Calvary Life Podcast

What does it mean to be kind? How can someone cultivate a spirit of compassion? And is it okay if it doesn't necessarily come naturally? 

 

On today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric sits down with a Calvary pastor with a reputation for being the kindest man alive- Matt Doan. Together, they talk about the benefits and drawbacks of having a naturally warm personality, the ways that someone can cultivate a spirit of compassion towards others if it doesn't come naturally to them, and how God uniquely creates each and every one of us to display His personality and image to the world, no matter what our gifting is. 

 

If you would like to learn more about ways you can show compassion to our community locally and globally, visit us online at calvarylife.org/reach! 

By the time a student graduates from high school in the United States, they will have spent approximately 18% of their life in class. So as believers, how do we take advantage of that time to train up mature leaders and followers of Christ?

On today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric sits down with Dave Seidman, Calvary Christian School's brand-new principal. Together, they discuss what makes Christian education "Christian", the importance of having believers in secular schools, and the value of first-grader's weddings. 

If you would like to learn more about Calvary Christian School, visit them online at calvary.school. 

When believers fight against abortion, they're often faced with the question- what happens after the baby is born? How do we care for young mothers and children in positions of great need? 

 

On today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric sits down with Dianna Smiley, founder and executive director of Generation Her, a nonprofit for teen mothers and pregnant teens that seeks to empower teenage mothers and their children by equipping them with life skills and a supportive community.

 

Together, they talk about the journey of Dianna adopting her children, the needs teen and young mothers face in everyday life, and the power of caring for teen mothers and their babies even beyond the pregnancy stage.

 

If you would like to learn more about or get involved with Generation Her, visit them online at generationher.org or on Instagram and Twitter at @generationher. 

When someone says the Holy Spirit is working in them, what does that mean? How much of our spiritual growth is our responsibility, and how much is the Lord's? 

 

This week on the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric sits down with Eryn Holm, one of Calvary's pastors and a current student at the Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot Theological Seminary. Together, they discuss what spiritual direction is, how spiritual disciplines play out in community, and ways that we can join in the Holy Spirit's work to promote growth in our lives. 

 

Below, you can find links to some of the resources discussed in today's episode.

 

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook - Adele Calhoun

Dark Night of the Soul - St John of the Cross

Beloved Dust - Kyle Strobel and Jamin Goggin

Relational Soul - Richard Plass and James Cofield

 

Recommended Apps: 

Abide

Dwell

According to the CDC, about 1 child in 7 in the United States will be diagnosed with a disability. And while there are many avenues of support for these children, an often-overlooked group suffers as well alongside them- their siblings. 

On today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, we meet Calvary member, doctor, and founder of A Touch of Guidance for Siblings of Special Needs Children Won Yu. Together, he and Eric discuss Won's experience as a doctor during the Covid-19 pandemic, his family's journey of growing with his son's developmental disorder, and how his son's diagnosis drew him and his wife to better serve the often-forgotten siblings of children with special needs. 

If you would like to learn more about disability ministries at Calvary, check out calvarylife.org/bridge.

"Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded, it is a relationship between equals." - Pema Chodron

In today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric sits down with Melissa Brosch, longtime Calvary member and Disability Ministries Pastor! Together, they explore Melissa's story of getting connected with disability ministries, the importance of honoring someone's age and stage in life, and why the best disability ministry is the one that doesn't exist.

If you're interested in learning more about how to co-labor with people with disabilities, check out disabilityministryconference.com for training and resources. You can also find book recommendations from Melissa at the Calvary Bookstore, and on our website at calvarylife.org/bridge.

If you knew that making the decision to follow God would lead you to spending decades in an impoverished country with a completely different language and culture, would you still choose Him?

This was just one of the life-changing decisions faced by our guests on today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Tom and Gayle Shook. Together with Eric, they share their journeys of finding Jesus, living and ministering in Mongolia, and how the Lord captured their hearts for refugees from all over the world. 

If you would like to learn more about what Tom and Gayle are doing these days, or find out more about Voice of the Refugees, you can reach out via email at thomasandgayle@gmail.com. You can also learn more about global missions at Calvary by visiting calvarylife.org/global. 

When 2020 started, very few people knew what COVID-19 even was, let alone how greatly it would impact our regular way of life. For many, it meant a sudden halt to office life, school, and social calendars. But for some, like Chuck Gustafson, that impact was felt with life and death consequences. 

In this week's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric got to sit down with Chuck Gustafson and talk about life with Covid. Chuck shares the story of catching the virus, the Lord's generous faithfulness in healing him, and how he is using his story to share God's love with everyone he meets. 

You can now watch the Calvary Life Podcast, as well as just listen to it! Check us out on our YouTube page to watch all of this season's episodes.

Is Facebook just for "old people" now? How harmful can Instagram be? And what exactly is TikTok, and how does it work?

In today's episode of the Calvary Life Podcast, Eric Wakeling sits down for a crash course in social media with the expert- his seventeen year old daughter Grace Wakeling. Together, they explore the details of what TikTok is, how Gen Z uses different social media platforms for different purposes, and even discuss some of the parental guidelines in the Wakeling home!

We're back with a brand new season of the Calvary Life Podcast! Kicking us off is a discussion with long-time Calvary member, clinical psychologist, and National Regional Director of Safe Families for Children Karen Bergstrom. 

Together, Eric and Karen talk about the crisis of unsafe environments for children in this unique season of quarantine, and how the Church is uniquely equipped to step up to meet the need. They explore how Karen's family of origin impacted her heart for serving children, what it means to be a "turkey thrower", and why we should avoid being ones!

If you'd like to join in with the mission of Safe Families, you can check out the Safe Families website at safe-families.org, or see the local ministries Calvary serves (including Safe Families) at calvarylife.org/local. 

We also have a brand-new feature of the Calvary Life Podcast- video! If you'd like to sneak a peek inside the studio, you can watch Eric and Karen in-person (and socially distanced) on our Youtube and Facebook pages.