TOF Announcements

2 WEEKS! 

We went to that youth rally in La Verne yesterday, and then it struck me… WE’RE ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY from our Preaching Rally!

So I screamed and cried gently to myself.

Don’t make fun.

We have a lot of work to do in just a little time! Thank you to those of you who have already been working toward our Preaching Rally, and for those of you who signed up to help. We need EVERYONE on board for this.

Going to these last two youth rallies has been helpful in getting some ideas for our own. We saw some great examples of youth groups doing well, and we learned a few things that we could work on, too.

Overall, whatever you’re asked to do, do your absolute BEST. If you’re in skits, make them the best ever. Never miss a cue. Be perfect. If you’re a greeter, don’t stand there and talk to the other greeters… walk around, be friendly, smile, shake every guest’s hand, thank the youth pastors for coming. If you’re a parking attendant, look deliberate. Guide the buses with clear direction. If you’re in the special music, sing your hearts out. Look nice; dress extra-appropriately, with NO questionable clothes. When we’re cleaning up, be fast and crazy on it. If you’re serving food, be the best server there. Go the extra mile. Look for people who might need something. Serve!

We appreciate your heart and spirit to serve. Amplify it over the next 2 weeks. We love you!

Bro. Ryan

CHURCH WORKDAY/BREAKFAST – THIS SATURDAY FEB. 11

Meet in the Fellowship Hall at 8:30 for breakfast.  After that, we’ll disperse around the church and property to make everything look great for the upcoming Preaching Rally and GIBF.  No doorknocking that Saturday.

PREACHING RALLY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

If you are going, please see Mrs. Gina to sign up and pay ($5) soon.  The rally will be from 11:00-3:30 pm.  Hope you’re getting as excited as I am!

Friends

I just talked to my best friend on the phone this morning.

My friend John Lande was the best man at my wedding and a buddy all through college. We met each other after he’d been saved about four months and I knew right away, “This guy’s CRAZY!”

I like crazy people.

God worked so much in his life his freshman year of Bible college, and I could see in him a friend that I knew would last a long time. I had lots of spiritual growing up to do, but this guy didn’t have a clue. At least I was raised in a Christian home and had a good foundation, but he was the type that didn’t have ANY of that. When he went to college days as a senior in high school, he had a permed-out afro, and he’s a lanky, 6’3” weird white guy! He cut his hair just before college and came just for fun.

When God worked on his heart through all the preaching and the influences around him, he began to make good choices and chose to grow in the Lord. He became a godly influence to ME, and I grew to desire the kind of passion for God that HE had!

Good friends do that for you. Normal friends are just kind of there to hang out… Good friends drive you to passionately seek Christ and know His Word.

What kind of friend are you? What kind of friends do you have?

Maybe your closest friends should be ones that DRIVE you to know Christ more and more, and maybe you should wean yourself off the ones that don’t do you much good.

I can’t wait for you to meet my friend John Lande. He’s now the Heartland Singles Director at Southwest Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, and he took Bro. Gaddis’ place when Bro. Gaddis became pastor of the church. John Lande is preaching our 2013 Preaching Rally… hopefully he doesn’t still perm his hair.

-Bro. Ryan

YOUTH RALLY – SATURDAY Feb. 4 – 12pm – 7:30pm

Youth Rally costs: $5. ALSO bring money for lunch after doorknocking.

Lighthouse Baptist Church, LaVerne. Bro. Billy Ingram preaching.

CHURCH WORKDAY/BREAKFAST – THIS SATURDAY FEB. 11

Meet in the Fellowship Hall at 8:30 for breakfast.  After that, we’ll disperse around the church and property to make everything look great for the upcoming Preaching Rally and GIBF.  No doorknocking that Saturday.

Always Fun

I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy hanging out with you.

Yesterday at Saturation Saturday and afterwards here at the church was just fun. You’re a blessing to be around, and we appreciate you so much!

We were in Oklahoma a couple weeks ago and we got to see a bunch of our old teens from our old youth group. It was REALLY cool to see them and everything, but my wife and I both thought the same thing… let’s get home! We love being able to work with you full-time, and we can’t wait for every activity, every meeting, every church service, every text, and every… whatever.

Thanks for always being here. We love being at church. We love times like yesterday. I’m looking forward to school functions like tomorrow. I can’t wait till Wednesday. I love preaching. I love the Bible. And we love you teens. It’s always fun.

I hope that’s your spirit. Love God. Love others. Do right.

Bro. Ryan

MISSIONS COMMITMENT SUNDAY – TODAY

You won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to commit to give to missions in 2012.  The blessings are well worth the sacrifice!

MISSIONARY KYLE SHERIDAN, CHILE – TODAY

YOUTH RALLY – THIS SATURDAY FEB 4; 12pm – 7:30pm

Youth Rally costs: $5. ALSO bring money for lunch after doorknocking.

CHURCH WORKDAY/BREAKFAST – NEXT SATURDAY FEB. 11

Meet in the Fellowship Hall at 8:30 for breakfast.  After that, we’ll disperse around the church and property to make everything look great for the upcoming Preaching Rally and GIBF.  No doorknocking that Saturday.

From me…

Pop quiz tonight!

Do you remember the Revelation series that Bro. Jared preached a few years ago? (If you answered, “No” don’t fell bad… I don’t either.)

Tonight we’re in a text that deals a little with what Revelation is talking about… end times stuff. To me, it’s interesting and enjoyable. I hope the same is true for you!

BOG REMINDER

Please always be “on duty.” You should know whether you’re a greeter, a welcomer or a postcarder, and you should eagerly and passionately do your job. I don’t mean, like, passionately scream at a guest when he walks in or something, but you should view the impact you could have VERY seriously, and make a huge deal (to yourself) about doing your best to greet.

On another note, enjoy the new pictures!

-Bro. Ryan

YOUTH RALLY – SATURDAY Feb. 4 – 12pm – 7:30pm

Youth Rally costs: $5. ALSO bring money for lunch after doorknocking.

Lighthouse Baptist Church, LaVerne. Bro. Billy Ingram preaching.

SATURATION SATURDAY – This Saturday, Jan. 28 at 9:45am

MISSIONS COMMITMENT SUNDAY – THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

Be praying about what the Lord will have you give to missions in 2012.

MISSIONARY KYLE SHERIDAN, CHILE – THIS SUNDAY, JAN. 29

Some Ideas…

The following was posted on CarySchmidt.com:

Each of us is responsible for developing our personal walk with God, and in doing so, I challenge you to keep it personal (be transparent before Him, He already knows you), keep it consistent (daily or close to it), and keep it fresh (do whatever you must do to keep from losing interest or falling into a boring routine.)

Along with those three suggestions, here is a quick list of 20 ideas that might help you break out of the mechanical and develop your walk with God in a new way:

1. Read the Bible in Places Where You Can Understand It—don’t be afraid to read another passage if you’re getting bogged down in a complex portion of the Bible. 

2. Read Good Books about the Bible or Biblical Truths—lose yourself in a good book that contains a lot of scripture. 

3. Use a Bible Software or Study Tools to Help You Understand—things like Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary of the Bible is free online. Take advantage of the insight of others. 

4. Read the Bible from a Big Picture Perspective—read a whole book or lengthy passage, rather than just a short chapter. 

5. Ask God to Teach You Something that You Need—expect Him to answer this prayer and speak to you. 

6. Make a Record of the Things that God is Teaching You (Journal)—whether by hand or on computer, write down what God is teaching you. 

7. Tell Someone Else Something that God Taught You (Godly Friends)—what a great use of social networking and a great conversation starter with a friend. 

8. Talk to God Openly and Take Time to Listen to Him—don’t be afraid to sit quietly before the Lord and listen. 

9. Literally Take a Walk with God and Talk to Him—walking will keep you awake and engaged. 

10. Make a List of Prayer Requests and Record When They Are Answered—there’s something very special about looking back on all those answers. 

11. Listen to Godly Music and Think about the Message—great Christian music will take your heart to a very special place with God. 

12. Listen to Preaching or Teaching from Past Events—what a great use for an iPod. 

13. Read Biographies of Great Christians—discover how others developed their lives for the Lord. 

14. Spend Time with God in Places You Like—the beach? A park? If you enjoy being there, He will enjoy being there with you! 

15. Include God on Other Activities of Life—God is with you all day, so He doesn’t mind if you talk to Him while you eat, fold laundry, exercise, or mow the lawn. 

16. Give God the Time You Give to Some Other Form of Media—He’s vastly more enjoyable than Facebook, TV, cell phone, and video games all combined! 

17. Give God Quiet, Uninterrupted, Unrushed Time—find moments when you aren’t in a hurry and give those to God. 

18. Plan Specific Times to Spend More Time with God—have you ever set aside a larger chunk of time just for the Lord? Try a few hours or a half a day some time. 

19. Write Out Scripture or Prayers/Letters to God—what a great way to place God’s Word into your heart and to record your walk with Him. 

20. Don’t Quit if You Miss a Day—if you missed yesterday, that’s ok… God is still waiting to spend time with you today.

Winners!

Man!

I’m in a roomful of winners!

This was in the NYTimes this morning (Front page. True story. Look it up. OK don’t…):

     CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH of Temecula, CA, ran away with the competition yesterday at the International Carnival Competition hosted by Bible Baptist Church of National City. Witnesses were quoted as ‘being stunned’ that these teens could perform at such a high level.

     “I just stood there and watched… I couldn’t believe it!” said one of the BBC hosts. “They made SO many of those little papers in the bucket… it’s GOT to be a world record.”

     And it was.

     Calvary Baptist simply did it “to the glory of God” said youth pastor and coach Ryan Rench. “We just knew that if we stayed focused, we could do this!”

     Competitions ranged anywhere from stuffing your head in a bowl of ice cream to shooting hoops to building full-scale bridges to literally carrying stacked cities by hand. It was no joke… this group is a force to note.    

I’m impressed. Whoever that journalist was, he got it right! Winners.

So anyway, yesterday’s youth rally was REALLY about the preaching; oh, and… Bro. McCracken is still amazing. It was great to go down to San Diego and hear him preach yesterday. It’s easy to get on the broad path… but what about getting and staying on the narrow way. It’s the only one that leads to life, joy and happiness.

I’m sorry if you had to miss yesterday. We’ve got another one coming up in 2 weeks, and I hope you can make it! We love you and want God’s best!

Bro. Ryan

SATURATION SATURDAY – THIS SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

We’ll meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:45 am.

MISSIONS COMMITMENT SUNDAY – NEXT SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

Be praying about what the Lord will have you give to missions in 2012.

MISSIONARY KYLE SHERIDAN, CHILE – NEXT SUNDAY, JAN. 29

YOUTH RALLY – SATURDAY Feb. 4 – 12pm – 7:30pm

Youth Rally costs: $5. ALSO bring money for lunch after doorknocking.

The King James Bible

In EVERY thing I do, I NEVER want to offend people.

At the same time, I will firmly stand for what I believe is the truth, and I hope you would to! I hope you don’t come to church just because you have to… I hope it’s something you believe so strongly that nothing can change your mind.

In believing so strongly about something, often you’re called on to contradict others’ beliefs. Whether you’re right or wrong, I hope you always have the spirit that desires the TRUTH more than anything else, and I pray you’re always able to 1) stand for truth when you’re right and 2) change when you’re confronted with truth and you’re wrong.

That said, I cannot tip-toe around truth! Amen! (I hope you’d “Amen” that!)

One point of truth that we firmly stand on here at Calvary Baptist Church is the King James Bible. We teach that it is THE Word of God. It doesn’t contain the Word of God… it IS the Word of God.

The following statement is why I issued the above paragraphs as a disclaimer: we teach that the King James Bible is the only version that is God’s Word, and that all other versions either add or subtract from what God said.

Very few people, and certainly very few churches around here teach that. I don’t see it as a problem with you, but it is a very serious issue that can become a problem in the future with a lot of people. Build your convictions on God’s Word now, so when you’re tested later you won’t fall into the traps out there.

Are there good people who use other versions? Absolutely! Are they bad for using other versions? Absolutely NOT!

So why do we use the King James only?

Well, that’s the bad news… I can’t tell you why yet.

Later in our Bible Study series we’ll do a BIG study of why we use the King James Bible, but it’s not coming for a while. We’ll go into the history, the translators, the original texts, the problems with all the other texts and more, but we don’t have the time or space to write it out or teach on it in this note.

What I WILL say is: if you don’t believe as strongly in the King James as we do, at least trust Pastor Rench’s leadership for now. Later, when you get more facts you can decide for yourself, but until you’ve researched it all out for yourself, please follow Pastor’s guidance.

The King James Bible is THE Bible for the English-speaking people, and we’ll show you why later. For now, disregard all other versions and know that we wouldn’t be telling you this unless we loved all of you and had GOOD reasons backing us up.

That said, a couple references that we’ll be giving in class tonight also reference a lot of other Bible versions. I want to be gentle but very firm in telling you that the King James Bible is our primary study tool.

Study helps we’ll be referencing tonight are as follows:

e-sword.net (downloadable software)

Classic.net.bible.org (KJV tab)

Lots of others exist out there and I’d be glad to point you in their direction, but for now this is a start (and they’re free!)

We sure love you, teens! We missed being with you last week and prayed for you and the Bakers. Do right.

Bro. Ryan

YOUTH RALLY – THIS SATURDAY – 12pm – 6:30pm

If you come to door-knocking, bring $$ for food. The Youth Rally is free.

Bible Baptist Church, National City. Bro. McCracken preaching.

YOUTH RALLY – SATURDAY Feb. 4 – 12pm – 7:30pm

Youth Rally costs: $5. ALSO bring money for lunch after doorknocking.

Lighthouse Baptist Church, LaVerne. Bro. Billy Ingram preaching.

SATURATION SATURDAY – Jan. 28 at 9:45am

Your Giving Blessed Others

Our thermometer each week showed your progress from the weekly offerings, and just last week we gave it all away!

Guess what? Through YOUR giving and YOUR testimony, OTHER churches will be doing the same. Bro. Davison mentioned from the pulpit that we were taking weekly offerings, and I had a few pastors tell me later, “That’s a great idea! I want to do that!” Praise God!

You can read the Thermometer for all the ministries we were able to help. It was SUCH a blessing to be able to stand up and say “$50” for 12 different church plants all over the country. We want to show a tiny glimpse of the conference in a video today in Sunday school. It’s a simple video filmed right from where we were sitting, but it at least shows the chapel and a few of the men whom we helped.

You can’t understand our passion for the Church Planting Conference unless you’re there to experience it first hand, and I want SO badly for you all to be able to make it there some day! I know it’s an expensive and short trip, but if you can save up and make it out there some day, it could literally be life changing. I’m not interested in people’s “life-changing” books or videos… I’m talking about God calling some of you men to preach under ministries like this, or burdening you for churches all over. That’s the kind of lasting life changes I’m interested in.

Like we’ve preached on Wednesdays: others are blessed when you serve the Lord. This week was another perfect example of that Bible truth. Do right!

Bro. Ryan

TRANSCRIPTIONS NEEDED FOR COMEDY NIGHT. If you have time and want to help out, we have a couple YouTube skits that we need scripts for. Please let us know if you can do one of these skits:

“Do You Speak English?” by hahajavi

“Funny Iraq Subtitles Video” by videowhip69

“Google Analytics in Real Life – Online Checkout” by googleanalytics

MISSIONARY JONATHAN BALLOU, THAILAND – TODAY

SATURATION SATURDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

We’ll meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:45 am.

MISSIONS COMMITMENT SUNDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

Be praying about what the Lord will have you give to missions in 2012.

Hey family!

We will miss you while we are away tonight, but you’re in good hands. Have I told you lately that Bro. Ken is my hero? I think I have.

You’ve been a blessing to a lot of people already. It’s amazing to me that you can be sitting there in CA and be blessing people all over the world at the same time. How? Through your prayer and giving to the TOF Home Missions Fund.

My wife and I are at Heartland now, giving away the offerings we’ve been collecting on Sunday mornings. By the way, praise God for Sunday’s offering! You sacrificed and we ended up with just under $50! That took our total to $600 that we brought this year, and that was only with a half a year to give! You’ve blessed pastors and their families starting churches from Minnesota to Washington, from New York to Texas. I’ve been trying to take video of what it’s like, but you just can’t get it without being here. I hope some of you can come see it next year!

So thank you for giving. Thank you for blessing others. Thank you for praying for us while we’re away. We’ve heard from a couple of you since the Rendezvous and it’s awesome to see God working in your lives. I love bragging on you out here, and I will be preaching in my old church tonight and mentioning the blessing you are. Who knows… maybe while you’re reading this I’m thinking and praying for you right now.

We love and miss you!

Bro. Ryan

MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST – THIS SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

This will be at 8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall.

MISSIONARY JONATHAN BALLOU, THAILAND – NEXT SUN, JAN 15

SATURATION SATURDAY – SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

We’ll meet in the Fellowship Hall at 9:45 am.

MISSIONS COMMITMENT SUNDAY – SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

Be praying about what the Lord will have you give to missions in 2012.

YOUTH RALLIES – 1/21 Bro. Dave McCracken & 2/4 Bro. Billy Ingram

Neither will be hugely promoted because we’re busy, but come if you want! 1/21 – BBC National City, free, 12 – 6:30 pm

2/4 – LBC LaVerne, $5, 12 – 7:30 pm