In the Old Testament, Joshua 3 records the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The crossing occurs at harvest time, when the river routinely overflows its banks. The people will have to cross the swollen waters, a detail that...
What did you, could you think as they pounded through your open palms forcing coarse, bloody iron nail to sink deep into the splintered wood? Did you feel the grasp of panic, that sudden, stomach-wrenching sense that this, at the very last, is it no further chance of changing, turning back? Were...
Have you noticed that children do not have to be taught to be loud? Really, really loud? I considered this seemingly universal truth again yesterday. The Washington DC area was blanketed by about 8 inches of a “welcome to the first full day of Spring,...
How do you handle waiting? I don’t know anyone who actually likes to wait, but waiting is a pretty regular part of all our lives. We wait in line and in traffic. We wait on our spouse or children. We wait on the nurse to...
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. -Isaiah 55:6-7 Look...
Repentance is a big focus during the season of Lent which is one of the reasons some people don’t particularly care for Lent. Who wants to spend a lot of time dwelling on their mistakes, shortcomings and weaknesses? Who needs another round of self-flagellation over...
Lent begins this week with the observance of Ash Wednesday. People sometimes ask me, “What is Lent all about? Why don’t the Sundays ‘count’ as part of Lent? Why do some people give up things like sweets?” These are all great questions and especially for...
We love children at Calvary. We LOVE children at Calvary. WE LOVE CHILDREN AT CALVARY! We love them in worship, at coffee hour, serving alongside them, and learning from them. And we love our Calvary PARENTS. We take seriously our role as a congregation to support...
This past Sunday my community of faith gathered for worship as we do each week. Following the service, however, we moved downstairs into the Fellowship Hall for lunch and our annual congregational meeting. This event is an opportunity for us to spend time over a...
I am hungry. When I am physically hungry, my stomach has a no-nonsense way of getting my attention. It gurgles and growls. I feel an emptiness and a gnawing in my belly that my body is inviting me—no, demanding me—to address. The physical sensations that...