Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.  But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

-2 Peter 3:6-9

About 3 years ago, Kenny asked me the most important question of his life and I gave him the most important answer of mine.  Six months later, we got married.  Although we only dated for six months and were engaged for another six, our relationship carried a lot of fear then.  Fear of failure, fear of the future, fear of… you name it!  It just so happened that our pastor’s teaching lesson at the time was on fear.  God used Pastor Bob Coy to help us get through those months of anxiety and fear of how marriage would be like.  We were running out of time in finding a pastor to marry us.  We asked a few who have impacted our lives, but they were all going to be out of town at the time of our wedding.  Then we asked Pastor Bob.  We thought that would be impossible considering his busy schedule, plus the fact that he didn’t really officiate many weddings.  One month before our wedding, he said he would officiate it.

To the world he’s now known as the pastor who resigned due to a scandal, but to us he is the man God used to teach about faith, love, and forgiveness.  When Kenny and I were thinking about dating, we ran into him at the beach while celebrating another pastor’s birthday.  I was standing with a friend and Kenny by my side, and he made a silly remark that would become a reality the next year.  He first asked my friend which one was dating Kenny.  My friend started laughing and I just blushed at the thought of even dating him!  To me, he was just someone I wanted to get to know as a friend… and yes, I liked him like crazy!  Then Bob looked at me and said: “He is going to be an amazing husband… the man can cook, he makes me the best oatmeal!.”  This event happened on Sunday, August 22, 2010.

On Sunday, August 21, 2011, exactly one year after, we stood in front of him as Mr. and Mrs. Velsor.

Press forward to this year, Bob disappointed thousands of people with his “moral failures.”  When we were informed, I reacted as if someone special had died.  The truth is, in a way, Pastor Bob as we knew him did die.  Yet, I choose to remember how his teachings edified and strengthened our faith in the Lord.  A bible was placed right below the pulpit of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale to signify that whoever stands on that pulpit will also stand on the Word of God.  The Word of God never returns void… even if spoken by a hypocrite!  Paul says in Philippians 1:18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.”

In the beginning of that week, we did something that most Christians would have criticized us for doing: we went to see the controversial film, Noah.  Without making this sound like a review, the movie lacked biblical accuracy but it still offered some truth.  In the Bible, Noah is described as righteous, but in the movie our biblical hero becomes antagonistic at times.  After witnessing some serious sin, Noah believes with all of his heart that his family will be the last humans on Earth after the flood.  I mean, there’s absolutely NO WAY a good God can allow so much evil to happen and then redeem humanity.  Noah also saw himself in midst of sin.  He recognized that he is susceptible of sinning himself.  God had just called him to carry through the difficult task of creating an ark that would only save his family and then witness the whole world dying… literally.  When reading this in the fourth grade in a children’s bible, the message is there but the weight of the subject is lost with the pretty pictures of the animals.  The film portrays the darkness of the times and interprets how Noah could have behaved because of his difficult mission.  In the end, there’s still a blessing, a covenant, and a rainbow.  There’s hope and hope was the theme in our Easter service this year… “hope does not disappoint.” Romans 5:5

God was so good that Easter Sunday!  He knew that when he anointed Bob as pastor and founder of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale back in the 80’s, Bob would lead the flock for 29 years.  God also knew that on April 3rd, 2014, Bob would resign from his position.  God knew this, yet He still called him to His service.  God knew that the topic of this year’s Easter service would be HOPE.  He knew this.

This Noah movie helped me cope with the news.  I became that Noah in the film: I realized that I’m not immune to sin.

Like the verse above says: God doesn’t want our destruction, He wants a repentful heart.  The truth is that for some this is all about a fallen pastor who lived two lives, but in reality, this all goes back to you and me.  The world and the haters will make it about the man, but a true believer will take this as an opportunity for self-examination.  They waste their time on the juicy details of his failings, but this time should be used to apply 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”  The focus shouldn’t be on this man’s moral failures, but in our own moral failures.  The focus should be on the One who did the unthinkable to sanctify us and to bring us new life.

This is a crazy thought, but this was probably the best lesson any pastor could have taught us all: sin is real, it will isolate you, and it will bring you some serious consequences. 

As I’m writing this, I weep.  I truly thought I had gotten to a better stage of grievance, but in reality my heart is still heavy.  Having the privilege to work, serve, and witness everything God did at Calvary Chapel under Bob’s leadership was truly inspirational.  However, I am convinced that God is not done bringing more souls to Him through our ministry.  It’s all about God!  And one thing He’s definitely good at is turning evil into a blessing…

Although, I still hold onto fear from time to time, I’m also reminded that fear must be combatted with love.  “Love covers a multitude of sins…”  Everyone seems to process this differently, there are some who were “quick to forgive” and others who are infuriated with the man.  Some who want him back, and others who want nothing to do with him.  My prayer is that we all respect our “processing” and most importantly, we are sensitive to those who were directly affected by this.

My prayers remain with his family as they go through this season.  They are all loved.

“Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”