Spring Ladies Retreat!

Fall 2017 Tea and Book Club

Calvary Victoria Women's Ministry presents:

LOVE & RESPECT

by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

Discover the Single Greatest Secret 

to a Successful Marriage!

Psychological studies affirm it, and the Bible has been saying it for ages. Cracking the communication code between husband and wife involves understanding one thing: that unconditional respect is as powerful for him as unconditional love is for her. It's the secret to marriage that every couple seeks, and yet few couples ever find.

Join us as we dive into a great study on marriage through this Ephesians 5 based book! Starting October 2017, we will meet for an afternoon tea twice to discuss the book in two parts:

Part 1: November 5

Part 2: December 10

Called to Lead, Called to Serve

What does it look like to be a leader in the body of Christ?

When Jesus was asked by His disciples who would hold the greatest leadership position in His coming heavenly kingdom on earth, Jesus replied, the servant of all.

Leadership in the kingdom of God is not like leadership in the kingdoms of man.  The popular series, Game of Thrones, although infamous for its graphic immorality, portrays this point very well. To be great in the kingdoms of this world, you must rise above all others: climbing, misusing and even killing to achieve the pinnacle of your ambition- power over other men.  But in the kingdom of God, it is just the opposite. You must lower yourself before all others: serving, giving, and even dying to lift other men and women up! Up to where? Jesus.

Ephesians 4: 7-15

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift...
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life up for us, so too, those He calls to be His ministers... leaders in the ministry of the kingdom... must be prepared to follow in their Masters footsteps.

Matthew 20:25-27

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Peter, a pastor himself, wrote in 1 Peter 5:2-4 to the leaders of the local church:

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

So, here at Calvary Victoria, we approach women's ministry the same way we approach all ministries: those who lead must be willing to serve. Leadership is not a high position. It is a low one. So low, in fact, that it takes someone who has had sufficient experience with life to have become humble enough to fill it. It is not glamorous, but involves rather lots of hard, dirty work. There is often very little appreciation, almost no praise, and more often than not, plenty of criticism... both constructive and destructive. But here is the joy: if you have been called to it, and have stepped out in faith to be used in it, there is great reward for your faithfulness! And that truly is a sustaining hope and joy.

And, there are the glimpses. Every now and then. The curtains will part and you can just catch a moments reflection of the beautiful tapestry that God is weaving out of your life as it intertwines with the work He is accomplishing in the lives of others. While we do not enter in to ministry to find meaning and purpose in our lives, (or shouldn't rather), it is often the lovely by-product of pouring  ourselves into the lives of others.  Nothing given to Christ is ever lost.

If you believe God has called you to be a leader, and are willing to be a servant, I invite you to join our Women's Ministry Servant Leader Team here at Calvary Victoria. I ask only two things of my leaders:
1. Do you have a consistent devotional/relational time with Jesus? (for we can't give what have nothing of!)
2. Are you willing to commit to being discipled? (for to lead, we must be willing to be led)

If this is you, please email or call me. I would love to have you join us!

Afternoon Tea and Book Club

Ladies Retreat Devotional

So this weekend, I'm sharing the morning Devotional at the Calvary Chapel Vancouver Island's Ladies Retreat. My subject? Devotions.

Actually, more specifically, I'm sharing about a devotional method that I have found to be very helpful.

It goes by many names, and is packaged many different ways by countless different ministries and discipleship materials; but in it's simplicity (and we love simplicity at Calvary Victoria), it is well, very simple. I first learned it from the old Navigators "2:7 Series" about seven years ago, and haven't
looked back since. But I want to give it to you here, without any packaging, in it's raw form.

To explain it in one sentence, you simply read a chapter of the Bible a day, pick one verse in it that speaks to you, and write down any thoughts you have about it. That’s all.

One chapter. One verse. Write something down.

You may ask, "I'm already reading my Bible every day. Do I really need to write it down?"

That was my initial response, too. But when I was honest with myself, I could rarely recall what I had read two days before, let alone a month ago. And, if I was really honest, I didn’t actually read everyday, either. I would read, for a few days or even weeks, but then something would throw me off, and I would have a hard time getting back into the groove. Often I felt, “I don’t have time right now, I do it later”, because for me, when I read, I wanted to study it too.

But how often did I actually have time for that? So, it became a feast or famine situation. All or nothing. I either read copiously and spent an hour or more in study or meditation on the passages I read, or I barely got anything at all, reading only a few sentences that failed to sink in, or not even opening the Bible. Then, I found that the longer I went without reading, the longer my time would be when I finally got back into it. Which would in turn create another deficit on the other side.


Stuffed or starved.

Then, I was introduced to the method I have already mentioned. It was too unbelievably simple and at first I dismissed it. But as Cameron would regularly report the good stuff he was getting daily out of the Bible, I became curious.
He explained the concept to me: In any decent conversation, both parties talk and listen; there is always an element of response. When we read the Bible, it is like God is talking to us. If we simply read and then walk away, it’s akin to the rather bizarre social behaviour of listening to a friend sharing their heart and then wandering away without a response of any sort.

Some of you are like, “What? That’s not normal? I do that all the time!”

But, seriously, it was a revolutionary thought to me. I was like, “Wait, God wants a response from me?”
All the sudden, it seemed so obvious.

I got a journal, and began to read a chapter a day and comment on one verse that stood out to me from the chapter. I’m still doing it today. Sometimes, it’s not a verse, but an idea, or perhaps, an impression, but there is always something to learn, to receive, to grow in.  I write it down. If I don’t, it’s lost by the next day.  I like to think of the written response as particularly fitting:

God is talking to me through writing, so I will write in reply.

As I mentioned before, this method is both practically doable and remarkably enjoyable.  I actually look forward to it every morning. I make a pot of tea and some toast, and then sit down in my favourite chair, to have breakfast with Jesus (after all the kids are off to school).
 I read my chapter leisurely, meditating on anything that stands out to me, as I sip my tea or crunch on my toast. After the chapter is finished, I grab my journal, which sits by the chair with my Bible, and contemplate which verse or idea I should write down.
When I’ve decided, I pen it in, followed by a brief commentary (often a prayer) on what spoke to me from it, or what I learned, etc. Then I finish my current cup of tea, put my books away, and start on the day. It takes only about a half hour usually, but feels like a retreat- a luxury. I can do it in 15 minutes, but I prefer not to. It is so much nicer to take the time and savour it.

Now, some of you are thinking, “I can understand why that would be enjoyable, but it just won’t work for me in my life, with my schedule. It may be enjoyable, but it is not practical.”

I beg to differ.

I have not always had a big comfy chair and morning pot of tea. That is my greatest blessing of late. Long before that (although not too long ago), I had a baby rocking chair covered with spit up cloths, diapers everywhere, and every young mothers blessed hope- nap time.

I began this devotional journey when I was pregnant with my fourth, and at one point had four children 5 and under. A baby, a toddler, a preschooler, and a homeschooler.

Life was a blur.

I actually can’t recall much of what happened during that season other than endless diapers and laundry, lots of crying (my own), and a devotional time every night, which was my anchor.

As soon as all four kids were in bed (never asleep), around 8pm, I would make a cup of tea in a giant mug, set it down on the lampstand table, and settle into my nursing rocking chair with my Bible and journal. It was the best part of every day. God would speak to me through His word. I grew so much spiritually, through in a hard season, just because of my nightly devotional times, which I guarded zealously. The kids were not allowed out of bed for anything, ("I don't care if you're vomiting!" -JK) and Cam also took that time to read. It was very practical.

It does take a decision, though, to have a devotional time; it won’t happen by accident. But it is doable. None of us are too busy to have a devotion. Even if you are working two jobs, taking care of young family or aging parent, battling a chronic health issue, and volunteering with your church or community, you still have 15 minutes to spare. How do I know this? Because, you eat food. Yes.

You. Eat. Food.

The average person takes 15 minutes to eat one plate of food, (to the horror of chewing enthusiasts). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or coffee break in between, averages at about 15 minutes. While you are eating, you can have your devotion. “But I don’t want to carry my Bible and journal everywhere, and besides my schedule is haphazard. I never know when I will eat, or if I will.”

Well, I don’t have an answer for that, but I do have… (drum roll)…an APP. Yes. An app for your phone.

It is called Through the Word, and you can download the app at throughtheword.org. Wherever you are, when you have a few minutes, you can read your daily Bible chapter right on your mobile device, in text or, get this: AUDIO. Yes, you can listen to the Bible while you drive or eat, or whatever!

“Look ma! No hands!” 

Then you can opt to listen to a 5-8 minute concise and clear teaching on the chapter if you want. Finally, you can then record in audio (talking) or text, what you got from it. And for those of you who love checklists, you can even track your progress on the app!

I myself am a paper and pen sort of girl, with a verging-on-obsessive love of books, and prefer to hold my Bible while I read it, and enjoy the whole sensual experience of writing in my white paged journal with my black fountain pen... but I understand that many of you are far more digitally inclined or simply out and about much more than myself. In whose case, I highly recommend this awesome app.

Jesus said to His Father, “Sanctify them by Your Truth,” and lest we wonder where to find this Truth, He adds, “Your Word is Truth.” (John 17:17) Jesus said we are sanctified by the truths found in the Bible. Sanctify means literally, “to set apart”. Not like a reject or exile, set apart from the crowd, but like a chosen favourite, set apart by the King for special appointment in his kingdom. We are being set apart, sanctified, for God. How is this largely happening? Through the work of the Holy Spirit though the Word of God, the Bible.

I encourage all of you to take advantage of the resources God has granted you and make an appointment everyday to meet Him in His Word, to listen to Him speak, and then to respond to what He has shared with you. Take 15 minutes, read a chapter, pick a verse, and write a response. It may just revolutionize your Christian experience.

Vancouver Island Ladies Retreat 2016

Ladies Bible Fellowship 2014-2015