Today we have as our guest Pastor Bob Kopeny of Calvary Chapel East Anaheim, CA. We’re going to talking about the ingredients of a healthy local church. Stay tuned, because I promise you … after listening to this podcast interview, you’re going to feel like you’ve just been to your own personal pastor’s conference. In this podcasts, Bob will be sharing about: ~ What Calvary Chapel East Anaheim is known for ~ A venture of faith ... and how he went from being a police officer to a church planting pastor ~ What happened in their fellowship during the COVID year of 2020 ~ A unique and super effective way of discipling the next generation of leaders, while also learning from them ~ A missions strategy that has worked for them, and which is bearing lots of fruit To learn more about Bob and his fellowship, just head on over to cc-ea.org.

For anyone paying attention, it is obvious that something is going on that is unprecedented in the United States (and also worldwide). "Wokeness," "Cancel Culture," "Critical Race Theory," and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic have been part of massive government overreach and intrusion into all of our lives. In Podcast 102 we interviewed Pastor Lance Ralston on the subject of Christians in the U.S., living in an increasingly totalitarian state. Lance was talking about the book Live Not By Lies by Rod Dreher, and the subject of suffering as a result of totalitarianism. As we talked, Lance mentioned some of the ways he is helping his church get discipled into being ready to suffer for being a Christian in today’s world. To get the full context of that discussion, you’ll be able to find it in podcast 102. In order to prepare for his message series, Lance embarked on a study of the theology of suffering, and his four-part series is the result. This podcast is Part One of that series.

Today we meet & converse with Chris and Heather Reif of Calvary Frontlines in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Chris has been the pastor of Calvary Frontlines since October of 2017. Today, we’re going to hear a bit of their story—an unusual story about how they both served in the U.S. Army ... Chris as a Green Beret ... how they met and married, and how they became strong in the Lord, and called into ministry as a couple, with Chris as a senior pastor. In this episode: ~ how their military background helped prepare them to serve the Lord ~ the importance of discipleship and training—within the church—in becoming prepared for pastoral ministry ~ comparisons between Special Forces commitment and the pastorate ~ the reality of Post Traumatic Stress and how the gospel, the Word, and the Holy Spirit provide healing ~ the testimony of what God has been doing in Ft. Smith, Arkansas! Blessings to all who listen!

Every church needs to do some healthy, Holy Spirit directed personal inventory. Pastors and leaders need to ask themselves the questions, “Why are we here in this community?” And, “What should we be, and what should we do to make us essential in our community (and beyond)?” On that subject, today we have with us Pastor Jeff Birmingham of River Rocks Church in Cummins, Georgia. There’s a statement on River Rocks Church’s website which reads, “We believe that our community doesn’t need another church service…” Jeff will tell us what is meant by this statement on the church’s website, and about what the Lord has been doing recently in his life and ministry to make much of that happen. But encouragement and renewed energy in the ministry did not come easy ... there were very painful moments, moments which led Jeff to reach out. The counsel of the Holy Spirit brought freedom and renewed vision in Jeff's life, and it has changed everything. Everything! Discover some of what Jeff learned (the truth sets us free), and the journey that he's on. It will be a blessing and exciting for any pastor or church leader.