Calvary Podcast

A quick look at the world around us can give us much to be sorrowful over. Pain, illness, death, division, injustice - the list can go on and on. And on a more personal level, many of us have walked through deep and painful trials in our own lives. While the answers to all these hurts may not come quickly, we are given given a beautiful, Biblical model of how we can work through the pain with our...

In this episode we sit with Pastor David to clear up and expand on an application he gave us a few weeks back in John chapter 20. God has blessed us with this life and our physical bodies that we might enjoy and glorify Him in the times and places he has given us (Acts 17.26-27). So how should we, as followers of Jesus, keep our minds set on our future glorification and perfection while still cari...

What do we look to and cling to during the storms and trials of this life? If we don't guard against it, the uncertainty in the world can lead us to a place of doubt in our spiritual journey - and to be sure, there is much that is uncertain in the world around us. How do we keep our eyes fixed on Him "with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change"? - James 1.171 We are giv...

We all understand that our words have meaning - both for us and anyone who hears them. For us, words can reveal the contents of our hearts as Jesus tell us in Luke chapter 6. For others, our words have the power to give life or take it as we read in James 3. Today we sit with Riley and Brandon to discuss words and how we say them. We touch on social media and how Christians can engage there in aff...

Even though Covid seems to have put a hold on much of our life and church in particular, we want to shed light on the fact that the body of Christ is still at work helping to bring God's message of redemption and life to those around us! Today we get to hear from Tiiu Vahtel and Chris Zukin about the incredible Community Meals program. Community Meals is a truly homegrown effort to provide fo...

Let's be honest: no one really enjoys waiting. It can be a very hard thing to wait - uncomfortable, even painful at times. And yet it can be an important, growing thing in our journey with Christ. The Christian walk is living by faith as we wait for the rest of the story that God has already written. Times like these in our world can cause discouragement as we wait to see God's plan and...

We are joined today by the Dynamic Duo of Shirley and Carol. In the Saints Series we want to highlight the multigenerational aspect of Calvary. We have a rich depth of wisdom and experience to draw from if we take the time to hear from those in our body that have faithfully followed Jesus before us. As Shirley and Carol share their lives with us, we get to hear how God has worked through difficult...

Freedom! We're sitting today with David, Brandon, and Bobby to talk about the freedoms we have living in America but ultimately we want to celebrate the freedom we have been given through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is victorious over sin, we have been freed from it's power over us. But now we serve a risen and reigning High King - this idea seems to run con...

In this episode we sit down with Riley to discuss all the fine details about our reGathering plan. We have prayerfully considered how to both abide by state guidelines for gathering and balance the need to gather with the need to be responsible and loving as we begin meeting together again. Above all, as you will hear, we ask for your grace in this process. 

In this episode we sit with David and Bobby to discuss the idea of community. That word can have many different meanings to us, so we want to look at what it means biblically and how we can lean into healthy community as the body of Christ. How do we work through conflict in community towards the goal of growing together for the purpose of proclaiming Christ to the culture around us? Our current C...

In this episode we sit with Pastor David to discuss some tangible plans to reopen Calvary for regular church services and other ministry uses. We have clearer state guidelines now that have helped us make what we believe is solid plan for moving forward. Please understand that as a staff we have done our best to look at this from different angles and have tried to develop a plan that, while not pe...

Join us as we sit down with Bobby and Brandon to discuss what God has been showing them about who He is and who they are as HIs beloved children. We all have a lot to learn about God and His nature and character during this different time. With so many sources offering "answers" and so many "experts" telling us what this all means, we hope and pray that we all are seeking the F...

In this episode we sit down with Pastor David to discuss some recent changes at Calvary related to staffing needs and our Elder team. We feel it is very important to hear about these changes straight from church leadership in order to understand the process and the heart behind them. As some gathering restrictions start to ease in our area, we talk about what it may look like to return to gatherin...

At Calvary we are incredibly blessed to be a multi-generational church family. So we wanted to start a series on this podcast called the Saints Series. We want to make the most of every opportunity that we have to hear from those in our church who are of the older generation (not in spirit or heart!) and give them an opportunity to share with us their experiences and wisdom gained from a life-long...

We would like to introduce you to a new series that we are simply calling - the Worship Series. Worship is a vital part of our spiritual growth, both personally and as a church. We thought it would be fun to talk with those in our body who serve in a worship capacity about their heart for worship at Calvary and we will kick off this new series by hearing from our Worship Pastor, Bobby Mason. We pr...

We're joined in this episode by Brandon Wolters - our Youth Pastor! As we look at the possibility of a gradual return to some pre-Covid normalcy, we discuss some of the thoughts and feelings we have about the way we have been "doing" church. The blessings of technology have brought more safety and comfort to the idea of a church gathering. But is the convenience it offers us a good...

We came across an article on The Gospel Coalition website that we thought was worth talking over. In it, the author makes the case that the disruptions to life that some of us are viewing as strange and "abnormal" my just be a return to the rhythms and patterns of life that we often talk of wanting to return. Maybe this is "normal" again. We kick around this idea and tie it to...

In this episode we discuss how we continue to deal with life changes and the loss of the way things "used to be". We talk about positive, productive things we are doing that we have been enjoying. The realization that the effects of this health crisis may be with us for a long time can, understandably, bring many of us serious discouragement. So we talk about some ways to combat this, bo...

We're still all housebound, so what are we doing to spend our time? Looking for some silver linings, we discuss what we're doing to enjoy this time, what goals we have for growth, and what resources we are leaning into to foster that growth. As Pastor David is fond of saying "Insulate, don't Isolate" and the trending #dontwasteyourquarantine Resources mentioned in this epi...

We hear about David's upbringing and his journey with Christ. He talks about the challenges and lessons learned in planting and growing a church and how that time prepared him as he brings his family to Calvary. Riley and Bobby look at how God has been preparing Calvary for this new season as well. PARENTAL CAUTION: In talking about how God redeemed the events around David's birth, he us...

In this first episode, we introduce a new team member and a new direction. We discuss our responses to the current worldwide health crisis and get some ideas from David on what this means for his transition to our church. Since our church and so many others around the country and the world have suspended normal operations, David shares his thoughts on what this means for the future of Calvary and...