Last week we as a church hosted our annual men and boys camping trip up in the Sierras. What a great time. It was a combination of relaxation, recreation, and exhortation. We ate well, played hard, and spent each evening around the camp fire chewing on a spiritual theme. One of the men led a Bible study and then opened it up for questions each night, which consistently produced a flurry of thoughtful exchange. One of my favorite things in life is to see people learn, and watching the boys ask and answer questions by the glow of a fire as their ...

Wedding bells are ringing at Calvary Chapel Turlock as a few of our young couples are approaching their special day of matrimony. So accordingly, I've been thrust into the role of pre-marital counselor. These foundation-building sessions have been great as I really enjoy getting to know the individuals involved and helping them prepare for their walk down the aisle and a life of wedded bliss. Our times together are dedicated to listening, discovering, and learning. I always begin the first meeting with Ephesians 5:22, as we simply march ...

Last week my family and I headed south to San Luis Obispo to spend a few days at the coast. Some friends were on vacation and asked if we could feed their pets and watch their house while they took off to Lego-Land. It was no-brainer; so away we went. We got to walk the streets of downtown San Luis, got to play on the beach, and even drive around for a little sight-seeing. The temperature was cool and refreshing with an overcast sky in the morning that turned beautiful blue by the afternoon. I understand why people pay so much to live there....

Last week Calvary Chapel hosted its annual Senior Pastor's Conference in Murrieta, Ca. It's generally difficult for me to get a whole week off from my secular job and still keep my Sundays free, but the Lord worked it out perfectly and I got to attend the entire conference. It was a real blessing, and I'm thankful that I got to be there. The theme this year was "Continuing in the Spirit." The Calvary Chapel movement was born in 1965 when Pastor Chuck Smith accepted the pulpit at a small fellowship gathered in a Costa Mesa trailer park. The ...

If you follow politics, you know that the incumbents are running scared this year. Long time politicos like Pennsylvania's Senator Arlen Specter are getting bounced in the primaries. Mobs are storming the Bastille, demanding a far different type of change than they've been delivered. The oil spill in the Gulf and the ensuing environmental nightmare is simply fueling the furnace of discontent. People are fed up with the colossal man-made disasters of our time. From the real estate melt down, to the Wall Street bail out, to exacerbated health ...

As I write, millions of gallons of crude oil are fouling the Gulf Coast, killing untold quantities of wildlife, and doing grave and lasting damage to a very sensitive eco-system. The effects will be felt for decades. David Kennedy, head of the NOAA, said simply, "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing." Apparently British Petroleum never fashioned a solid response-plan for such a scenario, although the likelihood of an offshore oil platform catching fire and sinking always seemed overtly plausible. And now as the world watches, BP ...

As a sarcastic joke, one of my friends (one of our elders) bought me The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. This is the book I had heard so much about even before reading a single page. This fictional story seemed to have the unique ability, perhaps more than any other work, to immediately polarize Christians just by the mention of its title. I was amazed to hear how quickly people expressed either their love or hate for it in such strong terms. So many Christians were singing its praises as a new and insightful understanding of God, while other ...

I'm always a little crunched on the aspect of time. Yes, I know that everyone has twenty-four hours equally in a day. But between my secular job, my family, preparing a sermon, tending the flock, trying to get a little exercise, and keeping the yard in shape, it's always tricky to find uninterrupted time to read. But recently I found a little time and read a book entitled "In Deadly Combat," by Gottlob Bidermann. It's a historical account of life on the Russian Front during WWII. I have read many books about the war, but I had never read any ...

Although this blog won't get posted until next week, I'm sitting down to write on "Earth Day." It's the day we celebrate our duty and allegiance to "Mother Earth." I can't believe how quickly it has morphed into a full-blown religious festival. If we would go to India's Ganges River during one of the high holy days of Hinduism, we would find a great deal of commonality. People bring gifts, gather in reverent commemoration, and offer themselves as loyal servants to divine mystery. Their traditions have developed over thousands of years, but ...

Well finally, my last entry on Christian leadership for a while. There is just one more element that I wanted to address before bringing this topic to a close: the big hindrance. What is behind the scarcity of genuine leadership in our culture today, and even more critically, the lack of spiritual leadership in the church? What is inhibiting men from stepping up and leading their families, congregations, and denominations? Peel away the convoluted layers of excuses, and I believe at the core we find fear. Men are fearful to be strong leaders ...

I'm just about ready to wrap up my blogging on Christian leadership. There is so much more to say, but it's about time to venture on to other subjects of Christian living. I'm sure we'll come back to leadership in the future. I believe that God is perfect. That may sound like an obvious theological supposition for a pastor, but I think an honest and comprehensive survey would prove unpleasantly surprising. So many ministries that claim the name of Christ, that call themselves evangelical, that purport Biblical sufficiency and inerrancy, ...

I just read an article in Newsweek Magazine by columnist George F. Will entitled "The Basement Boys." It's a sad commentary on the state of American men. Consider some of his observations. Currently, women significantly outnumber men in colleges and universities across the nation. Women now make up a majority of law students, medical students, and doctoral candidates in most academic institutions. More than women, men are increasingly living at home with their parents. Better than half (55%) of men ages 18-24 reside with mom and dad. More than ...

I recently attended a Calvary Chapel pastor's conference at Lake Tahoe. It was absolutely beautiful. The lake was cold and clear, the sky was brilliant blue, and the air was refreshingly crisp. Every meal in the dining hall provided a commanding view of the lake and its majestic skyline, with snow-capped mountain peaks that stretched across the horizon. And as good as the scenery and food were, the teaching was even better. One of the speakers was addressing the ministry of Paul, how he began well, lived well, and finished well. And since I've ...

The world's leadership model is an unraveling mess. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just recently called for homosexuals to serve openly in the armed services. Unlike any time in history, homosexual behavior among uniformed servicemen will be openly endorsed by the military's chain of command. And last week Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for women to serve without restriction on US submarines. This means that young women will be placed in extremely close quarters and personal situations with mature ...

The God-given family is not only the crucible for delivering well-adjusted, responsible, and competent citizens to society, it is the training ground for the next generation's leaders. Now I haven't taken a scientific poll, but from personal experience and observation, I think we're in trouble. I'm not talking about our nation or our secular culture; I'm talking about the church. I'm seeing droves of Christian parents, and especially fathers, roll over in submissive capitulation very much like my daughter's Rat Terrier every time I open the ...

The family is such an amazing institution. Man loves woman, woman loves man, man and woman join in marriage, and babies come forth. This not only perpetuates the human race, it proves tremendously beneficial to all parties involved. The Lord obviously knew what He was doing by establishing this efficient paradigm. Intentionally manipulating or altering God's intended design, the model He provided from Genesis, won't really go over very well on judgment day. The creator gets to define His creation; it always works best that way, and He chose ...

When I scan the Christian landscape, it seems to me that Jesus has by and large been reduced (by no small portion of evangelicals) to a hip social worker that acts and carries Himself like a woman, or at least a very soft, even effeminate, man. This Jesus would never say anything offensive to hurt anyone's feelings and certainly would never present Himself as physically threatening. That's not something a woman would naturally do in her nurturing nature. I agree, but a man would, and Jesus was every bit a man. I wonder why these same ...

Here we go. This is my first blog ever. I don't know if a hundred people will read this or just one (me). Nonetheless I want to use this blog to write about subjects that I wouldn't normally preach on. At CCT we teach the Word, and the Word only. We believe that the Word is the Power of God to change lives. This blog on the other hand, will be much more personal and give you blog readers a way to find out who the guy is behind the pulpit and what I feel strongly about. The other nice thing about a blog is that I can cut right to the heart of ...