It is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines in one of his most famous plays. Juliet asks of Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet probably didn’t realize it, but in just those...
A friend recently gave me a new book which I finished reading last week. For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards is by bestselling author Jen Hatmaker. It is a book for and about women (sorry, guys) and our struggles...
What do you love? And, what do you trust? Those are the two questions I posed to Calvary last Sunday when the sermon led us to think about idolatry and in particular, our own personal idolatries. The first of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have...
That’s the title I’ve borrowed from Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes for our 11-week series on the Ten Commandments. When someone uses a word like “commandment” or “law” or “obey”, is freedom the most immediate response that jumps to mind? Usually not. The general impression when...
Like a lot of folks, I am arriving at Labor Day weekend thinking, “Where did the summer go?” For that matter, where is the year going? I am always glad to turn the calendar to September. Autumn is my favorite time of year and I...
Sabbath. Sabbath is an ancient concept that is largely unknown in our fast-paced American culture. In a few weeks I’ll be talking much more about Sabbath because it is actually one of the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep...
At Calvary, we are passionate in our love for God, and we express that passion in vibrant worship where we celebrate God’s presence and work among us. We express it in our commitment to discipleship through which we come to know and follow Christ. We...
This Sunday’s sermon is on a fairly obscure story in the Old Testament. The Arameans have been a thorn in Israel’s side, but now they’ve “upped the ante”, laying a full-scale siege on the Israelites’ city. Israel is surrounded, trapped: nothing and no one is...
The story of the healing of Naaman is one of those Old Testament dramas that would make a great stage play. There is an A-list cast of characters, gut-rending emotion, surprising heroics from those in supporting roles, and a dramatic conclusion. But, it almost ends...
There is a powerful story of friendship in the Gospel of Mark. A man is paralyzed and his four friends are so convinced that Jesus can help him that they put the man on a pallet, each grab a corner, and cart him off to...