Dear Friends, “O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1) As I sit at my desk this Monday morning, and ponder what to write to you, Calvary, this is my first thought: God is good, and we are...
Dear Friends, A couple of weeks ago, I received a devotion written by Rev. Stan Ott. Stan is a minister member of National Capital Presbytery who pastored for many years in Pittsburg and elsewhere before founding Vital Churches Institute. He has worked extensively with churches all...
Dear Friends, If you’ve read my writings over the years, you know that one of my all-time favorite authors is Richard Rohr. I don’t know how he does it, but in books, articles, sermons and devotions, he just nails it time after time. And, he’s done...
September 22, 2020 Dear Friends, This past Sunday I preached on one of the most familiar stories in the Bible, a story we frequently call the parable of The Good Samaritan. The focus of my sermon was on how we can be a Good Samaritan like the...
Dear Friends, On Saturday Calvary’s Session met via Zoom, as we have been doing monthly since April. We followed up on two important conversations that, I believe, will be of particular interest to you. First, the Session discussed and agreed upon a statement of Racial Justice...
September 4, 2020 Dear Friends, Even in the most challenging of times, there are gifts and blessings. One of the gifts from COVID-19, I believe, is that we are more aware of things that can sometimes become invisible in the normal rush of life. Because they are...
NEW WORSHIP SERIES September 13, 2020: Join us in September as we reimagine together what it means to be the “Church” during this bewildering season. We hope you will “tune in” for worship at 10:00 a.m. via YouTube, and then join us for Sermon Talk Back...
August 25, 2020 Dear Friends, Over the past several months, as I’ve been preaching through the book of Genesis, one of the things that has impressed me is that over and over God promises to be with us, to bless us, and to provide for us. And over and...
August 18, 2020 Dear Friends, It is a truism in any organization that it is impossible to communicate too much. That is the case under the best of circumstances, let alone when we haven’t been face-to-face in five months! Last week I shared the “behind the scenes”...
August 11, 2020 Dear Friends, One of the things I have appreciated about Calvary over the years is our willingness and ability to have honest conversations. In Sermon Talk Back, people call it making “safe space.” We work really hard to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard...