April 21, 2022

Dear Calvary Family, 

I’ve been looking forward to this Sunday for a long time! I’m excited to introduce the message of GOD JOY to all of you even though you’ve actually been hearing me talk about it for a long time. 

In a world filled with guilt, shame, struggle and suffering, there is a path to freedom and strength that comes from God’s unique version of joy. We will talk about this on Sundays for the next six weeks and I have also written my first book about it too! This story-filled book, GOD JOY, is all about how the joy of the Lord is our strength as told in Nehemiah 8. You will be encouraged to seek that GOD JOY for freedom from guilt and strength in suffering. This GOD JOY will lead you to celebrate by eating the fat, drinking the sweet, sharing with others and starting a brand new holiday.

Do you need some joy in your life? Do you need encouragement for the road ahead? GOD JOY will lift your eyes to Jesus, help lighten your burdens and will likely get you to laugh and allow you to cry. But don’t cry for too long because the joy of the Lord is your strength.

The Book

GOD JOY will be released for sale for the first time this Sunday, April 24 after our 9:00am service at Calvary Church and it will be on sale for only $10 for this Sunday only. 

After that, GOD JOY will be available on Amazon and at Calvary's Corner Books & Coffee for $14.99. We even have an extremely limited selection of hardcover books available for $30.00 in our bookstore. 

Here’s one of the biggest things I want you to understand about the cost of the book. I will personally receive ZERO dollars for the sales of this book. I have committed to have all proceeds go to refugees in Europe through Calvary Church partners. There’s more on that below, but first…
 

The Music

JOY is the inaugural album of Calvary Life Worship. This is an album of celebration, expectation, and surrender. We pray that as you listen to these songs you will be reminded of a God who loves and cares for you beyond all understanding. May the joy of the Lord always be your strength. All three songs were written and recorded by our Calvary worship team members. You can buy the album in our bookstore at Calvary for $5.00 or stream it on Apple Music or Spotify starting on Sunday, April 24. 

 

The Cause

I was setting up tents in the Moria Refugee Camp on the Greek island of Lesvos in 2018 and my heart was broken. I had seen all the news reports like everyone else of millions of people streaming into Europe from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. A huge percentage of those people came through Turkey and crossed the sea to Lesvos where they hoped to move on towards mainland Europe. This was a heartbreaking place to serve as people were essentially trapped on this island for months, even years, in horrific and dangerous conditions.

Most news outlets referred to this time as the Refugee Crisis. However, as I served with Greater Europe Mission, we began to understand this as the Refugee Opportunity. It was still a crisis for those people left homeless and without a country, but this was an opportunity for the church to unite and serve those in great need. This was an opportunity for those far from God to hear the Good News of Great Joy in Jesus Christ.

This refugee crisis and opportunity has continued even as it fell off the front pages of websites and newspapers. The need grew as the US pulled out of Afghanistan and grew again as Russia invaded Ukraine. Innocent people have lost their homes, their countries, their families and their identity. They need physical and emotional help. They also need to find hope in Jesus. 

Again, I have committed to receive ZERO dollars for the sale of this book. All proceeds from sales of GOD JOY – and the album JOY from Calvary Life Worship – will go to serve refugees in Europe through partners of Calvary Church. This will be primarily through Greater Europe Mission. As it aligns with this vision, giving will also go to support His Refuge and possibly other ministries as we become aware of their efforts. You can also donate directly to Calvary’s Reach Global Fund and note “Refugee” in the memo line to help support this cause – GIVE HERE

In Conclusion

I hope all of this makes you as excited as we are about this project - the preaching series, the book, the music and the cause - and you share it with as many people as possible. We believe the message will encourage and inspire you while the cause will make a tangible impact in our hurting world. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Eric
 

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