Outreach

A good definition of an outreach can be found in 2 Cor. 5:15-21.  Paul says have no regard for yourself or for the things of this world, but instead live for Christ and bring others to Him. God made it possible for everybody to have a relationship with Him through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation - telling the world that their sins have been paid for and life has been restored. 

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Sharing this good news and the love of Jesus is what outreaches at CCA are all about.  Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Outreaches like The Final Hour, Love Out Loud, or the CCFL Outreah 5K Run/Walk on December 5th are solely orchestrated to bring others to Christ and support the continued mission of "making disciples".

On December 12th, the CCA cheerleaders will embark on an outreach of their own.  The cheerleaders will bring Christmas gifts to a Miami homeless shelter, do arts and crafts, and cheer for them. The director of the shelter said, "the kids would love that."  They also plan to share the gospel by reading the Bible and sharing the true meaning of Christmas.

I pray that we will never grow tired of "making disciples" and our impact on this campus and in our community would be glorifying to our Lord Jesus Christ. Realizing God allows us to participate in "His divine nature and escape the corruption of this world" should keep us humble and focused on others.
See you at the Finish!

"It's not what you do, it's who you are"

What's your reputation?  What are you known for?  In Titus 1:5-9, Paul gives us his reason for living.  As a servant of God, committed to obey God, Paul spent his life telling others about Christ.  This was who Paul was.  I encourage you to go through these verses (Titus 1:5-9) and notice that the leadership qualifications involve character, not knowledge or skill.

Last week, a parent from The King's Academy called to say she was so impressed with the football teams sportsmanship and attitude that she had to call.  She congratulated the team on a well played game, but what got her attention was one of our players approaching her son after the game to have a conversation. She said she looked around and all the players were partnered off talking to each other. I told her they were praying and briefly described the "one-on-one connection" discipleship plan. She said she had never seen anything like this before.  Even though we probably won the biggest game in the history of CCA, it's our character that will be remembered.

Here's an email I received this week from our Middle School football coach,

Chris, the coach from Ransom Everglades 6th grade football team, asked if I was involved with Athletics. He proceeded to tell me that he has been dealing with Calvary for the past three years and has always been so impressed with how we treat the people who visit for an athletic event and how we always make sure the right perspective is given.  He asked me to make sure our athletic department knew that and was very thankful. Then he said that we have been a great witness and that was coming from a team that has many Jewish families.

Finally, on Thursday, Dominick Pierre was interviewed on 560 WQAM because he was named the high school player of the week.  His stats were very impressive (6 touchdowns, over 300 yards rushing and receiving), but what was most noticeable was the class with which he conducted himself on the air.  He thanked the Lord, he thanked his mom, and he thanked his teammates.  Dominick is self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

I pray this reminder that "it's not what you do, it's who you are" will encourage us to think less about ourselves and more about our relationship with Jesus.

It's not over till it's over

Leading by 21 points late in the fourth quarter is a good feeling.  It may even be a good time to relax and start concentrating on some other task.  Well, if you witnessed the finish to last Friday's football game against Pope John Paul II, you know what I mean when I say, "it's not over till it's over." 

The score was 47 - 26 with only a few minutes left in the game, but the enemy kept attacking.  They scored once, recovered an on-side kick, scored again, recovered an onside kick, and with 14 seconds to go, on a field so dark the referees turned the offense around so the last play would be directed toward a light in the parking area, the QB scrambled and as the time expired, he launched a desperation pass to an uncovered receiver standing on the 5 yard line, who ran it in for the score.  All the other team had to do to pull off the "impossible" comeback was kick the extra point and the game would have been tied.  Fortunately, for the CCA Eagles, their parents, and their fans the extra point was "no good".  CCA won 47-46.

I, along with the faithful crowd who endured the 3 hour and 20 minute game, felt excited to win, relieved we didn't lose, and curious about how this game got to be so close.  Was it too dark to see?  Did the other team play really well in the fourth quarter?  Or, did we simply lose focus and fail to execute down the stretch?

One thing we do know is the Christian walk can be just like this football game.  Just when things get comfortable and we start to feel good about our effort (and not the work of the Lord), darkness creeps in and the enemy has an opportunity to defeat us.  As Christians, we need to put on the armor of God and be prepared to battle until the clock shows 00:00 (or the final trumpet sounds).  Disciples of Jesus can never let up.  There can't be a day when we say, "I don't need to rely on Christ. I don't need to pray about my kids today.  I don't need to pray about how to use my time." (Search Light, John Courson) 

Let me encourage all of us to stand firm in the faith, be on guard, and be strong, especially if you think the battle is over.  In this world we will face trials and tribulations daily, but the good news is Jesus has overcome this world and the final battle IS over.  Jesus has won and offers ALL who believe an eternity of victories.

It's a miracle!

These past few weeks the entire CCA family has been praying for miracles - medical, spiritual, and physical. We asked the Lord to provide lungs for Rick Hornsby, to prepare the hearts of those who don't know Jesus, and to provide protection and valor for our football team as they played The King's Academy.

Just after noon time on Friday, we received news that a lung had become available for Rick (who had been on the donor list for only a few weeks).  And, later we found out that he would actually receive two lungs.  This was the beginning of a miraculous day.

Last year The King's Academy beat our football team 63-0.  This year the game may have been the greatest football experience in CCA history.  With the team trailing by 16 points with around four minutes to play, the Eagles mounted a "miraculous" comeback.  Tying the score with less than a minute to play and then winning in overtime, our young men will never forget how they pushed aside their fears, trusted God and each other, and triumphed 44-41.

But, if you've been following this blog, the God story continues to be about our mission to "Make Disciples" - raising up men and women willing to deny themselves daily, take up their cross, and follow Jesus.  When our players pray with the opposing team after a very emotional game and share the gospel, it puts what we've been called to do first.  I am so thankful for the team's commitment to represent Christ "at all times".  God continues to perform miracles... when people pray!