Living In God's Favor

LIVING IN GOD'S FAVOR

"For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12).





First of all, let me say to all the moms and the moms to be - Happy Mother's Day. We have something special for you this Sunday. On Sunday mornings we are going through the book of Ephesians in our series entitled "Grace Filled Relationships." What I am discovering is that most Christians don't expect God's blessing or favor in their lives. In fact, they really expect difficulty and hardship and when it comes they automatically assume it comes from God. The belief is that God needs to use hardship and difficulty in our lives to keep us dependent on Him because He doesn't trust us with His blessing and favor. If we are too blessed then we will drift away so He keeps us on a tight chain with adversity. What a crock of rotten stinky produce. In this season of my life, God has been challenging that belief in me. Do I really believe that God wants to bless me and pour out His favor on my life?

We had something happen this week that really brought home the reality that God is working to show favor and bless my life more than I realize. We have been praying and asking God what evangelism looks like at Worship Life. With all the musicians and artists at church, we've been asking God if perhaps music and arts is the way He wants us to impact our culture. We hosted a night of worship at The Green Earth Coffee Shop with great success and we've been asking God to open other doors of opportunity. It was particularly hot at our midweek study, so we left the door open to allow the breeze to come through. Without our knowledge, a lady who was walking her dog stopped outside our door and began to listen to the worship. Tears filled her eyes. One of the ladies from the study was coming in late and noticed her standing outside. She asked if she could help her and the lady commented on the worship coming from our Bible Study. She said that she was the marketing director for Chik-Fil-A in Laguna Niguel and wanted whatever was happening in our Bible Study at her store and asked us to contact her. I emailed her and she responded very positively and wants Worship Life to partner with them in some events. All this to show that we have no idea what God is doing and how He is setting things up to pour His blessing and favor in our lives.

Does that mean we never encounter adversity? Absolutely not. Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation. But He also said to be of good cheer because He overcame the world. My prayer for you is that you will believe more and more the truth that God wants to bless you abundantly. Even in the midst of adversity, there is favor and blessing coming your way if you are looking from God's perspective. Believe what God says about you and doubt everything else.

We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD
P.S. Pray for Worship Life as we begin looking for a facility that we can call our own and pray for Revival in South Orange County. God is doing great things!!!

The Road To Easter

THE ROAD TO EASTER

"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!” " (Matthew 21:9).





This week we celebrate one of the most documented events in human history - the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The historians of the first century never doubted that Jesus rose from the dead. It was a known fact that was testified by Jesus' disciples and witten of by non-Christian reporters. The resurrection was central to the gospel message. In fact Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).
Statistics tells us that most people are open to accepting an invitation to come to church at Easter. Over the next few days, Worship Life Calvary Chapel has provided several opportunities for you to invite your friends to come and hear the gospel. Wednesday Seder Dinner with Bob Probert, Good Friday Service with Cherri Keaggy and our Easter Together Services on Easter Sunday. I'm also putting on a Night of Worship at The Good Earth Coffee Shop in Lake Forest with Shineyhead, Brenda Harp, David Ostrea and the Worship Life Team. Date is April 15 and time is 7:30 - 10:00 pm. It is my prayer that you take advantage of these opportunities to be a life changing influence to your friends, neighbors, family and co-workers by simply inviting them to come to church. In preparation for the events of Easter, Worship Life will be joining with six other churches for a PRAYER WALK throughout San Clemente this Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm. We have designated 50 locations that will be divided amongst all the folks that turn up to pray. Nothing happens in the Kingdom of God without prayer. Come and join us. We will be meeting at Heritage Christian Fellowship at 8:45 am for instructions.
As we enter the Easter season where we are remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that the power of God's forgiveness would be unleashed in your life as you realize that your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.
IMPORTANT EASTER SERVICE INFORMATION: WE WILL NOT BE MEETING at Vista Del Mar School on Easter April 24, 2001. We will be joining the Body of Christ in San Clemente as part of the Easter Together Celebration. We will provide opportunities for you to bring your normal Sunday tithes and offerings for Worship Life at the Seder Dinner and at the Good Friday Service. You are also invited to send in your offering to the church office by mail or bring it the following week to services. CLICK HERE for a link to all our Easter Events.



We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD
P.S. Starting Sunday, I've put together a daily devotion called - The Road To Easter. Each day you will be sent a scripture to meditate on and a prayer for the day. I pray this blesses you.

Easter @ Worship Life

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST...

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).





When I was thirteen I had a powerful encounter with the risen Christ. It was authentic, genuine and real. I've never doubted my faith because I didn't base my faith on a system of beliefs or someone's theology. I based my faith on the reality of a person who loved me and made Himself known to me. We live in an age where people talk about Jesus like you would the friend of a friend that you've never actually met. They talk about the idea of Jesus. They talk about their philosophy of Jesus and the kind of Jesus they would or wouldn't believe in. They talk about what books say about Jesus. In fact, there is a growing generation of post modern religious people who talk about the ideal Jesus and write books based on their idea of Jesus. Jesus is love and therefore Jesus would never want to condemn anyone to hell because that Jesus wouldn't be very nice. That is their "ideal" Jesus. The problem is that Jesus isn't an ideal, He's a person. Jesus the person would never condemn anyone to hell. People condemn themselves by rejecting Jesus. That's why Jesus came and died... so that we could live forever with Him. There is a school of thought that believes that after death we'll have a second shot at Jesus because it's not consistent with the "nice" Jesus to condemn people for eternity. Here's the truth. If you don't want anything to do with Jesus on earth... why would Jesus make you spend forever with Him? That would be really be "mean" and not "ideal." Again, Jesus died to make a way for everyone that accepted His free gift of salvation.
The real passion of Jesus is that He so passionately loved us that when we hated Him, He put His love on the line for us and made a way for us to be rescued, saved, delivered from destruction. We are entering a season where the reality of what Jesus has done for us will be proclaimed throughout the world. I want to challenge you to begin praying for the family, the friend, the co-worker, the cashier at the store, the person that you want to introduce to Jesus. Most people are open to an invitation to church and I pray that you will invite them to come with you to church over the Easter season. Maybe you will be the catalyst for their lives to be forever changed. At Worship Life we have a full week of services. Palm Sunday, Wednesday Seder Dinner with Bob Probert, Good Friday Service with Cherri Keaggy and our Easter Together Services on Easter Sunday. I'm also putting on a Night of Worship at The Good Earth Coffee Shop in Lake Forest with Shineyhead, Brenda Harp, David Ostrea and the Worship Life Team. Date is April 15 and time is 7:30 - 10:00 pm. Make sure to mark your calendars
CONCERT FOR JAPAN: Come join us for an evening of fun music by the Surfaris with Bob Berryhill, original author and performer of the 1963 hit song "Wipe Out." There will be a special opportunity to give financially to support relief efforts in Japan. Proceeds will go to a mission organization supporting Japanese relief efforts including Asian Access and Send International. This event is sponsored by Calvary South County. Date is Sunday, April 10. Time is 6:00 pm. Location is the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.




We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD
P.S. SPECIAL NOTE FOR EASTER: We will not be meeting at Vista Del Mar School on Easter April 24, 2001. We will be joining the Body of Christ in San Clemente as part of the Easter Together Celebration. We will provide opportunities for you to bring your normal Sunday offering for Worship Life at the Seder Dinner and at the Good Friday Service. You are also invited to send in your offering to the church office by mail or bring it the following week to services. The offering received at Easter Together will go towards relief work in Haiti.

There Is Power In The Blood

THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph 1:7).





When I was a young boy, I thought I wanted to become a doctor. I read Issac Asimov's book on the Human Body and Grey's Anatomy. I watched the TV show Medical Center every week and used to play games where we would rush people into surgery and save their lives. That was until the day when I encountered real blood. I was playing football around the trailer I grew up in. I was tackled and slid into a metal frame the held up an oil barrel that was used to provide fuel for the trailer. My knee was completely gashed open. It was a mess. I nearly fainted. I also decided that maybe I wasn't cut out for the medial field because I really couldn't take the sight of blood.

 

Most people are like that. We don't like to talk about unpleasant things like blood. In fact, the blood of Jesus is something that is missing from the message that many churches preach in America today. It's not politically correct. It's not seeker friendly to talk about the blood. But without the blood of Jesus Christ there is no forgiveness of sins. There is no sacrifice without bloodshed. In the tabernacle we see an amazing picture of the power of the blood. The High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies once year to sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat sat on top of the Ark of the Covenant where the 10 Commandments were housed. If you could imagine, the mercy seat would be sprinkled with blood. The blood dripping down would cover what? The law. The law told us that the wages of sin is death, but the blood of Jesus dripping from the Mercy Seat covered our sins and released us from our debt of sin. It was the picture of total forgiveness.

 

As we enter the Easter season where we are remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that the power of God's forgiveness would be unleashed in your life as you realize that your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

PRAY FOR JAPAN: We have all been shocked by the recent tragedy in Japan. I have friends and relatives in Japan. Thankfully they are safe. I believe this is an incredible opportunity for the Body of Christ to demonstrate the love and power of the Christian God to the people of Japan. There will be a special prayer meeting at The Shoreline Sunday, March 27 at 7:00 pm.

We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.

Roxie and I are praying for you...

Blessings

P.HD

A Case Of Forgotten Identity?

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13).





This week my son was staying at a friends house and he called me for to help him recover his Xbox gamer tag so he could play Xbox at his friends house. He asked me what my Windows Live ID was so he could log in on a different machine from another location. I told him what I thought it was, but it wasn’t working. He says to me, "You’ve got the wrong ID dad." So I went through every possible password and User ID combination I could think of. Nothing worked. I couldn't get into the game because I had forgotten my identity.

There are alot of Christians who are struggling to get into the game of life because they've forgotten their identity in Christ. They listen to what the world says about them. They listen to what their conditioning or training says about them. They listen to what people in authority say about them. They listen to everyone and everything but God. However, God is the only One that can actually tell us who He created us to be and what He created us for. As we go through the book of Ephesians on Sunday morning, I pray that you will be reminded of your identity in Christ so you can get back into the game based on who He says you are and not any other voice.

PRAY FOR JAPAN: We have all been shocked by the recent tragedy in Japan. I have friends and relatives in Japan. Thankfully they are safe. I believe this is an incredible opportunity for the Body of Christ to demonstrate the love and power of the Christian God to the people of Japan. There will be a special prayer meeting at Heritage Christian Fellowship Friday, March 17 at 7:00 pm.




We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD

Who Do You Think You Are?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

"or we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10).





I don't know about you, but I live in the tension of God's Word and the reality of what I see in the daily circumstances of my life. I read God's Word and I walk away thinking God's promises are yes and amen. Then I get one phone call that makes me doubt everything I just read. Do you ever feel like that? What do you do when your reality doesn't appear to match God's Word? Do you trust your circumstances or do you trust what God says?
This Sunday we begin a new series entitled "Grace Filled Relationships." We will be going through the book of Ephesians and looking at the life that God says is ours. It's important to remember that Paul is writing the book of Ephesians from a prison cell. While he is describing life from a heavenly perspective, he is facing the circumstances of every day life in a prison cell on earth. How does he do it? We'll discover how as we go through what is considered the High Sierra's of Scripture.



SPECIAL NOTE: This Sunday, we will not be observing Daylights Savings Time until after the service. SO... Don't change your clock an hour forward the night before. Do it on Sunday after church. Of course, if you don't get the message, we welcome your help in setting up.



We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.




Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD

The King Is Coming

THE KING IS COMING

"28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28).





I believe we are living in the Last Days. Literally ever aspect of Christian life is under attack. In the UK, a couple is banned by the court from becoming foster parents because of their Christian values and belief that homosexuality is a sin. On the ABC Network a new pilot program called "Good Christian B*tches" is being brought to life by "Sex In The City" executive producer Darren Star. ABC is owned by Disney. The new Catholic Bible is reframing the virgin birth by reinterpreting Isaiah 7:14 to say a "young woman" shall conceive and bear a son instead of a virgin. Finally, our President in a very revealing decision has decided that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional because it defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and excludes same sex marriages. It's only a matter of time before Pastors will be charged with "hate speech" simply because they are teaching the Word of God.
Tonight we start our study through the Book of Revelation. On Sunday we will begin our study through the book of Ephesians. Both are crucial for the life of every believer at this time. The Book of Revelation is crucial because it not only reveals God plan for the last days that we find ourselves in, but it also reveals God's desire for how we are to live during such troubled times. Ephesians is crucial because it tells us who we are in Christ and how we are to relate as Christians to the world around us. How important it is for us to understand God's heart for us in these last days. I invite you to come out and join us on Wednesday evenings and encourage you to bring a friend on Sunday mornings. We have started webcasting our services. You can view them at USTREAM. You can also catch up on studies that you've missed or perhaps your following us from a distance at VIMEO.
SPECIAL NOTE: This Sunday, we will not be observing Daylights Savings Time until after the service. SO... Don't change your clock an hour forward the night before. Do it on Sunday after church. Of course, if you don't get the message, we welcome your help in setting up.



Roxie and I are praying for you...
Blessings
P.HD