Calvin Nolan finished well.  His life was a miraculous transformation from prison, manslaughter, robbery and drug dealing, to serving as a humble and powerful witness for Christ.  Along with countless others I am changed and inspired by having known him as a brother.  He passed away on November 23, 2015, at age 61.

If you did not know Calvin, you will be astonished by his short bio here.

I met Calvin in about 1995.  Our two churches in the San Diego area, Highland Park and Mt. Soledad Presbyterian, started a series of joint men’s retreats.

The theme of the first retreat was “Useful to the Master” from this verse in 2 Timothy 2:20-21:

²⁰ Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

We printed shirts with this theme.

Soon after the retreat, Calvin, who was from Highland Park, started working at Mt. Soledad as custodian. Calvin ordered some 10 or 20 of the shirts in different colors to wear on the job.

For years afterwards I was just as likely to encounter Calvin wearing one of these shirts as any other.

This was more than fitting because Calvin was a living demonstration of this verse.  Calvin had made deliberate decisions to sever himself from his past street life and commit himself to God to live as His servant. Calvin’s motto was to live his life in such a way as to give God a good name.

Calvin separated himself from his past on the street but not from those still struggling there.  Among his avenues of service were his ministry at the San Diego Rescue Mission, both to its facility and its clients.  And On Friday nights, he put on “Movies at Meadowbrook,” showing films in the courtyard of an urban apartment complex where he was a model for the kids and could influence them to make better decisions at an earlier age than he did.

Calvin lived up to his motto to give God a good name. Calvin cleansed himself from things “dishonorable.” He lived as a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the Master, ready for every good work.

Calvin’s transformation had a broader influence.  As custodian, Calvin had the job of cleaning up after the rest of us, all the spills, messes and debris we would unthinkingly leave behind. And he could be a little grumpy about it. Deservedly so.  Not because he felt put upon. But rather because he constantly aspired for more, for the best, from himself and everyone around him.  The result from his service and influence was a facility, and a people, who themselves were cleansed, literally, from things dishonorable, set apart as holy, useful to the Master, ready for every good work.

No job was too menial or too daunting for Calvin. No hour was ever too early. Follow through, excellence and glistening completion were always certain when Calvin was involved.

Calvin had a gift of calling out prophetically the best in people. He had pet names for everybody, usually associated with their future and their calling, to affirm their destiny. He called my wife “superstar.” He called me “judge.” I called him “pastor.” And pastor me he did, along with hundreds of others, maybe thousands, by his model, and by his raw authenticity.

Kids, including my kids, loved him.

Calvin’s life of service flowed from a heart that belonged completely to Jesus. He bellowed worship from his whole heart, even if not especially melodious. If he knew his musical limitations, I’m sure he did not care. It was never his purpose to impress.

Calvin knew his secure, redeemed state and he lived like it. He lived with a purpose, focus and resolve. An intensity. A constant winsome warmth. Unvarnished directness. But always, always, dedication to his task. Useful to the Master. Prepared for every good work. And fully engaged in it. All the time.

To say “rest in peace” would miss the message of Calvin’s life. “Serve with joy” would be much more the point. I’m sure that is exactly what he is doing now, as he did in the second chapter of his life, only now in his new resurrection body. And he would insist that we do the same.