Steve Gut Checks

Gut checks, the Good News about My Health and FAQ’s

Let me start this blog post with a couple reassurances to put your hearts at ease: 1. I'm not dying. 2. I'm not leaving my position. I do, however, have some things that have been going on in my life that I wanted to catch people up on. While it seems a little impersonal, I … Continue reading Gut checks, the Good News about My Health and FAQ’s

Steve An Hour with Karl Barth, Pastoral Theology

An Hour with Karl Barth: Off the Stained Glass Windows

I appreciate old churches, particularly old Catholic churches with stained glassed windows and sacred art. My senior year in college I spent a lot of time at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, first because it's free, second, because it's inspiring. My favorite part of the museum is their massive collection of Byzantium and the … Continue reading An Hour with Karl Barth: Off the Stained Glass Windows

Steve Reflections

An Hour with Karl Barth: Wonder

In an attempt to take my brain off life support I've been slowly diving into reading theology again. It's almost like re-learning a language you haven't used since high school, but it comes back pretty quick. One of the theologians that I wanted to come back to is Karl Barth and specifically his book Evangelical … Continue reading An Hour with Karl Barth: Wonder

Steve Reflections

The Collective Art Show #2

I’m going to be apart of a sweet event addressing the issue of teen depression and suicide through art and music this Saturday. Find out more at collectivesj.com. We will be hosting the great organization To Write Love on Her Arms. Caffeinated beverages will be whipped up by Devout Coffee. Music by Before the Brave and Steven McMorran of Satellite. Really proud to be apart of such an awesome event.

shamweez's avatarThe Collective

We’re getting ready for our second Collective Art Show coming up in a week and a half!

This November we’re aiming to speak hope and truth into the reality of depression and suicide that has invaded the schools and circles of our community. Many of us, unfortunately, have experiences with this, whether it be a personal struggle or the struggle of someone close to us.

On November 9th, we will be transforming a space in Downtown San Jose into an art gallery with live music from our returning favorites, Before the Brave, and Steven McMorran of Satellite. Our visual artists are local students from high schools and colleges in the Bay Area.

One of the most exciting pieces of the whole project, personally, is the involvement of the non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA). They travel the country sharing messages of hope to thousands of…

View original post 137 more words

Steve Reflections

RBI’s, People Problems and the Kingdom

When I was a wee lad learning how to play baseball I had up and down seasons in little league. In my first season we made it all the way to the championship only to fall to our rivals. In my last season of baseball I played for a team that almost lost every single … Continue reading RBI’s, People Problems and the Kingdom

Steve Pastoral Theology, Reflections

Realizing I’m the Crazy Cat Lady.

Day 1 on Sabbatical: Today my family and I drove to Lake Tahoe where a friend was kind enough to let us use his cabin. After much personal debate, I decided that it was going to be too cold for me to ride my road bike up here knowing full well, that by the time … Continue reading Realizing I’m the Crazy Cat Lady.

Steve Reflections

Steve's avatarCalvary lg Parents

At the beginning of March I announced to students that after five years Calvary has granted me the gift of a one month sabbatical to rest, reflect, study and prepare for the next season of ministry at Calvary Church. I am so honored and blessed to be part of a church that has always been committed to the taking care of the well-being of their pastor. What allows me to go on sabbatical confidently is knowing that there are a team of volunteers and paid staff people who will be running the ministry in my absence. A teaching team has been training and preparing for the past year to take over the teaching on Sunday mornings to help students cultivate their own Christian walks in a series called, “Grow UP: Lessons in Spiritual Maturity” with practical ways to further their walks.

On Wednesday Nights, students will continue in their respective…

View original post 479 more words

Steve Random, Reflections

24-hour Walgreens and Mic Jagger: Everything Matters to God.

Our Church's children's ministry does something pretty cool. They setup a prayer wall where students can write down their prayers and we as a staff can pray for them. I love what they write: "Dear God, Please help my soccer season to go well this year with no injuries! Jesus name Amen!" "My cat died … Continue reading 24-hour Walgreens and Mic Jagger: Everything Matters to God.