Heaven Song

Ayana Lilia Pennell was born on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 9:14pm at Wilcox Hospital.

When you talk with Jeff, you can see the aloha in his eyes.  His love for the lost is evident in every word he shares.  We asked Jeff if he would share his story.

The following is his reply:

The question was asked of me, “Why do you evangelize and why aren’t you afraid to step out and talk to people?”

I believe in God and His only begotten son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

I also believe in His word, the Bible.

The Lord has changed me through the power of His Holy Spirit and He has revealed Himself to me in so many ways.  I’ve seen many miracles, amazing miracles!   I cannot say the Lord is not real.  I would be a liar if I said that—and I’m not one.

I would like to take the credit for who I’ve become, but I can’t—for it is a gift from God.  Read Ezekiel 36:26, 1 Corinthians 12:3-10.  All I did was step out in faith and He did the rest. Heb 11:1-9

The Bible says all things come from God, not from ourselves.  The Bible also says we are dead in our sins  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23.  I want to tell people that we need to accept the free gift of forgiveness from that sin through Jesus and what He did on the cross.

How can people know if no one tells them?  We, who have the truth, need to preach the Gospel in LOVE.

When I was younger I walked with the Lord, but when I got older I ran from the Lord—living a life of sin.

Seven years ago the Lord got my attention and pulled me out of my sinful ways.

As I called the Lord back into my heart, I asked to do His will and I clearly heard Him say to me, “Preach to the lost.”

This is what His word says to us all—reach out to the lost.  Not easy, but we need to pray for strength to do so.  The Word says to ask and it will be given, seek and you will find.   The Word says it Will be given, not it Might be given.  Pray in Faith.

The Lord says he who serves will have rewards.  How great is His love!

I feel we don’t have much time left before the Lord comes for His church.  The signs are evident of that.  If you are grounded in the Word, you can see clearly, He is coming soon.  I get very excited.  It makes me preach all the more about our Lord Jesus.

As believers we need to do all we can NOW, for the time getting really close. 1Corinthians 15:50-54, 1Thess 4:13-17

When we get to heaven we will wish we had done more for the Lord’s Kingdom.  Even with what I do now, I’ll wish I had done more than I have done— but what I do, I give all the glory to the Lord, “for He has given me the strength to do all things.” Philip 2:13

I pray for All believers that you will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  Ask and He says it will be given, Amen Eph 4:11-12

With Love, Jeff Rivera

Near Camp Naue

The church recognizes the tough economic and emotional times we currently face.  It has been decided that CCK will pitch in so that each woman will only have to pay $25  for one night or $50 for both nights–January 19/20– for the Women’s Retreat in Camp Naue.  There will be prayer time, worship time and individual time.  On Saturday you will have a choice of three workshops to attend.

This adventure can be a time to draw closer to the Lord and to get to know other women in the church as well.  It doesn’t matter if you have only been to CCK once or if you have been attending for 10 years, it will be a blessing.  If you have any questions or want to sign up, call Kristiina at 346-0179.

Pastor Chuck Smith, now in his eighties and the father of the Jesus People Revolution in Southern California, said that he has never smoked in his life.

He has agreed to talk candidly about his illness.  In an exclusive interview that he gave Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries, during the “Meet the Missionaries” event at the church on Saturday, January 7, 2012, where he made a surprise appearance, he began by answering a question about how he was feeling.

“I’m feeling great,” he began. “You know, it’s an interesting thing, with what they say is going on inside of me, that I’m not feeling it at all. There is no pain and I am just rejoicing in the Lord.”

Wooding then asked him when he first heard that he had lung cancer.

“Actually, I do my physical checkups twice a year and they take blood and analyze it and there was one of the factors that was in the blood that was increasing dramatically and so that was an indication that there was something wrong and it did indicate the possibility of cancer,” he said.

“So that instigated a bunch of tests — PET scans, CAT scans, MRI’s (Magnetic resonance imaging) — and the whole thing. It seems like it’s pretty much localized in the area of my middle lobe of the right lung, and so it looks like it’s treatable and so we know it’s in the hands of the Lord so I have no fears.”

Has there been a date set for the surgery?

“No, actually, they’re still analyzing the situation,” said Pastor Chuck. “They’ve taken all the tests and they’re analyzing them now, and then on Tuesday the doctors are going to all meet together and have a conference and they’re going to talk about the strategy and the best way to attack what they’ve discovered.

“So I won’t know until sometime after Tuesday about what they’ve learned and what they want to do. It’s all in the Lord’s hands and I am trusting Him to guide them, and I’m sure He’s guiding me.

“It’s an interesting thing that people expect you to sort of panic, but why?,” he asked, “because I know that God’s on the throne.”

************************************************** Original message below **************************************************

It was announced Sunday, Jan 1, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa that Senior Pastor and Calvary founder, Chuck Smith, has lung cancer.  They won’t have any other information until after Tuesday when they perform surgery.

You can leave prayers and comments below this announcements.  Below is another statement about Pastor Chuck.

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2012/s12010006.htm

Calvary Chapel congregation stunned as Chuck Smith announces that he has lung cancer

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries
COSTA MESA, CA (ANS) — The congregation at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, California, were stunned today (Sunday, January 01, 2012) when Pastor Chuck Smith, it senior pastor, announced during his Sunday morning services that he has lung cancer and will have a biopsy on Tuesday and surgery the following week.
Chuck Smith preaching on a beach in the 1960s

Chuck Smith, now in his eighties and the father of the Jesus People Revolution in Southern California, said that he has never smoked in his life.

At at the end of the third service that was broadcast on KWVE 107.9 FM, his son-in-law, Brian Brodersen, joined with other pastors at the huge church and anointed him with oil and prayed for his healing.

Karl Corcoran, evangelism pastor at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, posted on Facebook, “Update: Pastor Chuck Smith having surgery this month for lung cancer after a series of tests this week. Estimated recovery time is 3 weeks.”

In response to the posting, Kathy Buckley Keys said, “We were stunned with the news of Pastor Chuck. His ways are higher than ours and He is able to keep that which is committed to Him so we commit Pastor Chuck and all that is related to him, family, doctors and treatments to the Great Physician who knows Pastor Chuck intimately and ask for His guidance, favor, love and support through this time.”

Shortly after the announcement, the KWVE Facebook page was flooded with goodwill messages for Chuck Smith.

Joni Barger wrote, “I’m praying for a miracle. I’m an avid listener to the radio program. Pastor Chuck I’ve learned so much from you. God is with you Sir.”
Dan Wooding with Chuck Smith after interviewing him for Front Page Radio

Kim Krabbenhoft-Ancora posted, “Oh I am so sad…tears…we will be lift him up in prayer…but as said above, Pastor Chuck of all people will use this to bring Glory to The Lord!!!”

Adrianna Kneefel added, “We love you Pastor Chuck…the Lord uses your life daily to feed thousands of His sheep. Praying that much fruit would come out of this and that the the sickness would be removed in Jesus name…we speak words of life! Lord let your servant live and continue to bring the Word. Chuck is a bright light in a dark age…Lord let his light shine!”

Rachel Fret said, “I was floored when I heard the news this morning. Praying for Papa Chuck and his family. .. my husband had an aunt who died of lung cancer a few years ago. She never smoked in her whole life. Doctors assumed that it was due to where she was living…Redlands, Ca…air pollution. Don’t know but yeah, we found out then that it’s not a cancer caused by smoking.”

And Cassandra Voight Estes posted, “Praying… Please Lord keep Chuck with us so that others might hear your precious word. You have blessed Chuck all these years. I know he will not waste his cancer and you will use it for you glory.”

In a previous tribute to Chuck Smith, ANS correspondent, Brian Nixon, who for several years co-hosted Pastors Perspective with Chuck Smith, wrote: “Pastor Chuck Smith, founder of the Calvary Chapel Movement and one of the key figureheads of the Jesus Movement, has touched the hearts and lives of countless of people in his six decades of ministry.

“Not to mention his influence upon the fabric of Christian culture: from the 2,000 plus Calvary Chapel churches spanning the globe to the praise-and-worship phenomena initiated in the 1960’s. His impact looms large in the halls of modern Christian history.

“Sadly, however, Pastor Chuck had a brief setback, suffering a couple of what were described as ‘mini-strokes’ at his home on December 27, 2009.

“I was blessed to have worked side-by-side with Pastor Chuck for almost eight years, covering numerous fields: education, publishing, radio, and television.

“Not only was I able to glean from his words, thoughts, answers, and actions, on a weekly basis, but I was also able to watch him in a variety of situations: answering questions on a radio program we hosted together, cooperating with him on books, brainstorming and praying with him through tough educational situations. And, most special of all, to watch his interaction with other human beings.

“Let me say that … Pastor Chuck is a true gentleman. He is a man who understands God’s grace and the need for people to experience that grace in the love of Christ.”

I ask all of our ANS readers to pray for a swift recovery for this great Man of God, that he may be able to continue his amazing ministry for many more years to come.

Many people are praying for Pastor Chuck and his family at this time. On FaceBook there is a page of people who are sending prayers his way: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=224223637383

Mariam Adams has been like many of us–praying for an unsaved spouse or other relative.   For Mariam it has been a 10 year journey of prayer and those prayers for her husband George to accept the Lord as his Savior have been answered!!!   George was lead to accept Christ with friends from CCK.  Mariam says ‘thank you’ to all of the women in her Women’s Bible Studies and her dear friends that have joined her in praying for George.  She hopes it will be an encouragement to others to keep praying–even when it seems hopeless or taking too long.  Everything in God’s time.  This has to be the best way to ring in the New Year!

It was a Christmas Eve candlelight service and I remember how blessed I felt that year to have everyone there, singing hymns and carols as we celebrated our Savior’s birth.  We are so proud our children are passing down the amazing story of the birth of the Christ Child—the true meaning of Christmas–to their children.

This year will be different with just my husband and myself attending candle light services at Calvary, but we know our children and grandchildren will be in their churches celebrating the birth of Christ too.

If you are fortunate enough to have your family around you this year, don’t miss out on the real Christmas.  Bring them all— and maybe a camera—to create a lasting, true Christmas memory in church at the candlelight service Saturday night or on Christmas morning.  Perhaps you can start a new tradition!

If you have been getting “out of the habit” of attending church regularly, it is certainly easy to do.  Start again with Christmas!  Saturday night candlelight service will be at 7:00 PM and Sunday (Christmas) morning service is at 9:30.

Saturday Dec. 10 was a great day at Pine Trees.  The Bible College team and the CCK Shaped by God team were on-hand to share Joy of Christ among the participants.  They gave many people the opportunity to accept the Lord into their lives.

The company’s statement says, ” All Red Eye Clothing is a clothing line that gives kids a better way of getting “red eyes” other than drugs, like surfing all day, skating all night, studying all night even praying.

Anyone can relate to having all red eyes and All Red Eye Clothing wants to show people how they can be in part of striving for something and steering away from drugs.

All Red Eye Clothing sponsors and works with various athletes who succeed not only in their sport but in life by following their passion and not turning to drugs. Body Boarding is one of those many passions.

This Kauai Clothing company wants to help support kids and adults to continue in their sport. We want everyone to have fun in a safe and drug free environment!”

Volunteer Organizations: Kauai Bible College, Calvary Chapel, Shaped by God

Your gift is very much appreciated, and will be utilized in the furtherance of reaching out to the island of Kaua’i with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You will receive an email confirmation of your gift, as well as a donation receipt from CCK. Mahalo!

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