Summer Sermon Series: God has Left the Building Summer Sermon SeriesIn light of the fact that we have not been able to gather in our buildings, Pastor Lori and I thought it might be good to focus on Biblical stories that are about people experiencing the presence of God outside of temple, synagogue, and church buildings. Even when we go back to in-building worship, discerning […] Read More
George Floyd. Listen to his name. Say his name aloud. Hear yourself saying his name. Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayGeorge Floyd. Listen. Listen to his name. Say his name aloud. Hear yourself saying his name. The spiritual practice I am working hardest on right now is listening. Specifically I’m listening to the pain expressed in the voices of black people. I am attempting to hold what I think I know about things as lightly […] Read More
More “Dwelling” on Love Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayEvery day for the past twelve weeks, I have listened to the same short passage of Scripture to discern what God says to me on a daily basis. (This process called Dwelling in the Word is well-described in this video by Jan Adams, a member of Grace in this video). Every four weeks I post […] Read More
Use Best Judgment Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayBeloved Grace member Bill Benson had a phrase he used with frequency. So often did he commend it to his grandson that Evan chose it as the signature phrase to emblazon on Bill’s memorial bench at UW-EC that is on the cover of this post. The phrase is: Use Best Judgment or UBJ for short. […] Read More
Gifts Wrapped in Ugly Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayRemembering my earlier years of Mother’s Day gift giving, I recall that sometimes lovely gifts come in very ugly wrapping. I find myself realizing that again in a deeper way these days. I find it hard to imagine anything sloppier and uglier than the mess we are in now. (I know, wait until tomorrow and […] Read More
Serving with Laughter and Love Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayOne of our deep values at Grace Lutheran is serving our neighbors. We have a long and vital tradition of tending to those who are most vulnerable among us in the name of Jesus. This stretch of craziness we find ourselves in reminds us that love of neighbor is always a contextual practice. How we […] Read More
More “Dwelling” on Love Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayFour weeks ago I posted about my spiritual practice of reading the same passage of Scripture every morning for an extended number of days. I witnessed to the Word that came to me through this process of “Dwelling in the Word” by recording a central impulse, insight, inquiry, or instruction that occurred to me through […] Read More
Our PLACE is in God’s Presence: an Earth Day reflection Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayThis Wednesday we celebrate Earth Day for the fiftieth time. In 1970, a young adult held the first Earth Day with 20 million people showing up to celebrate. The day has been a rallying point for environmental commits that have changed the world. However, after a half a decade many of those important gains are […] Read More
Education for Life (Part 6) Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayFew areas of human thought have involved more questioning in the last three hundred years than the relationship between religion and science. It may have first appear when we learned in a science class that the world’s beginning was not a seven day affair as the first chapter of the bible seems to declare. For […] Read More
Education for Life (part 5) Pastor Phil's Thoughts for the DayMany of us find ourselves asking tough questions of God during these difficult times. Rethinking our faith need not undermine it. The process of examining one’s deepest convictions is not without turmoil and anxiety. The intellectual rearranging of your mind’s floor plan may be a constant reality as you ask deeper and deeper questions. Some […] Read More