This week on the Calvary Church Podcast, we open our new Christmas series, The Whimsy of Christmas. In a season filled with wonder, joy, and sacred mystery, we begin by looking back—way back—to a moment when the world was waiting in silence.

For 400 years, God’s people lived through what’s often called the Intertestamental Period: four centuries without a prophet, without fresh Scripture, without a clear word from heaven. It was a time of longing, questions, and quiet anticipation.

And then—Christ was born.

In this opening message, “The End of the Beginning,” Pastor Nick explores how the birth of Jesus didn’t simply start the Christmas story; it brought an end to an era of silence. The arrival of Christ broke through the stillness with hope, light, and the promise that God had been working all along—even when He seemed quiet.

Join us as we rediscover the whimsy and wonder of Christmas, and remember that God often does His best work in the silence.

Subscribe, share, and celebrate the season with us!

In this week’s message from Crushed, we discover that not all weight is destructive—some is life-giving. Hebrews 6 describes hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, rooted in Jesus who has gone before us. While life’s pressures can leave us feeling crushed by pain, failure, or fear, God offers a different kind of weight: the overwhelming, stabilizing power of hope.

Crushed by Hope reminds us that when everything else is shifting, Christ holds us steady. His hope doesn’t deny the storm—it secures us through it.

When despair presses in, let the weight of hope in Christ press back even harder.

In this week’s message from Crushed, we explore the devastating power of words. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that “the tongue has the power of life and death,” and many of us know firsthand how words can wound, discourage, or even crush our spirit.

Yet, Scripture also shows us another way. In 1 Peter 2:23, we see Jesus, who—even when insulted and mistreated—did not retaliate but entrusted Himself to God. Crushed by Our Words challenges us to recognize both the weight of what we say and the healing available when we surrender our wounds to Christ.

Words can crush, but in Jesus, there is restoration and the power to speak life instead of death.

In this week’s message from Crushed, we tackle one of the heaviest burdens many of us face—failure. Whether it’s falling short in our personal lives, careers, or spiritual walk, failure can leave us feeling crushed and unworthy. Yet Scripture reminds us that the righteous may fall seven times but rise again (Proverbs 24:16), and that even though we are hard-pressed, we are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4).

Crushed by Failure is a message of hope for anyone who feels stuck in regret or shame. God doesn’t define us by our failures—He refines us through them. When we’re weak, His power shines through the cracks, reminding us that His grace is bigger than our mistakes.

Failure may knock you down, but in Christ, it can never keep you down.

This week on Crushed, we welcome Bruce Van Natta to share his incredible testimony of survival and God’s miraculous power. While working under a semi-truck, Bruce was literally crushed—his body broken beyond what doctors thought possible to survive. Yet, through divine intervention and the prayers of many, he not only lived but made a full recovery.

In this powerful conversation, Bruce takes us through his near-death experience, the faith that carried him, and the purpose he discovered on the other side of tragedy. His story is a living reminder that even when life leaves us broken, God’s power can restore, redeem, and write a greater story.

When life crushes you, God’s miracle can raise you.

In this week’s message from our Crushed series, we step into the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus Himself felt the weight of deep sorrow and anguish. Matthew 26 shows us that even the Son of God was overwhelmed to the point of death—a powerful reminder that depression and despair are not signs of weakness, but part of the human struggle.

Crushed by Depression reminds us that we are not alone in our darkest hours. Jesus meets us in our pain, carries our burdens, and shows us that even in seasons of crushing, God is at work. There is hope beyond the heaviness, and strength available when we feel at our weakest.

Depression may crush you, but it doesn’t have to define you—Jesus is with you in the garden.

In this week’s message in our current series, The Art of Giving, we discover that generosity is never one-sided. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12 that we are all part of one body, and when we give, we don’t just bless others—we strengthen the whole body, including ourselves.

What Giving Gets You challenges the idea that generosity leaves us with less. Instead, it reveals how giving connects us more deeply to Christ’s body, builds unity, and allows us to experience joy, purpose, and belonging in God’s family.

When you give, you gain far more than you lose—you gain connection, community, and Kingdom impact.

In this week’s message in our The Art of Giving series, we confront one of the greatest obstacles to generosity—the fear of not having enough. From the disciples facing thousands with only five loaves and two fish to Jesus’ command not to worry about what we will eat or wear, Scripture shows us that scarcity is not the end of the story.

The Scarcity Effect reminds us that when we fix our eyes on what we lack, we miss seeing the God of abundance. But when we trust Him with what little we have, He multiplies it beyond imagination—for our good and His glory.

Scarcity says, “I can’t.” Faith says, “God can.”