Life is fragile!

Life is fragile. The reality of death is unavoidable. Pastor Kevin and I attended the funeral of a man that neither of us knew today, in support of a friend. Although we did not know the deceased, Pastor Kevin and I did know several in the audience. 

Attending the funeral of someone we did not know actually allowed us to view death in a way that is somewhat rare. Generally, we are officiating the funeral of a church member or family member. Sitting with the congregation of grieving friends and family allowed us to view these "distant" people... up close. They were hurting, and with good reason. 

So often, a minister can get numb to the hurt all around him. It's easy to go through the motions. This doesn't mean that we don't genuinely care about those who are suffering. It's just easy to "blend" into the ministry.  Funerals like today allowed us to show compassion without it being related to our own ministry. 

I'm so excited to be able to mentor Pastor Kevin in this way. This is not the first funeral that he and I have attended together... and unfortunately, I'm sure it wont be the last. Helping people through the toughest time in their life is not an easy thing... and yet we are so honored to do so. Please continue to pray for Pastor Kevin and I as we continue to work for the Lord and the people of Calvary.

Church Planter

I love Tuesdays! Pastor Kevin and I get together for our weekly "mentor" session every Tuesday at 9am. We almost always use this time to discuss 1 chapter of a book of our choice and do some Pastoral visitation or ministry planning. We do this each week until that particular book is read and discussed all the way thru. Most recently we finished "How To Be A Person Of Influence" by John Maxwell.  It was a wonderful 3 months of intense and "influential" training on how to be a person with the capability of influencing others to the glory of God.


This week we began another book. We read and discussed chapter one of "Church Planter" by Darrin Patrick. If the remainder of the book is as informative as the first chapter, this book will prove to be instrumental in helping Pastor Kevin and I fulfill God's vision of he and Kelli planting a church for the glory of God some day.


Please pray for us as we continue to be "Pastors on page".  If you have any questions about Pastor Kevin's vision to plant a church some day. Please don't hestitate to ask. This is a wonderful journey to be on for the Kingdom of God. Our prayer is that you will join us!  Click the link below to view our site.


http://onpage2.blogspot.com/


Pastor Mike Carmody

Gone Golfin'

After nearly a year, Pastor Kevin and I were finally free to cash in on the round of golf that the members of Calvary gave us for Pastor Appreciation Month, 2010.  We had a great time together around the links. We played 18 holes of golf at Brown's Run Country Club in Middletown, OH. Brown's Run is a private club, but allowed us to play after some badgering from one of our church members. Thank you Jan Hyde!!!


The course was in great shape, but unfortunately, we weren't And neither was the golf cart. The battery died after about 15 holes. We managed to play the rest of the round on sheer excitement. In the end, Pastor Kevin won by only 1 stroke. Of course, as always, the winner has to buy lunch... which he willingly did. Thanks Kevin! (Sucker!)

Tuesdays are usually designated for our "Mentor Day". This was a nice break from the norm, and allowed us some great fellowship away from the office. Pastor Kevin and I extend a great big thank you for the wonderful gift. We are blessed to have each one of you as members of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.


Pastor Mike

Connecting Again!

As many know, Pastor Kevin and I meet every Tuesday for our weekly mentor session. We are doing a book study by John Maxwell called "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect."  This week's focus was on knowing our limitations when communicating... whether one on one or in the pulpit.


Knowing your audience helps tremendously when preaching the Word or communicating the Word to individuals. However, knowing yourself is a must as well. It's easy for a preacher to mimic another preacher or be pretentious when communicating. While there is nothing new under the sun... and borrowing points and illustrations is perfectly legit, being comfortable in your own skin will go a long ways.


We took time to evaluate what may be both our pros and cons of sermonizing. This helps us to determine what may need to be worked on. The hope is to make connections while preaching the Gospel of our Lord.  We both agreed that "relationships" are our strongest points. Knowing the people we are preaching to is highly important. It's impossible to smell like sheep if we aren't personally building relationships with those sheep.


Pray for us as we continue to grow together over the next years. Huge strides are being taken as Pastor Kevin prepares for God's next step in his ministry.


Pastor Mike Carmody

A little humor is good for ministry!

It's difficult to believe that ministry can take sooo much time and exhaust those who have dedicated their life to full time ministry. Sometimes, it's good to just add a little humor to what is often expected to be the most serious job on the planet.  This is where a good prank can come into play.


When Pastor Kevin first came on board, he and the teens decided to decorate my office in toilet paper. I came into my office, early one Sunday morning, to find every square inch covered in white. I chose to never mention it... but just clean it up, piece by piece. 


After hearing Pastor Kevin say repeatedly, "Church, we need to take ministry outside the walls of the church building", I decided to heed his ministerial plea.  So, I moved his ministry outside the walls of the church.  Just as I chose to be silent and clean up the toilet paper in my office, I suspect he will do the same with his mobile ministry. Or, at least I hope he does!


Pastor Mike Carmody

Connecting Goes Beyond Words

This week as we continued our study through the book Everyone Communicates Few Connect we were looking at the chapter about connecting through our words.  You would think that would be the main component of connecting right? I think that our actions speak louder than our words.  I am all about application and this is HUGE!!! There are major implications for those of us in Christ, We are Christ to the lost world around us, I have heard it said "We are the only bible many will ever read."  We all desire to have that connection with everyone we come into contact with, if we don't we have lost focus on what Christ has for us.  So we gotta be willing to make that connection to others around us, after all connecting is all about others.

We need to focus on body language and attitude when we are attempting to meet someone at there level.  It is completely obvious if we don't want to be doing something, so focus on having a positive attitude and showing interest in the other person.

I want to share with you a checklist from the book, it really impacted the way that I try to communicate to others.

1. Integrity- Did I do my best?

2. Expectation- Did I please my sponsor? (Jesus)

3. Relevance- Did I relate to the person/ audience? 

4. Value- Did I add value to the people?

5. Application- Did I leave them with a game plan?

6. Change- Did I make a difference?

That is a good way to gauge your communication skills.  These are the components of communication we should be striving for.

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."  Let us be the Salt and Light Christ called us to be.

- Pastor Kevin

From stepping to leaping!

From time to time a Pastor has to get away and just be with his family. When this happens, finding a suitable replacement for the Sunday pulpit isn't always easy. I'm blessed to have several men whom I never hesitate to call upon when I'm away. For this I am grateful.


As part of our mentoring program, having Pastor Kevin in the pulpit is a must. I don't know where I would be if local Pastors had not loaned me their platform on occasion. This was the case most recently when I traveled with my family to visit with family and friends. Pastor Kevin jumped at the chance to preach in my stead.


What most would not consider is the hectic life that Pastor Kevin is currently living. Working a secular job, getting settled into a new home, Kelli being VERY pregnant and all that his ministry calls him to. All these things combined make for weak sermons.


However, this was not the case. I took time to listen to Pastor Kevin's sermon online this morning and was greatly blessed. It seems that he has went from stepping forward in his preaching to leaping forward. Much of the content of his sermon caused my heart to ponder and placed me under great conviction about many things.  It's obvious that Pastor Kevin is growing in the Lord and in his desire for God's people.


I ask you to pray for Pastor Kevin and Kelli. The goal is to some day send them out as church planting missionaries. While the vision is for many years to come, at this rate, it may be sooner than we had planned. May God guide this ministry as we follow His plan.


Pastor Mike

A Pastor On the Move

An opportunity opened for Pastor Kevin and his family to move a little closer to the church. His opportunity for relocation became the opportunity for several of the men and women from Calvary to open their hearts and arms to help.  It's difficult to explain how something so laborious can become something so fun and entertaining.  We laughed and laughed all afternoon while helping Kevin and Kelli get situated into their new home.


As a Christian, and even more-so as a church member, it's difficult to miss the "community" aspect of our relationship with Christ. When joining a church, you are literally joining a community of laborers for both Christ and yourself.  It seems that help is always just a phone call away. Whether it's for a car repair, a baby sitter or... to help haul a few boxes, God's people (in particular our fellow church members) never seem to fail.


May I encourage you to take advantage of the community we call "Calvary". It's more than a place to worship... it's our family!

Pastors on Visitation

Few things suffice for comfort like the sight of a friendly face. Pastors hope to offer this comfort through visitation. Whether in a hospital, prison or a home, getting to know people is essential to ministry. As part of our "mentor" program, Pastor Kevin and I spend much time and put many miles on the car for visitation purposes. 


Today, he and I were able to visit the family of a child who was to undergo major surgery in the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  Praying with this family prior to and immediately after the surgery was a great comfort to the family of this very ill little girl.  The hours spent in the waiting room was not only hospitable, but also a needed distraction from the natural worry that comes with such a time.  I'm thankful that Pastor Kevin has a heart for all people.


Pray for your Pastors as they minister to the flock by way of visitation. As time and resources allow, we hope to make visitation a mainstay for the ministry of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.  As I have said many times before, "A good shepherd smells like sheep."

A Visit From the Pastor

The picture you see to the left was taken by me last night as I visited Pastor Kevin and the youth group of Calvary. There were well over 1000 teens engaged in a great spirit of worship. Several surrendered their life to Christ by the end of the service.  


While my visit was not a surprise to Pastor Kevin or our youth group, I wasn't surprised to see them all enjoying the Spirit of our Lord. Their behavior (before, during and after worship) was very characteristic of a Godly, Christian youth group.  I'm sad to report, that cannot be said of every youth group represented. 


After the worship service I began my travel (just an hour or so) home. Directly across the street from the camp was a local convenient store. I decided to stop and purchase a soft drink for the road. In the store were dozens of youth from various churches.  In the parking lot were even more teens... just doing whatever it is that teens do these days.  Located in the parking lot was a large, 16 passenger van with the name and logo of a local church.  Surrounding the van were many teens and their adult chaperons. Sadly, each were smoking cigarettes and using profanity.  I was shocked by the cavalier attitudes of these boys, girls and adults who were representing Christ. 


I began to thank God for the wonderful youth group that my children (and yours) are a part of at Calvary. While none of them are perfect, the truly seem to know how to behave themselves in public, especially when representing their church... and their Lord.


Take time this week to acknowledge the strong Christian behavior of your youth group and their Pastor. God is greatly glorified by them.


Pastor Mike

Pray for us!

I awoke this morning with an overwhelming realization that God's men are in constant need of prayer. As I was praying for the people of Calvary, I began to pray for Pastor Kevin and sister Kelli. They are both away at teen camp with many of our teenagers. I began to pray for strength, alertness, wisdom, to have the spirit of a helper, compassion and discernment. Among other things such as safety and kindness. 


Paul addressed the church at Thes. and said, "Brethern, pray for us." (Thes. 5:25) Its amazing how a Pastor knows when someone is praying for him. I know when people are praying for me because they tell me so. Few things encourage a Pastor as when they are told that they are being prayed for. This means so much. On the other hand, I know when someone isn't praying for me. When they are quick to find fault in me or talk about me negatively behind my back. These are stings that seem to last a while.


I ask you to pray for your Pastors everyday. We are men of God and Satan hates us. He would love to destroy our families and our relationships.  Here is a link that will help you know how to pray for your Pastors. http://www.reviveourhearts.com/pdf/31DaysPrayingPastor.pdf


"Father, I pray for Pastor Kevin and Sister Kelli. I pray that you will guide them and guard them. Help them as they seek to meet the needs of the people you have given them. May they be an encouragement and an example to others as they seek you in all things. Keep them from the snares of the enemy and may they find your hand of favor on their lives at all times. In Jesus name, Amen."

Learning to connect!

Pastor Kevin and I are currently studying a book together (no pictures this time) called "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect" by John Maxwell.  Taking 1 chapter per discussion, we are making our way through the book at a steady pace.  We are learning that communicating with others doesn't necessarily mean connecting. Connecting requires effort. How important it is to connect with those you are trying to reach and lead! Pray for us as we continue in our time together. This is a fantastic read for anyone who engages in communication of any kind.