often. We had such a busy holiday season and Leslie has been sick so I have not updated in a couple of months. I will do better. I lost 35 pounds in 2008 and hope to lose the other 120 this year.

What are your resolutions? How can I pray for you this year?

2008 Christmas Series

2008-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about our Christmas season this year at Calvary! There will be a lot of great activities going on so be sure to be here every week and be a part of it. The Lord gave me an exciting sermon series that I will be sharing the four weeks of advent this year. The series title is "God's Greatest Gift." Each week will be preaching about a special aspect of the Christmas season as we open the greatest gift anyone could ever hope to recieve, Jesus Christ. Here are the sermons for each Sunday:

Nov 30th "12 Frazzled Days of Christmas: Unwrapping the Meaning of Christmas"
Dec 7th "Why Would Anyone Steal Christmas? Unwrapping the Message of Christmas"
Dec 14th (pm service) "It Can't Be, Can It? Unwrapping the Miracle of Christmas"
Dec 21st "I Wonder If He Came: Unwrapping the Messiah of Christmas"

If you cannot be there for one or more of these messages, you will want to request a cd copy of them by emailing the church at calvaryfwb@bellsouth.net and requesting them.

Why not join us for these other exciting Christmas celebrations:

Dec. 7th Hanging of the Green service 6 pm

Dec 13th Calvary Choir presents Christmas Musical 7 pm

Dec 14th Calvary Choir presents Christmas Musical 11 am

Dec 21st Calvary Community Christmas Celebration 6 pm

Funeral Ettiquette

2008-11-14T08:36:00.001-08:00

This past week I had the privilege of attending three funerals to celebrate the lives of three men that had gone to be with the Lord. One of these men had visited our church just the week before he died and seemed to be doing good. By the end of the week, he would die of a heart attack. The other two men were relatives of church members that had been sick for a long time. All three are in a much better place because they knew Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The Bible gives us assurance they are with God in peace.
All three of the funeral services were different, but I observed some things that surprised me. Not about the funerals, but about the people attending them. There was a day when I think that most of these things went without saying, but obviously those days are past. Let me share with you some important observations about funeral ettiquette.

Be on time, in fact be early. You should plan on arriving a minimum of ten minutes before the service is to begin. If the funeral is at 1:00, you should show up and have a seat in the church/chapel/hall at least by 12:50. It is very distracting to a service and to the mourning family when someone comes in late, because they invaribly make noise opening the door, shuffling to a seat, etc.
Shut off the cellphone/pagers. It should go without saying, but sadly it doesn't.
Dress appropriately. Funerals are an occassion to say goodbye to a departed friend or family member and to express your support of the grieving family. It is a time to show respect. One way to do that is to dress respectfully. Modest, dark clothing is the order for the day. T-shirts and shorts are not appropriate in nearly all situations. Putting on a suit or a dress will not kill you. Don't have one? Don't allow that to keep you from attending a funeral. Either visit a local Goodwill or other thrift store to find a gently used outfit, or where the best that you have. If that's a pair of khakis and a button up shirt that will do just fine. The family will appreciate you being there.
Stop for funeral processions. In most places it is the law, but many don't observe it. When you come upon a funeral procession, the proper behavior is to pull your vehicle to the shoulder and STOP. This is true for a two or four lane road. Be respectful of those mourning the loss of a loved one. You would want the same courtesy if it was your family in the procession. Yes it is inconvenient. Yes it will delay your arrival. Deal with it and be respectful.

I hope that these suggestions might be helpful to someone. Got any more suggestions to add to the list?

What a Sunday!

2008-09-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

I just want to praise the Lord for what He is doing in our church. This past Sunday we had great services. Sunday morning we had 9 first time visitors, 6 of them kids! One gentleman indicated that he rededicated his life to the Lord. Sunday night the Lord challenged us with a message from Army Chaplain Tracy Kerr. It is so evident to me that God is moving great ways here at Calvary. We are following the Lord and He is blessing. I say, "Keep it flowing Lord!"

Remember to visit our church website at www.calvary-fwb.com.

Aaron

Great new movie coming out

2008-09-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage everyone to go and see a great new movie this weekend. It is called FIREPROOF and was written/produced by two brothers from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia (the same ones that did Facing the Giants). Fireproof opens at many theaters across the nation THIS Friday (tomorrow). This is a fantastic movie that centers around issues that effect every marriage and relationship. It stars Kirk Cameron (of Growing Pains fame). It is a great movie and you will be challenged by it! When you see it, let me know what you thought of it. You can check out movie trailers and information at www.fireproofthemovie.com. Hey, if you live in Columbus why not join the Good, the bad and the ugly Sunday School class this Saturday at 12:30 at the Carmike 15. It is going to be a great time.

I Understand Better Now

2008-08-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

My wife and I had the great privilege of being able to travel to South Dakota for my sister's wedding this past week. It was a beautiful event. There was a lot of hard work getting ready for the ceremony, but it was so worth it. I had the honor of performing the ceremony.

But I also learned a very important lesson. When I stepped off the plane in Sioux Falls, I was home, or so I thought. This was the community that I had grown up in. It is were my family lives. It should have been a comfortable, safe place. For the first couple of days it was. Then Friday and Saturday came and everything suddenly changed and the world was no longer safe and comfortable.

Many of my sister and brother in law's friends and family do not know Christ. They do not make any bones about that. It doesn't seem to bother them. This showed up very quickly in the way they talked, treated each other, and in their actions. They were not bothered that I was in their world, but I was. I know that it shouldn't be that way. After all Jesus reminds us in Mark 2 (incidently, that is part of my text for Sunday morning's sermon) that the healthy don't need a doctor, but those that are sick do.

I am glad that I had the opportunity to interact with my sister and her friends in this way. It served as a reminder to me of two important things: 1) God has made some major changes in my life and taken away a great deal of bad stuff, and 2)I need to intentionally spend more time with those that don't know the Lord. It is not comfortable. It is not easy. There will be some that criticize. There will be some who will violently reject the message that God loves them. But, there will be some who will say I want that Love in my life.

Jesus never commands us to build up a great, beautiful church building full of prim and proper folks. He does however command us to GO INTO ALL THE WORLD and make disciples.

Almost Done

2008-08-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today is August 1st. That means that this year is nearly 2/3rds of the way gone! It seems like it was just January, I don't know where the days, weeks, months, went. :) In January many folks made new years resolutions. I made a few myself. It is a time when we set some goals for our life to accomplish in the coming year. Look back on those resolutions. How are you doing? I made two that stick in my memory. One: get in better shape. I have done pretty good on this one. Have lost almost 30 pounds so far this year. Still have a long way to go, but I am making progress. Two: spend more time with the Lord. I have been hit and miss on this resolution too. It seems that so many things demand my attention. It seems that these things are really important and if I don't stop now and take care of it the world as I know it will end. Looking over those things, they really aren't so urgent after all. I hope that I will finish 2008 healthier and stronger in the Lord than I started.

Are there resolutions that you need to get busy on before 2008 ends?

National Meeting

2008-07-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give a short report on our trip to the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Charleston, West Virginia. It started with an eventful drive Saturday. Around Atlanta, our Taurus picked up a nail from all the road construction on the interstate. But, I didn't know it at the time, I just thought my tire was a bit flat. We stopped and got gas and aired up the tire and hit the road again. About 40 miles from Greenville, South Carolina folks started honking and telling me that my tire was flat. There was no place to stop. I prayed "Lord, help us to get some where to get this tire fixed." I drove nearly an hour on a flat tire held together by the Lord of the Universe. Once we got to Greenvile, I found a Ford dealer and pulled in to get it fixed. Thankfully we were with a group of great ladies and they let us hitch a ride with them and get some lunch. By the time we were done, the tire was fixed. And the amazing thing is -- the place didn't charge me for fixing my tire. GOD IS SO GOOD! After the tire adventure we headed out again and made it to West Virginia about 10 at night. LLLLLOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG day!

Sunday we had a great church service at Loudendale FWB Church with Bro Burt Hall. The Horne family was there and sang several songs. Paul Parks, Korean FWB missionary to California preached a great message. The trip to church was another adventure. To get there we had to go through an opening in a mountain that was just wide enough for one car to pass through. Then we traveled on some the windiest roads I have ever seen. It was crazy! Sunday night we attended worship at the NAFWB convention at the Civic Center. Georgia's own William Smith preached and did an outstanding job. (The services were recorded and if you would like a copy let me know and I will get you an order form.)
Monday was a slow day for us. There were some seminars during the afternoon and worship that evening. Tuesday began bright and early with seminars and meetings. Learned a lot of good stuff. Our business meeting began Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday the business got back underway bright and early. The biggest thing that was accomplished was the announcement by our International Missions department of a new funding program for our missionaries. Beginning in 2010 missionaries will no longer raise individual support, but will rather travel to raise support for missions. Missionaries will be paid from one central fund. However, they will still have special project accounts that people can give to. This is an important change that will help to ensure that none of our missionaries have to come home off of the field early because of budget shortfalls. For more information visit www.fwbgo.com.

Matt Pinson, President of Free Will Baptist Bible College, announced some exciting changes for FWBBC. The College will close on a new piece of property in Gallatin, TN in the next couple of weeks. FWBBC also launched a new join program with Belmont University in nursing as well as a new biology program. A graduate studies program will be launched in 2010 or 2011 were pastors can get a masters degree in ministry and theology. To read more about FWBBC visit www.fwbbc.edu.

While I was away, three able men filled in for me. We are so blessed to have Dustin Huff from Kansas with us this summer. He preached Sunday morning and did a great job. IF you weren't there, you can hear his message on the church website under the sermons tab. Sunday night Chaplain Tracy Kerr spoke and I am told did a tremendous job. Wednesday, Bro. Lee Jordan spoke on prayer and also did great. I so appreciate the men that God has sent to Calvary.

What a great service

2008-07-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

I just want to take a moment to praise God for two tremendous services at Calvary today. This morning there was such a good spirit as we concluded our July sermon series, "Celebrate Freedom" with a message entitled "Freedom to Worship." (It will be uploaded soon, so check it out on the church website under "sermons."
Tonight, we had our first baptism service since we have been at Calvary as three folks followed the Lord and declared publicly their commitment to Christ. Congratulations David Walker, Madison Walker, and Peggy McDaniel.
God is moving in a great way at Calvary! It is such an exciting time to be a part of our church. Why not come this week to one of our services and see for yourself!

Surprise

2008-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

God has a way of surprising you. This morning I went to church expecting it to be a very low attendance day, maybe 20 people because I knew many families were on vacation. We had 96 in worship this morning. But, it is not about the numbers. I began a new sermon series called "Celebrate Freedom." This morning's message was "Free To Live" from John 5:1-15. A man had been paralyzed for 38 years of his life, then Jesus came along and changed everything! (He loves to do that) There were many visitors in church this morning. God spoke to many hearts through the service. Please help me pray for the individuals that the Lord is speaking to about their relationship with Him. Please also continue to pray for our church. God is up to something at Calvary and I am so excited to be around to see what He is going to do. We must remember that were God is working, Satan is working overtime! But I am thankful that "Greater is He that is in you, that he that is in the world."

God is so good!

2008-06-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

You know it is so easy to get discouraged by the things that are going wrong in our lives that we forget that we have a God that loves and cares for us. There is a little chorus that we like to sing at our church. "God is so good. God is so good. Good is so good. He's so good to me." There is a lot of truth in that simple little chorus. Simple, that is what makes Christianity so hard. There is nothing super complicated about becoming a Christ follower. Simply believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and you WILL BE SAVED. There are no long algorithyms to remember, no formulas. Simply believe that Jesus is who He said He was and ask Him to save you.
There have been some things that have tried to get me down over the past couple of weeks, and unfortunately, they have succeeded too much. But God is so much greater than anything than you or I face in life. Even though this has been a hard few days, let me tell you how God has shown how great He is.
Sunday we had one of the sweetest services at our church. A beautiful family brought two precious young girls to be dedicated unto the Lord. Their mother also joined the church that morning. We had several visitors that morning. Some were part of their family and some just came. Chris and Courtney stood with their girls and made a covenant with God Almighty that they would raise Adaleigh and Braleigh, along with their two brothers, "in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord." Calvary made a covenant that we would support this family and surround them with the tools they need to raise a Christian family as well as to pray for them. (BTW, this day was a BIG answer to a lot of prayers for this family. God is so good and this is a reminder that God never gives up on us.)
Monday Dustin and I were suppose to go and pass out some flyers for VBS. We got rained out. But, we needed the rain. Tuesday morning we picked around just north of our church and distributed about 100 door hangers advertising our Outrigger Island VBS starting this next week. I never dreamed that Old Dominion Road was so long and actually turns into another street. There are hundreds and hundreds of houses right on our back porch. God has shown me a great mission field that is truly ripe for the harvest. As Jesus asked, please help me pray for more laborers that Calvary could reap a great harvest for the Lord. Ask God what YOU can do to help us reach our area with the good news that Jesus Christ loves them and so do we! Here is the part that really gets me excited -- Tuesday afternoon Leslie and Dustin took five teenage girls and they passed out several hundred more flyers advertising Bible School. If you have teenagers, you know how hard it is to get them to do anything sometimes. But these girls have such a heart for the Lord that they gave up a summer afternoon to invite children that they don't know to come find Jesus at Outrigger Island. That excites me, and I hope that it does you too.
While our attendance is down a little bit because of the dreaded "summer slump" we had over 45 in church last night. That is a midweek service high since I have been here at Calvary. This was even with several families who are regularly there out for different reasons. Please understand that church is not about numbers. But numbers do show us some things. The Lord said to me through that number, "I am not through with Calvary. I am just getting started to show you what I am going to do in your midst."
My friends Satan has been working to discourage and knock us off track. That is only because God is up to something at Calvary and I am so glad to be a part of it. I hope that you are too.
God is so very good to us. This is how my heart has been blessed this week at Calvary. How has the shown you how good He is? Please email me at abaldridge@calvary-fwb.com or post a reply to this blog article.
See you this weekend at Calvary!

Aaron

GREAT CHURCH CAMP

2008-05-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am so PUMPED tonight. God is AWESOME! We are at church camp this week with our elementary school aged students. Our church had five kids to go which is great. Ken Akers, Director of Masters Men in Nashville, TN, is our speaker and he is doing a great job. God is richly blessing our camp this year. Last night eight students gave their hearts to Jesus!

Tonight there was a nine year old boy that was complaining of a stomach ache. He didn't have a fever, so I figured maybe he had been out in the heat too much today (IT WAS HOOOOOTTTTTT). We gave him some pepto to calm is stomach. He said he still didn't feel better and wanted to call his mom and go home. I suggested that maybe he should give it a little bit more time and see how he felt after chapel. The message was very good and I could tell that he was paying attention. At the end of the service Bro Ken invited anyone who wanted to receive Jesus to come forward. Guess who walked the aisle? You got it, that nine year old boy. He went forward and prayed to receive Christ!!!! There are angels (and a preacher) rejoicing tonight and the Devil is crying because he has lost another soul to the Lord.

Amazingly enough, that boy felt just fine after chapel. Just think, a stomach ache almost robbed that young man of his opportunity to find Jesus. How many of us let us let little things like that rob us?

See you Sunday at Calvary!

Welcome New Summer Youth Minister

2008-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

As part of our ongoing effort to concentrate on reaching young people (see our January post on Extreme Makeover), we are pleased to welcome Dustin Huff to our church. Dustin will be working with our children and teens this summer. We are so excited that he is here.

Dustin is from Wichita, Kansas and just completed his first year at Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College in Oklahoma. He is very outgoing and loves the Lord. He has hit the ground running and already has made a lot of plans for our young people!

Give Dustin an email welcoming him to the Calvary family. His address is iotic_biotic@yahoo.com. A picture is coming soon.

We'd love to have you join what God is doing at Calvary. Why not come and pay us a visit this Sunday?

Away for retreat

2008-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today I am away at the Georgia States Ministers Retreat at beautiful George Bagby State Park. Tonight during our opening session Bro Jeff Manning, pastor from North Carolina, spoke from 2 Peter 3:18. He reminded of us the great price that Jesus Christ paid so that you and I could have everlasting life. The Just for the unjusts. That's right, One Man paid the penalty for sin that each one of us owes. One for many. Isn't that the way God works. Through one he accomplishes much. You know what He can still do that today. Though not to the same extent, there was only one Savior and none of us are Him. However, God wants to take us as individuals and collectively as His Church and accomplish great things through us. When we accomplish good things, that is what we can accomplish on our own. GREAT things are things that only can come through God's power working in and through us. These are what Bro. Jay Hollis calls "Go God moments." You know what God wants to give me and you some God moments! Let's pray and be available to be used by Him in mighty ways.

New Website

2008-03-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Calvary's new website is up and running. I encourage you to take a visit today. You can find it at www.calvary-fwb.com. Check back often for updates and changes. A great big thank you and job well done to Shane and Sara Woodham who put in hours of work. Look in the future for our worship services going to the www.

एअस्टर एग्ग Hunt

2008-03-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

I was blown away today at the great turn out for our Easter Egg Hunt! We had about 35 kids and 100 total in attendance. This was tremendous considering the attendance last year was about 7. So many folks from Calvary came out to represent our church and I am so proud of them. We had a few families from the neighborhood. One person stated to me, "I think I found a new church, you all are so friendly." Several others said that they would come and join us for services tomorrow. I hope and pray that they will. We had a full, fun morning of the resurrection story, a craft, egg hunt, hot dogs and chips for lunch, and some really fun games including a Sponge Bob Square Pants bouncy house and water relay race. A great big super thanks to Tiffany Chaffin for heading up this years Hunt. We are looking forward to next year!

What Am I Reading?

2008-03-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know that I am a reader. I have always loved reading and as I have become a pastor, I have found it to be true that "Leaders are Readers!" Thanks to some good practice from my years at Asbury Seminary, I am able to read several books at the same time. I am usually into three or four books.

I just finished a personal read Mel Odom's Paid In Blood a NCIS series novel. It is very, very good! I stayed up until 3 am a couple of times while reading it. Can't wait to get on to the next one.

I am also reading, The Heart of a Great Pastor by HB London. It is a book written by a pastor to pastors and encourages the minister to be the man or woman that God called him/her to be in order to build the Kingdom of God. It is an excellent read, and would be a great gift to give to your pastor.

Another book that I am in the midst of is Breakout Churches by Thom S. Rainer. It is a book that is about churches that were in major decline, approaching death, and then were able to rebound and are successful, vibrant evangelical churches today. There are many surprising and encouraging findings in Rainer's research. While the task of revitalizing a church is difficult, it is not impossible, "With God all things are possible!"

So, I have told you, you tell me, what are you reading?

What's the deal with baptism?

2008-03-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about what God is doing in our church. In our recent workday at church we found our bapistry in similar condition as this poor pastor. However, things are a changing! God is moving at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church and we cleaned out and fixed up our baptistry and are looking forward to filling it up and putting it to good use very soon!

Baptism is an external sign and testimony of an inward change that as taken place in a person's life. It tells the world, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." It does not bring salvation, for we are saved by grace, through faith alone. If you are a Chrisitan and have not followed the Lord in baptism, I would love to talk with you about what the Bible has to say about baptism and help you get ready for this important step in your Christian walk. Email me anytime at abaldridge@calvary-fwb.com.

This week at Calvary

2008-03-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is another big busy week at Calvary. There is much going on. Our Georgia State Association of Free Will Baptists will meet this week beginning Wednesday at the First FWB Church in Albany. Looking forward to seeing some old friends and making some new ones as well. We will return late Friday night and Saturday morning we will canvass our community with invitations to our Easter Egg Hunt the Saturday before Easter. Sunday will be a very special day. It is Psalm Sunday, the Sunday that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the day that would begin the end of His earthly life. We will be celebrating the Lord's supper and feetwashing during the evening service at 6 pm. Why not come and join us for this wonderful service? We'd love to have you.

Boy its been busy!

2008-03-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a month since I have posted on my blog. It is shaping up to be a busy season. I guess that is good, it will keep me out of trouble. :) We are in full gear for Easter. It seems like it was just Christmas. Our attendance at church has been down because of the flu making its way through the area. Hope our folks are back on the mend pretty soon.

Pray for us as we minster for the Lord.

A SAD LIE

2008-02-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

In Columbus there has been a commercial for the mormon church. You have probably seen it. They are out on the street and ask people to respond to "What is the meaning/purpose of life?" "You just have to do the best you can and figure it out for yourself." Even, "I don't think that you can really know for sure." The commercial then goes on to explain that this unanswerable question is answered in the "other testament of Jesus Christ."

The TRUTH is that God has revealed His plan for us! He has revealed the answers, not in the book of mormon, but by Jesus' own revelation in the Gospels and in the New Testament. The gospel of John records for us an inner look at the life and minstry of Jesus Christ. He writes in the conclusion of his gospel, "These things I have written to you that you might believe in Jesus Christ and have eternal life." God has revealed His answers for us, all we have to do is be willing look for ourselves and receive what we find there.

If you are searching for meaning and purpose, I would love to talk with you about how you can find it through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Please email me at abaldridge@calvary-fwb.com or you can reach me at the church office, or better yet, come and join us for worship.

Current Sermon Series at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church

2008-02-14T10:50:00.001-08:00

We are excited about what God is doing in our church! The Lord has really been with us in our worship services and we want you to come and be a part of that.

Our current Sunday morning series is The True Love Connection. So many people look for love and acceptance in the wrong places and in the wrong ways. Many might feel unlovable. But, there is One who loves us regardless of what we have done in the past, our failures, our problems, our doubts. God loves us just the way that we are. He showed us that in Cross. Those two pillars of wood are our true love connection. It is the only path to true, eternal love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever would believe upon Him would not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). There is no greater expression of love and no better place find it than in a personal relatiosnhip with Jesus Christ.

Sunday PM Series: Building A Healthy Church

Wednesday PM Series: Stir Up The Gift. Everyone of us has a spiritual gift if you are a Christian. Over the next several Wednesday nights we will be looking at what spriritual gifts are and how God intends for us to use them.

We look forward to seeing you soon in worship!

Pastor Aaron

Symphonic Lesson

2008-01-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

Last night my wife Leslie and I went to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert. She said they were very good, I endured through it without falling asleep, so I guess she was right on that. :)

We got there a little bit early and the orchestra was warming up, practicing various parts of the pieces they would be playing that evening. It sounded awful! So many different notes and different tempos. Everyone was doing their own thing. But, then something magnificant happened. The lights dimmed and the noise stopped. Out came the concertmaster and then the conductor. The conductor stood up on his box raised his hands and the orchestra began to play beautiful music. What made the difference? Was it the leader? Probably not. Was it the wonderful acoustics? Nope again. It was that everyone played together. They were on the same page, in perfect harmony. When they were united together they made beautiful music.

The church is a lot like that. When everyone is doing their own thing, their own ministry, thier own agenda there is just a lot of racket. But when we allow our conductor, Jesus Christ, to come and take the lead, and we get on the same page, something wonderful happens. The church makes heavenly music to the Lord's ears. We the church are united together, God is able to create amazing things.

Will you sacrfice a solo performance and join God's orchestra?

2008-01-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

We are undergoing an extreme makeover here at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church. It is our earnest expectation and prayer that God will move within our church in new and exciting ways in 2008. January 6th, I outlined some of the things we are looking forward to in the near future. Below is a short recap. You can request the full length audio cassette by contacting the church office.
Renewed Outreach/Evangelism – the church’s purpose is to win people to the Lord and build them up to serve Christ and His Kingdom. We will be intentional this year about reaching into our community with the Good News. We intend to issue a personal invitation to attend our church to every family that lives within one mile of our church this year. This will be accomplished by Saturday campaigns and mass mailings. We will also focus on and identify ways that our church can impact and minister to our community.
Renewed Children and Student Ministries – It is our firm belief that children and teenagers are not the church of tomorrow, but rather they are the church of TODAY! We want our young people to be actively involved in the life of Calvary. This winter our children’s church program is undergoing a major overhaul. Walls are coming down, new things are being put together, and it is going to be fantastic. Look for the unveiling of THE ARC in February! We are also committed to growing our student ministry. At our quarterly church conference our church approved seeking a summer youth ministry intern to help us to build our program this summer while the students are out of school.
Renewed Sunday School – Sunday School is a vital ministry of Calvary Church. It is here that people gather to share their Christian journey together in small groups by studying God’s Word. This year we will renew our Sunday School by investing in training for our teachers and two Sunday School campaigns. Several Sunday School classes are also going to receive new names this year!
Renewed Worship – Worship is connecting with God. We will intentionally focus our worship services on hearing from our Lord through our music and our preaching. The choir is getting underway and will soon lead us regularly. We will move towards a blended worship service which uses both traditional and new hymns and praises to help us to connect in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Renewed Church Facilities – This is God’s House and we want to take very good care of it. The Lord expects excellence and we want to give it to Him. Several areas of the church have already begun to receive facelifts and more will come later this year. We are in the process of replacing the heating and air system to more effectively heat and cool our buildings. We are upgrading and improving our media systems and will launch a fully interactive website in early 2008.

If you have questions about any of these renewals, we encourage you to contact the appropriate persons below:
Pastor Rev. Aaron R. Baldridge (abaldridge@calvary-fwb.com)
Minister of Music Lee Jordan (papaleefor3@mchsi.com)
Minister of Children/Youth Jeremy Jordan (jjinchirst@yahoo.com)
Chairman of Deacons Jim Tidwell
Sunday School Director Frances McDaniel
Women Active for Christ Tiffany Chaffin

Extreme Makeover 2008

2008-01-07T10:17:00.001-08:00

This month we are undergoing an extreme makeover at Calvary. There is such a fascination with reality tv these days. Shows are on every channel. One of the most interesting are the myriad of makeover shows that are on. The original Extreme Makeover found people who were not "happy" with themselves for various reasons, gave them a new wardrobe, maybe some cosmetic surgery, a new hair dew, and a new life was suppose to follow. However, that rarely happened I am sure. These outside changes are only temporary. For true change to take place, it must happen on the inside first. Jesus understood this concept. God doesn't expect us to clean up the outside and "get right" before we come to Him. He wants us to come just as we are. He cleans up the inside by giving us new life and then the outside works itself out to the glory of God.

At Calvary, we are asking God to do some amazing things for us this year. We want 2008 to be the best year that our church has ever seen. So we are going through Extreme Makeover Church Edition. Each Sunday morning we will be talking about diffferent ways that God wants to remake us into something wonderful. Come and join us for the ride. There are several areas that will be madeover at our church in the coming months. In future posts I will be outlining these exciting things. So be sure to check back!

Its A Wonderful Life

2007-12-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite Christmas movie is Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life. What a wonderful story. Last night my wife Leslie and watched it. Amazingly, she had never seen it before! (I think that she grew up in a cave somewhere)

The movie reminded that it is important that we let our lives touch the lives of others. Life was not very good for anyone, except maybe Mr Potter, without George Bailey. The people that you touch are also never the same because of the differenc you make in their lives. Remember that it really is a wonderful life, and live!

Merry Christmas!

(P.S. Am I the only one that wishes everytime that I watch this movie that at the end Mr. Potter gets his for his coniving and cheating? Yes, I know....."Vengence is mine saith the Lord," but it sure would be nice to see him get what he deserved.)

Christmas Caroling

2007-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Music shares so much. Regardless of what type of music, Christian or non, rap or country, music portrays a message. That message can either be good or bad.

One type of music that crosses every spectrum with good messages is Christmas carols! I love Christmas carols. They teach, they inspire, they warm. What is your favorite Christmas carol?

Are you in the Columbus area? Calvary Free Will Baptist Church will be doing some Christmas caroling this Saturday. We would love to have you join us! Join us at the church (6165 Billings Road) at 2:30 pm. We load up in the church van and visit a couple of nursing homes as well as couple of surprise destinations! Need more information or a ride, call the church office and we'll set it up.

God Opening Doors Through War??

2007-12-07T08:53:00.001-08:00

It was 66 years ago that our nation was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor. This lead to our nation's direct involvement in WW II. Today we consider Japan an allie. Free Will Baptists have many good works there. Let's take a moment today and thank God for the door that was opened for the gospel as a result of our nation going to war. Let's pray for our missionaries in Japan and fellow Christians who are there that they may be bold witnesses where less than one percent of the population claims Christianity.

I want to ask that we would pray for our soldiers overseas as they fight a war in the Middle East. Let's ask God to provide them safety and that through this war the gospel would be allowed into this corner of the world where it has so terribly been kept out for many years under Muslim dictatorship and oppression. Also, pray for the Christian missionaries who are "covertly" ministering in this region of the world.

Until all have heard!

Aaron

BEWARE of the Golden Compass

2007-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight a very dangerous film opens across the country. It is called "The Golden Compass." It is based the book of the same title, which is part of series written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman is self-declared atheist that seeks to teach the religion of atheism through his childrens books. It has been said that this series of books is the antithesis of C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicle of Narnia" series.
So why is this film so dangerous? Film and books, as well as all media for that matter, have a point of view or an agenda that they seek to promote through the author's work. Pullman's books appeal to young people because of the fantasy and violence that they contain. The story is one that promotes atheism, a belief that there is no God. This is not the message that Christian parents want to send to their children. The movie portrays the Church as being a near demonic force that enslaves and takes advantage of people.
Don't waste your $8.75 a piece by going and seeing this movie that seeks to kill God, a feat that many in the world have tried before, and everytime have failed.
For reviews of this film from a Christian perspective see Plugged In, a ministry of Focus on the Family.

FWBBC Selects Galatin for New Campus!

2007-12-05T07:03:00.001-08:00

FWBBC Selects Gallatin for New Campus
NASHVILLE, TN—Free Will Baptist Bible College (FWBBC) has selected a 66-acre site
in Gallatin on which to build a new campus, according to Relocation Consultant Colonel
Mark Johnson. The site is a short 26-minute drive from the college’s current campus on
West End Avenue. College officials signed a contract on November 19. Because of a
confidentiality clause, terms of the contract (including purchase price) cannot be
disclosed until all required city approvals have been obtained and the contract has been
finalized.
President Matt Pinson said, “The Board and administration could not be more
pleased with the purchase arrangements. We believe that we received an excellent
price from the owner for this prime property on which to relocate. The confidentiality
clause will be lifted as soon as the contract has closed, and we will share more details
with our constituency.”
Mark Johnson said, “We looked at over 100 potential sites in Middle Tennessee
before signing a contract on this beautiful land in Sumner County just off Vietnam
Veterans Boulevard. The land, which is mostly open and flat with a gentle slope, is a
portion of property known as the Franklin Farm which was a Revolutionary War grant.”
Colonel Johnson assured FWBBC’s constituents that freeway accessibility to the
new campus site would mirror what the college enjoys in its current location. “State
Route 386 (Vietnam Veterans Boulevard) in Sumner County, a four-lane limited-access
freeway, gives the college the same easy-on/easy-off access to the interstate system
that is now provided by I-440. The college will be located about three-fourths of a mile
from the exit/entrance to SR 386 at Station Camp Creek Road.”
President Pinson said, “This property in Gallatin is everything we were looking for
in a new campus. It’s more than seven times the size of our current campus, which
means that we will not have to cap enrollment and curtail new programs. We will have
room to construct adequate buildings for instructional needs and to house students.”
The larger campus site will allow FWBBC to build outdoor sports facilities for
students, and provides plenty of parking space for students, staff, and campus guests.
In addition, the college can design a campus from the start to fit current and future
needs. The site is near medical and educational resources, surrounded by new housing
developments, and is still in the Greater Nashville area.
Pinson explained that Sumner County’s exploding economy, along with Gallatin’s
inviting small-city atmosphere, means that the college will have the benefits of the larger
Nashville community as well as the charm and convenience of the
Gallatin/Hendersonville communities.
“We have been welcomed by city officials and business leaders,” he said. “We
believe that we’ve found our new home after searching long and hard for a new
campus.”
Station Camp High School, Knox Doss Middle School, and an elementary school
now under construction are located across the street from the new campus site.
Volunteer State Community College with its welcoming officials and facilities is two miles
away. The $18 million Sumner Regional Healthplex-Wellness Center is under
construction less than a mile from the campus site, and will be completed in early 2008.
The site fronts on Bison Trail to the south and Station Camp Creek to the west,
and is in the center of Sumner County’s booming economic growth corridor. Affordable
housing in a wide range of prices is readily available in the area for faculty and staff
needs, as well as numerous employment opportunities for students.
Gallatin officials project rapid population growth in the next five years as the
area’s surging economy attracts high-end shops, malls, jobs, healthcare facilities, and an
array of restaurants and housing developments.
President Pinson said that the college originally planned to purchase the Sumner
County property in concert with selling its West End Avenue campus in Nashville.
However, after the proposed buyer notified the college in March 2007 that he was
unable to go forward with the purchase, the college administration and Trustees became
convinced of the need to proceed and secure the Gallatin site, even though a timetable
for construction start-up on the new campus has not been set. The college has
financing in place to purchase the property, and will be talking with donors and friends
about their help in offsetting the cost of the land.
“As you can see,” Pinson said, “we have a lot of work to do in the next few years.
We have our current campus to sell, a new campus to design, buildings to construct,
funds to raise, and most important, we have students to teach. Every effort will be made
to guarantee an uninterrupted learning experience for our current students and the new
students who will enroll over the next few years. The students are and always will be
our first concern.”
Colonel Johnson said that the college will work with the property owner to satisfy
all contractual requirements which will lead to a close and sale of the property.
The decision to relocate the 65-year-old college came in June 2006 following a
six-month feasibility study. At that time, college officials projected that it would cost
approximately $30 million to buy land, build a new campus, and relocate.
Dan Downs, property owner and developer, said, “Free Will Baptist Bible College
will be an asset to our community providing a Christian education for our future leaders.
We are fortunate in Sumner County to have both a two-year community college
(Volunteer State) and now a four-year college (Free Will Baptist Bible College).”
Reverend Gene Outland, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, “This is a
great moment for FWBBC. Sixty-five years ago, our fathers walked along Nashville’s
Richland/West End Avenues and laid the foundation for a dream called Free Will Baptist
Bible College. Today, that dream is a reality looking for a new home, a larger home just
up the road on 66 acres in Gallatin.”

Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

2007-12-04T02:59:00.000-08:00

It is so easy to get wrapped up in the commericalism of Christmas. The ads, the sales, the gift buying, the gift wrapping, the gift sending, the card mailing. So many people have forgotten the real reason for Christmas, the birth of a Savior, Jesus Christ. While His name is politically incorrect these days, He is the reason for CHRISTmas. It seems so many are opposed to Christ, yet they are not opposed to getting a couple of days off in His name each year. So, as you are busily running around this Christmas remember the reason for the season's celebration! Maybe by your actions and the love that you show to others this holiday season, folks will come to receive that greatest of gifts, eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Calvary Christmas Celebration

2007-12-04T02:55:00.000-08:00

I want to invite everyone to join us for our Calvary Christmas Celebration! Each Sunday we will be gathering and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift our world has ever known.

Dec. 9 during our 11 a.m. worship hour we will have a special Christmas concert with Cricket Lee, a wonderful gospel singer with a heart for the Lord.

There is a place for you at Calvary Free Will Baptist Church so come and join us today.

Just Getting Started

2007-12-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

In this techno world, I thought it would be cool to try my hand at blogging. This is my first attempt. Here I will post occassional random thoughts, updates on our church, Calvary Free Will Baptist Church of Columbus, Georgia, interesting articles and much more. I welcome your feedback. You can email me at abaldridge@calvary-fwb.com