WEEKEND TIME WITH THE LORD
1 Samuel 18 Commentary with David Guzik
1 Samuel 19 Commentary with David Guzik 1 Samuel 21 Commentary with David Guzik
WEEKEND WORSHIPWEEKEND BEAUTY
WEEKEND FOOD FOR THOUGHT
ON WORSHIP MINISTRY
Sadly, we have all seen the effects of personal preferences, opinions, prideful agendas, and divisiveness within the Body of Christ due to music ministries ... here is a truly refreshing perspective on biblical worship.
LET NOT FOOD DESTROY THE BODY: LAYING ASIDE THE WEIGHT OF PREFERENCES
Food preferences are just that — preferences. In a culture saturated with money, restaurants, healthy food options, and locally sourced meats, fruits, and vegetables, we’re able to be more and more picky (and proud) in what kinds of foods we’re willing to eat. While being able to eat healthier is a privilege and even a stewardship, it also can become a massive stumbling block for fellowship and hospitality.
WE DON’T SING FOR FUN
Singing is not prescribed for Christian worship for the purpose of fun. It actually serves a far higher purpose as a means through which we bring mutual encouragement by recounting common truths together.
DEAR MEMAW: A LETTER I WISH MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER
I wish I coud tell you about your piano. You see, when I was a little girl, I remember going to Mimi’s house and sitting on the bench with Auntie Em and pretending to play. I remember thinking the chips on the ivory keys were somehow symbols differentiating notes. (I later learned they were merely the result of Daddy racing his matchbox cars down them when he was a little boy.) I used to dream about what it would be like to sit down and just let my fingers dance across the keys filling the room with melodies.
20 BENEFITS OF BEING IN GOD’S WORD ACCORDING TO PSALM 119
“If only the world could grasp the benefits available to the soul who seeks God through His Word—willing to see it as truth, clinging to it at every turn. For the Word of God is life-changing and life-sustaining and life-giving. And it’s so much more, as the author of Psalm 119 testifies. The psalmist offers us numerous reasons to run to the comfort of Scripture and never turn away from it.”
"Missions 2020 Video Archives Available!"– CalvaryChapel.com
"The Calvary Chapel Global Missions Conference was such a blessing this year! We had speakers/missionaries from all over the globe come and share updates on their ministries and discuss church planting. Enjoy the video archives of main sessions, workshops and backstage interviews!" 
WEEKEND TREATS FOR
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WEEKEND TIME WITH THE LORD ...
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WEEKEND BEAUTY ...
Enjoy this wintry scene by my brother, a professional landscape photographer.
WEEKEND FOOD FOR THOUGHT ...
Some interesting articles and resources here. Some you may agree with, some you may not. Enjoy the journey of wrestling through the conversations here.
2020 Clarity Conference Archives (Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa)
The Clarity Conference - A conference to ask honest questions of the Christian faith to church leaders and seek CLARITY on our identity, purpose, and calling.
Max Lucado's Endorsement of Jen Hatmaker:
What It Means and Why It Matters
"With the most recent guest of Hatmaker’s new podcast series being Andy Stanley, and based on a recent Facebook post, it seems she is trying to bridge the divide between Evangelicals and progressives. On first blush, this could seem like a good thing, because unity is a consistent theme throughout the New Testament. It’s the very thing Jesus prayed for in John 17:22, and what Paul sought to actualize among the first century believers. But is this type of unity biblical, or does the Bible actually warn against being united with everyone who considers themselves to be Christian?"
What Do We Do When We Don't Want to Read the Bible
"If you’re reading this, I don’t need to convince you that the Bible is an amazing book. It is the revelation of the God above, a lamp beneath our feet, a rock of certainty in uncertain times, and it contains the most beautiful news that we can ever hear: the love of Jesus Christ, Lord of all, poured on a cross for you and me. Given that it is the Word of God, exhaled by Him, it is a holy, beautiful, worthy, just, wise and good book. And so we approach the Bible in humility and faith, with the understanding that all its words are true and deserve our total obedience.Amen? Amen!
But it doesn’t always feel like that.
Even though we Christians are the people of The Book, we don’t always feel like going to it. It is very easy for us to drift away and spend weeks, or even months, without spending significant time in the Scriptures. It has been my case at different times of my Christian walk, and I’ve heard it first hand from a hundred others. What follows are five suggestions that can help us in our search to desire the Bible more."
But it doesn’t always feel like that.
Even though we Christians are the people of The Book, we don’t always feel like going to it. It is very easy for us to drift away and spend weeks, or even months, without spending significant time in the Scriptures. It has been my case at different times of my Christian walk, and I’ve heard it first hand from a hundred others. What follows are five suggestions that can help us in our search to desire the Bible more."
How Sex Became King
"From Genesis to Revelation, sexual sin rears its head as a consistent expression of human fallenness, of humanity’s tendency to answer the serpent’s Did God really say? with No, I suppose he didn’t. So in broad strokes, the answer to the question atop this page is simply that sex became king when Satan became the prince of the power of the air, the purveyor of the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience. Even though his is a lame-duck regime, its effects are everywhere, its seed still growing (Eph. 2:1–4).
Because of this, there’s never been a culture made up of people predisposed to obey God, one where it was easy or natural to repent of sins and trust God’s Word about anything, much less our sexual preferences. Any “Golden Age” of Christianity in America is a fiction. Instead, what sits in our rearview is a long line of Gilded Ages. Christianity is not about repristination, but redemption.
In the past half-century, the sun of providence has set at an alarming pace, such that many Christians feel as though we now live in the dark, our lights irrevocably under a bushel and unable to shine. The seed of sin is spreading, and sometimes it seems unstoppable.
How did sex become this kind of king, with this large a kingdom?"
Because of this, there’s never been a culture made up of people predisposed to obey God, one where it was easy or natural to repent of sins and trust God’s Word about anything, much less our sexual preferences. Any “Golden Age” of Christianity in America is a fiction. Instead, what sits in our rearview is a long line of Gilded Ages. Christianity is not about repristination, but redemption.
In the past half-century, the sun of providence has set at an alarming pace, such that many Christians feel as though we now live in the dark, our lights irrevocably under a bushel and unable to shine. The seed of sin is spreading, and sometimes it seems unstoppable.
How did sex become this kind of king, with this large a kingdom?"
It Is Not Good That The Man Should Be Alone
Thought-provoking ideas here on the need for meaningful, sustainable community. You may take issue with some of David French's assertions here.
"One thing I learned was that lives were changed through a sustained, dedicated, loving community. A functioning community doesn’t just provide love and resources. Indeed, if your ministry was defined by hugs and handouts, it would be ripe for exploitation. People would smile and accept both, but their lives wouldn’t fundamentally change. A functioning community includes elements of discipline and instruction as well.
The love has to be persistent. When a kid didn’t show up at church after he’d been attending for a while, we’d sometimes dash out between Sunday school and worship services and head straight to their homes, knock on their doors and ask if they were okay. We’d offer them a ride to worship and invite them to lunch after services. We jokingly called our car the “soul repo van.” But the goal was simple—let them know that they were not alone. They were part of a community.
And the instruction has to be real. People do not magically become diligent students or productive workers simply because someone loved them. Opportunity isn’t always easy in this country, but opportunity exists. A person has to be taught how to seize it, and they have to practice the basic life habits necessary to follow through."
"One thing I learned was that lives were changed through a sustained, dedicated, loving community. A functioning community doesn’t just provide love and resources. Indeed, if your ministry was defined by hugs and handouts, it would be ripe for exploitation. People would smile and accept both, but their lives wouldn’t fundamentally change. A functioning community includes elements of discipline and instruction as well.
The love has to be persistent. When a kid didn’t show up at church after he’d been attending for a while, we’d sometimes dash out between Sunday school and worship services and head straight to their homes, knock on their doors and ask if they were okay. We’d offer them a ride to worship and invite them to lunch after services. We jokingly called our car the “soul repo van.” But the goal was simple—let them know that they were not alone. They were part of a community.
And the instruction has to be real. People do not magically become diligent students or productive workers simply because someone loved them. Opportunity isn’t always easy in this country, but opportunity exists. A person has to be taught how to seize it, and they have to practice the basic life habits necessary to follow through."
What is the Single Best Thing We Can Do For Our Health
WEEKEND SCRIPTURE MEDITATION
WEEKEND FOOD FOR FRIENDS & FAMILY ...
Who doesn't love a January winter stew?
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 3 potatoes, diced
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
- Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours, or on High setting for 4 to 6 hours.
WEEKEND WORSHIP
Lovely worship from our friends over at Maranatha Chapel (Pastor Ray Bentley) in San Diego.
WEEKEND READING
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Weekend time with the Lord ...
Pastor Jack (Calvary Chapel Chino Hills) is especially strong with Bible prophecy. Take a listen to his very recent conversation with Don Stewart regarding recent events in our world.
Weekend beauty ...
Wouldn't you love to sit with a tea or coffee and spend some meaningful time with the Lord here?
Weekend food for thought ...
THE 2010S WERE SUPPOSED TO BRING THE EBOOK REVOLUTION. IT NEVER QUITE CAME.
There are various reasons that ebooks didn’t advance much through the 2010s, but a lot of it came down to legal issues.
There are various reasons that ebooks didn’t advance much through the 2010s, but a lot of it came down to legal issues.
CHURCH KIDS AND CHURCH SHOOTINGS
“What if instead of trying to convince our kids that bad things aren’t out there, we spent their growing up years showing them through God’s word and through our own lives that no matter what happens, God will see us through it, whether by taking care of us on this earth or taking care of us in Heaven? When we believe in Jesus, we are never outside the keeping of our doting Heavenly Father.”
“What if instead of trying to convince our kids that bad things aren’t out there, we spent their growing up years showing them through God’s word and through our own lives that no matter what happens, God will see us through it, whether by taking care of us on this earth or taking care of us in Heaven? When we believe in Jesus, we are never outside the keeping of our doting Heavenly Father.”
FACING REALITY
Scott Watkins deals with the importance of facing reality. “I need help to see reality. I need God and others around me to point out where I’ve engaged in self-deception or reality distortion. If left to myself, I am prone to imagine things differently than they really are.”
Scott Watkins deals with the importance of facing reality. “I need help to see reality. I need God and others around me to point out where I’ve engaged in self-deception or reality distortion. If left to myself, I am prone to imagine things differently than they really are.”
CHRISTIAN ATHEISM
I enjoyed this conversation on Unbelievable with Douglas Murray and Esther O’Reilly on the subject of “Christian atheism.”
I enjoyed this conversation on Unbelievable with Douglas Murray and Esther O’Reilly on the subject of “Christian atheism.”
Weekend kitchen adventures ...
We love Indian food. This is a flavorful dish and especially good for anyone new to the cuisine.
Butter Chicken Recipe
This Instant Pot Butter Chicken is one of the EASIEST Instant Pot Indian recipes out there - it's creamy, delicious and restaurant-quality made in 30 minutes at home!
Author: Taylor Stinson
Ingredients
Rice
Instructions
This Instant Pot Butter Chicken is one of the EASIEST Instant Pot Indian recipes out there - it's creamy, delicious and restaurant-quality made in 30 minutes at home!
Author: Taylor Stinson
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 (796mL) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Naan, for serving
- Cilantro, for serving
Rice
- 1 cup dry basmati rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt (optional)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for chicken in the order listed to Instant Pot. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice in a rice cooker. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Stir in cream, then serve butter chicken overtop of basmati rice and garnish with cilantro. Serve with naan if desired. Enjoy!
Weekend worship ...
We have been absolutely loving this AS ISAAC around our house lately. They are from Calvary Chapel Chattanooga and began worshipping together in their youth worship band. Take might enjoy taking a listen.
Weekend Scripture Meditation ...
Weekend Reading ...
We live in an age where 'friendships' are prolific and contact is constant. But are all of these people really our friends? The bond of Christian friendship is different. Built on our unity with Christ, these are real life, flesh and blood relationships - both sacred and sacrificial. Christina Fox offers insight into how we can weave friendships that last through any season and reflect Christ to the world.
Biblical Christianity is more than just another private religious view. It’s more than just a personal relationship with God or a source of moral teaching.
Christianity is a picture of reality.
It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end.
In The Story of Reality, bestselling author and host of Stand to Reason, Gregory Koukl, explains the five words that form the narrative backbone of the Christian story. He identifies the most important things that happen in the story in the order they take place:
Christianity is a picture of reality.
It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end.
In The Story of Reality, bestselling author and host of Stand to Reason, Gregory Koukl, explains the five words that form the narrative backbone of the Christian story. He identifies the most important things that happen in the story in the order they take place:
- God
- Man
- Jesus
- Cross
- Resurrection
Discover Peace, Perspective, and Healing.
From a human perspective, God often appears to be an intruder. He presumes, invades, and infringes upon our lives. At times, God encroaches with gentle, subtle reminders - at others, with sudden, devestating judgement.
God is not tucked away in some far corner of the universe, uncaring, unfeeling, unthinking...uninvolved. You can count on it - He is intimately involved with the tiniest details of your existence. Learn how His constant presence can bring peace, perspective, and healing into the puzzling and chaotic circumstances of your life.
From a human perspective, God often appears to be an intruder. He presumes, invades, and infringes upon our lives. At times, God encroaches with gentle, subtle reminders - at others, with sudden, devestating judgement.
God is not tucked away in some far corner of the universe, uncaring, unfeeling, unthinking...uninvolved. You can count on it - He is intimately involved with the tiniest details of your existence. Learn how His constant presence can bring peace, perspective, and healing into the puzzling and chaotic circumstances of your life.
Having shared his journey of faith in the New York Times bestselling Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi now examines Islam and Christianity in detail, exploring areas of crucial conflict and unpacking the relevant evidence.
In this anticipated follow-up book, Nabeel reveals what he discovered in the decade following his conversion, providing a thorough and careful comparison of the evidence for Islam and Christianity--evidence that wrenched his heart and transformed his life.
In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi recounted his dramatic journey, describing his departure from Islam and his decision to follow Christ. In the years that followed, he realized that the world’s two largest religions are far more different than they initially appeared.
No God but One: Allah or Jesus? addresses the most important questions at the interface of Islam and Christianity: How do the two religions differ? Are the differences significant? Can we be confident that either Christianity or Islam is true? And most important, is it worth sacrificing everything for the truth?
Nabeel shares stories from his life and ministry, casts new light on current events, and explores pivotal incidents in the histories of both religions, providing a resource that is gripping and thought-provoking, respectful and challenging.
Both Islam and Christianity teach that there is No God but One, but who deserves to be worshiped, Allah or Jesus?
This eBook includes the full text of the book plus bonus content not found in the softcover! Bonuses include a Q&A with Nabeel Qureshi and downloadable videos that answer important questions about Islam and Christianity. Please note that some e-reader devices do not accommodate video play. You can still access the bonus videos by copying the web address provided into an internet browser on a device or computer that accommodates video content.
In this anticipated follow-up book, Nabeel reveals what he discovered in the decade following his conversion, providing a thorough and careful comparison of the evidence for Islam and Christianity--evidence that wrenched his heart and transformed his life.
In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi recounted his dramatic journey, describing his departure from Islam and his decision to follow Christ. In the years that followed, he realized that the world’s two largest religions are far more different than they initially appeared.
No God but One: Allah or Jesus? addresses the most important questions at the interface of Islam and Christianity: How do the two religions differ? Are the differences significant? Can we be confident that either Christianity or Islam is true? And most important, is it worth sacrificing everything for the truth?
Nabeel shares stories from his life and ministry, casts new light on current events, and explores pivotal incidents in the histories of both religions, providing a resource that is gripping and thought-provoking, respectful and challenging.
Both Islam and Christianity teach that there is No God but One, but who deserves to be worshiped, Allah or Jesus?
This eBook includes the full text of the book plus bonus content not found in the softcover! Bonuses include a Q&A with Nabeel Qureshi and downloadable videos that answer important questions about Islam and Christianity. Please note that some e-reader devices do not accommodate video play. You can still access the bonus videos by copying the web address provided into an internet browser on a device or computer that accommodates video content.
Calvary Women
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer ... praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
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