As I mentioned last week, I was re-reading a philosophy textbook from back in my college days. I spent some time reading it this last week, skipping over the really boring chapters and enjoying some of the others. One of the chapters that really made me think was an excerpt from Immanuel Kant‘s “Metaphysics of …
From Worship Experiences
Philosophy of Religion
When I was in college, one of my majors (I had four) was Philosophy. When Tom and I were cleaning out our house, I saved several boxes of books and marked them “Re-read.” Each time we go to John and Jackie’s, I retrieve a few more books and take time to re-read them. One of …
Families Are a Gift
One of the things I really enjoy about working in the National Parks is seeing the families that come in together. This last week we had a family reunion group with a matriarch, four children with spouses, adult grandchildren and spouses, and a whole herd of great-grandchildren. They filled up the visitor center with noise, …
Progressive Nature of Sin
How many of us go out one day and decide we are going to cheat on our spouses? Or suddenly decide we are going to steal something from someone? Or plan on getting so angry that we say mean and hurtful things to someone we love? Not too many of us. But people end up …
King Baby or Refusing to Grow in Christ
Have you ever met a King (or Queen) Baby in the church? Sigmund Freud coined the concept of “King Baby” in a 1914 paper on narcissism. Narcissism is an excessive interest in one’s self with a lack of empathy for others. There is even a Narcissistic Personality Disorder which is almost impossible to treat because …
Nothing Can Separate Us
Today seems to be a day for thinking about the difference between transitory things and eternal things. In my devotions this morning I read a quote from Horace Bushnell: “God is always letting things come into the world that He will not let stay in it.” Then, during the sermon I was reminded of Romans …
God’s Love Poured Out Into Our Hearts
This morning at church, Pastor Joe was talking about the hope that endures, based on the partial verse from 1 Corinthians 13:7: “Love hopes all things.” It was a really good sermon and one that I will be thinking about for a while. In support of his theme, he read Romans 5:5: “And hope does not …
George Macdonald and his “Indispensable Christ”
Do you ever read something that sticks in your head and means more to you as time goes by? Many Bible stories do that for me, but sometimes other things do as well. There are novels, biographies, sermons, and quotes that speak to something deep inside me. Those are the best books, the best sermons, …
Gardening Glove Protection
This morning at Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church, we had a lovely worship service. We are starting to meet some people and they ask our names when they see us. Our faces are familiar now. We are enjoying the services there, especially the leadership of Dr. Joe Bettridge. He tells everyone “Just call me Joe.” This …
Taking Sermons Personally
During my life as a pastor, I preached over 1,500 different sermons. I preached on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and special holidays. I preached at weddings and funerals and even in a few hospital rooms. Each time I preached, I expected that whoever was in the congregation was listening and taking sermons personally. I try …