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Every single person has a unique story. We believe stories are powerful—God has made himself known through the stories of the Bible and continues to share His goodness and faithfulness through the lives and experiences of ordinary people.
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In this final episode of our “I Have Decided” series, Katina is joining us to share about the ways that God has transformed her life through the most unexpected and traumatic of circumstances. Katina’s walk with the Lord has very much been characterized by open doors that lead to incredibly difficult situations. But, despite the feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and shame that those situations brought about, God has been faithful to continuously draw Katina back to Himself, revealing His character and His faithfulness time and time again.
Warning: This episode deals with sensitive issues surrounding the topic of sexual assault. We know this may be triggering for some, so we wanted to advise you in advance.
Ian Forrey is a young adult whose life has recently been radically changed. In Ian’s words, he really had no opinion about the gospel. It wasn’t until he got involved in Young Adult Ministries, witnessed the faith of others, and heard David Platt speak at Cross-Conference that he allowed the truth of the gospel to change his heart and his life. Ian is now passionate about reading Scripture and growing as a disciple of Jesus, and he is here today to share about the ways that following Jesus has transformed his life.
Larry Richardson grew up knowing very little about a personal relationship with Jesus. While he attended Catholic Mass regularly, went through catechism, and even served as an altar boy, he believed that his baptism as a baby was his ticket to heaven. But, as an adult, Larry wrestled with questions like, “Is God real?” “Who is He?” and, “Do heaven and hell really exist?” And, while God met him in his questioning in an unexpected way, it wasn’t until later in life that he began to truly grow in his pursuit of life in Christ.
Growing up in an affluent family in New Jersey, Lois knew a world where importance and success were found in flashy things that money could buy. But, even though her parents owned the biggest house and the best car in town, Lois knew those things didn’t lead to happiness. When Lois was a teenager, she witnessed her mother become radically transformed by Jesus, and she wanted that same joy! After making the decision to follow Christ, Lois went to study at a Christian college, where she met her husband, Walt. It wasn’t long before they sensed God calling them to the mission field, and eventually they relocated to the African country of Angola. Through most of their time in Angola, Lois and Walt lived in a war zone. And, though the days were often difficult, Lois ultimately learned that God is faithful.
Check out Lois’ memoir, “Who Me? Following God’s Missionary Call to the War Zones of Communist Angola,” here!
When Kyle Matteson was a kid, he really didn’t want anything to do with the church. While he was raised in a home that knew Jesus, circumstances early in life caused him to become angry towards faith. As a teenager, God got a hold of Kyle’s heart, and it started to soften. As he graduated from high school and has navigated his early 20s, Kyle has started learning that following Jesus means trusting with open hands, and allowing Him to lead in every decision.
“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18
This fall on Pursuing Life will be all about stories of life-change, focusing on the ways that Jesus transforms the lives of people who decide to follow Him. We hope you’ll tune in starting next Monday, September 11, and find encouragement in the stories of others, as you consider your own pursuit of Jesus.
Chris and Ashley Kresic join us today to talk about navigating discipleship with young children. The Kresics are busy parents, with four children under the age of eight and one more on the way. But, despite the busyness, they seek to live missionally-minded lives that intentionally point their kids, and others, to what it looks like to follow Jesus. Today’s episode is a very real conversation about being obedient to God in every season, even when we don’t quite know what we’re doing, or when things don’t quite go as we expected.
Twins, Becky and Lizzie, are entering their senior year of high school. Not only have they been intentional to be discipled through their involvement with Calvary Student Ministries, but they have also taken seriously the call to make disciples, both actively sharing their faith with their friends, and serving the next generation of kids in grades 1-4. Becky and Lizzie are examples to us all that no one is too young or too old to live out the Great Commission.
Karl & Eileen Fisher have been leading a group here at Calvary called Essentials for almost four years. Through this study of the Old & New Testaments, and how they weave together into one story, the Fishers have become connected with many individuals in all different parts of their journey towards Christ. Through these connections, they have seen people come to Christ for the first time, strengthened in their faith, and equipped to go and disciple others as they themselves were discipled.
To learn more about the next Essentials group that begins on September 10, visit calvarychurch.org/essentials
Michelle Kirby and Lydia Swarr both serve in Calvary Student Ministries – Lydia as a student group leader, and Michelle as a coach – and were connected with one another through a unique opportunity that arose for female leaders to be individually mentored by women in the church. Michelle had a burden to walk alongside younger women, while Lydia desired to be intentionally growing in her faith as she also walked alongside her group of high school girls. While some leaders only met with their mentors for a season, Michelle and Lydia chose to continue intentionally meeting together, and have both grown in their pursuit of life in Christ because of it. Today they are sharing with us why they feel that one-one-one discipleship is so important, and why it’s not as intimidating as they thought.
Check out Growing Together by Melissa Kruger (Gospel Coalition)
Over the last year, AJ & Lindsey Lafferty have been actively seeking to follow God’s call to make disciples. It hadn’t been a previously foreign concept to them, but after sitting through Calvary’s Ripple Effect sermon series, and attending the disciple-makers workshop that followed it, they really began to ask themselves if disciple-making was truly a reality in their lives. As they’ve processed together, God has taken them on a journey, both individually and as a couple, to be intentional in seeking out others for the purpose of gospel-centered growth.
Check out Warriors of the Word by Aaron & Emily House (founders of our partner organization, Piercing Word).
This summer is all about disciple-making on the Pursuing Life podcast. Tune in, starting June 26, to hear stories of people at Calvary who are taking seriously Jesus’ call to make disciples, and how it’s changing hearts and lives.
June is graduation season! Every year, we prayerfully send off dozens of high school seniors as they enter into a new season of life. It is our hope and prayer that each of them would go forward with Jesus as their foundation, looking to Him as their source of direction, wherever they go in life. This week on Pursuing Life, we talk with a few of our seniors about how God has been at work in their lives, where they sense Him leading in the future, and how they want to continue to grow in their pursuit of life in Him.
Every year, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week which starts with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and culminates with his death and resurrection. As we look at these events through the lens of Matthew’s Gospel, we see that Jesus predicts His death and resurrection on numerous occasions. His disciples had many questions, and only understood the significance of why Jesus had to die after He rose again. For us today, we may have similar questions: “Why did Jesus have to die? What did it accomplish? Why is His resurrection so significant? What difference does it make for me?”
For some of us, Easter can tend to feel like “just another Sunday,” but Holy Week gives us the opportunity to reflect on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection and why it has the power to change our lives. This episode features a discussion between Mark Farnham, Peggy Huber, and Steve Kilgore, surrounding the parallel passages in Matthew where Jesus predicts His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:17-19, and 26:2). It’s our hope that, as you listen, you’ll encounter joy, hope, and wonder as you consider the significance of Easter for yourself.
Mike Derus was living a life far from the Lord when he found himself in a desperate situation and in need of a place to live. At the time, he was dating his now-wife, Tami, whose parents agreed to take Mike into their home until he got back on his feet. Tami’s parents, Jere & Judy Brubaker, were committed followers of Jesus, and it was ultimately their love and kindness towards Mike that eventually brought him to a saving relationship with Jesus. Today, Mike and Jere are both here to tell us the whole story of how God has been at work in their family for the last 30+ years.
Having been adopted as a baby, Julianna Gerlach struggled in her adolescent years with feelings of being abandoned. This led to many years of looking for love in all the wrong places. Eventually, this pursuit of love led her across the country, where she found herself pregnant, twice, and facing circumstances that left her feeling devastated and hopeless. Eventually, God led Jul home, and through the love of her family and others, she discovered the love that she had been looking for all along, in Christ.
Emily Bechtel longed to be a mom since she was a little girl. But her expectations fell short when she and her husband learned that having biological children would be difficult. After a four-year journey with infertility, God answered Emily’s prayer and gave her a son. Emily joins us to reflect on God’s faithfulness to her in the waiting, and, ultimately how He showed her what it means that He is good.
In 2019, Melinda Smith and her husband, Nate, became certified for foster care, and quickly found themselves matched with a newborn baby girl. In the years that followed, God worked in the Smith family to teach them what it looks like to extend love to the world around them, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. Today Melinda shares how the love of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, changed and grew their family in a way they never could have imagined.
If you attend Calvary Church and this conversation hit close to home, Calvary has a pastoral counseling ministry that might be a great resource for you! To learn more or set up a time to meet with one of our counselors, you can send an email to care@calvarychurch.org. Our team would love to walk alongside you.
We all have family, yet no two families are alike. For some of us, family brings to mind the people who are, or were, most directly related to us – our parents, siblings, children. For others, family is untraditional; it’s the people who extended love when we most needed it. And yet, for some, we acknowledge that family is a reminder of brokenness – that on this side of heaven, things are just not the way they’re supposed to be. The Bible has a lot to say about family. It’s filled with genealogies and stories of generations who followed God – albeit not always perfectly – who were used to advance His story and Kingdom. And it’s ultimately a reminder that, in Christ, we always belong in God’s family, adopted as His sons and daughters.
In this series, we’ll hear stories of how God is working in families of all kinds. Join us starting on February 13 as we are encouraged and challenged to deepen our love for Christ and those around us.
Do you want to publicly celebrate the work that God is doing in your life? Submit your story at calvarychurch.org/shareastory
Mike Fueyo is a physician who is passionate about serving individuals who have special needs, and he runs a program locally for those with Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Mike has been attending Calvary Church for more than 15 years, and he also serves as a buddy in our Disability Ministry. Today he is sharing how he came to faith in Jesus, how he ended up in his vocational field, and why he is so passionate about serving the lost and the broken.
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