Pastor Bob’s Corner

Mountain Climbers: A sermon by Pastor Bob

“I invite you on such a journey, but know that it is not an easy one. You may find your life changed, even turned upside down. You may have to leave some fishing nets or broken tablets behind. You may wonder if you have anything to say at all about God. But nonetheless, I invite [...]

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Radical Witness: A Sermon by Pastor Bob

“Basically, until Christ comes again—until the dead are raised, and the culmination of the Kingdom of God is fulfilled—-there are still a lot of questions on the table about God. It is the nature of our faith. It is not always an easy witness.”

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A Primer on Islam: History Behind the News (Lesson 4 of 6)

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[Hi, all. John here. This is the fourth in a six-part series we're all extremely lucky to have. When Bob and I were preparing this series for presentation here on my site, we thought a good, basic name for the series overall was "A Primer on Islam." We were wrong. That's so boring. And what [...]

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An Unclean Spirit: A Sermon by Pastor Bob

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”

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“Come and See,” a sermon by Pastor Bob

“If you have wondered if there really can be meaning to this life, come and see. If you ache with a pain that soaks up any good feelings, come and see. If you are deliriously happy, content, and full beyond compare, come and see.”

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“We ARE the New Wine.” A Sermon by Pastor Bob

“If we focus only on the miracle of water becoming wine, we miss what is perhaps the most important point of today’s gospel.”

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Posts by Theme

Christian Issues

Evangelicals and Muslims: Both Love Jesus

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Today at lunch I asked Pastor Bob, “If you could say any one thing about Islam or Muslims to American Christians, or to Americans generally, what would it be?” As he started talking, I started taking notes. This is what he said.

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Relationships

When Your Heart Leaves Home

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The reflections of a good man upon the occasion of his daughter leaving home for college.

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Christian Spirituality

What Jesus Left Out of The Great Commandment

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“Why would Jesus leave something important out of the Great Commandment? I believe it was so that we could discover that thing for ourselves.”

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Humor

Why Aren’t Fundamentalists Telepathic Comedians?

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I knew I’d end up in hell! There’s such a dangblangit fine line between “Funny!” and “Meet Snikky and Snarky, the two fanged minions who throughout eternity will be jabbing at you with searing tridents. Have fun, funny boy!”

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Pastor Bob's Corner

A Primer on Islam: The Basics (Lesson 1 of 6)

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Hi. I’m Pastor Bob. This is the first lesson of a multi-week class on Islam I taught for a large gathering of folks from multiple congregations: Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, recovering agnostics, etc.

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Personal

My Five Reasons For Not Having Children

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When young my wife and I decided not to have children. Here’s why.

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