Calvary Chapel of Ventura

06/13/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

The Bible gives us only a glimpse of the glory we will share in heaven with our crucified and risen Savior. Just think--no more sorrow, no more death, no more crying, no more pain, for the former things will have passed away! (Rev. 21:4).

These brief glimpses make us eager to know more of what will flood us with awe when we get there. No doubt the dwelling place of the Lord will be infinitely more beautiful and breathtaking than we are capable of imagining.

Among the surprises that await us in heaven will be three astonishing ones that John Newton pointed out. The converted slave-dealer, who wrote the universally loved hymn “Amazing Grace,” perceptively foresaw what every sinner will feel who has been redeemed by Christ's atoning sacrifice.

He wrote, “If I ever reach heaven, I expect to find three wonders there: First, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had thought to meet there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there!”

And that greatest wonder will cause John Newton and all of God's children to fall on their knees in gratitude for God's amazing grace. But let's not wait. Now is the time to begin expressing our gratitude!

—Pastor Bob

06/10/2016

Dear all it comes with great joy and sorrow to inform you that this page is going off-line. Calvary Chapel of Ventura is making some new and exciting changes and have decided to start a new page under "Calvary Chapel Ventura" please take time to look this page up and like it. I will be shutting this page down in a week. But before I go I would like to say thank you for following this page it's been a blessing to have been used by God in blessing you all by keeping this page up and sharing the weekly challenges with you. God Bless you all.

06/10/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Are you disappointed with something that didn’t work out the way you wanted or expected it to? Are you discouraged as a result?

Don’t waste time wishing you had it . . . Get on with your life!

Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”

Does this describe you? Are you so occupied with what you want but don’t have that you can’t see what God has for you? Are you too busy asking God for what you want that you can’t see what He wants?

Come to God and receive from Him the assurance of Jeremiah. Open your eyes to see that what God has for you is good -- in fact, it’s the best!

God has great plans for your life. He has a future and a hope for you.

Won’t you come to Him today and allow Him to be your Lord? Won’t you come to God and commit your life to His plans? You’ll never regret it!

—Pastor Bob

06/08/2016

06/01/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“The effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body.”
(Ephesians 4:16)

Have you ever watched a pit crew in action at an auto race?

In less time than it takes for most of us to put our seatbelt on and adjust the mirror, a well functioning pit crew can change four tires, fill the gas tank, wash the windshield, give the driver a drink, and make vital adjustments to the car. It happens so quickly and efficiently because each crew member knows his job and does it right.

A pastor speaking at a chapel service before an Indy 500 race said to the drivers and their crews, “Imagine all the people it takes to put on a race. What if they all wanted to drive? It would be chaos.”

It's the same with the crew. If everyone wanted to change tires and no one wanted to fill the gas tank or clean the windshield, the car wouldn't go very far and the driver wouldn’t be able to see!

Likewise, in the body of Christ we all have been equipped with different gifts to do certain tasks. We can't all be pastors or teachers. Some of us have to “change the tires” and “wash the windshield.” And each job is just as important as the other.

For the body of Christ to fulfill its purpose, we each need to concentrate on our part and do it the best we can.

—Pastor Bob

05/24/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”
(Luke 18:1)

“What good does it do to pray? Things just seem to be getting worse, not better.”
If all I had to read were the daily headlines, then yes -- it would be very easy to become discouraged and wonder if there was any hope.

But I also read something else every day -- and that is the Bible. And because of that, I know there is hope for the future. Yes, we live in a world that is filled with evil and violence, and the Bible is realistic about that. Jesus even warned that evil will grow worse before He comes again, “...men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:26).

Why is there hope? Why should we pray? First, because God is still on the throne. In spite of all the evil in the world, the forces of the devil cannot overcome God, and some day His kingdom will come. Although we may be unaware of it, God is at work behind the scenes, and He often works in response to our prayers. How much worse off would our world be if people weren’t praying?

Second, we should pray because God is still at work in the hearts of men and women, calling them to Christ and changing them by the Holy Spirit.

Pray for God to guide the leaders of the world (even those who are opposed to Him). And pray also that God will bring spiritual revival to His people -- beginning in your own heart and life.

—Pastor Bob

05/12/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.”
(Palm 86:7)

The headline read: “Unanswered Prayers, Letters To God Found Dumped In Ocean.”

The letters, 300 in all and sent to a New Jersey minister, had been tossed in the ocean, most of them unopened. The minister was long dead. How the letters came to be floating in the surf off the New Jersey shore is a mystery.

The letters were addressed to the minister because he had promised to pray. Some of the letters asked for frivolous things; others were written by anguished spouses, children, or widows. They poured out their hearts to God, asking for help with relatives who were abusing drugs and alcohol, or spouses who were cheating on them. One asked God for a husband and father to love her child. The reporter concluded that all were “unanswered prayers.”

Not so! If those letter-writers cried out to God, He heard each one of them. Not one honest prayer is lost to His ears. “All my desire is before You,” David wrote in the midst of a deep personal crisis, “and my sighing is not hidden from You” (Ps. 38:9). David understood that we can cast all our cares on the Lord, even if no one else prays for us. He confidently concluded, “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me.”

—Pastor Bob

05/10/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (John 10:3)

When I see a flock of sheep I see exactly that -- a flock. I don’t see a sheep -- I see sheep. All alike. All the same. None different. That’s what I see.

But not so with their shepherd. To him every sheep is different. Every face is special. Every face has a story. And every sheep has a name. The one with the sad eyes...that’s Droopy. The one with one ear up and the other down...that’s Sally. The one who’s sick...that’s Oscar. The one who’s always over by herself...that’s Margerie. And the small one with the scar on its face...that’s Timmy.

The shepherd knows his sheep and he calls them by name.

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd -- filling a stadium or flooding a mall. When we see a crowd, we see people, not persons, but people. But not so with the Shepherd. To Him every face is different. Every face is a story. Every face is an individual, an individual with a name, a n “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”(John 10:3)

When I see a flock of sheep I see exactly that -- a flock. I don’t see a sheep -- I see sheep. All alike. All the same. None different. That’s what I see,

But not so with their shepherd. To him every sheep is different. Every face is special. Every face has a story. And every sheep has a name. The one with the sad eyes...that’s Droopy. The one with one ear up and the other down...that’s Sally. The one who’s sick...that’s Oscar. The one who’s always over by herself...that’s Margerie. And the small one with the scar on its face...that’s Timmy.

The shepherd knows his sheep and he calls them by name.

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd -- filling a stadium or flooding a mall. When we see a crowd, we see people, not persons, but people.

But not so with the Shepherd. To Him every face is different. Every face is a story.

Every face is an individual, an individual with a name, a name that He knows.

The Shepherd knows His sheep. He knows each one by name. The Shepherd knows you. He knows your name. And He will never forget it!

Pastor Bob >

05/03/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
(Jeremiah 31:3)

I read a story this past week of a man who finally worked up the nerve to ask his boss for a raise in salary. It was Friday. He told his wife that morning what he was about to do. All day the man felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon he summoned the courage to approach his employer. To his delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The man arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china. Candles were lit. His wife had prepared a festive meal. Immediately he figured that someone from the office had tipped her off! Finding his wife in the kitchen, he told her the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to a wonderful meal. Next to his plate the man found a beautiful lettered note. It read: “Congratulations, darling! I knew you’d get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you.”

While on his way to the kitchen to get dessert he noticed that a second card had fallen from her pocket. Picking it off the floor, he read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you.”

Total acceptance…Total love! Her love for him was not contingent upon his success at work. In fact, just the opposite. If he were to fail there, if he were to be rejected by his boss he’d be all the more accepted at home. She stood behind him no matter what -- softening the blows, healing the wounds, believing in him, loving him.

God loves you no matter what you’ve done -- no matter where you are! Come to Him and receive His love for you! He is drawing you with His lovingkindness.

—Pastor Bob

04/23/2016

*******Weekly Challenge*******

“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

There is an interesting legend concerning the quiet years of Jesus, the years prior to His visible ministry. The legend claims that Jesus the carpenter was one of the master yoke-makers in the Nazareth area. People came from miles around for a yoke, hand carved and crafted by Jesus, son of Joseph.

When customers arrived with their team of oxen Jesus would spend considerable time measuring the team, their height, the width, the space between them, and the size of their shoulders. Within a week, the team would be brought back and He would carefully place the newly made yoke over the shoulders, watching for rough places, smoothing out the edges and fitting them perfectly to this particular team of oxen.

That’s the yoke Jesus invites us to take. Do not be misled by the word “easy,” for its root word in Greek speaks directly of tailor-made yokes: they were “well-fitting.” The yoke Jesus invites us to take, the yoke that brings rest to weary souls, is one that is made exactly to fit us individually. The yoke He invites us to wear fits us well, does not rub us nor cause us to develop sores and is designed for two. His yokes were always designed for two. And our yoke-partner is none other than Christ himself.

How about it… Have you taken His yoke? Have you decided to yield to Him? He offers rest for your soul. Receive it today, won’t you?

Pastor Bob >

04/12/2016

******* Weekly Challenge *******

“Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”
(Jeremiah 32:17)

I read a funny story last week about a nine-year-old boy named Tommy who came bursting out of Sunday school with his eyes darting in every direction trying to find either his mom or dad. Finally, after a quick search, he found his dad, grabbed him by the leg and yelled, “Man, that story of Moses and all those people crossing the Red Sea was great!” His father looked down, smiled, and asked the boy to tell him about it.

“Well, the Israelites got out of Egypt, but Pharaoh and his army chased after them. So the Jews ran as fast as they could until they got to the Red Sea. The Egyptian Army was gettin’ closer and closer. So Moses got on his walkie-talkie and told the Israeli Air Force to bomb the Egyptians. While that was happening, the Israeli Navy built a pontoon bridge so the people could cross over. They made it!

By now old dad was shocked. “Is THAT the way they taught you the story?”

“Well, no, not exactly,” Tommy admitted, “but if I told you the way they told it to us, you’d never believe it!”

When we are faced with insurmountable situations in our lives, God can do, and does wonders. The children of Israel were trapped. They had nowhere to go. Mountains were on either side, the Egyptian Army was behind them and the Red Sea was in front of them. They cried out to God and He delivered them.

Are you in a difficult spot right now? Cry out to God, be obedient, and watch Him work wonders!

—Pastor Bob