Crazy Busy! Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DaySometimes life gets so busy that something has to go. I feel crazy busy right now. Overwhelmed. So this week I’m letting go of writing a normal length blog. Don’t worry. You’ll survive. How are you doing? Do you need to let go of something to make life more sane? Take a moment and figure […] Read More
Moralism’s Menace Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayWhen people think about the bible, too many assume it is a rulebook given by God to make us behave. Vast swaths of Christians hold to this view. Many who do not embrace Christianity also assume this perspective. Some of those people reject Christianity precisely because they have seen Christians use the bible as a […] Read More
For All the Saints Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayAs we approach All Saints, a day during which the church remembers our loved ones who have died, I invite you to think of the people who have shaped you. Today’s blog is intentionally short, because I want you to use your time to remember the people who have made you who you are. Who […] Read More
First Sunday Forum Pastor's ReflectionsFirst Sunday Forum with Stephanie Brueggen, Director of Grace Barstow Apartments. She will be sharing practices that are put into place to support finding places to live within our community. Read More
Restore My Soul Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayIt is interesting how having a particular focus in front of you can change the way you see other things. This past week I did a funeral for a man who restored classic cars. He had a sweet Studebaker he would drive around to car shows. He spent a lot of time looking at cars, […] Read More
Wrestling Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayThis coming Sunday we will listen to an odd story from the first book of the Bible (Genesis 33:22-31). A man named Jacob has an experience with God that changes him forever. What brought the man named Jacob to that place? A good hint comes in his name. Jacob’s name means “the Cheater”. For the […] Read More
Welcoming Those Whose Memory Fades Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayLong ago my mother-in-law’s friend Sandy helped her settle into her new and difficult role as mother. This friend would come over and walk the floors in the midnight hours with that crying baby. She also dried the tears of this new mother who felt that her inability to calm her infant’s tears was proof […] Read More
Plastic-covered Sofas and Beds for Bouncing Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayI had two grandmothers who approached our family visits in very different ways. One welcomed us as long as we remembered her home was HER home. The other made us feel like her place had been built with us in mind. I have pleasant memories of both, but if six-year-old me were asked who I […] Read More
Reflections Following yet another Mass Shooting Pastor Dean“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.” from “The […] Read More
Connecting with God Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayWhen one of us whom God has brought into existence connects meaningfully and compassionately with another, God is glorified. I see this happening with great frequency around me. A cancer survivor prays with a hospital-robed friend immediately before he goes into surgery. A writer whose computer was stolen is quickly surround by friends and acquaintances […] Read More