The Active Word

Introduction

Discovering how the Bible makes life make sense - that's the practical goal of the Active Word. For thousands of years, this amazing book has offered people wisdom, inspiration-literally life-changing truth. But most of us still have trouble matching up the words of the Bible with the real-life troubles and challenges we face every day. We believe the answers are in there, we just have a hard time pulling them out when we need them most. Early in his own relationship with God, Pastor Bob Coy had a deep hunger for truth that triggered a great passion for reading, studying, and understanding the Bible. For over twenty years, he has continued that personal study, finding meaning in every chapter and verse and matching it to every joy and pain that real life brings. Pastor Bob's love for the Bible and for life comes alive in every message he shares with the people he pastors at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, now one of the ten largest churches in America. Pastor Bob's desire to share the truth and relevance of the Bible "until the whole world hears" fuels the mission to take this message to where people live-through radio and television broadcasts, Web streaming, podcasting, and other media tools.

Pastor's Bio

Born in the 1950's near Detroit to a lower-income family, Bob Coy always dreamed of escaping the mediocrity of his upbringing. Straight out of high school, a job in a record store and a knack for picking hit songs landed Bob a well-paying position with Capitol Records.

Bob's star rose fast in the world of music promotion, as he moved freely in circles of some of the top music acts of the late 1970's. But it crashed just as quickly when cocaine and alcohol addictions cost him his coveted position with the company.

Bob landed in Las Vegas, eventually managing an all-girl revue at a casino on the Strip. Years of addiction and deepening despair brought Bob to a critical point on Christmas night in 1980, when he responded to his brother's simple invitation to pick up a Bible and read it. Moments later, Bob's eyes fell on the Bible's most familiar verse: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him..."

Surrendering completely to God in that moment, Bob turned his back once and for all on his old life. He traded the glitter of Las Vegas lights for a low-paying position as a ministry assistant at a local church, and committed himself to Bible study and teaching. A few years later, Bob and his bride of six months, Diane, crossed the country with everything they owned in a small U-Haul truck and started a small church with Bible study meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Pastor Bob continues to lead that church today - now one of the ten largest in the country, with over 18,000 weekly attendees at three campuses in South Florida. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale (www.calvaryftl.org) has over eighty active ministries, including addiction recovery, foster care, and reality discipleship. The Active Word is the media outreach of the church.