Her scream pierced the silence, shattering the tranquility of the house. In one motion Suzie and I dropped everything and began running toward the source of the scream. Parents can tell the difference in their children’s cries. Some can be ignored, some cannot. Some convey minor problems and some cries embody real urgency. This scream was laden with genuine fear, and there was no time to lose.

Racing up the stairs, we could hear her screaming at the top of her voice, “There’s a beast in the tub! There’s a beast in the tub!” We burst into the bathroom, and there, terrified, was our daughter, standing dripping wet on the bathmat. Her little body was shaking and she was looking into the water as she cried in palpable horror. Read the rest of this entry »

   Calvary is an unusual environment in many ways. Folks come here from traditional backgrounds and find things very different from what they have been accustomed to experiencing. Sometimes our uniqueness is well received and sometimes not. But, for those who decide to stay and get acclimated to this place, the experience usually becomes an edifying and healing one.

   Some have said that Calvary Church causes them to think of a healing oasis -  a spiritual MASH unit set on a hill. They share that they have come here to find rest, healing and hope again. And we frequently hear testimonies of those who had all but given up until they found this little hideaway in our small, hidden community of Reinoehlsville. Read the rest of this entry »

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.   Genesis 2:15 [JPS]

God gives good gifts. He gives us friends, companions, brothers and sisters to share intimacy in relationship with us. He gives natural family, community, church family and social environments for us to enjoy. Good gifts, every one. He also gives us spouses/lovers with whom to enjoy romance, intimacy, companionship, friendship and children to help bring fulfillment to our lives. All good stuff! Read the rest of this entry »

Zep 1:12  And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps; and I will punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil.

Zephaniah refers to the process of making wine to reveal a spiritual truth to his people. He claims that some men have “settled on their lees” and thus become candidates for the Lord’s corrective punishment. But what does it mean to “settle on their lees?” Read the rest of this entry »

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. [Philippians 4:11b]

The passages which deal with attitudes and mental disposition are myriad. Picking one to present as the linchpin for this article wasn’t an easy task. “All the days of the miserable are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” [Proverbs 15;15b] and a personal favorite: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” [Philippians 4:8,9] Read the rest of this entry »

    There is an image in my head this morning which arises from the memories of Israel when we went there time before last. I was standing on a hillside looking across a small ravine to an adjacent hillside. It was rocky and there was some greenery because of the spring rains. Almost as if woven there, pathways like narrow ruts crisscrossed the hillside. Each distinctly visible and each obviously with its own destination. They appeared random, but I doubted that they were because each one was well traveled. Read the rest of this entry »

Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit.  He said, “There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people.

A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!’   “He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, ‘I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think.   But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice–otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.’”

Then the Master said, “Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying?

So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them?  I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”   [Luke 18:1-8] Read the rest of this entry »

“And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casts out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. And others, tempting Him, sought a sign from Heaven from him.” [Luke 11:14-15] Read the rest of this entry »

She sat in my office, her chair facing mine, her head in her hands, weeping uncontrollably. Her body was shaking with her sobs as she confessed her many foolish choices. She had traveled the drug and party route; she had given herself to more men than she could remember; she had committed acts that she now found reprehensible. She had played the whore and aborted the consequences - more than once. Now, full of shame and guilt, she was drowning in her own sorrow, regret and humiliation. O, how she wished she had never . . . but, she had. And it could not be undone. Read the rest of this entry »