Tag Archives: spirituality

Of Witches, Flying Monkeys, and Munchkins

Posted on August 29, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  When I mentioned I was doing a series on the Wizard of Oz, I got a very common reaction from people—that movie scared me to death. Whether it was the Wizard, who really scared me, or the Wicked Witch … Continue reading →

Posted in Evil, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Musings, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Very Bad Wizard

Posted on August 21, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  One of my favorite movies is Bruce Almighty.  In one scene Bruce encounters God, who encourages Bruce to pray. Bruce prays. “Lord, feed the hungry, and bring peace to all of mankind.:” he turns to God and asks, “How’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Healing, Musings, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Heart, and “Da Noirve”

Posted on August 13, 2018 by tmrichmond3

The two boys were a bit different from the other parishioners, even from the other kids in the church. One was 15, the other was 17. They were both in a band. There were both on the cutting edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Courage, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Intelligence, LGBT, Micah 6"8, ministry, Musings, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If I Only Had a Brain

Posted on August 6, 2018 by tmrichmond3

Third in a series of sermons on the Wizard of Oz. This week we are looking at the Scarecrow, and the need to be thinking Christians.   I was a young Christian, trying to figure things out, and I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Intelligence, ministry, Musings, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Queer Eye for the Christian Guy

Posted on August 3, 2018 by tmrichmond3

When I gave my life to Christ in 1975 there was a lot of clean up I had to do to follow God the way I really wanted to. I invited Christ into my life, and the next thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Conversion, Healing, Musings, Queer Eye, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Transformation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Leaving Kansas

Posted on July 30, 2018 by tmrichmond3

TEXTS: Isaiah 6:-1-8, Matthew 5:1-11 Dorothy and Kansas In the late 1990s Alaska Airlines ran an ad that showed a beautiful scene in Alaska, tagged with the words, “When you’ve seen Alaska the rest of the country looks like Kansas.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Beatitudes, C. S. Lewis, ministry, Preaching, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Posted on July 23, 2018 by tmrichmond3

(This is the first in a series of sermons using the Wizard of Oz as a way of understanding the spiritual life. Texts at the end.)     Come with me on a journey—a journey down the Yellow Brick Road. … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wizard of Oz | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Calmed, Healed, Sent

Posted on July 9, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  Just seeing it on the shelf at the library unleashed a flood of memories. The Next Whole Earth Catalog. It threw me 44 years into the past, when I bought The Last Whole Earth Catalog on a whim from … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Healing, Jesus, ministry, Mission, Presbyterian, Sermons, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Healing Place

Posted on July 2, 2018 by tmrichmond3

This is a bit different sermon for me. It has a very open-ended conclusion, if it even has a conclusion. Basically I want to know how we can help each other encounter the healing power of God. (Text at the … Continue reading →

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Berry, Gardening, God, and the church

Posted on June 19, 2018 by tmrichmond3

  The original inspiration for this sermon was Wendell Berry and Eugene Peterson. Long ago Peterson taught me a new way to read Berry. Every time he talks about farming, or agriculture, substitute in “church.” Berry writes lovingly and scathingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Church Growth, Leftovers, Spiritual Growth, spirituality, Wendell Berry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment