Books published by Parson's Porch

You have in your hands a book of sermons on The Apostles’ Creed by Dr. Stuart Robertson, written and preached in late 1993 and early 1994 at Faith Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette, Indiana.  I predict that as you read them, you will profit as I have from listening to him preach for many years when he was my pastor at this same church.What style of sermon should you expect?  What sort of a preacher is he?  He’s the kind of educated man whose education does not make him at all distant from others.  He has a special interest in history, having studied (among other things) the ancient Jewish writer Josephus, whose work was the focus of his doctoral dissertation.  In these sermons, you’ll see occasional allusions to history, mostly to church history and Biblical history, but not limited to those.  It’s one of the places that his meditations naturally take him as he is reflecting on God, on scripture, on what we need to hear as we make our way through life, trying to follow in the footsteps of Christ.  This is, I think, an especially helpful approach for a series of sermons on The Apostles’ Creed, an historic document that has united Christians across many centuries.-From the ForewordMichael Bergmann

Growing up in a southern country home as an only child blessed Debbie with a strong love of nature. Her parents taught her all about nature, whether it be vegetable and flower gardening or caring for the animals they raised.With this love came her desire to capture all the beauty that God created with her passion for photography. Debbie was a late bloomer to the artistic world of poetry, but thankfully, there is no age limit to art. She has found a serenity and calmness in writing poetry.

The result of my personal experience of grief, coupled with my work of serving congregations experiencing the paralysis of disorientation, is the awareness that congregations caught up in this disorientation need a path guiding them through their grief. A path guiding congregations to answer the “why do we exist as a community of faith and who are we” identity questions while at the same time guiding them to discover the meaning or purpose for their communal lives, a purpose which congregations can intentionally live.Also, it will be a path guiding congregations to discover that change and transition is a positive time for growth in the natural cycle of life.  Of course, congregations will, also, discover living through change and transition does take time because the culture of the congregation is shifting to a new culture with either new traditions or older traditions being reframed to fit the new identity and congregational culture. 

The journey begins in a French village at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains and ends in a Spanish village overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. In between is a path that millions of pilgrims have walked since the 12th century. In the spring of 2015, I was one of them, on sabbatical from my pastorate. The way is known as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a 500-mile path over the mountains and across northern Spain. Modern pilgrims are a mixed company of many languages, some traditionally religious and others non-religious, though walking with an explicit and often spiritual intent. I didn’t walk as a religious penitent seeking absolution from my sins. I did walk with a purpose. I wanted to listen closely for God’s direction, particularly for the next chapter of my life. I also wanted to be radically free from my normal patterns to see my life from a fresh angle.This is the story of what occurred as I walked this path with a remarkable company of pilgrims from all over the world. My daily observations are recorded here, along with a few chants and scriptures that guided my way and deepened my intentions.The poet Wendell Berry said, “Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step into a new place there will be … a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into. What you are doing is exploring. You are undertaking the first experience, not of the place, but of yourself in that place.” From the first day I crossed the mountains, walking through snow and rain in the bitter cold, the Camino became an exploration of self-understanding in an utterly new place. The freedom was exhilarating. The sense of the Unknown and the nagging dread remained with me, along with the company of pilgrims who became my Camino family. Several remain so.

I heard a story about two guys talking about sermons. The first guy is complaining about preachers and their sermons: “I went to church for years but I forgot the sermon by the next day. So, I figured, ‘What’s the use in going to church and listening to a sermon if I can’t even remember it a day later?’” The other fellow says, “You know I can’t recall anything I had to eat this week but something tells me I did eat. In fact, if I hadn’t eaten, I would have noticed that. I can’t help but think sermons are like that. Even if I don’t remember them for long, it doesn’t mean they didn’t do me some good. They feed me despite the fact I can’t recall all the words.”This book is dedicated to pastors who labor each Sunday to find a way to nourish their congregations. No doubt some meals (i.e. sermons) are better than others, but thanks be to God for preachers who want to provide a meal each week for the parishioners looking for something to sustain them for the week, or perhaps, just for an hour.

he term Spectrum-Autist is how I describe one who is diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum Disorder.  Since I do not think of Autism as a "disorder, I prefer "Spectrum-Autist."  Being a Spectrum-Autist is to live in the in-between.  In-between a typical person and a profound Autist.  The in-between is a difficult place to be.  People can see me both as normal and as strange.  At first meeting me, there are not obvious signs and people often assume that I am like conventional humans.  The more time they spend in conversation with me, however, that view can rapidly deteriorates, but they do not quite know why.  They often recognize introversion, though I have been told by other introverts that I am "off the chart" introverted.  For a while, "painfully introverted" suited me for a label.  It is quite literally painful, to be among a group of people, expected to interact, and also to be alone, unable to be the person that I want to be.  At times I thought that I would slip into deep autism, never to emerge.  Meanwhile, I somehow got through school, college, graduate school, and a doctorate.  I learned other languages as part of my educational requirements.  Autistic people are not supposed to be good at language, right?  It was only later that I discovered, with the help of a brilliant and compassionate psychologist, Doctor James Pallas, that I have (what was then called) Asperger's Syndrome.  "What is that?", I asked.  He first put it in simple terms.  "You are a verbal-autistic."  A verbal autist.  Who knew?  He took me through the diagnostic criteria, and it explained so much of my life, my behavior, and the way that I express myself.

Parson’s Porch Books is delighted to present to you this series called Sermons Matter.We believe that many of the best writers are pastors who take the role of preacher seriously. Week in, and week out, they exegete scripture, research material, write and deliver sermons in the context of the life of their particular congregation in their given community.We further believe that sermons are extensions of Holy Scripture which need to be published beyond the manuscripts which are written for delivery each Sunday. Books serve as a vehicle for the sermon to continue to proclaim the Good News of the Morning to a broader audience.Scott D. Nowack exemplifies the pastor who takes his sermons seriously week in and week out. His skills, both in crafting and writing, as a preacher are obvious.We celebrate the wonderful occasion of the preaching event in Christian worship when the Pastor speaks, the People listen and the Work of the Church proceeds.Take, Read, and Heed.

If your intention is to explore, then to delight or startle with your poetry, then you need only a work ethic and this book. No need to go it alone. This guide provides direction, support and the awareness required to move you quickly through your apprenticeship. Former students have published prolifically and won national awards. If you yearn for creative gratification First Light is your sunrise, its method and models will serve as both map and mentor. It will help you toLocate your own voice, expand your skills, range and confidence; you will learn to sing your own quirky song with the help of a menu of self-selected strategies.Combine the practical and the aesthetic as you gain insight through the practice of spontaneous free writes coupled with step by step instructional checklists.Integrate all phases of the poetic process from first draft through revision. Utilize both your right and left-brained abilities. Enjoy a safe place for practice and play as you discard the cliched and discouraging “art-as-suffering myth.”Identify the differences between therapy or cathartic journaling and making art, as you locate your own compass using the Naylor Method, a process that helps you implement strategies derived from models based on published poetry..Historically, poets have sought inspiration in seances, one laid in a coffin, Poe wrote with a black cat draped over his shoulder. First Light provides a contemporary and reliable jump-start for ambitious poets, minus the mumbo jumbo and the morose. This workbook grew out of a desire to help emerging poets create both a generative psychic landscape and to share the models that simplify challenges and reduce struggle. The Naylor Method with its mindset and models, its checklists and revision recipes, will get you there. Where? That place where you will feel confidence in your work and ready for publication.

This bible contains the test of the King James Version, originally published in 1611. One characteristic of this version is its use of italics. They are used to indicate words supplied by the editors to help enlarge the meaning and better relate the original language into English.In this edition Read-Along references are used to help you understand the text. The symbol "R" beside a word denotes a Read-Along Reference which lists at the end of the verse other passages which have similar meanings or further bearing on the word or phrase indicated. This exciting cross reference method of Bible study ties together the magnificent trusts of scripture.The symbol "T" beside a word or phrase indicates a Read-Along translation, an easy-to-understand alternate meaning at the end of the verse. Such word clarifications built right into the text eliminate the need for constant referral to a Bible dictionary or to other volumes. When more than one reference or translation follow a verse, a center point "l" is used for division.The bible text is divided into meaningful paragraph units. The beginning of each paragraph unit is indicated by the symbol "¶."A star "ó" beside a verse Old Testament indicates a Messianic prophecy. In the New Testament, a star beside a verse indicates a prophecy that has been fulfilled.

Life can be a most exciting, creative, wondrous, enthusiastic adventure or it can be a journey which is filled only with despair, pessimism, hopelessness, and depression. Our perspective towards life and death makes all the difference in the world. These pages are not written to encourage anyone to put on rose-colored glasses but are directed, hopefully, to challenge a realistic view of life. Death is a part of life which no one can avoid or escape. We may try to ignore it or disguise it, but it will still not go away. We must learn how to live with death—our own and others' whom we love.

I wrote these poems by a running stream in the Great Smoky Mountains with beauty all around and a heaviness in my heart.  I wrote them on long walks through familiar byways.  I wrote them morning, noon, and deep within the night.  They are reflections on how the various participants of Holy Week might have felt during their part of the saga and of how I reflected upon the incidents of the week in my own life as well. While the high holy days are an integral part of the text, much attention is given to the teachings of Jesus during the days of Holy Week.  May this book be the same source of unease for you as it has been for me as we each make our own journey through these most holy days.          Patricia Ramsden

Parson’s Porch Books is delighted to present to you this series called Sermons Matter.We believe that many of the best writers are pastors who take the role of preacher seriously. Week in, and week out, they exegete scripture, research material, write and deliver sermons in the context of the life of their particular congregation in their given community.We further believe that sermons are extensions of Holy Scripture which need to be published beyond the manuscripts which are written for delivery each Sunday. Books serve as a vehicle for the sermon to continue to proclaim the Good News of the Morning to a broader audience.Tom Watkins is a seasoned preacher who recognizes that his sermons matter. In this collection, you will find sermons which are thoughtful, heartfelt, spirit-led and challenging.We celebrate the wonderful occasion of the preaching event in Christian worship when the Pastor speaks, the People listen and the Work of the Church proceeds.Take, Read, and Heed.

The Query is a collection of stories - stories of hope - arising from a simple question: "What is the reason for the hope that is within you?" They were gathered through chance encounters with strangers across America: On airplanes, in restaurants or cafés, at a car dealership, in a jury waiting room. The stories are as diverse as the storytellers: a teen anticipating senior prom in the arms of her first love; a crusty construction superintendent; an engaging nuclear physicist; a widow scarred by life, with no hope; a Catholic priest on assignment in Rome; a long-haul truck driver; an Army colonel with tours in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan; a seasoned executive in the twilight of career; a thrice-married divorcee yearning for another chance; an eager young Polish immigrant, now a Fortune 500 engineer; and many more.Readers eavesdrop on deeply personal conversations as stories unfold. They are struck by a sad truth when Todd, the bankruptcy attorney and attentive husband in the story 'Everything Changed', shares: "I've been reflecting that we don't really take the time to listen to people anymore."

You may wonder if there was any grand design to the selection of texts or sermonic themes. If there is, it might be a theological bent toward resurrection. But you will see lots of death in these sermons. Lots. I hope you will also see glimpses of seriously imaginable resurrection. What does it mean to preach resurrection in a society where death seems as if it is the only game in town? "Preaching resurrection is not just for Easter anymore," writes Brian Blount. "We must find a way to image [resurrection], to affirm our expectation for it, and to find ways to recast it in contemporary symbolism that connects with our contemporary age. Probably without realizing it in a deliberate way, I have sought to tap into the resurrection imagination as a form of living defiance, joyfully existing and testifying in the space of death dealing powers. I preach poetically, but I also aim to "clothe" our experience of resurrection with recognizable garments from our social, emotional, and political lives. Look for the ordinary bush - and almost commonplace people - alight with holy fire..

I grew up watching my dad write news and editorials forThe South Pittsburg Hustler on the same Underwood typewriter his dad had used. With his two index fingers he seemed almost as fast as the typesetters back in the shop who were using all of theirs.Like myself, Dad had no formal training in journalism, but also like myself he graduated from a master classtaught by his dad.My mother taught me to love to read.My dad taught me to love to write.And I still do.

Just about every single day since being ordained as a pastor, I have felt like Admiral James Stockdale at the 1992 Vice-Presidential debate, when he said: "Who am I? What am I doing here?"Being a pastor was never on my radar. I grew up, or at least was born and raised, in Findlay, Ohio, and my family attended a wonderful congregation there: First Presbyterian Church. It was in this congregation, and literally in their beautiful sanctuary, that I was baptized, confirmed, and, eventually, ordained. It is the only congregation that I have ever officially been a member of, and I will always consider it "home." The two pastors during my entire childhood and teen years were Terry Bard and Dean Carzoo. Theirs were the only sermons I heard for the first 18 years of my life, and they set the bar high for me.I graduated from Denison University with degrees in Philosophy and Cinema, and then wandered for a few years through Yale University (trying my hand at Philosophy) and Hollywood, California (trying my hand at Cinema) before returning to Ohio, to Bowling Green State University, where I obtained a M.A. in American History. I fully intended to go on and earn a Ph.D., but God had other plans. While in Bowling Green, I reconnected with First Presbyterian Church of Findlay and with Terry Bard, who one day suggested I consider going to seminary. It was, and remains, one of the most outlandish suggestions I've ever heard. Yet I was unable to shake it, and when I finally realized, with some help from Saint Augustine, that this might be more than a mere suggestion and the true source might be from higher up than my childhood pastor, I returned to Terry Bard's office to ask: "Now what?" Another question I have been asking ever since.I graduated from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and was ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1997.

Faith Poetry is more about how to live in this world than it is about how to live in an afterlife.All we have is this moment The here and now. The present gift The world is the poem.Nature poetry is the spiritual expression of who we are. Nature sings the song of our faith, our being The language of our soul.Dwayne Cole and his wife, Beth met while they were both in seminary studying for the Master of Divinity degree. Dwayne has also earned a Master of Theology and a Ph.D. in New Testament with a major in Greek. They have an adult son and daughter and two teenage grandchildren.They came to Alaska in 2011 to be with family. Their daughter and son in law came to start their medical practice and needed help with their two children.

About a decade ago, there were rumblings throughout the Methodist church about a new aspect of ¿" spirituality." Honestly, I was a little young to remember the specifics but there were a group of likeminded people ¿"out west somewheres" (west of Ohio, where I was at the time) that were taking a new view of the sexuality of God.Somehow, this is where ¿God the Mother got some of the grounded foundation that began to grow in popularity. In college we had a Chapel Dean who would refer to God as "Her." It never really bothered anyone enough to do anything about it. My circle of friends just agreed that it wasn't what we were used to and sounded somehow foreign, yet in the truth of the matter God was genderless at God's core, so you could potentially refer to God as you chose.The problem with all this arises when people, who are far less comfortable with their perception of God being altered, are confronted with the notion of God the Mother. Or, conversely, when an overzealous feminist latches onto the term in order to shove the female persona in the faces of a male dominated religion.Unfortunately, I've had the displeasure of dealing with both types.

Michael felt compelled to turn off Highway N and proceed up the long gravel driveway. He was on the third day of his two-week, late June escapade when he spotted it. It was a farmhouse that looked just like his childhood home. He had to have a closer look. Not being in a hurry, making the stop was no problem.Michael had finalized plans for his trip a couple of months earlier. His goal was to meander through the state of Wisconsin and visit with several farmers along the way. He wanted to find out firsthand how the changes that had been occurring in agriculture during the past twenty-five to thirty years were affecting rural folks, especially dairy farmers.

This book is devoted to homilies that the Rev. Dr. Charles A. Peek gave at Grace Church, Red Cloud, over the two decades spanning the turn of the 20th to the 21st Century. Dr. George Day first suggested the homilies be collected, and Fr. Peek assembled the collection with gratitude for having been asked so often to preach at Grace Church and with warm memories of the many who responded so positively over those years. Where the homilies occurred at a Spring Conference, they often emphasized particular Cather works being emphasized in the conference program. The scripture was usually drawn from the lessons assigned to a Sunday or Feast day near the time of the conference; where the scripture reference is not clear in the text, the scriptures used are listed in a footnote.

In God and Evil, I have used poetic imagery as a way of uniting science, philosophy, theology, and the arts. During fifty years of Christian ministry, I struggled with the deep mystery of God and evil. I not only had to deal with my personal struggles with suffering and death, but also the needs of thousands of church members who looked to me for help. This book, God and Evil: An Ode to Kindness, is a summation of my pastoral advice on how to cope with evil without being broken in the process. The faith premise is that God is in the world and for the world, in us and for us, luring us toward goodness and kindness so that we may become our very best self.

The vision inspired by this book can change our world into one community knitted together by kind words and gentle actions. This hope filled vision taps into the healing energy of kindness found in most religions and makes it the prism through which we understand God, the world, and all things. Following this path of relational kindness, leads me to be at home in any religion teaching and practicing kindness-Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and all religious groups teaching kindness. Kindness is the language known around the world. Wrapped in God's kindness, we are all one-The One in many and the many in One.

Jesus' gentle life and tender teachings actualize God's aims and purposes for all creation. Jesus learned to incorporate each moment of his life in an experience of God's life and his growing consciousness of God's presence linked the past action of God in the prophets like Isaiah and Hosea to his ministry that created a vision for the future. That union was a fusion of human and divine love that enables us to look back to beginning times and glance forward to end times. Thus in Jesus' tender words and gentle actions we see and feel God acting. Past, present, and future become a unity bound up in loving kindness. Love is a uniting force. Staying power resides in these tender teachings. Simple acts of loving kindness to our self, our family, and to all living things are the most hopeful and powerful transformers in the world and may very well be our greatest hope of survival when relationships between countries have reached dangerous levels of disharmony and environmental changes threaten the future of our planet.

Betty Murphy, a lifelong educator, describes herself as "the kind of person who locks the end of her coat in the door when she's running late." A native of Tennessee, she lives with her husband in a Bucks County, Pennsylvania townhouse, overlooking a beautiful park. She enjoys all things antique, quaint, scenic, and historic.In her travels she discovered the beautiful vista on the book's cover-a breathtaking view in the Canadian Rockies that moved her to tears. Betty describes Martha's Prayer Book as "an entry level attempt to have a relationship with God."

These poems are both simple and profound, as is the life they reflect. Mrs. Constantino gives us a glimpse of that crucible where all souls are shaped: the family, where all the drama begins and only ends with the final curtain. Her parents, siblings, Catholic school "Wearing an ugly blue uniform with scratchy white collar", husbands, children, grandchildren, a beloved nephew gone too soon, a baby lost and another gained, friends, foes, dogs, travels, work, youth, sickness, age, and abiding faith are all here, in hints and guesses, prayers, and reveries. Poets never tell the whole story. What is not said is often the deepest truth. As Mary writes, 'Life is full, yet life is small." She understands the mystery and the paradox that life is made of and that poetry tries to express.