DREAMING GOD SIZED DREAMS: REBUILDING FAMILIES IN 53206
A Message of Hope and Faith from Pastor Walton
Dear Members and Friends of Calvary:
We are in the Advent Season preparing for the arrival of our Savior and Lord.
There are four guideposts we think of during this festive and contemplative season. These are as
follows: HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE.
This past year, our motivational theme was No More Manna 2.0. Our 2025 theme is The Mind
of Christ Works For Christ.
These 4 guideposts and our motivational themes intersect and interact. How, you may ask? That
is a good question for you to work on because we all must figure this question out for ourselves,
in our own contexts. For example, how do I overcome complacency? One way may be to
combine LOVE with The Mind of Christ Works for Christ in what you know God is saying. In
this example we think of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Love made Him do the work of laying
down His life so we could be saved (John 3:16).
That is just one quick example. Another example might be combining The Mind of Christ
Works for Christ when you feel anxiety coming on with PEACE. I think we all understand now!
As we celebrate, may HOPE - PEACE - JOY and LOVE be yours.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Faithfully,
Pastor Walton
Reverend Dr. John Richard Walton, Jr.
The Reverend Doctor John Richard Walton, Jr. is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and has served as the senior pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee for the last 22 years. Pastor Walton is well-respected and sought after as preacher, pastor to pastors, lecturer, and spiritual, biblical, and academic authority in the training and discipleship of deacons and church leadership.
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WEEKLY PRAYER DEVOTIONS:
February 2025 Focus:
The Mind of Christ Works for Christ:
Choosing to Live Intentionally Seeking Things
That Are Above Where Christ Is
Click here for daily February scriptures.
Each prayer this month was inspired by a passage of scripture.
Let us pray with confidence and boldness knowing that He hears and is faithful.
Psalm 51:1-11 NIV
Dear Lord, Our Faithful and Loving Father,
Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your unfailing love;
according to Your great compassion, blot out our transgressions. Wash away all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sins. For we know our transgressions and our sins are always before us. Against You, You only, have we sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge. Surely we were sinful at birth, sinful from the time our mothers’ conceived us. Yet You desired faithfulness even in the womb; You taught us wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse us, and we will be clean; wash us, and we will be whiter than snow. Let us hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from our sins and blot out all our iniquity. Create in us pure hearts, O God,and renew a steadfast spirit within us. Do not cast us from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and grant us a willing spirit, to sustain us. In Your name we pray, Amen.Psalm 1
O Lord, Our God,
Oh Lord, bless us as a church who does not follow the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of mockers; but delights in Your law, meditating on it day and night, being like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither; in all that we do, allow us if it is Your Perfect and Divine Will to prosper. May we not be like the chaff that the wind drives away, but may our lives and service to You be rooted and grounded in Your word, forever guided by Your righteousness. In Your matchless name we pray, Amen.
Psalm 91
Dear God, Our Provider and Protector,
Thank You for Your continued presence with us. Thank You for Your Almighty hands which cast an impenetrable shadow of protection. Thank You for going before us; and for covering us from all sides. Thank You for choosing each day to be in our midst, for lifting our burdens and concerns, and for securing the Heavenly place next to Your Son, our Savior, that You prepared for us. Your divine Words bring so much joy, hope, peace, and comfort to our hearts, minds, and souls. Remind us daily of Your strength so we will not try to rely on our own. Each day, may we always see glimpses of Your true and perfect glory and blessing as we seek Your face in prayer, in study, in mediation, and in worship. Victory and salvation are found in You alone, Lord. It is in the Mighty Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Oh Lord, Our Alpha and Omega, Our Beginning and Our End,
We, Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee Inc, thank You for the gift of our brothers and sisters in Christ in our surrounding community, in our city, in our state, in our nation, and in our world. We pray that You would continually increase our love for one another and for all people and increase our willingness and ability to serve those who need to be rebuilt from inside out so they may know and understand who they are a part of Your family and that they are Your children. May You guide our steps to be able to visit the sick, connect, serve, and minster to our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter who they are or what they look like. May our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come together as a church family in prayer, in study of Your Word, in fellowship with each other and with the surrounding community . Establish our hearts as blameless and holy in Your sight, so that when our Lord Jesus returns with all His saints, we may stand before You without fault or blemish. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Dear Father God,
Thank You for opening the eyes of our hearts and giving us faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May the very essence of our souls and spirits be revived with the awesomeness of Your truth by the Holy Spirit. O God, keep our eyes clear and our minds focused, so that we can know what You are calling us to do. Help us to grow in our knowledge of who You are and hold on and cherish the hope that we have the riches of Your glorious inheritance . Help us to tap into the immeasurable, the unlimited greatness of Your Mighty Power in us and in all who believe. We do not want to live in our own strength and energy. Lead us, instead, to live according to the unfalliable power You displayed when Jesus was raised from the dead. We declare that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power at work in us. When we feel like we are in a power battle, remind us that we will be victorious because we already have victory in You. We praise and glorify Your name for are so worthy to be praised. In Your Glorious and Magnificent name we pray, Amen.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Dear Jehovah Jireh, Our Provider
Lord, enable us to understand the magnitude of the glorious way of life You have for all who follow Jesus. Create more and more love in us for all God’s people. Help us to live in such a way that our faith in the Lord Jesus and our service to You is seen as an outpouring of love to all God’s people. When people think of Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee, Inc., we want them to see Your Love, Grace, and Mercy at work in us so they might come to know You. Now, we ask You to empower and ignite the work of Your church. You have made Jesus the head of the church. And You have placed me in Your church as part of His body. May Jesus so speak and act through His church and through our ministry and service so lives can be rebuilt and filled with Your love. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
Dear Precious Lord,
Please from Your glorious, unlimited riches, gift us and all Your children with inner strength through Your Spirit. May Christ make His home in our hearts as we trust Him more and more. Each day we open the door of our hearts and welcome Christ to come into our hearts through faith! We confess and repent of our sins and stand on the truth of the gospel. Help us to be rooted and grounded in Your love, to have our souls and spirits planted firmly in Your Word, in prayer, in study, and in service. Strengthen us to be able to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is for us. Lord, we want to embrace You unsurpassing love, so we may recognize who we are in You and shine the light of Your love and greatness to others that they will come to know You, believe, and be saved. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
