The Archive of Musings

Part 1- Musings on Nature

Mostly devotional thoughts birthed from experiences in nature. I call these musings "eco-evangelism." Which really means nothing more than, "I discovered God, and truth in the trees, and the wind, and the stars, and...."

Helicopters and a Whimsical God..............meditations on the humor of God
A Cleansing Rain........................................forgiveness and the refreshing it brings
A Voice in the Thunder...............................considering whether God cares enough to speak
The King of the Jungle...............................understanding that life is not always benevolent
Spitting Mussels and Hidden Treasures.....a little sensitivity and a little digging yield great results
Twelve Tons of Ancient Wisdom................considering what the oldest One has seen
Where the Rainbow Hides..........................thoughts on God's thoughts toward me
One Square Inch at a Time..........................lessons on diligence from gardening
Tiny Little Seed Buried in the Ground.........ackowledging the tenuous nature of our faith
Refreshed After the Stinging Curse.............experiencing God's goodness in an imperfect world
Have You Seen God...?................................lyrics to a song by Pastor Phil on discovering God in each day
The Channel................................................more lyrics on hearing the voice of God in natural beauty
Like the Wind..............................................another song, written during tropical storm Gustav
The Glory of the Fog...................................considering the beauty of mysteries being revealed
In the Light of a Foggy God........................becoming comfortable with not knowing it all
No One Can Complain...............................more lyrics on seeing God's emotions in nature
The Hardiness of Beauty.............................meditations on the strength of life and beauty
Written in the Fall........................................a song about the connection between Fall and our souls.
Fall's Call....................................................the above theme is repeated with another song. This time God's comfort is examined as it is seen in the activites of Autumn.

Part 2 - Musings on Church Life

One of my favorite themes is church life. I love to talk, think, write, and banter about the subject. Perhaps institutionalization would help, but until someone puts a white coat with extra long arms on me, I'll keep writing.

 

Is it Adrenaline, or is it God?

A five part series on evaluating emotionalism in church life. In this I attempt to walk the fine balance of pursuing life changing emotions, without trusting in them as the source of inspiration.

Part 1 (The Crowd Response).......................recognizing its seductive and deceptive power
Part 2 (Adrenaline and the Pulpit)..................the headiness of public speaking
Part 3 (Music and Numbers).........................evaluating our American idols
Part 4 (Manifestations and Offerings)...........evaluating acting up, and giving out
Part 5 (The Fight for Survival).......................learning to react to struggle properly

 

Pastoring Paper People

A two part series on learning to pastor in a more relational manner.

Pastoring Paper People Part 1
Pastoring Paper People Part 2

The Practical Mystic

A series on pursuing a life of radical spirituality mixed with intense practicality.

In Pursuit of the Practical Mystic......An intro to this concept
The Practical Mystic Defined............A Practical definition for our Mystical pursuit.
Skepticism and Trust #1...................Our Dangerous Lovers, Illustrations from Medusa and Mata Hari.
Skepticism and Trust #2...................A Skeptic and a Trusting One live in each of us.
Skepticism and Trust #3...................How Sensibility and Desire interact with our Skepticism and Trust. Also a Lesson on Abram as a model of trust.

Lessons from Desert Man - This is 51 part series written and published over the course of almost 5 years. Its focus is learning the lessons of small church life. Yet it carries a a thread of radical local ecclesiology throughout (that it means it has something to say about how the church should live and love together.) Short easy to read chapters.

Musings Influenced by my love for Wales

Fall from Heaven.......................a haunting worship chorus with a reference to the age of the saints.
Learning Heaven's Language......a lesson on childlike faith from my struggle with learning Welsh
Thanks for the Cwrw.................a prayer of freedom

Other Writings

A Simple Gift for God.................a Christmas Story told during Storytelling Night at The Gathering. A mysterious lesson on giving to God.

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