Deep South Conference: Loving God with All We Are
Photos by Blake Beckham
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30a
At the Calvary Chapel Deep South Pastors Conference in fall 2023, several pastors shared about loving God with all that we are—with our minds, habits, ministries, emotions, will, strength—from the deep place of the soul that only God can fill. Many spoke about how God’s love sustains in the trials of life and ministry. One pastor testified that the Lord had been his strength since the loss of his wife.
After sharing how the Lord strengthened him during the loss of his wife less than a year before, Pastor Kevin Edwards of CC Clayton, NC, prays for Timmy Marchica of CC Crossroads in Culpeper, VA. Timmy found Kevin’s message inspiring because “the heart of the Gospel is that broken hearts can be mended,” Timmy recounted. Several hundred men and women gathered at the Calvary Chapel Deep South Pastors Conference (CCDSPC) at CC Stone Mountain, GA, last fall. Photo by Christmas Beeler
The theme of the CCDSPC 2023 was “Loving God.” Pastor Jim Gallagher of CC Vero Beach, FL, noted that when Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, He said, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:30b-31a). Pastor Jim explained the connection: “Our private devotion—that personal love relationship that each of us has with God—should be shown publicly in our love and humility toward others as we live to please Him.”
Sorrow & Strength
Nine months after losing his wife Lisa to heart disease, Pastor Kevin Edwards of CC Clayton, NC, prayed that the Lord would somehow use his testimony to encourage those at the conference. Teaching through Ezekiel while his wife’s health was declining in late 2022, he dreaded the passage where Ezekiel’s wife passes. The next month, “on December 17, around 8 a.m., the Lord took my wife, the desire of [my] eyes, with one stroke (Ezekiel 24:16b),” he recounted somberly. “All year, people have been telling me how strong I am, what an example I’ve been. But I’ve had no strength.”
One evening after he taught Proverbs 24:10, If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small, a woman in his congregation “reminded me that I did not faint. In that passage, Solomon makes two assumptions: There will be a day of adversity that comes to all of us believers. And when we face it, God will give us the strength to not fail.”
He recounted the day of his wife’s passing: “That morning, I had no strength within myself, no strength to tell my children … to tell the paramedics to stop, to stand in front of my congregation the next day. Most days, I just wanted to go to bed early so the day would be over.”
Seeking the Lord every morning has been his lifeline. “Mornings were the best times because I would open the Book of Psalms and write down what God gave me. It was like pulling up to a gas station and having my tank filled with strength,” Kevin recalled. “So, you go to the Lord every day, and He fills your tank with strength. Then you go through the day and expend it all. Then you just have to run back to Him; it’s a constant process of going to Him. You realize you’re in the day of adversity, and you learn where your strength really comes from.” He shared a special verse:
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him. Psalm 28:7
“I’ve realized that I must constantly go to the Lord for strength; I don’t have it in myself. In January, I couldn’t fathom how I would make it to September; I was just focused on getting through each day,” he reflected. “I’m thankful He uses me to encourage others.”
Having founded CC Lynchburg, VA, in 1994, Pastor Troy Warner encouraged the group: “As the Lord saw Hagar in the wilderness, so He sees people in their desperate situations. We may feel discouraged: ‘God, do You see me doing this [ministry] work?’ The Lord sees you; His eyes are on you. He’s not going to forget you,” Troy said. “Keep clinging to the Lord; He is faithful, even in the hard seasons.”
One of the highlights of the CCDSP is the time when each pastor is invited to stand and share what the Lord is doing at their fellowships. Pastor Eric Irwin testified of how the Lord has been blessing his fellowship, CC Dickson, TN, where the former firefighter has been serving since 2000.
Honoring Wives
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7
“Peter tells us to give the wife honor; she is the weaker vessel. She is like precious imported China as opposed to the ceramic coffee cup you got at Walmart. She is to be valued,” Kevin explained. “Honored means to assess the value that is due, not because she leads the most amazing women’s Bible studies or meets everyone’s expectations, but because she is married to a man who is called to carry the Word of God.”
Many at the conference found the worship time a sweet time to reconnect with the Lord and be refreshed after the rigors of ministry. I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High (Psalm 9:2).
Dozens of believers from CC Stone Mountain serve as volunteer conference staff, taking a servant-hearted approach and offering hospitality, fellowship, and a ready smile for their brothers and sisters who travel to the gatherings.
Kevin noted that Ezekiel’s wife did not have an easy life, joined to a prophet with a difficult calling, and that he looked forward to learning her name in Heaven. “In Clayton, her name was Lisa Edwards, who served her husband faithfully for 22 years, loved her children, and served her church. I know she has heard ‘Well done’ from the Lord,” he declared. “I would ask that all of the pastors’ wives here stand, in honor of my wife.” The room was filled both with tears and applause. Then Pastor Kevin prayed for all the pastors’ wives.
A Passion for Jesus
Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain, GA, hosted the 2023 conference, with the theme from Mark 12:30a, in which Jesus quotes Deuteronomy Chapter 6, “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Pastor Sandy Adams of CC Stone Mountain expounded: “What God expects from me—to love Him with all I am. All of my heart, my desires; all my soul, or emotions; all my mind, my thought life; and all my strength, my actions. Do I love God with all of my soul, my passions? If not, my service can become mechanical, done out of a sense of duty rather than delight. I need the proper oil of the Holy Spirit—otherwise, I can become a tin man, instead of a soul man.”
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12
Attendees worshiped the Lord together with songs celebrating God’s mercy, His sacrifice and resurrection, salvation, and coming glory. A list of all the songs played is available online here: calvarychapeldeepsouth.com
He explained, “With all of your heart and soul means with all of my self, person, appetite, desire, being, emotion, passion, seat of my appetites, and my character.” God is not interested in merely our outward service but our hearts—to share our sorrows, fears, joys, and feelings with Him. “Never be ashamed of expressing your feelings in Jesus’ presence,” Sandy related. “Sometimes we sustain emotional wounds in ministry. Jesus is the Great Physician—we have to open up and let Him clean out any bitterness. Worship is His instrument; it helps bring healing.” Worship, from proskuneo in the Greek, is “to kiss toward, to kiss and hug God, to love Him in song.”
Since the Church is the bride of Christ, Sandy made this comparison: “Think of our ministry as a wedding march. We are the bride coming down the aisle toward our Groom, to give Him the kiss of our love and worship, our desire and passion.” He added, “Heaven is filled with emotion: the joy of the Lord, the love of God for and from His people.”
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Revelation 22:17a
Loving God in Ministry
John Spencer, a pastor for more than 40 years who founded Coastline Calvary Chapel in Gulf Breeze, FL, encouraged pastors to stay connected to the Lord and to their flocks. “Spend time with God, and spend time with your people,” he exhorted. “You’re a shepherd, not a celebrity or a CEO; stay engaged and have an open door.”
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Psalm 78:72
Alli Taylor (left) has been involved with worship ministry at CC Stone Mountain since the age of 15. One of the worship leaders, she also serves as the church secretary. Her husband, Andrew Taylor, also serves in percussion and worship and is the youth pastor.
Matt Houston (center) serves as the worship and middle school pastor at CCSM. He and Alli have written and recorded several original worship songs. Their album, Only One, is available for purchase or streaming on most major platforms; this link also provides music and resources for other worship leaders: deepsouthworship.com
Conference attendees enjoyed fellowship, smoked brisket, and Southern hospitality at the outdoor pavilion at Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain. Dozens of church members serve every year during the many conferences hosted by CC Stone Mountain, as Senior Pastor Sandy Adams is the regional pastor of the Deep South.
Ministry is full of challenges, especially as pastors are targets for the enemy. “Place guardrails in your life to protect you from sin,” he cautioned. “You’re a target in a spiritual battle. … From the moment I was born, I entered a spiritual battle that will last until I come home [to Heaven].” Pastor John led the group in prayer: “Lord, help me to cut off those things that keep me from having a heart for Jesus.”
Other topics included church security and creationism. To watch online, visit: calvarychapeldeepsouth.com
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