#CalvaryBaptistChurch

[scalyadventures]

Happy Easter! It was an extra special day today because our sweet young friend, Sadler, got baptized and we were there to celebrate this moment together! 🙌🏻 Sadler, we are SO proud of you and know God has GREAT things in store for your life! Thank you, @mommytotwogirls, @fowleroutdoorliving, @kashley59, @deedavis22 and @ekf2006 for inviting us to be with you all for this special moment in time! 🤗💕 We thought the shirt was a perfect way to celebrate Jesus, too! 😁👏🏻 Have a wonderful, blessed day with your family! ❤️, our @scalyadventures family @thatsnakedude and @erin___davis #scalyadventures #happyeaster #heisrisen #baptism #friends #calvarybaptistchurch (at Calvary Baptist Church) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bwh0GLWArGs/?igshid=2c3ezlynj2sm

[namphan1983]

#merrychristmas #bostonliquordepot #calvarybaptistchurch (at Boston Liquor Depot Inc)

[breakthroughrocks]

Texas, here we come! We'll be at Texas Mist on June 24th and Calvary Baptist church the following Sunday morning! #Breakthrough #LivingScars #AndrewDeLeon #ComeAlive #MirrorLake #CalvaryBaptistChurch

[mrsronan]

Calling Out For Connection

I’ve been invited to speak a couple of times lately. So I’ve focused my attention on preparing those presentations. I thought it might be interesting to share those presentations here on the blog. 

My first presentation was a Mother’s Day presentation at Calvary Baptist Church. I’ve been speaking there every Mother’s Day for about 7 years. It has become my tradition to spend Mother’s Day with this congregation. I had decided even if they didn’t invite me to speak, I would still want to spend Mother’s Day with them. Lucky for me, the pastor did invite me to speak again this year. 

 I was there last year for my first Mother's Day with our daughter, Catica Love, when she couldn’t yet say mama, but this year on her second Mother’s Day she can’t stop saying mama.   She says Mama first thing when she wakes up in the morning.  She says mama while I’m cooking.
 She says mama even if she’s out with her dad and I’m not there. 
 Sometimes she’ll pop her head up from a nap and say “mama,” then fall back asleep.  (Catica let out a little “mama” perfectly timed to demonstrate my point as I was saying all that).

Having a daughter has transformed Mother’s Day for me. In the past, like many people, this holiday caused me to think about what I’m missing. When I was seven years old, my mom chose to leave my family for another relationship.*  When I was 21, my mom was killed, so for many years I haven’t had my mom to celebrate with. As a married woman I’ve had multiple miscarriages. 

These experiences of early and unexpected loss of motherhood wilted the joy I should have felt on Mothers Day. Being with Calvary Baptist the past several years gave some redemption to Mother’s Day for me. It gave me a positive thing to look forward to instead of focusing on those losses. Last year, when God gave my husband and I a baby girl, we had an even better reason to look forward to Mother’s Day. 

A couple weeks ago I was rocking Catica to sleep and thinking about how my deep love for her will always lead me to choose connecting with her, to choose what’s best for her, even when it feels inconvenient for me. This seems so obvious to me, like it’s what every mom, every parent would do. But the truth is, it’s not what every parent does. And, I wept contemplating my own mom rejecting me by abandoning my family.* 

My husband comforted me through my sadness and my heart was calmed by the knowledge that God always chooses what is best for his children. Psalms tells us that even when mother and father forsake us, the Lord will never leave his children. 

This year, as most of you know, I’ve been battling cancer and have been on medical leave from Alpha. Therefore, I’ve been really questioning how I should use my time.  What’s best for my daughter?  What’s best for my family?  What’s best for Gods family? 

For the last decade my life was poured into Alpha Pregnancy Center. Most of you are well aware of the ministry Alpha Pregnancy Center has in San Francisco. Since 1983 Alpha has been helping parents see that God has chosen to lay down his life for their benefit. It helps women facing the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy to see what manner of love the Father has given to them, and choose to imitate that love by laying down their own comforts and choosing their child when our culture tells them to do otherwise. It’s a ministry that walks with those families offering gospel centered support to help the parents see that God has chosen to love them, and teaches them to imitate that love as they parent. 

It’s been hard for me to step away from that work for the past year to be on medical leave. I’ve also missed the ministry I had teaching the middle school girls at San Francisco Christian school.** But I see that the Lord is redirecting how I’m spending my time right now. One of the hidden blessings of medical leave is that I get to stay home with my daughter. The Lord has given me, through this sickness, the opportunity to have my primary ministry be raising my daughter. It’s fulfillment of many dreams to be able to bathe her in love every day and let that build a foundation in her heart that she is deeply loved by Jesus. 

Friday I was talking to a friend who was encouraging me to see the ministry of being a mom is every bit as world changing as any other ministry a person can do. Today, as we celebrate mothers and the ministry of motherhood, I would love to share how you can be a part of Alpha’s mission to support women as they learn motherhood as a ministry. If you’d like more information on volunteering with alpha, follow this link. http://www.alphapc.org/about-us/

I want to encourage those of you who get to celebrate Mother’s Day with your mom, or with your children to thank God for the ministry you have of imitating Christ by daily choosing your children. You get to live out the calling to model the savior of Jesus with your family. 

I hope you’ll remember Catica saying “mama” not because of how cute she is, but because it shows a child’s desire to connect with their parent. All of us have the need to be connected. Who is calling out to connect with you? Where do you need to have the Heavenly Father fulfill the need to connect? He is the one who meets the deepest part of that need. All of us have the opportunity for that connection. However you are spending Mother’s Day, take a few moments to think about what the ministry of motherhood looks like in your life. Maybe ask yourself the same questions I’m asking myself. How can you imitate Christ laying down your life for others? What’s the best use of your time for your family and His? 

 *As I child I felt abandoned, but as an adult I can process that my mom wasn’t leaving me as much as leaving her marriage. The emotions I had as a child still hit my heart from time to time. 

 **Calvary Baptist runs San Francisco Christian School and I spent a year and a half teaching there. 

[officiallyfreedom]

I love #CalvaryBaptistChurch! They have really become like family to me!! They support @helpministries and I all the time. I love that #Church!! Thanks guys for everything. #friends #connections #fellowship

[godlifeart]

YOU MATTER - ♡GOD #ThanksForTheReminder #Angels #CalvaryBaptistChurch #RandomLove

[gailerin-blog-blog]

Praying over Maria & her family at the dedication! #Godissogood @casasporcristo #Onefamily #CalvaryBaptistChurch

[shirlaybitme-blog]

ONE CRY 2012 CHANGED MY LIFE. NOW LET ONE CRY 2013 CHANGE YOURS.

[godinprogress-blog]

55th year since American missionaries left their comfort to Singapore to start #calvarybaptistchurch. Praise God (: may the Spirit lead and keep us shining

[dlpinkney]

Yay, it's a fiesta! #calvarybaptistchurch #150years (Taken with instagram)

[officiallyfreedom]

Speaking last night at #CalvaryBaptistChurch What an experience!! Am I right guys?!? @najjasymone @jan0116 @pedro4cristo @jay_2fly @chris6169

[dlpinkney]

Dinner!!!! It was delish @dtroulhac #calvarybaptistchurch #150years (Taken with instagram)

[dlpinkney]

Entertainment was great #calvarybaptistchurch #150years (Taken with instagram)

[dlpinkney]

#picstitch #calvarybaptistchurch #150years (Taken with instagram)