In Pursuit of Stability

By Calvin Belcher

The book describes how cultural distinctions and socialization processes can influence how we see the world and ourselves. As we mature, we find out that what little coping skills and positive assumptions do little to anesthetize us against the complex and ever-changing negative influences of the world in which we exist. In every complex situation of our life, whether intentional or by accident, seen or unseen we are challenged to find new coping skill and new rules to survive and live by. This survival mode prompt millions to turn to religion and the supernatural to reinforce our sense of stability and self-acceptance. As I did, millions of people find resolve and stability in understanding that the Holy scriptures with its doctrines were inspired for our learning and usage as we journey through this decaying world. It is my intention, in this book to unravel and expose the unmerited favors of the creator, fitted for mental and spiritual stability.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781400331086

Calvin Belcher

Hi I am pastor Calvin J Belcher. I was born and raised on the great plains of Oklahoma, in a small town named Enid. I was raised in a loving home, with both parents and along with five siblings. After my High School graduation, I moved to Kansan and married my wife of 47 years who blessed me with three wonderful children who are now adults. In 1972 I joined the Armed forces and served in a support unit in the jungles of Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict. After returning from my tour of duty, I enrolled in school to study Architecture at Longview Community College, in Lee Summit Mo., where I received an AA degree. I have practiced Architecture for more than twenty years designing single and multi-family residence, churches, shopping centers, Banks and Hospital Restorations. It was rewarding to work in the talent that the Lord lent me. I later furthered my education and earned a BA in Business from the University of Phoenix in Ontario California and a Master’s Degree, in Community Development, from an Online program at Kansan State University. I thank God for my exposure to the field of planning, collaborating and designing which has allowed me to impact the lives of many in many areas. My religious upbringing was Pentecostal in which I have no regrets, for it has provided the foundational truths and inspiration needed to accomplish the will of Jesus Christ. I am the humble founder and pastor of Genesis Christian Fellowship, a non-denominational religious organization, based in Moreno Valley California, founded in 1993. In 2009, I was also led to develop a Community Based Organization (CBO) called ONEBODY, in which we annually wash the feet of hundreds of individuals, witnessing and teaching them why Jesus washed feet, afterwards placing a new pair of free sneakers on their feet. We have found that when you give someone a gift, you convey the message that they matter and that you care. I give thanks to God, for all the local leaders, congregations and community organizations who have played an integral role to make this outreach a blessing. Recently I was invited to go to Haiti where I willing became a mentor to more than a few young dedicated men of God. I stay connected to them through WhatsApp, praying and encouraging them to persevere while they endure the gross poverty and political turbulence in their country. I ask you to pray for Haiti. Pray with me that I keep my charge.

Book preview

Riding the Wave

In the early days of my ministry, a friend, whom I affectionately called John, walked with me regularly along the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and discussed the normal dysfunctions of mankind, if there is such a thing as the normal dysfunction of mankind. It was along these peaceful shores we would experience the presence of our creator while enjoying His handywork. To watch the Pacific Ocean is very mesmerizing, majestic even—initiating moments of divine inspiration. On many occasions we watched the waves come roaring into shore and then slowly recede to rejoin the larger body of water, leaving its cargo to be accepted or rejected. We reasoned that our mind with its trepidations initiated produces thoughts that act and react in similar fashion. Like the incoming waves, our thoughts may momentarily deposit hope on the shores of our mind later to recede leaving thoughts that challenge our future leaving us with insecurities. This kind of analogy caused John and me to seriously evaluate what thoughts are to be kept and what thoughts are to be discarded. The evaluation of the thoughts received led us to understand that the deposit of negative thoughts can affect our self-concept and ability to accomplish. We then reasoned that our personal identity was largely shaped by what thoughts had been deposited into us in the early socialization process. John and I agreed that it was the messages received or not received in our formative years that continue to affect us presently. This simple truth provided the platform for our discussions concerning the normal dysfunctions of mankind. This truth also allowed us to discuss freely without fear but supportive in our disagreements. I feel everyone should have a supportive other, nonfamily member, whose presence can help you discover who you really are and who you can be. I often say, Paul had his Silas and I had John.

John was that significant person for me, and though he’s gone to be with the Lord, I am sure he wouldn’t mind me sharing a conversation or two with you concerning him, for he was a transparent teacher and a promoter of spiritual well-being. John began his faith walk in 1977 when he surrendered his heart and life to Jesus Christ. He describes his conversion as an experience that changed the course of his life. Prior to this life-changing experience, John, like most, describes himself as an average person living to the best of his knowledge and ability. He did everything he was capable of doing—lived life at will with no restraints. It was while attending music classes at Long Beach City College that he began to question the purpose for his existence. After some serious soul-searching he began to ask himself, is this all there is to life? And what does my future look like? In his honest recollection of that time, his life consisted of an alcoholic beverage in one hand and cannabis stick in the other, and of course, on his head sat the latest headphones pumping the latest sounds. Like many of his contemporaries of the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies, the boomer generation, he believed in no promising future. Nevertheless, as he continued to question his mere existence, he concluded there has to be more to life than what he was experiencing. On a certain day, while setting in class in one of his self-contained, self-satisfying, and self-centered moods (again these are his descriptive words), a fellow student shared with him their personal relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The conversation stayed with him and caused him to revisit his struggles with his identity and his dissatisfaction with life itself. Being a mixture of German-Irish, Mexican American, and African American decent, even as a child, he understood and it was made known to him that he was different. Although having the skin complexion of a Mexican American with curly hair, he felt more at home with the African American culture. According to John there were no positive role models to depend on during his formative years. It seems as though he experienced few moments of unconditional love and contentment in a structured environment. He grew up void of coping skills to survive the harsh and uncaring society with its waves of self-loathing thoughts. The environment that John was raised in lacked consistency and predictability. Many child psychologists