WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS YEAR.....?

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.  Matthew 7:11


As I sit at my desktop completely overwhelmed I was reminded on several occasions today of the hand of GOD on my life.   Earlier I was speaking with some dear friends about an attitude I have taken when simply going to the movies and where I prefer to position myself in the theater in case anything ever goes down.   (this mindset of course was from the result of current events, as well as my training in Krav Maga classes)  But one of the participants gifted me with their sentiments saying if anyone could talk a unstable individual out of taking lives, it would be you.  

I continued my day, and as I prepared for two services tonight, I admit I had my doubts.  I didn't doubt GOD, I doubted would people, my people, the people I love, and the people they love that they invited & prayed for to come would be able to by 3pm.  I honestly banked on the 3pm service being the lightest when after the counts were over....we were pressing 150, only to turn around 5pm a go over 100 completely new worshipers.  The above scripture mentions the giving and receiving of gifts.   For those that know me, my love language is not gifts (receiving of them anyway).  Sure I appreciate and love good gifts, but I don't look for them or expect them especially during the celebration of Christ's birthday.  From the cookies, gift cards, the Force Awakening socks ( I will be rocking them), to BBQ hand towels, Dallas Cowboy crockpots, sweet treats (that will insure my lifelong membership to planet fitness), NEW KNIVES & such, Christmas cards.....I was completely shocked by every last one of them to the point I needed to step away from the cards, bags, boxes, and ask myself "What's the Best Gift I Received This Year...?" 


Christ told His disciples as he was preparing to leave them.......

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.  John 14:27

And honestly folks (I expressed this a few days ago) irregardless to all the great things that have happened this year, I reached a point where I wondered what was going on.  Not depression, not fearful but simply troubled.  If you have every worked in a church you know what I speak of.  If you've ever been a pastor of a GROWING church you can identify.  While growth is good, no it's great....and not just filling seats growth, but spiritual growth too all come with a new set of challenges.  My heart is for EVERY LAST soul that GOD blesses me to share air with.  Whether that is at Calvary Church, Costco, Planet Fitness, Brittany Cove, or..............but with each additional person that adds another burden on my heart that they know Christ, and whenever that's complicated by misunderstandings, emotions, ...........that can cloudy the message and ministry.  To some extents relationships have fractured/splintered/ended and my prayer is that somehow these too will be/can be reconciled.  So for those many moments in 2015 GOD has blessed me with a peace of mind and heart that I don't need to be afraid or overly concerned that HE WILL GROW HIS CHURCH and the GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL.  This is/was helpful to me as it takes the burden of trying to keep together things that GOD is trying to prune so that WE can be more fruitful.    MORE FRUITFUL......FRUCTIFEROUS....this is funny to me as if we have been one thing this year it's been FRUCTIFEROUS.  EVERY MINISTRY has grown in leaps and bounds, and not only that the people of C4 have become prayer warriors that GOD has blessed to see and understand the power of prayer. 


God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1Peter 4:10

So you ask, Ray .....would you answer your own question....Oh..right....with all the gifts GOD has given me to which I have purposed my heart to use them to serve others, WHAT WAS THE BEST GIFT I RECEIVED THIS YEAR? It was hope.    Romans 5:3-5 says it like this:  

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

See many of you have thought you needed The Whole Story for you.  You've tweeted, posted, shared how much it has blessed you, but I have to admit as a young, growing pastor, or a young dynamic growing multi-cultural/ethnic church I NEEDED THIS to simply remind me of how GOD blessed those who were faithful to Him, His mission, and His people.  It was this reminder that as I came upon problems & trials that I begun to develop endurance that I didn't know or think I had.   It was like me starting off at 20-30's floors on the stair master, and now bossing 100+ levels without dropping dead.   That endurance then matured into developing/strengthening my character so that THIS HOPE I'd be able to share with others daily.     This gift of HOPE hasn't not lead to disappointment because if anybody knows GOD loves them...it's me, and my goal is to convince every person I meet that He is just as crazy about them, as He has proven He is about me. 

I'm thankful for each of you....my wonderfully amazing two person staff that continue to keep me lifted up in prayer and supported in ministry, to the 45+ dedicated volunteers that has made Calvary Church campus I pastor a place where the hurting can find a home to heal, and then get well enough to get back in the game of life.  To my close friends, neighbors, and family members thanks for bearing with me as GOD continues to do a new work in me.   To the visitors, attenders, and members you are valuable to us, and you keep us from becoming a stagnant holy huddle.   Keep coming, keep inviting, keep serving, and keep trusting GOD to do what only He can do with our jacked up lives.   You all are my second greatest gift in 2015 second to HOPE.  Merry Christmas......and I hope to see more and serve more with you in 2016.  LGLP365

I AM TRULY BLESSED

Deut. 28:1-6  “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey theLord your God:

3 Your towns and your fields
    will be blessed.
4 Your children and your crops
    will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
    will be blessed.
5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
    will be blessed.
6 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
    you will be blessed" 

As I sit down after a long day......I struggle between being exhausted and inspired to want to communicate to you all the need to attempt to daily "keep all his commands," to have a life that you love to live.   Cherilyn and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage in 2016, and we are trying to make a statement to one another, and those in our circle that this is really a big deal.   We've been some places geographically as well as emotionally, some of which we pray we will never have to visit again, and some of which we calendar to revisit because they brought joy/refreshment to our souls. 

My point in today's blog is simple.....today I was reminded just how blessed I am.  See I not only attend a church in St. Charles, I am the pastor of one and it hit me the value of my life in contrast to simply trying to Love GOD, and Love People well.   We gathered for our annual Christmas Party, and at Calvary Christmas Parties are wild and crazy....not wild with liquor or dancing.  Not crazy in coming out of a stupor of sorts wondering what happened...but Wild & Crazy because we are tasked after gathering for prayer, and given envelopes with ($50) to simply go out for 2 hours and do random acts of kindness. 

This year was no different, I was placed on a solid team (from left to right Pete S., Matt S., Jason S (the recipient of our love) Jenna Marie and Beau B.) 

and we drew the name Westoff Elementary School.  They had 75-80 employees and we were to figure out a creative way to use our $50 purse to bless them.   While waiting on my team to pick me, GOD simply reminded me of the relationships I have within my community.  So I begun making phone calls to which landed others in the community to partner with us adding to our $50 gift cards and things that sweetened the pot of the gift bags we were to be putting together to simply communicate Our Love & Appreciation to the people that educate our kids, as well as the Love of Christ that He hasn't forgotten them.  

All this to say, while my church is an EXCEPTIONAL ONE it's not the EXCEPTION.   We are all called to do such things in our corners of the community.   If you call yourself a Christ follower, a Christian, and believer and don't know your neighbors, your bank teller's name, etc.......hmmmmm just because you put a flapjack in a garage that don't make it a car.  Nor does bringing your dog to church make them a Christian.   Remember Christ said they will know Him by your love for one another. (John 13:35)

No matter where I've lived (Ferguson, Bellefountaine, Cottleville), I have been intentional about engaging many of my neighbors, knowing their names, their stories, their kids, checking on their houses for them while on vacation,  and to some extent even their dreams.   I carry this over to the places I shopped and ate at in my communities even knowing enlisting the local Chinese food eatery in my youth ministry needs at my former church.   BTW they worshipped Baal, but they were willing to help me reach youth for Christ. (I'll let you figure that one out....the common denominator is love.)

GOD's WORD is definitely, infallibly TRUE.....because no matter where ever I've gone, whatever I have done, I have been blessed.   As I gathered some donated gift cards from one of the local places in my current neighborhood  I was encouraged by the management staff...."Ray you are just awesome, go out and spread some Joy."  I honestly don't see myself as awesome, neat..pretty cool yeah (at least I think so), but I reserve awesome for GOD....but spreading joy, this I can dig!

In closing remember the song, "If you're happy and you know it....." which was followed by some behaviors.   If you're blessed it's obvious because you purposely look for opportunities to be a blessing.  That's how others know it.  You live life fully alive which means it's rarely ever about you.  I pray you stop what you are doing, repent if it's necessary, then pray that GOD would give you His heart for all people, and beginning right where you are, where you are sitting look around and see who can show the LOVE of CHRIST TO, and simply JUST DO IT!  #LGLP365

May the FORCE (LOVE) be with you!