As a worship pastor for years, I have heard every complaint. I once was berated loudly in the foyer of a church because I failed to instruct the church to stand up when singing Amazing Grace. This person felt strongly that it was sinful to sing this song seated. I didn’t exactly respond well to […]
What Does It Mean to Be Tested By God?
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have likely found yourself in the middle of a test. You may be in the middle of one right now. What does it mean to be tested by God? If God is a loving God, why would he put me through a Test? The Purpose of A […]
Family Worship Stories
On my bookshelf as a child stood a collection of “Bible story” books. Regularly our dad would open a volume from this collection and read stories of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Noah in the Ark, and more. The colorful photos are still etched in my memory, but more importantly, are the recall moments of […]
Foreshadowing a Promise
Whether you are a reader or a movie critic, you have likely discovered the impact of foreshadowing in storytelling. From Shakespeare to Monty Python, foreshadowing is an intentional clue for what is coming. This is appreciated to build suspense and connect clues given by a writer to drive a point home. While expected in literature […]
Conversations with Strangers
Most every year I travel to New York City on a mission trip as part of an ongoing partnership with a church plant located in Long Island City. Each trip is filled with miles of walking, various service activities, and gospel conversations with strangers on the streets and in local parks. A challenge of this […]
Showdown
Any Nintendo fans? I mean old school, “OG”, Nintendo fans? One of my favorite games was Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. In the mid-80’s this young boxer burst onto the scene with lightning-fast feet and power that was unmatched. Twelve of his first nineteen matches were decided in the first round. In fact, he once knocked out […]
Support Pastor Michael King
We want to express our love and care for Pastor Michael King. On April 27, 2022, Michael was diagnosed with widely metastatic testicular cancer. He has been in the hospital at UAB in Birmingham getting treatment. Michael has served at Calvary Baptist Church for the past ten years and as the Worship Pastor since 2017. […]
Some Names Open Doors
I remember the day I got my phone. My dad told me, I’m not giving this to you so you can call your friends. I am giving this to you so that your mom and I can contact you when we want. Meaning, when I call you, you better answer. Lola and I watched a […]
Equipped to Serve
I can’t do it! This is what I thought right before I actually did it. What is it? Well for some it may be overcoming the fear of public speaking by making the presentation. For others, it may be overcoming the insecurity of singing the solo by stepping out to the microphone. God has gifted […]
Identity Crisis
Who am I? This is a question that we often ask, even if we don’t use the words. Truthfully every human strives to answer this question. Even when we think we solve the riddle, we continue to explore and search for deeper answers. Businesses rake in trillions of dollars over hobbyists who seek answers to […]