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.

The Piety of the People

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Paul Harris

While St. Kurt (Marquart) lay dying from ALS, a Reverend David Petersen collected stories of the good saint to present to him before he entered Paradise rather than to each other after he had.  That was a good idea.  One … Continue reading →

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Why Don’t We Do That?

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Paul Harris

Years ago a pastor said to me that the Lutheran Witness serves to raise the question in your congregation “Why don’t we do that?”  That’s true to this day. The Reporter which goes to that churchly office of “professional church … Continue reading →

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Fifty Shades of Shame

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Paul Harris

Now that a movie is being made of the blockbuster novel Fifty Shades of Grey it seems appropriate to comment on it.

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The Structure of Synodical Revolutions

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Paul Harris

This title might ring a bell.  It’s a shameless rip-off of Thomas S. Kuhn’s landmark book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.  It was published first in 1962.  I bought it circa 1996 after finding it referenced time and again in … Continue reading →

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Twerking

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Paul Harris

I was relieved when I heard a woman in her 30s say she had to look up the word “twerking.”  When it came across Google news, I too had to look it up thinking I really was asleep at the … Continue reading →

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Not Locking the Barn Door at All

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Paul Harris

It’s considered foolish to lock a barn door after the horse has gotten out, but it’s more foolish still not to lock it even after the horse has fled.  There may be other animals still in the barn, other important … Continue reading →

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What the United States, Louisiana, a Zombie, and the LCMS Have in Common

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Paul Harris

There may be many more than one thing these all have in common, but I can only think of one.  They refuse to call things what they are.

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The Law of the Land and the Gospel of the Church

Posted on September 30, 2013 by Paul Harris

One dominos causes the other domino to fall because of the law of gravity.  The law of God is a powerful force, but it can be overwhelmed by the law of the land.

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Talking Peace While Bomb Dropping

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Paul Harris

On August 8, 1945 the United States became the first nation to sign the United Nations Charter in hopes for continued peace after World War II.  The next day the United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki (This … Continue reading →

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Explore God But Not Too Closely

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Paul Harris

I can’t get away from exploregod.com.  It’s in the mail, phone messages, emails, and on billboards and radio.  It’s a pan-Christian movement meant to appeal to what used to be called “seekers.”  LCMS churches are participating in this movement.  The … Continue reading →

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