Pastor Chuck Smith prepares to go onstage at the Calvary Celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center. Jon Courson and his wife, now this is celebrating. Sunday night in Anaheim we put together a Calvary Celebration to recognize what the Lord has done through Calvary Chapel and Chuck Smith. Epic venue, great crowd and lots of good friends. Also ran a preview of Riptide. ( see the trailer at www.riptidemovie.com) Familiar face and that friendly voice. I've been listening to Pastor Chuck since 1977 when I picked up my first blue and white Word for Today tape at a Shiloh House in Honolulu. 'Oh let the Son of God enfold you....' Nice crowd. Raul Ries and Mike MacIntosh. Phil Wickham and band. That's the way to open & close the night. Richie Furay, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a Calvary Pastor in Colorado. Also one of THE nicest guys you will ever meet.
K.P. Yohannan flew in from India for this. He has helped start 7500 churches and broadcasts in over 100 languages. He credits Chuck for his philosophy of ministry. Now that is fruit. Dude. Some of the fella's. Senior CC Pastors on hand Sunday night. Levi and Phil Wickham amused as they communicate by texting each other. Pancho Juarez and Jon Courson Pastor Chuck and Kay Smith. This is why we did this.
Alivia, Larissa, Chip, Jaxon & Daniel. Levi on camera duty.
Always good to go the Disneyland, IF you go on a Monday not during summer! That was the plan this week when we invaded after the Calvary Celebration. Short lines, a lot of shade and two sons and two grand kids made it a treat. The Disney Style is always instructive & inspiring. Jaxon is euphoric meeting Woody, but instantly looking for Buzz. Liv took a cooler approach. Lusko child re-union. Surrounded, Jaxon thinks the duck may be a little creepy. Pluto is okay. The main Mouse. The worlds only multi-billionaire rodent. This works for me.
A few thoughts from 17 days in Israel and Italy, fifteen hour days and more great coffee than any sane person would drink: First of all, Alitalia Airlines is pretty brutal. No movies and seats made for midgets with no legs. Ouch. In any case, Israel, as always, was a major shot of spiritual adrenaline.
On our first free day, we were able to get away to Dor Harbor and visit our friend Kurt Raveh. He has over 6,000 dives and has found amazing things, including a Phoenician ship with a hold full of the idols below. These pagan idols were used to represent Molech in ritual child sacrifice.
Even though conditions were bleak, Kurt and I were able to dive. This is a Crusader sword he found in the past.
Always nice to have a video crew along with the tour, (read: 150 of our closest friends). Happily we had a separate video van driven by Ofer the Ferocious, our driver who still approaches driving as if he were in the Israeli Army.
Herod the Great was certifiable. A brilliant builder, (The Temple II, Masada, Caesarea, etc.) but a genuine paranoid nut case. Heidi was supposed to make this trip to Israel, but she qualified for the State Track Finals, and the conflict kept her in New Mexico. I was very depressed about missing the event, I try to go to every one of the kid's sporting events I can, and missing a Final was distressing. Amazingly, on the day of the meet, Heidi sent me a text saying the meet was going to be carried live on web. Wow! It was excellent sitting in Jerusalem at midnight watching Heidi become a state champion and end up on the podium for all three events! Thank you Jesus and Al Gore. Over the years, I have seen this gold menorah at the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. Over 5 feet tall, it was built to be put in the yet to be constructed Temple. Two years back it showed up overlooking the Western Wall, slowly making the journey to the Temple Mount. This is the real deal. Below is the Arch of Titus in Rome- with an engraving of the last Menorah from the Temple in 70 A.D., when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and brought the instruments to Rome in triumph. The Romans thought that was the end of Israel, but its not over till the Lord says its over.
The end of Paul's long road to Rome. A few years back we traced Paul's path from Israel to Turkey to Greece to Rome. Check out the documentary we made: The Road to Rome at www.crossbridge.com
Just think, the Romans built the triumphal arch for Titus because smacking Israel was a major victory. So it took the best of Roman legions to conquer Israel, but the gospel conquered Rome without firing a shot. Paul, Peter and company overcame Caesar on foot. Amazing. What if the Catholic church had stayed on task? What if they hadn't turned inward and become obsessed with extravagant building and weird costumes? I get the excellence in art deal, but Luther had a point, when people are starving, another cathedral isn't a wise call. What if they hadn't let aberrant theology distract and dilute? At one time, the Catholics had it going, but excess took over. Now the Vatican is like a Dead Popes Society. Seriously, there are dead pope's laying around St. Peter's. Just plain strange. And sad. What could have been.
What would some entertainers do without Vegas and the Native American Casino's to prolong their careers?
What would Caesar think? Simple, he would want his cut. I know Las Vegas takes a lot of heat as 'Sin City,' but there are actually some things I appreciate about this place. It is a city that is not lukewarm about its passions. Las Vegas is both extravagant and excellent in how it expresses itself. Granted, the message is often depraved and the toll in human lives is beyond comprehension. What Las Vegas does say to me is, 'look what man is capable of when he fully gives himself over to his pursuits!' In this case, avarice, carnality and sex. I'm thinking this is pretty much what Babylon, Rome and Egypt were like, without neon and the Hoover Dam. The excess and success of Las Vegas would make Bugsy Siegel smirk, (I would say, rest his soul, but....). Christians should be determined to make the Lord smile, not by building exorbitant ego trips or palaces of worship, but by exercising extreme faith and determination to light up the world for Jesus. We should work to see that 'what happens in the church, does not stay in the church.'
Click this to see a nice (ab)normal stroll in a Vegas mall.
Easter weekend is like a spiritual Superbowl for us. From Good Friday through Easter we roll through 4 services and this year, 22,000 plus people. Also we added a prime time TV Special, (see it at: www.wakeupabq.org) The Charlie Hall band is a premier worship group, and the weather cooperated. So, it was an excellent weekend, lots of motion, lots of fruit. Altar Call Easter brunch with the southern tribe at Flying Star Becca, Jaxon, Jason & Bridgette, soaking up the rays at the 11:15 service OH, Happy Day! Skip, Nick and myself received our ipad units- my Apple laptop is expressing jealousy.
What a difference a day makes! Here's a shot of our Easter Stage Saturday evening..... And then- Sunday morning! 15,000 plus ! As you see, it is a Sunrise Service.
Levi & Jennie Lusko & Fam. Lenya is less than excited about the early Easter service time. Get used to it sweetheart, your dad will be doing this as long as he lives. It is genetic.
Here a couple of videos from Charlie and, and one of Jaxon going deep at Lobo stadium. He is being chased by a little girl named Jasmine. May not be the last time for him.
Easter Headlines from Montana:
Church will now own three buildings; First Avenue East Café closing down
Still Growing: Fresh Life Expands to Another Downtown Building
Fresh Life Church, which purchased the Liberty Theater last year, is buying the neighboring First Avenue East Cafe. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
To accommodate its rapid growth, Fresh Life Church is purchasing the building currently occupied by First Avenue East Café in downtown Kalispell.
The church will also close on the purchase of the Strand Theatre, which it was previously leasing, on April 30. It already owns the Liberty Theatre. The two theaters and café location were formerly owned by Phil Harris, the developer of Hutton Ranch Plaza.
First Avenue East Café, a popular breakfast and lunch restaurant, will have its last day on April 8, according to owner Beth Sparby. Sparby, who owns and operates the restaurant with her mother, said she has found a buyer for most of her major restaurant equipment but will hold a sale on April 9-10 at the restaurant to get rid of what’s left.
Sparby said the recession has been rough on her business, and she said the road doesn’t appear to get any easier with the Montana Club moving into town and more restaurants starting to serve breakfast. When she heard Fresh Life Church was looking to purchase the building at the beginning of the year, she started searching for people interested in purchasing her equipment. She said she was fortunate to find a buyer.
With no kitchen-ready locations available for an affordable lease, Sparby said she has no plans to reopen a restaurant.
“It’s going to be sad, but we would like to thank everybody who has supported us,” Sparby said.
Since being established in Kalispell in 2007, Fresh Life Church has grown to about 1,500 congregants and has established a prominent presence downtown, occupying both the Strand and Liberty theaters, along with a rented space on the corner of Second Street East and First Avenue East. The rented space is used for a kids’ ministry.
The church has services on Wednesdays and Sundays at the Strand and Liberty, with one theater holding the service and the other offering live-streamed feeds. The Liberty has an espresso bar in its foyer. In the upstairs of the Strand, the church has offices, classrooms and other spaces.
The café location will be called “The Lab,” according to the church’s 27-year-old pastor Levi Lusko. Lusko said it will be used as a meeting spot for the church’s college and high school ministries, and to host any other event, including wedding receptions and meet-and-greet sessions for the many bands the church brings to town.
Currently, Lusko said the church doesn’t have an appropriately sized meeting venue to accommodate crowds in between classroom and theater size. Lusko said Fresh Life is under contract to buy the café building and will close on the deal on June 30.
“Our goal isn’t snatching up properties,” Lusko said. “Our goal is to accommodate the growth of the church.”
He added: “All of the purchasing and the buildings are for the people who are stranded in sin so they can find liberty and life in Jesus Christ.”
Though Lusko said the church doesn’t have an official membership, he has a good idea of how many people attend the services.
“We’re seeing about 1,500 with adults and kids,” he said. “In January of ’07, it was just me and my wife and a few friends.”
Though only 27, Lusko already has a ministry resume that spans several states. He has also done missionary work across the world. Before starting Fresh Life in 2007, Lusko had served as youth pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque, one of the largest churches in New Mexico, and was the director of student ministries at Ocean Hills Church in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., another large church. Today he lives in the Flathead with his wife and their two daughters.
Fresh Life Church is a non-denominational Christian church that takes a modern, laid-back approach to religion. The church has a radio station and an interactive Web site with streaming videos and podcasts to better broadcast the church’s services and messages. Both pastors and congregants alike often dress in casual attire.
With its “Skull Church,” Lusko said Fresh Life is able to preach in a way that is relevant to young people and folks who aren’t heavily involved in religion. Lusko said many young people have skull tattoos or skulls on their snowboards or elsewhere in their lives.
Using the skull as a “relatable point of reference,” the church meets every Wednesday and attracts a large youth following. Out-of-state Christian bands frequently play.
“People are coming to Skull Church who haven’t been to church for years or ever,” Lusko said.
Lusko said church officials looked at other spaces downtown, but when they heard about First Avenue East Café’s availability, it seemed like the right location.
“To us, it was a fully opened door,” Lusko said. “We didn’t have to kick her out, she was really sweet. It was perfect.”
On 04-06-10, awmontana commented.... Next obvious question is, have you been to Fresh Life or have you just decided that because it is a church and is succssesful,and doing things differently (skull church)that it is bad?And the church gets accused of being narrow minded! This is a good thing that is happening people.Just…
Pastor Chuck Smith prepares to go onstage at the Calvary Celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Jon Courson and his wife, now this is celebrating.
Sunday night in Anaheim we put together a Calvary Celebration to recognize what the Lord has done through Calvary Chapel and Chuck Smith. Epic venue, great crowd and lots of good friends.
Familiar face and that friendly voice. I've been listening to Pastor Chuck since 1977 when I picked up my first blue and white Word for Today tape at a Shiloh House in Honolulu.
Nice crowd.
Raul Ries and Mike MacIntosh.
Phil Wickham and band. That's the way to open & close the night.
Richie Furay, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a Calvary Pastor in Colorado.
K.P. Yohannan flew in from India for this. He has helped start 7500 churches and broadcasts in over 100 languages. He credits Chuck for his philosophy of ministry. Now that is fruit. Dude.
Some of the fella's. Senior CC Pastors on hand Sunday night.
Levi and Phil Wickham amused as they communicate by texting each other.
Pancho Juarez and Jon Courson
Pastor Chuck and Kay Smith. This is why we did this.
Slide Show: Costume-Clad Pond Skimmers
Next obvious question is, have you been to Fresh Life or have you just decided that because it is a church and is succssesful,and doing things differently (skull church)that it is bad?And the church gets accused of being narrow minded! This is a good thing that is happening people.Just…