1.    Go through the Discipleship Dare with someone new – either one on one or in a small group. This is a great way to “review” the book as well as put discipleship into practice. If you need assistance in starting a Discipleship Dare group or would like to promote your group in our small group listing, please contact Jeff Dyer (jdyer@calvarydover.org).

2.    Join the Apprentice Series small group starting April 21 – an 11 week course on the first book of the Apprentice Series – The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus knows. This group will help take your discipleship to Jesus to an even deeper level as we look at the false narratives of our life and compare them to the true narratives of Jesus. Contact Paul Bowman (pbowman@calvarydover.org) for more info

3.    If you are new to the faith, join the Alpha Course. A 7 week practical introduction to Christianity offered on Sunday mornings, beginning April 11. Contact Paul Bowman (pbowman@calvarydover.org) for more info

4. Take the Dare again! If you joined late or didn't finish, we'll be offering another Sunday morning class that will go through the Discipleship Dare. The class starts on April 11 at 9:45am at Calvary. Feel free to just show up!

 

 

 

 

 

In being called to love, day thirty eight, Jess said, “The most attractive thing about Jesus was that He did not exclude anybody, offering His message to everyone equally.”

In offering His message equally, Jesus was offering His love through the ministry of inclusion.  When you read the Gospels you see that Jesus didn’t just go to the “lovely” people.  He went to publicans, tax collectors, lepers, adulterers, diseased and deformed, and even the demon possessed.  Jesus actually went out of his way to minister to the out casts like the Samaritan woman at the well.

How about us?  Do we go out of our way to include the “Bills” of this world – the slower to comprehend or mentally challenged?  Do we go out of our way to include in our fellowship the single Mom or Dad?  Dare we mention the messy situations like the person with an addiction, a slobbering drunk, the homeless or a person with a same sex attraction (ssa)?

It’s so easy after church or during the week to include our usual friends, those who fit comfortably into our circles of friendship.  But we are called, as disciples of Christ, to include the messy life as well. It’s not that we have to fix them.  That’s not our job.  God does the conviction, the delivering and transforming.  It’s our job to extend the love of God through sharing our lives with them.  Just the simple act of looking them in the eye, smiling, asking them to join us for coffee or lunch, inviting them to go with us somewhere simple. Then God in and through us does His work.  .It’s His kindness through us that brings them to repentance; not our judging or barking at them.

Just this week a single Mom told me how much it meant to her that someone from the church simply asked her and her children to go with them to the beach to get some ice cream and walk around.  She said, “you’ll never know what it meant to be included in their time of fun.” 

Some people are looking and watching, longing to be included.  When is the last time you included someone outside your normal circle to be in your life?  When is the last time you extended your life to the unlovely?  What are you waiting for?  Jesus is ready and waiting to minister through you in the ministry of inclusion.

Lord, thank you for including us in your death on the cross so that we can include others and bring them to the realization that their sins are already forgiven too.  Thank you for the grace to be includers.

(Facebook friends go to Dennis Jernigan’s profile and read his March 12^th note for further contemplation).

Angela M. Coon

acoon@calvarydover.org 

It’s the seventy second day of the year.  Where are you on the Discipleship Dare?  I finished on the forty-third day since we started on January 3.  Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t make it by the fortieth day.  I was highly motivated.

For some reason some people were knocked off course during the snow storms.  Kids were home needing more attention.  Schedules were changed which throw us off center.   It’s not everyday you are snowed in with your husband and kids with hot chocolate, French toast and all kinds of other goodies, movies, games and snow shoveling.

Hebrews chapter 12 in verse 1 tells us to “run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.”  Perseverance means we don’t give up.  If we stumble, we dust ourselves off and get back up.  If we get distracted we refocus.  If we get hurt we allow ourselves to heal and get back on the race track.   If you got off course, determine to start back where you left off and finish the Dare.   There’s no disgrace in being slower at finishing.  Finishing the course is what is important.

Determine here and now, “I will pick up the Dare again, start where I left off and finish.  A disciple is a follower of Christ.  In your walk with Christ there will be distractions, failures, wounds, discouragements to throw you off course.  You don’t just give up saying, “I just can’t do it.”  That is a lie.  God in you is greater than any setback.  Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Jesus doesn’t give up on you so don’t give up on your commitment as a disciple.  Recommit to the Dare and see what God will do in you.

Lord, thank you for your patience with us.  Thank you also for your power to compete whatever you have asked us to finish.

Angela M. Coon

www.calvarydover.org

www.uniquelyhis.net

Jess tells us that “generosity is the mark of a true disciple.”  Following Jesus’ example of giving and not just teaching or preaching is our example.  It has been said that “people don’t care to hear what you have to say until they know you care.” 

My Mother was a great example of fulfilling the mission through giving.  She picked children up for Sunday School from our neighborhood and even gave them something to eat when necessary.  She took a blind neighbor to her doctor appointments and helped clean her house.  The message of the gospel was wrapped up in acts of kindness and love.

It’s easy for some to stand on a corner and hand out an evangelism tract.  It takes some time and willingness to be ridiculed.  But it keeps us detached from   them personally.  The person takes the tract and we have no idea what happens with them afterward.

Being willing to baby sit their children, help fix a car, buy groceries, cook a meal, take them to the doctor; these are all investments into their lives that show we genuinely care about them personally. 

Giving is a way of showing that we genuinely care.  Who are we caring enough about that we are giving of ourselves and not just our words?  The lady my Mom helped all the time received Christ as her Savior and at least seven others in her family.   Giving goes a long way toward fulfilling our mission.

Lord, help us to feel your compassion toward people and be willing to creatively give of ourselves to meet those needs. 

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

Calvary Assembly of God

1141 E. Lebanon Road

Dover, DE 19901

302-697-7776

I put myself through college as a server, otherwise know as a waitress. My job was to serve the people who came into the restaurant by being cordial, listening to and properly placing their order, preparing my part of the order, delivering the order and then making sure everything was fine.  I actually enjoyed serving.

I knew why I was there.  I knew my job and most of the time I did it joyfully.  Do we know why we are a disciple?  Do we know what our job is? 

Jesus knew why He was here – to serve.  It wasn’t about becoming a King and being served.  He was all about serving.  It was His purpose – to seek and save the lost by serving. 

Being a servant is a mindset, an attitude.  It comes from the very core of who we are as disciples.  If we’re following Jesus we can’t help but serve.

Jesus was a servant so he served, who are you and what are you doing?

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

Being called to love is much different than loving others on our own conditions.  A calling is a mission to accomplish, a passion to fulfill.  A calling is a divine assignment.

  Jesus was God’s Valentine to us – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; so send I you.”   To the extent that we have received God’s love we will be able to give it to others. God guarantees us success at this calling because His love and power are fully behind it.

 As Jesus showed acceptance, mercy, grace and forgiveness to those he ministered to, He was expressing His divine love.  He is our example of how to love.  Love the unacceptable, the one who can give nothing in return, the one who has wronged you.  “Love as I have loved you.”

 

“Love people on their terms, their time and their turf.” Jess admonishes us.

That’s not so easy.  Who is the next person God is calling us to love? 

 

Lord, make us your valentine to those in our community.  

 

 

 

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

Calvary Assembly of God

1141 E. Lebanon Road

Dover, DE 19901

302-697-7776

Corrie Ten Boom could speak about forgiveness from her own deep pain of being in the Holocaust.  She lost her freedom, dignity, and dear sister and Father  within a few months of being in the concentration camps.  Daily she watched and experienced its horrifying torment. 

 

“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and handcuffs of hatred.  It breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”

 

When Corrie was set free from the concentration camp she eventually saw one of her captors.  She realized that though she was out of the pit of cruel treatment she was still in the pit of resentment and hatred.  She seethed with anger.

 

The Lord reminded Corrie that “there is no pit so deep that my love isn’t deeper still.”  God was extending forgiveness to Corrie .  Forgiving the very person who was in charge of her torture, Corrie was set totally free from the pit of hatred and bitterness.  

 

Forgiveness sets us free.  When we forgive others it also sets them free.  So forgiveness is key to accomplishing our mission of making disciples. 

 

Lord, thank you that your love is deeper than any wrong committed against us.  Help us to surrender to forgiving that we might be channels of your forgiveness.

 

 

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

As a child I learned to tread water, float, dog paddle,  and do the sidestroke for swimming.  Swimming on either side definitely got me further than dog paddling but I  wanted to learn to do some other strokes so I could really enjoy swimming.  I also wanted to be able to teach my children to swim.

 

It was humbling to ask for help as an adult to learn new strokes.  But I humbled myself and signed up for a swimming instruction class at the YMCA.  Before going I looked up different swimming strokes in the encyclopedia.  I didn’t want to appear completely stupid.

 

The first thing they taught me was to put my face in the water; then to blow bubbles.  That wasn’t so hard..  By the end of the twelve weeks of classes I was doing the breast, crawl, back and butterfly strokes. 

 

I started doing lap swimming five days a week and became faster while competing with people in the other lanes.  Now I loved swimming.

 

This knowledge and experience gave me the confidence to also swim in the ocean instead of just floating on the waves.  I was really swimming instead of dog paddling.  I wasn’t afraid of the ocean anymore.

 

Sometimes in life we are just floating and letting the circumstances of life take us where they will.  We may be able to tread water to keep in place or dog paddle to get out of the way of a wave.  But really swimming means I can maneuver in the water instead of the water having control of me. 

 

Really living means I have plenty of resources from which to live my life.  I’m not afraid of what may come my way.  I’m confident in God and who he has made me to be.  I choose to live purposefully and fully.in His love and will.

 

Are you tired of just treading water, floating or dog paddling – you have options.  You can learn to really live.  Jesus’ Zoe life in you will teach you to live the abundant life.  Abundant living is contagious; let’s get started!

 

Lord, stir a hunger in our hearts for experiencing the life you have for us.  Let us not settle for treading water but give us a desire to really live.

 

 

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

We’ve all heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”  We said it as kids but even then we knew it wasn’t true.  Words can hurt the soul, kill motivation and undermine the will.  Negative words have a nagging quality that clings to your mind and  torments the soul.

Some of us are more negative, critical and analytical by nature.  As such, we usually are more likely to point out the problems, complain or give the negatives.  However, these are the same people who are gifted with the ability to think before they speak.  So while you’re thinking, remember you hold the power of life or death in your words.

Do you remember the twelve spies?  The ten saw giants, but the two saw possibilities.  Joshua and Caleb remembered that God had said He would give the land into their hands.  The words of the ten spies won out and the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, dying to the promise.

The Ten spies actually spoke death into existence.   Anyone can be negative.  It takes faith to be positive. 

Lord, help us to be messengers of your life giving Words.  May your Words speak faith into our hearts so our mouth speaks life into the hearts of others.

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His

By Divine Design You're One of a Kind

www.uniquelyhis.net

On a scale of 1 – 10 where do you grade yourself for gentle words?  One is very poor and ten is very good at speaking gentle words. 

For some personalities speaking gentle words comes much easier.  Peaceful Phlegmatics like to keep the peace at all costs.  They don’t have strong opinions so they don’t easily get irritated.  They are usually calm, cool and collected by nature. 

But for their opposite, the Purposeful Choleric, gentle words do not come easily.  This take charge, in control, goal oriented, get-the-job done personality has strong opinions.  Their goals can be easily frustrated by others lack of performance or motivation.  Gentle words are not their first choice of words.

The Perfect Melancholy being highly motivated to get it right can also become easily frustrated and cut to the heart quite quickly, especially with their family.  However, because they usually think before they speak, they may not say anything but will be stewing underneath the surface..

The Playful, Social Sanguine, being a people pleaser and very sociable, may let harsh words slip out before thinking.  But once they realize they’ve hurt someone they apologize quickly and  let offenses go quickly.

But as disciples of Christ who desire to fulfill our mission, harsh words do not serve us or the mission well.  This is an area we need to work on in order to earn the right to be heard through the testimony of our words or our life.

I think the five keys for communicating are worthy of our attention as we work to bring our words in line with the gentle Spirit who dwells within us.

Ø      Seek to make others feel at ease

Ø      Show respect for the personal dignity of others

Ø      Avoid blunt speech or abrupt manner.

Ø      Don’t be threatened by opposition.; gently instruct

Ø      Do not belittle or degrade a brother or sister who has fallen.

Lord, we submit to the Holy Spirit who dwells within us as we communicate to others.  Make us consciously aware of the ability to choose to be gentle.

Angela M. Coon

Uniquely His  By Divine Design You're One of a Kind  www.uniquelyhis.net