Calvin Friend
An easy-listening speaker, thought-provoking writer, and engaging educator.
📚”I learned to write by speaking; I learned to speak by listening.”
Addressing Theology and Spirituality
Spend some time with me and you will find that my thoughts tend to meander into many different places. I like to think about science, theology, politics, and nature and see how they ideas from one discipline play with those from another.
Hobbies
My mental activity is mirrored in life by my interests. I have run marathons, biked centuries, played bass (my favorite of 5 instruments I play), and built furniture. I enjoy gardening, canning, cooking, and baking.
Family
I am happily married. Between the two of us, we have 7 children and 6 grandchildren…so far.
Embracing Poverty and Suffering
My thoughts tend often toward the poor of any type – financially, physically, spiritually, or emotionally. I want to walk with them through their pain, listen to their stories, and care for their needs.
Travel
I have lived on two continents in settings from inner-city to rural to suburban. I have visited two other continents to experience new cultures, meet new people, and care for people.
Questions
I believe that unanswered questions have inspired far more adventures than answers have and would rather have a question drawing me forward than an answer holding me back.
Vulnerable tears of laughter and sadness
I laugh silently. My wife (Tina) and I were travelling with a somewhat frightening driver who seemed more concerned with our entertainment than our safety. He regaled us…
4 min read
She Still Prays
A few years back, I was talking to a woman who was born in Germany shortly before the end of World War II. Perhaps she was young enough…
4 min read
A Place for Dreaming
I remember my first love. Even though I experienced it first 40 years ago, I still feel the longing in my heart and the tightness in my chest.…
4 min read
Kingdom in the Streets
When I came to faith in my sophomore year of college, I didn’t realize that God would turn my life upside down…and shake it! But He did! The…
4 min read
God’s Question Book
While many people describe the Bible as God’s Answer Book, I like to think of it as God’s Question Book. Which one you choose will make all the…
4 min read
A(nother) New beginning!
Call it a whim or a wild hair — the idea came to me at light speed (prompted by an email from the organizer) — something grabbed my…
4 min read
