“Lead Me to Calvary”

The lyrics of this old hymn have helped me gain perspective many days and again today:

“Lead Me To Calvary”

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
 Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,
 Lead me to Calvary.

Refrain:


Lest I forget Gethsemane,
 Lest I forget Thine agony;
 Lest I forget Thy love for me,
 Lead me to Calvary.

Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid,
Tenderly mourned and wept;
 Angels in robes of light arrayed 
Guarded Thee whilst Thou slept.

Let me like Mary, through the gloom,
 Come with a gift to Thee;
 Show to me now the empty tomb,
 Lead me to Calvary.

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
 Daily my cross for Thee;
 Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

But Pentecost

“Jesus Christ, while on earth, taught all He had to teach. Let me say this very clearly: Pentecost added nothing to the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ or believed by the disciples. What did Pentecost do? Pentecost made the disciples what they preached. They had heard all of Jesus’ doctrines preached in the day of His flesh and had not understood a word He said. Theirs was a life of sentiment. BUT PENTECOST made them living examples of the Gospel.” Oswald Chambers  

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Is Your All On The Altar?

Lady Melba told me this old song was on her heart this morning: 

“You have longed for sweet peace, And for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed;

But you cannot have rest, Or be perfectly blest, Until all on the altar is laid.

Refrain:

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest, And have peace and sweet rest, As you yield Him your body and soul.”

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

I Will Rescue You

“They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken! Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands." Jeremiah 15:20-21 NLT

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

There is No One Like You, Lord!

"Lord, there is no one like You! For You are great, and Your name is full of power. Who would not fear You, O King of nations? That title belongs to You alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like You." ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

A Prayer Poem from 2015

This morning as i was rereading a journal of my own, this prayer poem i penned on March 9, 2015, spoke deeply to me in 2024:

“Though i grow weary,

Lord, You never tire.

When my heart feels damp,

You bring Your Fire.

As i deal with this day,

i long for Someday…

When life’s cares will be done,

The final Victory… won.

Lord, be to my being,

All that i need.

My heart You are cleansing,

And from Sin i am freed. 

Help me live life to please You, 

And to lift high Your Name.

Til we come face-to-face,

In Your Glory and Fame. Amen.”

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

The Weeping Prophet

“My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. “Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask. “Is her King no longer there?” “Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods?” says the Lord. “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cry, “yet we are not saved!” I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?” Jeremiah‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…” 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Embracing Our Cross

“When we embrace our cross, it becomes undeniable evidence to everyone that we have denied ourselves and have become one with the desires of Jesus.” -kww m

“Bearing the cross is for the sake of Christ, not ourselves.” -kww

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Feeling Persecuted? Be Happy!

"God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way." ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

The Good in Temptation

 “Temptation reveals our own weakness and drives us in penitence and faith to Christ. It reveals aspects of His saving help of which otherwise we would be ignorant. There is no sin in being attacked by the evil one. Our Lord Himself suffered being tempted.” F.B. Meyer

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Blinded by Deep Grief and a Limited Point of View

The Emmaus story recorded in Luke 24 intrigues and inspires me. One reality from the story is this: "My own deep grief and my own limited point of view can blind me to The Truth that Jesus is surely Present with me always." 

-kww

And so i pray: “Lord forgive. Lord forbid. Amen.”

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

HIS Glory

“Glory is not about credit for ourselves, but about the Presence of the Lord.” — Dear John

“So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…” 

Mysterious Yet Marvelous Words of the Lord

“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. “No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭65‬:‭17‬-‭25‬ ‭NLT‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Betrayal is Brutal”

"Betrayal is brutal. As Judas sat at the Last Supper with Jesus, the 30 pieces of silver were already in his pocket." -kww

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis

Preachers: Face Your Soul with Your Savior

"The only safety for preachers is to face their souls not with the people, or even with their messages, but to face their souls with their Savior all the time." Oswald Chambers  

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Pure Heart > Intellect

"The doctrines of the New Testament as applied to personal life are moral doctrines, that is, they are understood by a pure heart, not by the intellect. The only way to understand the will of God is to obey from the heart, it’s a moral discernment. My spiritual character determines the revelation of God to me." 

-- Oswald Chambers 

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…" 

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Epaphras, Always Prays Earnestly…

“Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

I ALONE AM GOD!

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like Me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭46‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Christ is Supreme

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“The Sinful Nature Vs. The Spirit of God”

“For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”‭‭ Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“The Gospel Christ”

“In presenting Jesus Christ never present Him as a miraculous Being Who came down from heaven and worked miracles and Who was not related to life as we are; that is not the Gospel Christ. The Gospel Christ is the Being Who came down to earth and lived our life and was possessed of a frame like ours. He became Man in order to show the relationship man was to hold to God, and by His death and resurrection He can put any man into that relationship.” — Oswald Chambers

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Maintain Your Personal Relationship With God

“Maintain your personal relationship with God at all costs. Never allow anything to come between your soul and God, and welcome anyone or anything that leads you to know Him better.” Oswald Chambers 

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

Early Morning Prayers

i awoke early this morning praying these petitions over and over deep within…

“Lord… Make me a student of Your heart. Give me Oneness with Your mind. Enable me to be a partaker of Your Peace… An heir of Your Hope… and a carrier of Your Presence. Amen.” -kww

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Though Jesus Was God…”

“Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

(About Scripture Texts) "Don’t Be… Do Be…" ~ Oswald Chambers

"Don’t be…

Clever. 

Don’t be…

Controversial.

Don’t be…

Conceited.

Do be…

Careful.

Do be…

Consecrated.

Do be…

Concentrated."

- Oswald Chambers 

"Ears Wide Open… Listening…"

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“…Too Great to Understand Fully.”

 “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:19 NLT

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“The Bible!”

“Use the Bible to nourish your own soul. There is no problem in human life with which the Bible does not deal. The discernment of God’s truth and the development of character go together.” Oswald Chambers

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“Reckless Reliance”

“Lord, because i have surrendered my all to You, You are now and forevermore responsible for my life. Let the reality of my existence be reckless reliance upon You. Amen.” -kww

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis 

“The Standard”

“Jesus Christ’s Standard for us is Himself. Are we allowing His Standard to obsess us? The one Standard put before us is Our Lord Himself. We have to be saturated in this ideal in thinking, in praying, and allow nothing to blur the Standard.” Oswald Chambers

“Ears Wide Open… Listening…”

Pastor Kerry Willis