2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (NKJV)

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

Recently I was speaking to my friend and mentor, Pastor David Rosales.  I was reflecting on the work the Lord is doing at Calvary Chapel San Clemente and as we were talking he had a flash come across his mind… Real Stores… Real People… Real God.  He said that’s what your church is about.  You need to tell the stories of people whose lives are being changed at Calvary Chapel San Clemente.  As I look at the history of our church and the people that attend, I am amazed at God’s grace and power at work in the lives of the everyday people at our church.  Here are a few of the stories, with names changed to protect their privacy….

• We have John.  He’s a Muslim.  He’s not a worshipper of Jesus, but he loves coming to Calvary Chapel San Clemente.  He listens to the gospel being preached and is being drawn by the love of God’s people.
• We have Francis.  She was a Mormon.  She prayed to renounce Mormonism and surrender her life to Christ at Calvary Chapel San Clemente.  It took her a few minutes to renounce the demonic powers that controlled her life for so many years, but now she is free to love Jesus.
• We have Julie.  She suffers from an anxiety based disorder.  She grew up in legalistic churches and has panic attacks when she enters into a church building.  But, there’s something about being at Calvary Chapel San Clemente that makes her feel loved by God.  It’s one of the few churches she can go to.
• We have Tom and Maria.  They were addicted to crystal meth and lost their kids because of drug abuse.  88% of those addicted to crystal meth relapse.  Through prayer, God has delivered them from all drug cravings and after being clean for over a year they are in the process of having their family restored.
• We have Jack and Tina.  They have a child with same sex attraction.  They were shunned in previous churches because their kid came out.  Their kid was kicked out of the church and to this day hates Christians, but he likes Pastor Holland and Roxie.  At Calvary Chapel San Clemente, they found love and acceptance and a place to heal.
• We have Frank and Katrina.  They have a special needs child. Their child wasn’t supposed to live past 2, but Calvary Chapel San Clemente believes in the power of prayer.  He is now 8 and recently it was reported that his heart, which needed a new valve due to a genetic disorder is miraculously and completely healed.
• We have Tammy.  She was a Jehovah Witness.  She didn’t go to church and brought a book on prayer to church because she saw other Christians bringing books (Bibles) to church.  She cries throughout the worship.  She cries as she hears the gospel and surrenders her life to the Lord.
• We have Don.  He was raised in Reformed Churches and had a legalistic view of Jesus.  At Calvary Chapel San Clemente he’s learning about grace and falling in love with Jesus… for the first time.
• We have Ramon.  He’s from Eastern Europe and grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Church.  He didn’t like church because his mom forced him to go when he was a kid and he hated it…. until he came to Calvary Chapel San Clemente.  Now he comes and listen to God’s Word and talks about it around the house.
• We have Kathy.  She’s in her 40’s and has never attended church in her life.  She was invited by someone who recently rededicated her life to the Lord.  She cries through the service because she is falling in love with Jesus and she loves coming to church to hear God’s Word.
• We have Rebecca.  She invited Kathy to come.  She’s like a new believer with a renewed commitment to Jesus.  God has used her to bring more non-believers to the church than anyone else and when I told her that she started to cry.  She was amazed that God would use her.

These are just a few of the stories that you will hear on any given Sunday at Calvary Chapel San Clemente.  Paul said… 1 Corinthians 2:3-5  (NKJV)  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  At Calvary Chapel San Clemente we like to keep the main thing the main thing.  It’s about learning and obeying God’s Word.  It’s about becoming followers of Jesus.  It’s about Jesus changing lives.  It’s about taking what we have received from Jesus and sharing it with the last, the least, the lost and the forgotten.  It’s about bringing God’s truth in His power to people in need.  Real stories… real people… real God.

Calvary Chapel San Clemente meets Sunday’s at 10 AM at Vista Del Mar School in San Clemente and Thursday’s at 7 PM at The HUB.  If you are looking for a new start, a place to grow in your knowledge of God’s Word or maybe you’ve never been to church… you are welcome at Calvary Chapel San Clemente.