Calvary Baptist Church | Southgate, Michigan

Unexplainable!

Pastor Billy Walker — Tue, 17 May 2011 05:04:56 +0000

I cannot begin to express the emotions of this past weekend. Our oldest daughter, Whitney, graduated, with honors, from Liberty University. There were times of insurmountable joy and elation. Liberty does everything with a degree of excellence unsurpassed in most circles, and this whole weekend was no exception. From the inspiration of the Baccalaureate service to the pageantry of standing in the Stadium and watching the thousands of graduates descend the hill and walk in the processional of Pomp and Circumstance, to the adoration of the awards service and graduation of the Worship & Music Department, there were moments of incredible praise, the reading of scripture, the challenge of messages to those moving on to other seasons of their life. We sang, we rejoiced, we marveled at the grace of God. Maybe a brief glimpse of heaven at times. While the excitement was contagious, there were other times where there was a catch in the voice, a lump in your throat and tears, a lot of tears. Unexplainable joy and unexplainable tears. Now here’s the thing – whether laughing or crying, there was an overwhelming sense of pride. Good or bad, right or wrong, there was no helping it – you were proud. Remember how you felt the first time your little one got up on stage for a kids choir or school concert. What is the first thing that happens? They look for you – mom and dad and begin waving frantically. As if to say – “Here I am, I did it. Look at me.” And inevitably we parents, smiling from ear to ear, wave back just as frantically, calling out their name as if to say – “There she is, there she is, that one’s mine!” Well, simply multiply that group of 25 – 100 to somewhere in the neighborhood of 6000 and you get the idea. As soon as we spot her, we are waving, she is smiling and we are sharing with everyone around us, “There she is, there she is, that one’s mine.” The good bye’s come all to quickly as we prepare to leave, knowing we have only a handful of days to prepare for yet another life change, another season passing, and another graduation. Invitations sent, sr. pictures ordered, single digit days left and then it’s Kaylie, crossing the stage as they announce her name and share her accomplishments. She won’t be able to keep from grinning and might have to stifle a giggle, looking out to where her family will be, they will hand her the diploma that says job well done. Once again, tears will mix with laughter, sadness with joy, and encompassing all of it will be not only the sense of pride and accomplishment, which we most definitely will feel, but there will also be optimism, enthusiasm and anticipation of what the next phase of life will confer on Kaylie. “There she is, there she is, that one’s mine.”

God has reminded me over and over again on this trip of His incredible love, mercy and grace that allowed us to get to this place, to achieve this measure of accomplishment. But I was especially struck with words from John in his gospel. John 1:12 – “To as many as received Him, and believed on His name, to them He gave the right to be called children of God.” Phenomenal, indescribable, unexplainable. His kids, His children, His name. Jesus would later say in that same book, “My sheep hear my voice and they know me….and I know them and call them by name.” Can you imagine, our heavenly Father nudging the angels, pointing us out to those who stop and listen. Now you might say, no way, not happening. If you knew my past, my mistakes and missteps. No way does God want to claim me. I thought of that – and realized that over the years, our children, (and their parents) have made some incredible blunders. Said some things, done some things, hurt the other’s feelings. You know, none of that was mentioned this past weekend. No bad grades, undelivered homework or unexcused absences were brought up. Just the good stuff. “And the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, covers a multitude of sin.” If we know Him, one day, we graduate – and because of what HE has already done, we will hear our name, see Him smile and hear “Well done.” Later in his writings, the disciple that Christ loved dearly would write for you and me “How great the Love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. And that is what we are!” (I John 3:1) So today, make sure you talk with your Heavenly Father. Look up, maybe even wave once in a while. He’s looking down on you – “There she is……..there he is…………that one’s mine.”

Thankful

Pastor Billy Walker — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:48:19 +0000

OK. So we tried the Black Friday thing. Midnight at WalMart to start with. The lines snaked around the store as if you were waiting for “Space Mountain” at Disney World on its busiest day. It was actually hard to do any shopping without running into a line. Then there were the sections roped off, so that people could sit in their lawn chairs waiting for the electronics sale that began at 5:00 am. Finally ran into someone we knew. He had been waiting 2 hours in line and still had quite a ways to go. At that point we decided it just wasn’t worth it. While thanking the Lord that there was a Steak n Shake open so we had something to do with ourselves, we also were asking the question, what would be worth waiting that amount of time for. How good would the sale have to be to give us enough incentive to stay. There must have been something there – because hundreds of cars (easily) and thousands of people (really) were there to take advantage of it. Anything wrong with that? Not at all. I mention that simply to say this – the next time we are in God’s house, with God’s people, worshipping in God’s presence, hearing God’s Word, and sensing and seeing God’s movement among us – isn’t it worth it? Isn’t it worth wherever we would have to park? Isn’t worth a little extra time? Isn’t it worth hoping you have to work your way through a crowd of people? Is a Friday sale at WalMart, Target, JC Penny or even Macy’s worth more of our time, planning and effort than the eternal value of a Sunday experience at God’s House? Most of us would answer, “Of course not.” But let’s make sure our attitude and effort for these life changing days of opportunity reflect that!

Preparing for a visit!

Pastor Billy Walker — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:16:39 +0000

It is hard to believe that it’s been 6 months since our oldest daughter has been home. It is the longest stretch in her life, but the schedule demands of a Houston, TX internship, and the business of starting her senior year have kept her away for quite some time. Needless to say, mom and dad are very anxious to have her here. In fact, in some way or another, we (especially Laurie) have been getting ready for her since the beginning of the week. Everyday there’s been something that has been cleaned, fixed, or scheduled in preparation for her visit. We want her to feel comfortable, as if she never left. But we also want her to know how excited we are that she is with us, and we want to make the most of our time together. As I go over the last minute details of this weekends services at CBC, I realize the need for there to be some similarities. Have we done something everyday this week in order to prepare for Sunday? Are we anxiously awaiting guests that may be with us? Are we even more anxious to sense the incredible presence of God in our worship experiences? Have we done what we can to make sure that He feels at home when He is with us – while also worshipping with such enthusiasm as to endeavor to make sure He understands how amazingly excited we are that Almighty God would inhabit our praise and desire to be a part of what we are doing.
Anticipation with excitement!

The Rest of the Week

Pastor Billy Walker — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:55:08 +0000

As a Pastor, you sometimes wish that Sunday was more than once a week. There is something special about the Worship, and Fellowship that comes from being together on that special day. And for a few moments, it seems easier to live a life pleasing to God. To endeavor to follow His purpose for our lives. We sing, we pray, we speak and for the most part we agree together as to how we need to make changes and do better and live a life of renewal and transformation. But then, Monday hits and then its Tuesday, and before you know it we find ourselves asking will this week ever end. So how do we make it stick? How do we allow Sunday to make a difference in the week to come? We learned a bit of that today. First and foremost – come to an understanding that in and of ourselves – no change, no chance. But our great God says don’t rely on yourself. Instead, He gives us a chance to live our lives in the power of His Spirit as we endeavor to become more like His Son. One of the verses we shared this weekend stated that we can take captive “every thought.” And in so doing, we go into the week able to defeat and demolish strongholds that have a stranglehold. The God that met with you at His house today – (or last night) desires to meet and speak and hear from you each and everyday this week. Make it a priority – and maximize the power that God desires for your life – not just on Sunday, but for the rest of the week.

Thoughts on a Great Day!

Pastor Billy Walker — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:11:43 +0000

Isn’t God Amazing? Only God could know that the worship we were a part of today, designed to bring Him pleasure, would also be exactly what WE needed to begin the week. What a tremendous day at CBC. Great praise/worship as we learned a couple of new songs. That second one became an instant favorite – “I’m Counting on God.” Wonderful song by the Calvary Choir. Great lead in to the message as Paul sang about the Body of Christ. Then all of us learning about the 4 levels of Fellowship. And to top it off, people responding at the invitation to accept Christ as their Savior. I hope we willlearn from this morning to be determined to dig deeper into the levels of knowing, understanding, and caring for each other as Christ commands. Have a tremendous week.

Better late than never!

Pastor Billy Walker — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:41:20 +0000

Hey, welcome to my new blog. I know, I know, where have I been? Blogging has been around for quite awhile now, and I am sure some of you have been hurtling your thoughts through cyber space for quite awhile now. We will be using this new opportunity to share thoughts, ideas, outlines, funny stories, a joke here or there and more. So, thanks for being part of the start. Check back in often. Bye for now.

Pastor Billy