Posts by Rev. Paul Calvin (Page 6)
The Love of God: One Mom’s Reflection
This week’s post is by Sarah Lundgren, who is our director of children’s ministry. She and her husband, Bjorn, have two sons and two daughters, and they praise God for His mercies that are new every morning. The moment I first held my baby boy, I discovered a whole new level of love. I gazed at my son while he slept, and I wept at his beauty and his steady breathing. I read him board books while he chewed on…
Connected To Community: An Update From The Luhmanns
This week’s post is from Audrey Luhmann, who serves the littlest members of our church as head of the nursery. She also coordinates our meal ministry, and we so appreciate her heart for our church family. Audrey and Andrew and their four children will be relocating this summer, and obviously, it’s hard to see them leave. Audrey shares her heart and her fears as they prepare to move west. As a young girl, I longed for the day when my…
Prayers of the people: Wrestling with infertility
In our weekly prayers at Church of the Redeemer our congregation intercedes for families who are experiencing infertility, which can be a heart-wrenching and sometimes lonely journey. In this week’s post, Kim Anderson puts a name and face to those prayers in sharing her struggles with secondary infertility. As Kim tells her story, she stresses that everyone on this path has a different experience. Her goal is not to speak for all of them, but to sensitively share her thoughts…
Holy Week: A Week Set Apart
Do you know what Maundy means? Do you know why the altar cloths are stripped or why we bring bells to church this Saturday and Sunday? As we enter holy week, Pastor Paul Calvin helps us prepare our hearts and explains our schedule of services. Though lasting only a few days, holy week is a season of the Church that is rich with meaning. It is holy–set apart by worship services that have been observed in similar form since the…
Connected to Community: A Testimony
This week’s post is by Todd Willmarth, who writes about how welcome he felt when he first visited Church of the Redeemer three years ago. Todd leads the team of greeters at church, so if you’re interested in serving our congregation in this way or just want to know what it involves, contact him. Community group leaders get regular e-mails from Pastor Nathan suggesting discussion questions for the group. Last week’s ice-breaker question asked about spring and what the change…
Testimony: Ralph Loomis
Almost inevitably, when I share my conversion experience, there are some Christians who complain to me that their testimonies are “boring” by comparison. Some say that they have loved Jesus for as long as they can remember. Ironically, when I encounter such Christians I am the one who is jealous, because even though God forgives us of everything, sin leaves scars. To give some background, I grew up as an anti-intellectual “redneck” in northern Kentucky. I fought, drank and played football.…
Honoring God By Caring For Creation
In the prayers of the people, we ask God to give us “a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.” This week, Dani Nicholson reflects on what that prayer means in her daily life. Dani and her husband, Mark, live in St. Paul with their children, Charlie and Ellie. If you’ve been to a Church of the Redeemer potluck or soup…
Pastoral Update: February 2015
Pastoral Update February 2015 Dear Church of the Redeemer family, As many of you know, it is almost the beginning of Lent, which is a special time of the year for us at Church of the Redeemer. Lent is the season of the church year when we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. The season of Lent lasts 40 days, and it begins on Ash Wednesday. (We don’t count the Sundays in Lent because they have always…
Marriage: More Words Of Wisdom
As promised, here are more thoughts from Church of the Redeemer couples. John and Dawn Lundgren From Dawn: John and I were married in 1977. A key in our marriage is really, really listening to one another, carving out space for long, meandering conversations (about books and ideas, hopes and dreams) and forgiving one another. Ed and Annemarie Pickens From Annemarie: We have been married almost 15 years. One of the scripture verses Ed and I pray to each other…
Marriage: Words of wisdom
Holly Willmarth “Make time for date nights.” Todd and I have heard this bit of marriage advice over and over, but we’re terrible at it. We always have been, even when we were actually dating. We work opposite schedules, and we’re great at letting chores intrude on time that was supposed to be sacred. Todd kept a log of stuff we did together when we first met. It’s really sweet to read now as we approach our fifth anniversary, but…