Author Archives: Paul Harris

About Paul Harris

Pastor Harris retired from congregational ministry after 40 years in office on 31 December 2023. He is now devoting himself to being a husband, father, and grandfather. He still thinks cenobitic monasticism is overrated and cave dwelling under.

Vermicular Hymns

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Paul Harris

It started as an ordinary Midweek Lenten Service. Befitting such a somber season the opening hymn was Alas! and did My Savior Bleed. Then we sang “for sinners such as I”. What? Did my ears deceive me? Where did the … Continue reading →

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All Truth is God’s

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Paul Harris

This is a Reformed position, but I have heard putative Confessional Lutherans use it to defend their support of everything from psychological therapy that is now a sine qua non of a “normal” life, to Freudian “Truths”, to the daily … Continue reading →

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Is EI for Real?

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Paul Harris

This picture says it all.

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Working Against The Gospels

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Paul Harris

The Rev. Dr. David P. Scaer is a mentor of mine. I have always looked up to him and continue to do so, but what he titles Excursus III in his memoirs Surviving the Storms does not describe “Working with the … Continue reading →

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What the Devil?

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Paul Harris

From the above expression of surprise or annoyance, to ‘speak of the devil’, to ‘between the devil and the deep blue sea’, to ‘the devil made me do it’, and more, the devil gets a lot of airtime. Below was … Continue reading →

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State of the Arts

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Paul Harris

I don’t know whether or not to recommend State of the Arts, a 1991 book by Gene Veith. I’m not an artist. I appreciate art, but his book exposes the limited validity of thinking “I know what I like” is … Continue reading →

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From Luxury to Necessity and Then What?

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Paul Harris

Getting rid of our landline was one of the most liberating, yet disorienting things, and then it became a necessity. No more was there a limited location for connecting to the umbilical cord of modern society. With a cell phone, … Continue reading →

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Is Lust Sin or Not?

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Paul Harris

Rome would say it’s the tinder for sin, but not sin in and of itself, so go ahead and book a cruise on the Lust Boat. No harm; no foul, right? Wrong. It is sin, but then we have the … Continue reading →

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Fire and Rain

Posted on September 29, 2025 by Paul Harris

Nope. This isn’t about James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain”. That song maps the ups and downs of his life over about two years. A girl he knew who committed suicide, his career spiraled by drug addiction, and his recovery from … Continue reading →

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Bonus Blog – Sermon for St. Michael And All Angels, September 29

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Paul Harris

This was originally written and preached by me 29 years ago. I left it unchanged except for 2021 Word finding misspellings that apparently 1996 Word Perfect could not.

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