Stepping Out Of The Boat

When Jesus called Peter to step out of the boat Peter responded by stepping out of the boat. Jesus didn't call Peter to understand how he was going to walk on water, He just called Peter to step out.

Jesus has called us to trust Him and step out of the boat. I have had had the privilege of being trained for ministry at Calvary Community Church as a volunteer and full time minister for the past 9 years. I will be leaving the full time pastoral staff at Calvary on May 31, 2015.

If you have heard my heart over the past 4 1/2 years it will not be any surprise to you that the Lord has captured my heart for the people and land of India. I have been invited to join the staff of Global Training Network to go train pastors in the majority world. My primary focus will be South Asia.

What I mean by the term "Majority World" is the parts of the world where people do not have access to colleges and seminaries to get theological training; mainly Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It has been reported that 80% of the pastors in the majority world have little to no training.

What I will be doing is traveling to South Asia 4-6 times per year. I am being purposely vague do to the persecution and spiritual warfare that is present in these areas.

I will still be around Calvary when I am not traveling to the mission field or working on raising our support. We would greatly appreciate your prayer as we raise support and go do the work God has called us to. I am including information below as to how you can be a part of our ministry as we seek to build the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points:

• Health
• Safety
• Financial Support
• I would like to take the first trip in July and August.
• I know this is a tall order but the Lord is not just a God of the small stuff.

Here are the ways you could be a part of our financial support team.

You could send a check to:

Global Training Network

7558 W. Thunderbird Rd.

Ste. 1, P.M.B. 449 

Peoria, AZ 85381 

Please put #481 on the memo portion of the check and not our name.

You could visit our support page by clicking on our name:

Brian & Denice Gandy and choosing from the single gift, monthly recurring gift, and the annual recurring gift options.

The least expensive way to give (other than a check) is with the EFT (Electric Funds Transfer) option.

Or you could scan the QR Code with your phone to go directly to our support page.

Thank you for your love, prayer, and support.

Brian & Denice Gandy

Are You Stoned?

The Apostle Peter tells us in his letter we call 1 Peter chapter 2, that we are stones the Lord uses to build a temple for spiritual sacrifices and that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. Let's take a look at what it means to be a "stone" and what preparation we need to undergo to be useful in that spiritual temple.

Have you ever thought about how a stone is quarried and made useful for building? First it is rough cut from the side of the quarry. Then the stone mason cuts it into the shape he needs for the building. Not all the stones will look the same or have the same purpose. The mason is the one who decides what the stone will look like and how it will be used.

God has chosen you and me. It is up to Him to decide where and how He will use us. He also is the one who is chiseling away on us to conform us into the shape He wants. We don't always like either of those processes. We tend to want to tell God how to use us and where we will and will not go.

We also despise the shaping process. We look at the trials that come our way as coming from the enemy. We need to change our focus. If you are a Christian, nothing can happen to you unless it has first been approved by the Master Stone Mason. Even if your trouble comes from the enemy God will use it for His purposes in conforming you into the image He has designed for you. Do you really think Satan can destroy God's work? Never!!! As Joseph told his brothers after they had sold him into slavery and God used him to save their family from starvation, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good."

Christian, the Father loves you more than you could ever know and you are not out of His care for even one moment. The chiseling process hurts and is not any fun at all, but it is the Mason molding us into the shape He wants for us. Sometimes He will even rub two stones together. Friction may arise between brethren. Instead of fighting with a fellow Christian we need to see it for what it really is. It is God just using another fellow Christian to knock some of the burrs off each of you.

King Solomon didn't want the sound of a chisel on the temple mount. All the stones were quarried and chiseled into shape offsite then brought to the temple mount and put into place. That's the way God, the Master Stone Mason, has chosen to do it. He will shape us here on earth to fit us into place in that heavenly temple.

Are you stoned? If not, you should be!