Please meet the tremendous people with whom I spend most of my professional life. I write about them sometimes on this blog, and when we finally got together for a group picture I thought I’d share with you all a little about why I love them so much.Front Row (l to r):Edgar Palacios, Associate Pastor of Christian Education and committed peace activist, Pastor Edgar was one of the founders of the National Debate for Peace in El Salvador. He also... Read more
As usual, a variety of different experiences dovetailed in my life recently, bringing up the same themes over and over. Some people see these things as the grace-filled work of God’s Spirit. In my case, I think grace-filled nudges from God’s Spirit often sail right by me . . . this was more like a whack on the head by whichever member of the Trinity handles the difficult cases. The first thing was that I just finished reading Leaving the... Read more
Just add this one to the topics I must have missed in seminary: “horrible human disasters and how to deal with them”. Recent events at Virginia Tech have certainly affected the Calvary congregation. Specifically, three families in our church have members who are currently students, one who lived directly above the women who were shot in the dorm. Why, why, why? I am the pastor and . . . I DON’T KNOW WHY. And I even went to seminary. I... Read more
One of his friends called it “the best event in a young boy’s life”. (Who would have thought such an event could happen at church?) Sammy, my 8-year-old sport-obsessed child and said friend, along with some siblings piled into the car and rode down to church last Thursday, off to see the Wizards. The Washington Wizards, that is. Last Thursday four members of the Washington Wizards came to Calvary to serve lunch to the kids in our after school programs.... Read more
“It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that should be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings... Read more
I totally stole that phrase from another church. Or should I say, “borrowed with the highest sense of gratitude”? Sinners, repaint! was appropriate for us, not because we’re sinners here at Calvary (that’s another issue) but because the Care and Upkeep Committee of Calvary Baptist Church mounted a successful campaign this last weekend to repaint Kendall Hall. Having recently undergone major renovations, most of our church facilities look great. The part that we used to death while renovating, though, has... Read more
The air was crisp, the sun was bright, the crowd was large and energetic. It was worship on Easter Sunday, of course! Easter Sunday, the Super Bowl of Preaching, my friend Jim calls it, has unnerved me from the very first Sunday I celebrated Easter up front, looking out over the crowd, responsible in some way for leading worship.I remember processing my thoughts with my boss, the Senior Pastor, the Monday after my first Easter on a church staff. Strangely,... Read more
“He is Risen” by He Qi Read more
Holy Week is rather intense around our house, primarily because Mom is working a lot and we all spend quite a bit of time at church. Since this also happens to be Spring Break (no school) well, you might imagine the juggling going on. To try to keep things straight I’ve lately found myself reviewing the plans of each day over and over with anyone who will listen (I’ve found the most dedicated listener, truthfully, in the dog.) Nevertheless, the... Read more
Written 3/12/07My name is Amy and I am a church nerd. This is not some new revelation that will shock anyone who knows me, I’m sure. But rather than trying to play this part of me down, you know, to act like everyone else, I realized this week it might be better to just embrace the reality of my situation and come to terms with it. Here’s what finally made me publicly admit this fact about myself. I took a... Read more
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