Category: Pastor Paul’s Ponderings and Letters

The Porcupine’s Dilemma

The North American common porcupine is a member of the rodent family and has around 30,000 quills attached to its body. Each quill can be driven into a would-be enemy. The wounds can fester; the more dangerous ones, affecting vital organs, can be fatal. As a general rule, porcupines have two methods for handling relationships:… Continue reading The Porcupine’s Dilemma

How is Jesus like a starfish?

Picture a starfish by the ocean. How many arms does it have? One, two, three, four, five. Five arms. Obvious, right? Anyone who has visited an aquarium and seen one knows this. But guess what? We’re wrong. “The answer,” writes Dino Grandoni in The Washington Post, “is stranger than anything most scientists expected. Simply put,… Continue reading How is Jesus like a starfish?

The stewardship of pain

After Frederick Buechner had shared an upsetting, heart-rending scene from his childhood, a person told him “You have had a fair amount of pain in your life, like everybody else. You have been a good steward of it.” “That phrase caught me absolutely off guard,” Buechner testified. And yet it also crystallized something for him. The… Continue reading The stewardship of pain

How many arms?

Picture a starfish by the ocean. How many arms does it have? One, two, three, four, five. Five arms. Obvious, right? Anyone who has visited an aquarium and seen one knows this. But guess what ? We’re wrong. “The answer,” writes Dino Grandoni in The Washington Post, “is stranger than anything most scientists expected. Simply… Continue reading How many arms?

34 years of “togetherness” is about to end

Thirty-four years ago, my son, Michael was born – It was 1990 and I was just finishing up seminary. Soon came the call to parish ministry with another boy, Nathan, born two years later. Six years later Ruthie entered our lives and changed our household in ways I could barely imagine. We’ve had someone living… Continue reading 34 years of “togetherness” is about to end

Looking for blessings, rather than curses

Summers are hard in the Sonoran Desert. About this time of year, I am worn out and truly tired of the heat! So, prompted by the Spirit, I was reminded of a simple, yet powerful mindfulness activity: find three things a day that you are grateful for and write them down. I committed to making… Continue reading Looking for blessings, rather than curses

My favorite niche competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

With the summer Olympics in Paris in full swing, I confess that I am a fan of the weird, strange, odd, unusual, peculiar, bizarre events. These games have no shortage of them. Whether you’re sports averse or can get involved in any competition, this is my cheat sheet for the “niche-est” competitions in the Paris… Continue reading My favorite niche competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

I’m back

I’m back. If a picture is worth a thousand words, like Fred R. Barnhard originally said, here’s several thousand words. Shalom, Paul P.S. My street address says that I live on a street named, “Eden Court”, but I now have experienced the true garden of Eden.

As you read this, I’m in the Galapagos Islands.

By the time you are reading this I will be fully engaged with sunsets, wildlife, and other fowl things. Being out in creation and nature is one the ways I recharge my batteries. Well, last year, as Wendy and I plotted our summer of ‘24 activities, both of us looked to nature. When the Galapagos… Continue reading As you read this, I’m in the Galapagos Islands.