Pursuing Life

The final track of Cross Training is called Establish, where candidates meet with the elders for final approval to become a Global Partner. During this track, candidates are working to meet the requirements of their chosen agency, while also continuing their connection to Calvary Church.

Our newest Global Partners who are finishing out the Establish track are James and Nica Yates. You may remember hearing from James & Nica last spring, but now that they have officially been commissioned and are preparing to move overseas to Cambodia, we wanted to re-release their episode so you can be reminded of the ways God has been at work in their lives and pray for them as they are getting ready to go.

The third track of Cross Training is called Engage. This is where a candidate determines a mission agency, people group, and ministry focus.

Noah Anderton is one of the candidates currently in Engage. He grew up as a missionary kid in Cameroon, where his parents sought to integrate into the Baka community, meeting needs and showing people the love of Jesus. Now, as an adult, Noah is obediently following God’s prompting that he, too, can engage with the unreached in practical ways, just like his parents did. Today, Noah is sharing about the ways God has worked in his life to bring him to this point in the Cross Training program.

As we enter our spring Global Focus, we’ll be joined on Pursuing Life by a few of our Cross Training candidates. Cross Training is a program with four sequential tracks, designed to prepare individuals to take the gospel globally across cultures.

The first track of Cross Training is called Explore, and its purpose is exactly as you might guess! It’s a chance for those who sense God might be calling them to cross-cultural missions to explore their interest through intentional, foundational activities.

Today’s guest, Sam, is in the beginning of his Cross Training journey, and has been working his way through the Explore track for about a year, though he’s really been exploring God’s call for his life since he became a believer in college. Since then, he has had various opportunities to develop a large array of skills that culminated into his decision to apply for Cross Training. While it took many years, many careers, and many location changes for Sam to arrive here, he is confident that no part of his journey has been wasted.

Hear from other Cross Training candidates featured on Pursuing Life:

Ep. 76 with Katina

Ep. 70 with Kyle Matteson

Ep. 66 with Allyson, Hadassah, Melea

Global Partners, Philip and Lynn Jackson, have been living and doing ministry in Macedonia for nearly 30 years. About fifteen years ago, they were on home assignment, when the college-aged son of another Global Partner couple asked Philip to help him with a class assignment on solitude. This discussion on solitude was door that would open both Philip and Lynn to the regular rhythm of Sabbath, which they have been practicing ever since! This past summer, they also had the chance to take a Sabbatical, where they intentionally took extended time to rest, worship, and refresh themselves for the next season of ministry. Today they are sharing how this practice of Sabbath combats burnout, how they work it into their personal weekly rhythms, and what they learned from their summer Sabbatical.

Pastor Stan Maughan began observing Sabbath on Sundays when he was in seminary. Prior to this, Stan’s understanding of Sabbath didn’t go far beyond attending a church service. But, by intentionally taking time every week to stop working and rest, Stan found that one day was actually sustaining him through his seminary education. Over the years, Stan’s Sabbath day has looked different, and he has wrestled through his convictions based on what the Bible says and what Jesus taught in the gospels. Today, Stan is sharing with us what Sabbath looks like for him currently, why it’s important, and how it has been shaped theologically.

Laura Leigh Kinley serves as Calvary’s Communications Manager, and you may remember her from Episode 51, where she shared her testimony and about her work at Calvary. Today, Laura Leigh is back to share with us how Sabbath has become an important practice in her life. After reading John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, she was deeply impacted and encouraged with some practical steps to regularly stop, rest, and worship.

To learn more about The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, click here.

Click here to listen to John Mark Comer & Jefferson Bethke’s podcast, Fight Hustle, End Hurry.

Today we are kicking off our REST series with a special introductory episode to help us lay a foundation for our understanding of Sabbath. Pastor Scott Messner is here to help us unpack what Scripture says about Sabbath, how our understanding of it shifts between the Old and New Testaments, and how we can apply its practices to our lives today.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Embracing the Rhythms of Work and Rest (Ruth Haley Barton)

The Rest of God (Mark Buchanan)

Sabbath: The Ancient Practices (Dr. Dan B. Allender, PLLC)

Perspectives on the Sabbath: The Four Views (Donato, Arand, Blomberg, MacCarty, and Pipa)

Tune in to REST, a new series focusing in on the concept of biblical rest, also known as Sabbath. We’ll hear stories from people who have put Sabbath concepts into practice, and how those practices have impacted their lives. While none of these individuals are experts, our hope is that their stories will spark ideas and conversation as you consider what it truly means to rest.

John and Janet Soden are Calvary’s newest Global Partners! On February 4, they were commissioned for service according to our church constitution and, in March, they will be moving to Minneapolis, where John will be working with Training Leaders International – an organization that focuses on training pastors and leaders around the world, providing desperately needed theological training. John and Janet have been a part of Calvary Church for over two decades, where they have served in many capacities, and we are excited to see what God has for them in this next season of ministry. Today, the Sodens are sharing about their hopes for ministry and how God has prepared them for this transition.

Calvary Preschool has been serving countless families in our community for 50 years! This is such a huge milestone, and while CPS has already begun celebrating, we thought that there would be such value in publicly celebrating God’s faithfulness to this important ministry.

So today, Calvary Preschool’s current Director, Susan Hixon, and one of the former Directors, Jody Williams – who is also one of Calvary’s Global Partners – are here to welcome us in to the celebration. While they will unpack some of the history and purpose of the preschool, they will, more importantly, share stories of how God has worked mightily in using CPS to extend the gospel within our local community.