Closing

Yesterday we signed the closing docs for our new worship space in Pflugerville! The deal is expected to fund Monday and we should take possession Tuesday. Our search for space has been quite a journey with many ups and downs, twists and turns. Through it all, we've drawn closer to God and learned to trust Him in new ways. The next several months won't be without challenges as we get the new space ready for worship. We'll give you the lastest at all three weekend gatherings.

It's not too big and we're not too small

Last weekend we talked about God's heart for the poor and powerless. Every day thousands die in hospitals without drugs, villages without antimalarial bednets, and houses without safe drinking water. That's why U2's Bono calls it "stupid poverty" - it's just so senseless. Sometimes we think the problem is too big or that we're too small to make difference. It's not true. Want to get involved? Read The End of Poverty to learn more. Click here to prevent malaria by donating bednets. Or explore these and other websites:

Compassion International
Millennium Promise
The ONE Campaign
(Red)
Samaritan's Purse
World Vision

Widows and whatnot

What do ancient instructions about the care of widows have to say to us today? Quite a bit it turns out. God's heart for the poor hasn't changed. Today more than one billion people live on less than a dollar a day. Over the weekend, more than 50,000 people will die of preventable, treatable diseases. How should we feel about that? What should we do about it? Is it possible that we, the community of Christ-followers we call Calvary Austin, have underestmated our ability - not to mention our responsibility - to make a difference? Let's explore these questions together as study 1 Timohty 5:1-16 at all three weekend worship gatherings.

Get fit

Fitness is a $15 billion industry that has doubled in the last decade. There are 23,500 fitness centers in the U.S. with nearly 40 million members. The Bible actually affirms self-care. In 1 Timothy 4:8, it says that "physical training is good" before adding that spiritual training "is much better" (NLT). How do you get fit spiritually? What kind of diet are we talking about? What kind of discipline? That's what we're talking about this weekend. Don't forget to "spring forward" (DST starts Sunday) and join us for any one of three worship gatherings.

Goodbye for now

I'm writing from So Cal. After a brave battle with cancer, my wife's aunt passed away Saturday. A number of family members and friends were invited to speak before the standing-room-only crowd at this morning's funeral. I've never heard more inspiring tributes. Jan touched people deeply and, as I listened to their stories, I found myself wanting to be more like her. She cared about people and they knew it.

Jan's pastor described her spiritual journey. She began attending church about a year ago. One day, sometime after she learned that she had cancer, she told her pastor that she wanted to become a Christian. But she wanted to clear one thing up. She wasn't trying to twist God's arm. She had no thought that God would heal her because she had made this decision. She simply wanted to know God. She wanted a relationship with Him. That was it.

So today we said goodbye to Jan. But not goodbye. Just goodbye for now. I had the honor of speaking this afternoon at the interment. No doubt there's more that we don't know about heaven than there is that we do know. But two things we know for sure, I said. Jesus is there. And Jan is there.