Pastor Bob Coy: Contact
It finally happened. The volume of e-mails became so overwhelming that we had to find another way to get back to all of you folks who want to talk to me. I really appreciate hearing from you, and I wanted to do something that would expedite my responses. So, if you will bear with me, I will walk you through the process.
If you happen to hear back from one of my other staff, please do me a personal favor and trust that the heart of God will still speak to your question and fulfill the purpose for your e-mail. I am not the only guy who hears from God, and we need to all be thankful that we are not limited to my finite abilities. As you trust that God is the one who has your answer and knows the appropriate response or solution to your inquiry or issue, then the vessel He chooses to use will hold far less importance for you. It's a step of faith that I know will catch the eye and heart of God. For your sake and my sanity, please take it.
By the way, if you simply want to send a personal note to me that does not require a response, please know that I will read your note and if it is a praise report, I will rejoice with you; if it is a God-story, I will be encouraged and thankful for the faithfulness of our God; if it is a note of thanks or encouragement, I will be blessed! But, unless you specify that you are expecting a response, please don't! And know that the time I would have used to respond will be used on my study of God's Word for the benefit of the body.
Because these questions are extremely time consuming, I have a staff assistant who researches and prepares biblical responses to your questions. Please rest assured that I carefully review each of these responses for biblical accuracy and the proper reflection of my heart on the issue. Also, please allow at least three to four weeks for a response, as the time involved in preparation and turnaround can be lengthy due to the difficulty of the question and the complexity of my schedule.
If you are one of our extended family who listens over the airwaves or Internet, we welcome all your feedback. Please feel free to send your e-mails and let us know how God is working in your life through the ministry here at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. However, if you have a doctrinal question or a counseling issue, please follow the links identified for those areas.
Click here if you have matters that deal with life issues. Sometimes you may have just a quick question about marriage or things going on in your job. Other times life can seem overwhelming and you need some help sorting it out. We have an entire team of counselors who have been trained in Biblical Counseling, called by God to assist the body of Christ in this area and are helping hundreds of people work through life's difficulties by applying God's Word to their circumstances. We invite you to allow God access to your issues through this team of willing servants.
Please pray first! If you still feel that you have a legitimate complaint, then, by all means, I want to hear from you. However, I would ask that you consider the way in which you present your complaint. There is no way through the medium of e-mail to have the benefit of hearing the tone of your voice, which in some cases might be a good thing. But if your complaint is valid, I want to address it. The Bible provides the perfect process for addressing a person regarding a problem. The book of James tells us that we should seek wisdom and describes in detail what the wisdom from God will look like:
(James 3:17-18 NKJV) "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. {18} Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
This Scripture gives us the recipe for how to register our complaint with wisdom. As we seek to rectify the concerns giving rise to our criticism, the ultimate goal must be to peace. If our attitude is prideful or arrogant, the lines of communication will not be clear and the goal of peace can easily be missed. As you carefully express your concerns, remembering God's goal and employing the above principles, we will with great joy pray and consider how to resolve these issues in a way that glorifies God. Thank you for caring enough to take the time to write and share your thoughts.