Jenny, our boys, and I arrived at Calvary in December of 2019, moving here from the urban core of Kansas City, Kansas. We love adventures as a family, and our move to Nebraska has been one among the many. 

For me, there are only a few things better than a little soul-therapy guitar playing, disappearing into the sounds that speak a message something close to the groaning of the Spirit within (Romans 8, so I imagine). I enjoy opportunities to play music with others, just to see what happens. 

A friend of mine, Thomasita, a Benedictine nun, once said, “Community is a simple thing — it’s just people wanting the same thing together.” Then she asked me, “What is it you’re looking for?” (Her words were right from Jesus, John’s Gospel, chapter one.) 

I paused with her words, her question. Eventually, seven things seemed to weave themselves into a little basket deep in my soul, and they seemed (still seem) connected to Jesus. Maybe you’ll resonate with them. Maybe you and I are called toward community, to live into such things together. (I believe this is why I’m at Calvary right now.) 

The seven:

A life that listens with the heart.

A life filled with the presence and story of Jesus.

A life that marks time in a sacred way, filled with storytelling about Jesus. 

A life that’s balanced, yet open for the spontaneous.

A life filled with gratitude and connected to others.

A life that embraces others, especially those different than me.

A life that is alive and awake, present to God and to others, seeing God’s presence in others, and moving toward others with Jesus’ compassion. 

Curious how this plays out? Me too. Come, and let’s see together. 

Email: benjamin@calvarylincoln.org