October 4, 2020 I had very few encounters with religion during my childhood and early teens. Sadly, they were all pretty awkward. When I was four, my family had dinner with another family. I started eating as soon as the plate was set in front of me but was sternly
Continue readingSeptember 27, 2020 With so many firsts, I was not sure what to expect last Sunday. It was our first time to use our sanctuary in six months, so we were reconnecting a lot of equipment. To further complicate matters, it was also the first time to integrate video clips
Continue readingSeptember 20, 2020 I preach sermons. Every Sunday morning, I work my way verse-by-verse through passages of Scripture and even entire books of the Bible. It took me two and a half years to complete the Gospel of Luke. For the past seven years, each of sermon was recorded and
Continue readingFinding your way through a maze is easy on paper. You see the destination and all the twists and turns along the path. But when you step into a three-dimensional maze laid out with tall hedges or carved into a corn field, you lose all sense of direction. It can
Continue readingWe have decided to move back into our sanctuary for worship on Sunday, September 20. To allow for adequate social distance we will have two duplicate services, one at 9 a.m. and the other at 11 a.m. We will not be offering any classes or childcare yet, but our video room and nursing
Continue readingTo our church family: We are looking forward to resuming in-person worship services at Calvary East on Sunday, June 14. The most recent version of the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” orders allow for outdoor gatherings of 100 people or less as of June 8 and 250 or less as
Continue readingSunday, April 12, 2020 The other day I received an advertisement for a new book. The author was warning people about the ways online interaction falls short of true Christian fellowship. Of course, the book and advertisement were put together months ago. Neither the author nor the publisher anticipated
Continue readingSunday, March 22, 2020 I have always taught that the church is not a building but a group of people. The Coronavirus pandemic is testing whether we genuinely believe that. We cannot meet in our building, or gather anywhere as a large group for at least three weeks. Thanks to
Continue readingMonday, March 16, 2020 As you know, our nation, state, and communities have been adjusting to the Coronavirus spread. We are going to be adjusting too. We are cancelling our Wednesday meeting, as well as Sunday school, this week. As for next week and beyond, I will update you as we get closer.
Continue readingBaptism can be a touchy subject. For centuries, Christians have debated what baptism really amounts to (salvation, conversion, professing faith, joining the church, or receiving the Holy Spirit), when someone should be baptized (in infancy, immediately after professing faith in Christ, or after reaching a certain level of spiritual maturity),
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