Christ's provision... for that we're all thankful.

We started the year praying Psalm 90:17, "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the works of our hands."  And now as we look back and see all that He has provided, we give thanks.

Christ's provision meets all our needs.  His Word gives us everything we need for life and for godliness.  His Spirit gives us the authority and power to change the world. And, His amazing love never fails to comfort us.

After Friday's regional final football game against American Heritage Delray, we all needed some encouragement.  I received a call from our Certified Athletic Trainer, Cori Thompson, regarding an injury to Greg Mabin.  He seperated his shoulder in the game, but according to the doctor, Cori was able to "pop" it back in place preventing futher damage.  Cori told Mr. Mabin that she felt God had His hand on this team the entire season and this was just another example of His provision.

I'm sure thankful God brought us Cori and has blessed us with His transforming presence this season.  Now it's time to press on, to learn more about Christ and the power He offers, and to continue to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.

Start sharing your story, start conveying your conviction

Last week's challenge was to "hold nothing back that was helpful."  Pastor Bob's teaching this weekend emphasized sharing our story with others and conveying our convictions, and he emphasized starting today.  I received an email this week that concurred with his message and exhorted all of us to be radical, revolutionary, and relentless in sharing our testimony and the truth about eternal life.

Our Head Soccer Coach for the varsity girls, Marcel Bombonato, understands the importance of taking every opportunity to share the gospel.  Here's his report after Monday's match against Coral Springs Charter:

After the game we invited the guest team to a short devotional... at first the coach did not understand why, but after our team mixed with the opposing team, the coach gathered as well. Captain and Senior Meghan Mason led devotional/gospel presentation followed by CCA coach's speech and prayer. The guest school participated in the prayer and some players had an opportunity to fellowship and exchange personal info. Our attitude was the same, whether we won the game or not, we are in Love with Jesus, our race is to win 'more' for him not the final score!

Are you taking every opportunity to share your story and convey your convictions?  Does your team or family know your heart?  Have you told them how God has changed your life?  Have you warned them about the consequences of disobedience?  When was the last time you simply told someone, "Jesus loves you, and He's got a plan for your life?"

Start today!

Hindsight is 20-20 (Acts 20:20)

Hindsight is the recognition of the possibilities of a situation after its occurance.  Too often people see others going in the wrong direction or bordering on disobedience, and they fail to confront them.  Paul says in Acts 20:20,

"I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly."

I challenged all of our coaches to hold nothing back.  If they see selfish behavior, they should correct, rebuke, and encourage the right behavior immediately.  Just as coaches address mistakes on the field as soon as they recognize them, we need to confont spiritual and social shortcomings as soon as we see them. Paul says in Acts 20:27,

"I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."

Paul understood that everything matters.  Little things turn into bigger things.  We've all experienced that truth in our lives.  Our ministry as leaders, coaches, and parents is to share those experiences with young people so they don't go down the same path.  Our goal is to get them on the right path, so they can experience the blessings of walking in obedience.  In athletics, we tell our players to leave it all on the field.  Are you willing to help our youth understand God's will for their lives?

If you have a testimony about what God is doing through athletics in your life or on the CCA campus, please send it to danar@ccaeagles.org.

Love the LORD your God

Last week a CCA golfer shot the fifth lowest round in the regional finals, but his hopes to advance to the state finals were dashed when he lost in a playoff.  The 6th ranked Eagles (#1 in offense) were defeated by Melborne Central Catholic (ranked 3rd in the state) on senior day.  The volleyball team lost to WA in the district finals.  It was a very emotional week.  How will the teams react? How does one deal with the highs and lows in sports? 

The Bible says to love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and strength and your hope will be restored (Deut. 6:3-4).  Stay focused on what God has called and commanded you to do and you'll turn difficult circumstances into opportunities for growth.

This week is Homecoming. We'll have various activites to heighten school spirit.  We'll honor our football team, cheerleading squad, and alumni at the pep rally.  We'll travel to Benjamin for the volleyball regional quarter finals on Wednesday.  And, we'll play for the 1A district championship on Friday against American Heritage Delray.  But, our focus will remain the same - "making disciples", teaching our athletes that win or lose, we will continue to love and obey with everything we have.

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.