AFRICA MISSION TRIP

After our two day delay in Atlanta, Cheryl and I finally made it to Uganda. The airlines lost our baggage again but we trusted God that He would provide for us and we could make do with what we had on. We drove three hours north to Luwero to see Valerie at New Hope Uganda. It was so good to see her. She has been fighting malaria but was gaining strength day by day. She is studying at the institute and learning a lot about ministry to orphans, especially in the context of Africa.

This is where Valerie lives!

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This is inside Val's room. Notice some of her Calvary Norco items: A picture of Mission Training School, Gracie and her balloons, church bulletin, and through the Bible in a year program.

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Cheryl and Valerie helping aunt Betty sort beans.

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Pastor Rony and wife Blessing. Good friends of Valerie.

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We spent time clearing weeds one morning for planting.

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Valerie is overjoyed at Ryan's love gift. We brought it from California. Our luggage was finally delivered and we were able to present this to her before we left for South Africa. It was hard to say good bye to Valerie but we knew it was time to divide and conquer for the kingdom.

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-----------SOUTH AFRICA----------

We flew 4 1/2 hours to Johannesburg, South Africa to see Jan Pane, one of our GO! missionaries out of Calvary Chapel San Jose, CA. What a joy to see her! She has been here four years and her ministry is to AIDS/HIV orphan children.

Here is Jan visiting the children at Christ Church where she lived and served two months.

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This video explains about Jan's heart for the township of Mountainview outside of Johannesburg. There is a school there that need much help and Jan does what she can to provide basic needs.

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This pastor Gibson and his wife Dora. We had sweet fellowship with them and their family. Gibson took us around Johannesburg and told us the history of Aparteid. He was apart of this stuggle for racial equality and still has a bullet in his arm.

Gibson took us to the Hector Pieterson museum. We learned so much about the history of Aparteid in South Africa and about Nelson Mandela who suffered and won the cause for equal rights for all in this country.


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Jan attends Calvary Chapel Johannesburg. We attended the midweek service and met some wonderful saints. The church meets in a tent. I had the blessed opportunity to share about the Great Commisson (Mat 28:18-20).

The worship was wonderful!

Pastor Chad and Heather Naaktgeboren. Their sending church is Calvary Chapel First Love in Whittier, CA. They're doing a great work for the Lord. In addition to the church they also have a Christ centered drug and alcohol ministry on the property.

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Jan wanted to take Cheryl and I to Lion Park. It was thrilling to see the native animals where they used to roam freely!

Saying goodbye to Jan at the airport. Always so sad to part from our missionaries...our modern day heroes!

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Thanks to all for your prayers!

You can hear a brief audio of our wonderful trip from last Sunday's message at CCNorco entitled Red Letter Edition.

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SUSPICION

SUSPICION

(1 Tim 6:4) he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,

Do you ever doubt people's motives? Have you ever wondered if someone had your best interest in mind or not? Are you always on guard about people turning on you or taking advantage of you? Then you might have a bad case of suspicion!

Some of us have had it rough in life. And for some it started at a young age. We grew up kind of wise and street-smart well beyond our years. We had to. We learned early on that life is not a Disneyland fantasy atmosphere. We discovered that you had to take care of yourself because if you didn't people would mistreat you and take from you. Better build a wall of defense before you get hurt. Never trust anybody. Everyone is a suspect. Keep your eyes open. No one is that kind of heart. Everyone has an angle. Don't be the next victim.

It's true we are to be discerning in life. (Phil 1:9) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. We are not to be naïve and dumb. (Pro 14:15) The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. But the Bible tells us that the love of God is real and can manifest in a fallen world and through a sinner's heart. (Rom 5:5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Therefore we can believe the best in each other because we believe God's love can flow from one heart to another. …(love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…(1 Cor 13:7-8). Because of this we have nothing to fear or shy away from. We can overcome our trust issues because we believe God's love is the most powerful and healing force on earth.

Poor Saul. The man was riddled with suspicion. He didn't trust anybody…especially David. Saul had let doubt and fear dominate his life. As a result he became insecure and paranoid. He jealously guarded his position of power. When David showed himself valiant in battle the people praised David more than Saul. (1 Sam 18:7) So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”

One day David was playing harp in the king's presence. Suspicion overcame him and he sought to strike before he was stricken. (1 Sam 18:10-11) And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice. Saul never did recover. He sank deeper and deeper in this quicksand of quicksilver until he was no more.

Stop looking at people as suspects and start viewing them as prospects of God's love. Don't be deceived, don't be naïve, but believe the best. Be rooted and grounded in God's love and enjoy people and the great relationships you can have in Christ!

(Mark 12:31) And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Louie

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FIRST LOVE

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

FIRST LOVE

(Rev 2:4-5) …you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…

We all admire a fervent love. To see a young couple falling in love, getting engaged and then going to the altar is so exciting. And not only for them but for others to observe. But as time goes on, though, the struggles of life seem to put a damper on that first love. You see couples surviving instead of thriving. It’s sad because you remember how fond they were of each other. That’s like our love for the Lord. It usually starts out with that first love glow and then it eventually grinds down to a lifeless slow. The thrill is gone. Is there any way to get it back?

The Ephesian church was a wonderful church founded by the apostle Paul. Paul had written to them and commended them for their love. (Eph 1:15, 4:16). Now a generation later this energetic and orthodox church is seen as leaving their first love. Their fervent love had cooled. It’s a danger we all are faced with as we continue on in our faith.

It’s interesting how when we lose our first love we seem to replace that love in our hearts with love for other things. We can replace love for God with love of money (1 Tim. 6:10); love of the world (1 John 2:15); relationships (Mat. 10:37; 1 Cor. 7:34); and any other idols of the heart (1 John 5:21). Our heart was meant for love…God’s love. Anything else is just a cheap substitute for the real thing.

Jesus not only rebuked this “loveless church”, He also told them how to correct their problem of the heart. He told them to REMEMBER. They were exhorted to recall their former enthusiasm and how it used to be. This is what marriage counselors often do with couples that have drifted apart. The counselor will ask the couple to describe how they met, their courtship and engagement, and their first year of marriage together. It is common for the two to start warming up to each other as they recollect. We are to recall how it was when we first came to the Lord and how we used to love and serve Christ with a full passion.

Then Jesus said to REPENT. Repent means to change one’s thinking which translates into changing one’s behavior to that new thinking and direction taken. As we remember our first love we are to make that U-turn and go back to retrieve what we have left.

Then Jesus said to do the first works (REPEAT). We are to get back to putting the Lord first in our lives. We are to downgrade everything else to a lower priority. We are to get back to serving the Lord with that original passion and really making a difference for Christ in our world.

In Genesis 35 the Lord leads Jacob back to his first love. (Gen 35:1-3) Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.” And that’s exactly what Jacob did. He went back to Bethel (“house of God”) and renewed his love for the Lord.

Does this describe you? Have you left your first love? Then you know the steps back to “Bethel.” Obey the three “R’s” and return to your original passion for Christ. Get the GLOW back and then GO for Jesus! (Eph 3:19) to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Louie

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ARRIVED SAFELY TO AFRICA

Cheryl and I left Monday for Africa to visit our GO! Missionaries serving the Lord there. There was mechanical failure on the airplane door at LAX so we were delayed. This resulted in missing our flight from Atlanta to Africa. We had to stay in Atlanta for two days. The airlines also lost our bags but they came the next day. The airline paid for our hotel and meals. We just took it from the Lord that He wanted us to rest. We saw the Martin Luther King, Jr. State Historical Park.

We left Thursday for Africa and it took three planes to get here. The airlines lost our baggage and it won't be here for 2 1/2 days. Praise the Lord!

(Jms 1:2-4) My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

We stayed at a guesthouse outside the Enbebbe, Uganda airport in a African style bed with a mosquito net. We are on our way to visit Valerie who serves at New Hope ministry. We heard internet is sketchy there so we will communicate with you when we can.

Thanks for your prayers. We are praying for you also!

Till the whole world hears,

Louie and Cheryl

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ABORTION

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

ABORTION

(Psa 139:15) My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Each year 1.5 million babies are aborted per year in America. That’s about 4,000 babies per day since 1973. If you do the math, you will grieve in your heart. And you know what gets me? How the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade is about the same time we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Now that’s hypocritical to me. You celebrate civil rights for each American citizen and then celebrate a woman’s right to choose to take away the fundamental right of the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. Double-standard! Hello…anybody inside that brain??

It truly is unreasonable how America views abortion. People say it’s just a fetus and not a real person. Again, reasoning breaks down here. You mean to tell me that if you want the child, then it’s a person? And if you made a boo-boo and got pregnant and you weren’t ready for that, then it’s now just tissue, instead of Timmy or Tina? Doesn’t make sense to me. But then I think of the how the Bible says that there would be that reprobate mind in people who don’t know the Lord and they would throw reasoning to the wind for their own convenience and immoral choices (Rom 1:28).

I think the basic argument over abortion is this: When does life begin? At conception? At birth? Somewhere in-between? Listen to what the Bible teaches: (Psa 139:13‑16) For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. {14} I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. {15} My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. {16} Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them…and…(Psa 51:5) Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Look at these scriptures and see God’s intimate knowledge and observation of a child in the womb. Then look at how David said that the human nature of his parents was passed down to him at conception.

An American law doesn’t mean that it is right! We must compare that law to the law of God. God will require of this generation the blood of the unborn: (Gen 4:10) And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. When the prophets walked the land of Israel they cried out against the iniquities of the land very specifically and forcefully. What would a Jeremiah say today as he walked the streets of a major American city? The topic of abortion would no doubt be on his lips along with many other injustices in the land.

Christian, say a prayer now for our country and beg God’s forgiveness and mercy. Let’s cry out to God for the little babies that are whisked away in a mute and sterile and legal holocaust each and every day. How can we be patriotic and say “God bless America” when the silent scream of these children are rising to God every moment of every day in this land of freedom? May God hear our prayer and may the unborn be granted the inherent right to see the light of day and the born (you and I) see the glory of God covering our nation once again.

Louie

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MALL COP

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

MALL COP

(Psa 106:3) Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!

It was the end of a long week and I was ready for a break. My family suggested a night out and we hit the mall. When we arrived I headed for the parking structure. I was feeling good and ready for some fun. So when I saw we needed to park up on top and there wasn’t anyone around, I put the petal to the metal. Man, was it thrilling. Like those cop shows that chase the bad guy. Those curves were the best! And the sound effects better than Dolby stereo. One of my daughters said “All right, dad!” The other one told me to slow down. And Cheryl? She kept saying “Honey!” over and over. When we finally made it around the last turn up on the top there stood like a sentinel with an iron gaze…the mall cop!

Well, I slowed down and slinked up to where he was with his hand held out indicating a nice chat was next on the agenda. I rolled down the window and sheepishly offered him salutations. He gave me the third degree and I just sat there taking the lashing. From the gutter of guilt I uttered a feeble apology and then cautiously inched forward, slinking into a parking stall. When we all got out I realized I had been busted by the mall cop!

Now part of me felt like what is the big deal? I work hard and why can’t I release the wild side every now and then? Then the other side of me said that the law is the law and I should have exercised restraint and been a good example to my family and others. And then the verse hit me…Blessed are those who do righteousness at all times. That settled it for me right then and there. Next time I will have to put the brakes on my sudden whimsicalness if it is not found in the wisdom of God.

“At all times.” That’s the challenge. Sometimes doing the right thing is the hard thing when you want to give vent to your passions. You tell yourself why not fudge a little? Your deserve a break. Let your hair down and let it all hang out for a little. You don’t do this all the time. You’ve been under stress and it’s time to loosen up and lighten up. But the Word of God says that each of us should know how to possess our own vessel (1 Thes 4:4). And the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Gal 5:23). We are to reserve our passion for God and doing the right thing. We are to avoid misplacing our passions into other things that could be damaging.

God gives warnings. A person usually doesn’t fall overnight. It’s one little compromise after another until we are then entangled in sin. We are to heed God’s warnings. He puts His hand out in love and tells us to slow down. Obey. Submit to the right. We can let these warnings go unheeded to our destruction or we can receive correction and enjoy God’s protection. (Pro 10:17) He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses correction goes astray. God’s Word also instructs us to do the right thing: (Psa 19:11) Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

There is never any vacation from righteousness. Though no one sees, God sees. And we don’t know but that others may be observing or finding out in the future. (Psa 119:112) I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end. (Deu 11:1)“Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always.

I’m glad God is not an arbitrary God, acting one way this time and another way another time. (Psa 36:6) Your righteousness is like the great mountains… Lord help us to be like You and do righteousness at all times! It always feels right to do the right thing. And there is never any regret. Now that’s the way to live!

Louie

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READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

It's the new year and it's time to get into the Word! Want to know where to start? Take the pastor Louie challenge and start from the beginning and read through the whole Bible in a year! This program averages three chapters a day at the rate of twelve minutes a day. Just think of it...this time next year you would have read through the whole Bible. Print out the handy guide from our resources tab and keep it in the flyleaf of your Bible.

This year let's get the spiritual muscle that we're going to need for all that lies ahead in 2011!

1 John 2:14 ...I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,And you have overcome the wicked one.