Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, my very favorite Sunday of the church year.  The images of wind and fire and new possibilities and fear-filled hope always draw me in and invite me to try again to follow Jesus. This year at Calvary we celebrated in so many usual and unusual ways.  Everyone wore red—and I do mean almost every single person in worship on Sunday.  We also had some amazing music and arts… Read More

She said it wasn’t a sign of failure to find yourself standing on the edge of a dark, scary place. I never knew that before. (Or did I?) She said it was perfectly normal to look over into the dark abyss and suck your breath in so hard you can’t speak at all. Normal? What’s normal? This doesn’t feel like anything normal that I know of. She said there’s nothing unusual, nothing… Read More

I went to a pastors’ meeting this week.  This in itself is not that shocking, as I am a pastor and sometimes we have been known to have meetings, it’s true.  The thing is: the longer I do this work the less likely I am to attend such meetings given my overall dislike for the events.  So the thing that is really shocking and meriting of some written reflection, then, is that:… Read More

Beginning June 13, we’ll be examining some of Jesus’ “kingdom parables” in worship.  Jesus was forever comparing his idea of God’s hope for the world to things that filled the lives of the people with whom he lived and ministered.  As he invited folks to join him in creating God’s kingdom on earth he painted all sorts of pictures to illustrate God’s dreams for what could be . . . what would be…. Read More

It’s pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that Calvary is not a typical Baptist church.  I don’t think people appreciate, however, how completely weird this place is.  I could tell story after story, of course, about the strange things that happen here, but I could never do the reality justice. Example: lately I have been engaged in what I would call a mild difference of opinion and others would call a war… Read More

I fully admit I haven’t been writing here as much I I should.  Or as I want to.  It has something to do with this little hobby I have called work . . . but also, I’ve been writing regularly for the Associated Baptist Press and, let’s just be honest: even I don’t have that much to say.  I’ve decided, though, that it’s not so much about having something to say, at… Read More