Category Archives: Church

The Koan of COVID

Posted on May 24, 2020 by tmrichmond3

In Zen Buddhism there is a tradition where a Zen Master will pose a koan to his students to help them gain enlightenment. A koan is a question or a story designed to throw the student’s mind off balance, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Buddhist Story, Church, Corona Virus, COVID-19, Koan, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

To Be

Posted on March 25, 2020 by tmrichmond3

Several years ago I visited a colleague of mine for some advice about my spiritual life. At our first meeting he said, “I am going to repeat a phrase. You meditate on the phrase. You will know when I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Current Events, Devotional, Growth, Hope, Lenten Devotional, Musings, Prayer, Psalms, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Did Ye Get Healed

Posted on January 8, 2020 by tmrichmond3

  In 1987, the singer Van Morrison, best known for his song “Brown-Eyed Girl,” released an album called  Poetic Champions Compose which included a powerful song called, “Did Ye Get Healed.” You may be surprised to see that the title … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Communion, Compassion, Growth, Healing, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Musings, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Relationships, Sermons, Social Justice, Social Ministry, spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Posted on November 1, 2019 by tmrichmond3

The idea of an author leaving their publisher because, “he had sold too many copies of her books,” is about as believable as an alcoholic leaving his bartender because she didn’t water his drinks down enough. But that is exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Novels, Religious Literature, Susan Howatch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Preaching the News (NOT)

Posted on March 1, 2019 by tmrichmond3

  In my previous post I confessed my addiction to the news. Throughout my day I keep up with national and international events, from a variety of sources. I talked about how the news helps form my prayers, and my … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Current Events, Karl Barth, Musings, News, Preaching, religion and politics, Social Ministry, Spiritual Growth, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growth in Grace

Posted on December 31, 2018 by tmrichmond3

    Parenting, as most parents know, can be a terrifying experience. Rewarding, yes, but also terrifying. Somehow you know, that when you hold that little bitty baby in your arms, that you are going to provide a good living … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Compassion, forgiveness, Growth, Jesus, Jesus Boyhood, ministry, Musings, Salvation, Social Justice, Social Ministry, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Transformation, Virtue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Posted on December 29, 2018 by tmrichmond3

In 1865, after the civil war, after Lincoln’s tragic death, a Philadelphia Episcopalian priest visited the Holy Land. While he was there he took a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, so he could attend Christmas Eve … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Advent Carol, Advent Sermon, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Church, Incarnation, Jesus, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Transformation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Posted on December 26, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  Introduction I love Christmas for many reasons, but one is that during Christmas we get to see, very clearly, the link between the Old and the New Testaments. On the whole there two mistakes people make in trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Advent Carol, Advent Sermon, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Church, Incarnation, Jesus, O Antiphons, Old Testament, Sermons, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mighty Mites

Posted on November 13, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  Lucifer vs. Tit for Tat During the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s, social scientists were working on how to respond to the nuclear threat in ways that would stop either side from blowing up the world. If … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Community, Compassion, Courage, forgiveness, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Sermons, Social Justice, Social Ministry, spirituality, Theology, Wealth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Abundance of Little

Posted on October 30, 2018 by tmrichmond3

In 1521 the monk Martin Luther was called to give account for his radical new teaching at the unfortunately named Diet of Worms. There were no worms eaten at the Diet of Worms. The Diet was what they called the … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, John Calvin, Martin Luther, ministry, Pastoral Ministry, Presbyterian, Reformation, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment