Calvary Life

A newsletter of Calvary Church of the Valley, Nov/Dec 2011

Come before the Lord

by Pastor Bill Mautino

The Bible tells us to worship the Lord with total expression through: our voice (singing and shouting), our hands (lifting, clapping and with instruments) and our body (standing, bowing and dancing.) God initiates, we wait on Him and He reveals Himself to us. King David was a true worshiper, who saw into the heavens and patterned his expression of worship after what he saw. When we worship God, it is pleasing to Him and of great benefit to ourselves. There is abundant mercy for those who call upon Him (Psalm 91), spiritual battles are fought and won (Psalm 149), and there is joy in His presence. (Psalm 16).

Daniel, Melody and David Schneider

Happy Birthday Calvary Church of the Valley 43 years old this month!

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Psalm 103: 1

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Calvary Life

DISCIPLESHIP
by Lisa Camarena (CCV missionary in Guatemala)

Discipleship (mentoring) is training up or teaching another person. Part of the Great Commandment calls us to do so. Matthew 28:19-20. There is an important step that follows the commitment to follow Jesus Christ. How can we follow Him if we do not know His commandments? How can we have a personal relationship with Him, if we do not read His Word and get to know Him intimately? Obeying God is an expression of our love toward Jesus Christ. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. John 14:23. If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Fathers commands and remain in His love. John 15:10 It is the responsibility of the mature Christians to help guide, teach and mentor the new Christians. It is not only the responsibility of Pastors and Sunday School teachers, but of all of us who have had the privilege of maturing in the Lord over time. Just as a parent teaches and guides his children, we, too, must teach and guide those that are new to the Christian faith. We need to be mentored at some point in our Christian life, and we need to be equipped to mentor someone else. See Titus 2:1-5. Think of someone today that you might be able to get together with on a regular basis either to mentor or to be mentored.

AN ARIZONAN'S SONG AT THANKSGIVING "Listen you great blue skies - and Praying Monk You craggy peaks and sun drenched land Proclaim the Name of the Lord You saguaros, sages, brushes and brooms Look up delicate wild flowers And pink grapefruit blooms. . . Healing aloes, hohobas and teas With the welcome shade of the mesquite trees You coyotes, too. . sing your song to the Lord Who gives you life and food in this vast dry sand

by M J Thirkhill

Praise Him you river waters and canals to the fields of cotton. . . Each boll opens to the Glory of His Hand And Arizona's glorious sunsets... Praise His Holy Name"

Original art work by 10-year-old, Aila

A Call to GloryAn All But Forgotten Story

by Tom Martin

To become His obedient Bride, and so be counted worthy to be glorified. One lifetime long or short, His precious heart to court So if we repent and watch for Him as the Watchman for the morning And yearn for Him as the deer for the water brook If we should be doing so at the end of our years, or when He suddenly appears The our race has been well run, and our wedding garments have been spun Through the fullness of His Spirit, the Bride has made herself ready Now the Spirit and the Bride can say, Come Come quickly Lord Jesus and take your Bride away For by your Grace we have oil in our lamps for this glorious day!

Jesus said to be a doer of His Word This is the call that the early Church heard For we are the called and we are the Bride Waiting to be called to glory at His side As Solomons Shulamite bride did search For whom her heart had forsook Longing for Him as the deer for the water brook So should our hearts have such a fire, He alone our only desire For in the beginning His Bride being filled with His Spirit knew She only had one lifetime, His heart to pursue One lifetime to make her heart ready to meet the Lord

Getting to Know Matthew Renkema

by Alicia Renkema

Matthew Renkema was born on May 17, 1983 in Phoenix, AZ. He came to know the Lord gradually, at age two and then at five, and was baptized at age eight. Matthew received academic honors his sophomore year and graduated from Arcadia High School in 2002. In 2005 he received the Armstrong Award in mental health for his perseverance in continuing his education. He describes himself as compassionate, philosophical and playful. He has been writing creatively since high school: poems, songs, essays and stories. He has had two years of music therapy, studying voice and guitar. He composes songs and loves to sing prayers for those in need. His dream is to be a published author or recording artist. Matt wishes to thank the people at CCV for giving him their love, support and prayers during the last four years. He asks that we continue to pray for him as he moves to California this month.

Calvary Church of the Valley 6107 N. Invergordon Rd. Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

Matt Renkema, cont. It has been a valuable experience for me to get to know Matt Renkema through Ready Writers. He has many talents. His writing is creative and thought-provoking; coming from the depth of his heart. My prayer for Matt is that he continues to write and the Lord will guide him in all areas of his life. I will miss you, Matt. Stay in touch! Jim Rutledge Thank you, Matt, for your contribution to Ready Writers and Calvary Life. We will miss you and pray Gods best for you in this new chapter of your life. Keep writing! The Ready Writers
Would you like to write for Calvary Life? Do you have ideas for articles or information to share with the CCV community? Please share your comments with us! calvarylife.ccv@gmail.com Please email us to sign up for the e-version of Calvary Life! **also available on the CCV webpage, under the Community tab. 6107 N. Invergordon Rd. Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 (480) 948-7310 www.calvarychurchofthevalley.org