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The Object Of Faith Jim Mulholland-I get irritated when sports figures accomplish some great feat - scoring a winning touchdown, or pitching a no hitter, or sinking a game winning basket â and then say, "I give all the glory to God." Those words are like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I always cringe. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | God - Theology 101 Philip Gulley-Know a man who bought a big, old house that had fallen into disrepair.  He wanted to fix it up and live there.  It was a huge house, its problems were extensive, and after a few months of work it became clear he had underestimated the complexity of the project and overestimated his ability to fix it.  Last week, when I said I would be answering the question "Who is God?" today, it seems I underestimated the complexity of the question and overestimated ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Why Our Beliefs About God Matter - Theology 101 Philip Gulley-I watched the debate Thursday night with my family.   Times aren't too good in our country right now, and we know that because the politicians are no longer concerning themselves with religion.  I don't believe I heard the word God mentioned even once.  This probably was a vast relief to God, who often gets talked about, but is seldom given ninety seconds to respond. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | When All Things Work For Good Philip Gulley-Joan and I rode our bicycles to the Dairy Queen last week.  In our family we have to earn our ice cream by pedaling a mile uphill.  So we were up there eating our ice cream cones and a teenage boy sat next to me on the long bench and we began to talk.  His mannerisms, facial expressions, and even the tone of his voice, were familiar to me, but I couldnât place him, and was too embarrassed to ask his name.  Then his mother approached and I remembered who he ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Is Religion A Mental Illness Jim Mulholland-I've been studying mental illness this past week and I'm worried.  I thought I was mentally healthy, but now I'm not so certain.  I have a lot of the symptoms I've been reading about. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Eliminating Our Enemies Jim Mulholland-I was taught from an early age to love my enemies and to pray for those who persecuted me.  That wasn't a popular lesson for the teachers or the students.  When you have an enemy, you don't want to love them.  You want to eliminate them.  But we didn't have much choice.  Jesus commanded it.  We had to do it, whether we liked it or not. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | All The Ways To Be Rich Philip Gulley-Our nation's leaders gathered Thursday evening at the White House to rescue the nation from economic peril.  I wasn't invited, so instead went to the Olive Garden in Avon to help Gene Carter celebrate his birthday.  Then I came home and went for a walk around the block.  It was dark, and the stars were out.  I could see the Big Dipper and the North Star, Polaris, which is 430 light years away, which means I was seeing it as it was in 1578, long before the w ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Stories We Tell and the Stories We Believe Philip Gulley-Last week, our neighbors had their annual hog roast and our family went, as has been our custom since we first moved to Danville.  The neighbors have a camper.  A rite of passage for the teenage boys was to spend the night of the hog roast in the camper, so this year we told Spencer he could do that.  When Spencer came home the next morning, I asked him what they'd done.  He said they talked around the campfire until midnight then did a few more things, wen ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Learning From Loss Jim Mulholland-Sometimes I love open worship and sometimes I despise it. This past Sunday was the latter. A group of us were sitting in worship at Fairfield Meeting. Phil had greeted us at the door. People had been warm and welcoming. The sermon had been funny and insightful. It had been a pleasant morning. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Naming Our Losses Jim Mulholland-Last week, our family gathered in Michigan for the annual Mulholland reunion.  Itâs a week of canoeing, swimming at the beach, playing cards, sitting around the campfire, eating too much food and reminiscing.  I've attended the reunion 43 times in my 47 years.  When I drive through the tunnel of trees leading to our cabins, it's entering a cathedral.  I get the shivers.  I feel religious. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Stories We Tell Part 3 Philip Gulley-My mother's father, Henry Quinett, was born in 1904 in Belgium, and with his family sailed on the Red Star boat line to America in 1909. They arrived at Ellis Island, where his name was changed from Henrà QuinÃt to Henry Quinett. Because my grandfather was never one to hurry a decision, he lived here thirty-one years before becoming a citizen in 1939. His citizenship papers are framed and hanging in my garage, above his workbench, next to his woodworking apron. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Stories We Tell Part 2 Philip Gulley-I've been thinking this week of Esau and Jacob. Some people have been thinking of Michael Phelps winning the gold in Beijing, or Bridget Sloan, our fellow Hendricks Countian, performing so ably and admirably. Some people have been thinking of the hostility between Georgia and Russia and the long history of Eastern European strife. Some people have been thinking of school and the summer winding to a close. There have been any number of things to think about this week, but I ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Bible According To Jim Jim Mulholland-I've been preaching for twenty years now.  That means I've preached about a thousand sermons.  Over the years, I honed by skills and developed my style.  And I suspect my seminary preaching professor would not be happy with me. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Talking About Religion With Atheists Jim Mulholland-This past month, we've been examining the ways we talk about religion with ourselves, our peers, other Christians and even non-Christians.  We've looked at the obstacles and explored the benefits of discussing religion.  We've been encouraged to have these conversations rather than to fear them.  I hope youâve found the exploration as interesting and as helpful as I have.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Talking Religion With Non-Christians Jim Mulholland-Sometimes I forget how quickly the world is changing.  This weekend, I was playing with Madeline and Olivia, my five and three year old nieces.  They'd caught a lighting bug and asked me what they should feed it.  When I said I didn't know, Madeline said, âLet's look on the internet.â Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity #6 Philip Gulley-We've been thinking and talking about maturity.  Today, I want to leave us with this final thought:  Mature people are those who enhance life, not diminish it.  Or staying with our analogyâmature people know two wolves battle within them, and give careful thought to the wolf they feed.  They feed the habits and attitudes that enhance life.  They starve the habits and attitudes that diminish life. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity 5 - Empathy Philip Gulley-I remember when I was about five years old and there was this girl who lived down the street from us who was overweight.  She came down to our house to play.  I became upset with her and began making fun of her size.  My father overheard me and when I came in for supper, he was waiting for me.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Talking Religion With Other Christians Jim Mulholland-Whenever people talk about the beauty and wisdom of the Bible, I wonder if they've read the book.   I worry they've limited their reading to the 23rd Psalm and the 13th chapter of I Corinthians.  Or that they've ripped long passages out of their family Bibles.  Having read the Bible from cover to cover, I've found as much ugliness and ignorance as beauty and wisdom. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity #4 Philip Gulley-It is good to be back at Fairfield.  I was in Chicago last weekend speaking at a conference.  Took the family with me and on our way home on Sunday morning we stopped at the Navy Pier to sight-see and while there bumped into Jonathan and Rafia Chenoweth and little Rania.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught #7 Philip Gulley-When I was a kid, back in the Stone Ages before video games and we had to provide our own entertainment, we would play a game we called What If?   The game was played by asking questions beginning with the words "What ifâ".   The questions were fairly predictable.  What if you won a million dollars?  What if you were the President?  What if the communists invaded us?  The winner, of course, was the person who came up with the m ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | How To Raise A Spiritually Healthy Human Jim Mulholland-My daughter, Victoria, was offended by my sermon two weeks ago.  I said something in that sermon that wasn't fair or true.  In talking about how we pass our theological baggage onto our children, I said, "Thatâs the way it is with abuse.  The abused child grows up to abuse their own children."  Victoria, who was abused by her birth parents, was upset by that assertion.  As she pointed out, it doesn't have to be that way. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity 2 - Delayed Gratification Philip Gulley-Isn't the concept of time interesting?  I was trying to find out who invented the concept of time, but no one seems able to say definitively.  Some scientists believe the moon was used to calculate time as early as the Palaeothilic Era, perhaps 30,000 years ago.   We know the Sumerians, about 4,000 years ago, introduced the sexagesimal system based on the number 60. Thatâs why we have 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour.  This past Februar ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Protecting The Innocent Jim Mulholland-My brother, Matt, called me for advice last week.  He was upset and confused.  His five year old daughter, Madeline, had been the victim of child abuse and he didn't know what to do or who to tell.  Normally, you'd go to the police, but the situation was complicated.  The perpetrator was one of Madeline's uncles and confronting him might split the family.  Especially since what he'd done was neither sexually nor physically abusive.  Though Madeli ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity 2 - Perspective Philip Gulley-It's good to be back at meeting.  I was in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania last Sunday to spend time with Presbyterians.  And while there, met Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog, who came to my speech, took one good look at me, and went back into his cage for six weeks. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Maturity Philip Gulley-We took the boys to Florida last week for spring vacation.  Our previous spring breaks were spent in the cold in Indiana cleaning the house, so the boys would look forward to returning to school.  But this year we set aside our traditional Hoosier conventions and drove our pale Quaker bodies south to the beach.  The condo we stayed in faced the beach and had recently been renovated after a storm and tidal waves had filled it with water and sand.  The ocean ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Drawing Circles JIm Mulholland-When I was twelve years old, I took a trip to Texas with my father.  As part of that trip, we walked across the bridge over the Rio Grande at El Paso and visited Juarez, Mexico.  This was my first time I'd ever been outside of the United States and I was really excited.  I was also surprised.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Questions Jesus Asked #6 Philip Gulley-When I was a kid I loved storms. We lived in a big, sturdy house; I felt very secure and like most children had no concept of mortality.  One of my most vivid memories is of April 3, 1974 when 148 tornadoes swept across the Midwest.  The tornadoes missed Danville, but of course we didn't know that then, and so my parents had us go to the basement and crouch in the coal room behind the furnace.  But I remember my brother Doug and I escaping and running upstairs t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Questions Jesus Asked #5 Philip Gulley-I received a letter in the mail last week from a man in the South who'd read one of the Harmony books and wrote to tell me I wasn't fit to be a minister.  I'm not quite sure how he was able to judge my suitability for ministry by reading a work of comic fiction, but that's what he did, and with much enthusiasm.  Most of the sentences were underlined, there were lots of exclamation points, and the Bible verses he cited were in bold print.  He quoted from the lett ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Evolving Community Jim Mulholland-Last weekend, several of us attended a workshop at Western Yearly Meeting entitled "Seeking Common Ground."  This gathering encouraged conservative and liberal Friends to talk and listen to each other.  Though a majority of the day was spent in small group discussion, the event began with four speakers talking about their understanding of Jesus and the Church.  Two were liberal and two were conservative. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Open Community Jim Mulholland-Last Sunday, as Angie and I drove home after worship, we discussed the sermon.  That's not unusual.  I often ask for her feedback.  Even though I've preached hundreds of sermons, I always worry I may not have communicated well.  Last Sunday, I worried that I given some of you the impression that I thought Irvington wasn't an inclusive community. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Lent 2 Philip Gulley-Several months ago, I flew down to Texas to give a talk.  I ate supper on the airplaneâa half ounce of pretzels and a cup of waterâbut was still hungry so ate a few peanuts I'd found in the seat cushions.  It was late by the time I got to the hotel and the restaurant was closed.  I didn't have a car, so I couldn't drive anywhere.  My hotel room had a minibar in it.  I looked in there for something to eat, but it was crazy expensiveâsix dollars for a pa ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Lent Philip Gulley-Back about nine years ago, I got a call one Monday morning around seven o'clock.  It was my mother, phoning to tell me my father had had a heart attack in the middle of the night, that they were at the hospital in Danville, but were getting ready to transfer him in an ambulance up to St. Vincent's.  "But donât worry," she said. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Inclusive Community Jim Mulholland-Several years ago, when Western Yearly Meeting was debating the issue of same sex marriage, one rural Quaker meeting was especially adamant that homosexuality was a sin and homosexuals should not be tolerated in the Society of Friends.  They felt this so strongly they wrote a letter stating their position. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Questions Jesus Asked #4 Philip Gulley-When I was about 18, I began operating computers at Duke Energy, then called Public Service Indiana. I did that for five years, making catastrophic mistakes which cost the company millions of dollars before they wised up and put me on the lawn mowing crew. I lacked the proper temperament for working on computers, because I'd discuss theology with my Baptist co-worker, get agitated, hit the wrong button, wiping out thousands of man-hours of work and causing blackouts across ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Questions Jesus Asked #3 Philip Gulley-This past spring I was speaking at a conference sponsored by another denomination.  They had read the grace books and had invited me to come to their conference and speak on the topic of universalism.  I always agree to do things like that because itâs a speech I've already written.  Itâs like picking low fruit.  But it's also fun because I get to meet new people and make new friends.  So I went to Dallas and talked about how our religious differences, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Learning To Ask Jim Mulholland-This past month, we've been exploring non-violent communication â a style of communication designed to get us in touch with our feelings and needs and help us communicate with compassion rather than judgment.  We've talked about observing rather than judging, identifying our feelings, and expressing our needs.  We've discovered how difficult these tasks can be.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Expressing Our Needs Jim Mulholland-When Angie and I first met, one of my chief attractions to her was her ability to read minds.  It was incredible.  Whenever I would think about her, she would call.  When I was missing her, she'd send a note.  When we were together, she knew what I needed even before I asked.  She could read my mind. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Questions Jesus Asked #2 Philip Gulley-I've been thinking lately about the questions Jesus asked.  My friend Jim just finished preaching a sermon series on that very topic and is thinking of writing a book about the questions Jesus asked.  I didn't read his sermons, because I knew I wanted to consider those questions myself and didn't want my heresy to be confused by his orthodoxy.  But he sent me his sermons to read, then phoned to ask if I thought they'd make a good book.  Of course, I felt gu ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Do You Want To Be Healed ? Phil Gulley-Well, it is good to see you.  Indeed, it is good to see anyone.  I ushered in the new year with a nasty case of bronchitis.  Woke up December 30th to the sound of the trumpet blast, then saw, out of the corner of my eye, the Angel of Death holding a sign with my name on it, like at the airport when someone youâve never met is picking you up.  But at the last moment, just before I could say, "I think you're looking for meâ" his cell phone rang and Go ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Judging The Samaritan Jim Mulholland-When my daughter Nicole was a teenager, she would often come into my office when I was working at my desk, wrap her arms around my neck, and whisper in my ear, "You are the best daddy in the whole world." As much as any father loves to hear those words, I soon learned to be suspicious. There was often a motive other than praise behind her sudden affection. Eventually, it became a game. She would say, "You are the best daddy in the whole world" and I would reply, "What do ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | What If Word Can Break Our Bones ? Jim Mulholland-My parents lied to me.  I'm certain they had the best of intentions.  Most parents do.  But often parents tell their children what they wish was the case rather than what is true.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 6 Philip Gulley-One of the interesting things about growing up is getting to see how the kids you hung out with when you were little turned out.  There were some kids who, when I was growing up, I thought to myself, "Well, they'll end up in jail."  They maybe thought the same thing about me.   But they grew into really neat, responsible, caring adults.  Then there were people you thought were going to be the President of the United States, but they peaked ea ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 5 Philip Gulley- When I was about ten years old, a family moved in down the street from us. They had five feral children, kids who weren't raised, they just kind of grew up. One of the kids was particularly mean, just tough as old leather.  I'd walk by their home every morning and afternoon and hardly a day passed that that kid wouldn't see me coming down the sidewalk, fly out their front door, and come after me.  I'd take off running, but I was never fast enough, and that kid would ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Brothers, Sisters And Friends Jim Mulholland-You know what I hate. I hate it when my wife, Angie, does something irritating, something that isn't quite right, and when I point it out, she says, "Someone must have had a bad day." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Advent 2 Phil Gulley-I've been thinking this week of Ray Stewart, who passed away on January 20, 2005, nearly three years ago, but who I think about nearly every day.  Ray was a blink away from turning 90 when he died, so we weren't close in age, but very near in spirit, and I miss him a great deal.  Like me, he had a talent for upsetting Quakers of a certain stripeâthe same people were always mad at both of usâand Ray could always be counted upon for advice and support.  I would phon ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Advent Philip Gulley-Last week in Chat Room, the subject of motivational posters came up.  I can't remember how the topic came up, but it was an interesting discussion.  There's a certain kind of motivational poster you've probably all seen. show a pretty scene, then one word, followed by a definition.  They're made by a company called Successories. This past year, instead of getting a raise, a friend of mine was given a Successories motivational poster to hang in his office.  ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 8 Philip Gulley-We had family Thanksgiving at our house this past Thursday, then on Friday went to Paoli for the Apple Family Thanksgiving, which we eat at a restaurant, Joan's mother, Ruby, being too old to cook, but still too much of a mother to let her daughters cook, so we go to a restaurant and it works out pretty well.   The restaurants of Orange County, Indiana do not serve good food, but they do give you a lot of it, adhering to what I call the Golden Corral theory of dining ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Giving Up On Goodness JIm-Mulholland-Angie and I had wonderful time visiting New Zealand. We spent the first few days with my sister and her family â sightseeing, playing games, catching up. Then we rented a car and went exploring. We discovered a beautiful land of rolling green hills, towering snow capped mountains, deep blue lakes, thundering waterfalls, and rocky seashore. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | I Am Just The Pastor Jim Mulholland-Last week, in my sermon, I shared the story of my final years in the United Methodist Church, of how my theology began to change even though my preaching remained the same. I talked about the misery of that and the captivity it created. I told of my decision to resign. This week, I realized I didn't tell you the whole story. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 4 Phil Gulley-Last Saturday morning, I woke up early to take my Mom to the airport and stopped by Hardees for biscuits and gravy on my way over to my parent's house.  Joan thinks that kind of food is bad for me, and doesnât want me eating it.  Southern Baptists have to sneak to drink a beer.  I have to sneak to eat biscuits and gravy.  So I walked into Hardees and it was just packed with men, all of whom looked guilty, like they'd been caught doing something bad, and there ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 3 Phil Gulley-This has always been one of my favorite stories in the Bible, but as I was reading it again this week, I noticed a pair of brackets around it I had never noticed before, and a footnote directing me to a note at the bottom of the page which read, "The most ancient manuscripts omit this story." I did a little more digging and discovered some Biblical scholars believe this story didn't make its way into the Bible until around 900 A.D., and because of its dubious origins some newer ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Truth Will Set Us Free Jim Mulholland-When I was twelve years old, our family moved from a house in town to a farm in the country. It was the first move of my life and I was thrilled. I was especially excited because we were having a yard sale on the weekend before we moved. My family had never had a yard sale. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Things Jesus Taught Us - Part 1 Phil Gulley- I was in Florida last weekend leading a retreat for a Southern Baptist Church at a conference center on the beach. I didn't want to go, but when one is in ministry, one has to be prepared to carry out difficult tasks without complaint, so off I went to the beach. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | What Enslaves Us Jim Mulholland-Many years ago, Bill Gothard came to my inner city neighborhood. Bill Gothard is the president of the Institute For Basic Life Principles, a parachurch organization based in Chicago, Illinois. He was invited to Indianapolis by Mayor Goldsmith and sent to my neighborhood to start a program aimed at reforming inner city youth. The Mayor and Judge Payne, the juvenile judge at that time, pledged Gothard their full support. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A World Transformed Jim Mulholland-Over the past two years, there have been several New York Times best selling books written by atheists about religion. Iâve read most of them - Sam Harris' The End of Faith, Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, and Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great. The subtitle of Hitchens' book summarizes the general consensus of all of these authors â "Religion poisons everything." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Basics 2 Philip Gulley-8.23.07-I was talking with a friend last Sunday afternoon about decision-making. I noticed he seemed to make very difficult decisions with apparent ease and I wanted to know his secret. Iâm not a very good decider. I tend to vacillate, decide to do one thing, then the next day change my mind and do something else. It drives Joan nuts. Joan is a fantastic decider. She makes up her mind to do something, then does it. Never looks back. Just decides and goes. It's amazing ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Basics 1 Philip Gulley-July 19, 2007-I've been talking with a wide variety of Quakers these past few months, discussing with them what it means to be a Quaker. It's been an interesting experience. When I tell evangelical Quakers what progressive Quakers believe, they often say, "Tha'âs not Quakerly!" When I tell progressive Quakers what evangelical Quakers believe, they say the same thing. It seems the only things Quakers agree upon is that other Quakers aren't real Quakers. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A Healthy Fear Jim Mulholland-7.8.07-When I was in college, I took a class in child development. It must have been a good class because I still remember some of its lessons. For instance, I learned that fear is a highly effective human defense mechanism. Without it, most children wouldn't survive. Fear protects us from dangerous situations. It energizes our bodies and focuses our minds. Fear can be a very healthy response. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Purpose of Simplicity Jim Mulholland-7.7.07-I liked my t-shirt before this week. Angie bought it for me a couple of years ago and I wear it often. It says "Quakers are way cooler than you think" and then lists the four testimonies - equality, peace, integrity and simplicity. When I wear this t-shirt in public, I often get comments. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Simple Life Jim Mulholland-7.1.07-Angie and I spent last weekend in Peoria, Illinois. We were visiting my brother, Paul, and his family. When we came home, someone asked me what we did in Peoria. I replied, "Nothing," Of course, that isn't true. It's impossible to do nothing. If we'd really done nothing, we'd still be in Peoria. Getting in the car and driving home is something. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Imagining God Jim Mulholland- 6.28.07-My brother has been bringing his two daughters - a four year old and a two year old - to worship this past month. This is a new and intriguing experience for the girls. They love the singing. They've enjoyed our children's program. They're full of questions. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 6 Philip Gulley-6.7.07- When I was growing up, our family traveled to Vincennes to visit our extended family every few months. My Grandpa Quinett, whoÃïïd never had sons, was overwhelmed by four boys bearing down on him and would escape to his woodworking shop behind his house. I was his only grandchild who showed an interest in woodworking, so he would permit me to join him. In his earlier years, he'd made some beautiful pieces of furnitureÃïïcabinets and tables and a stunning room additio ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 5 Philip Gulley-5.27.07-When Joan was a little girl she was diagnosed with extreme near-sightedness and fitted with eyeglasses.  This past month, she went to Dan Whipple, our resident ophthalmologist, who did something to the surface of her eyes involving a hammer and chisel and now she can see for the first time in forty years and boy, is she mad.  All these years I've been telling her I was handsome, and now the truth is out.  The medicine wore off, the fuzziness went away, s ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | See God In Others Jim Mulholland-5.19.07-Imagine that you're deep in conversation with a minister, a doctor, and an artist whose work you greatly admire. Youâre really enjoying this opportunity to speak with intelligent, creative, spiritually grounded people. People just like you. Suddenly, you look around and realize you're surrounded by an axe murderer, a suicide bomber, and a member of the Hell's Angels. What do you do? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Building Bridges Philip Gulley-5.19.07-I am honored to be with you this evening, building bridges here in Bloomington, Indiana.  I appreciate the kind words of introduction and the gracious remarks some of you have shared with me.  I haven't heard so many nice things said about me since last month when I was speaking at a church and the pastor was sick and I had to introduce myself. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A Gentle Breeze Jim Mulholland-4.21.07-In the 1970's, when I was a teenager, Hal Lindsey published a book called The Late Great Planet Earth. You may not have heard of it, but if you grew up in the conservative churches of my childhood, it was required reading. Essentially, Lindsey argued that - with the return of the Jewish people to Palestine in 1948 - the doomsday clock had begun to tick. He predicted we were in the last days and Jesus would soon return. Though he didn't announce an exact date, he t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | About Life Jim Mulholland-4.08.07-Years ago, in a church newsletter, I abbreviated the announcement of the annual Christmas party with the word "Xmas." The next day, Shirley â a woman in the church - called to ask if I was trying to âXâ Jesus out of Christmas. I explained I had no such intention, that the little box on the calendar hadn't left room for the longer word. I also explained "X" actually represented the first letter in the Greek work "Christos" and had long been shorthand for Christ. I t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Easter 2007 Phil Gulley-4.8.07- I have a friend whoâs moving to Danville. He lives down in Seymour and can't get up here that often, so I promised I'd keep an eye peeled for houses for sale. Last Sunday, I was driving through town and passed a house that had a big sign taped to one of its porch columns. The sign read, Lost Cat! Three legs. Yellow With Green Eyes. I was grateful they'd mentioned the catâs eye color. One sees so many three-legged cats, itâs good to have more specifics. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | April Fool's Jim Mulholland-4.6.07-Growing up, I always liked Palm Sunday.  Every year, the children would be lined up in the church vestibule and handed a large palm branch.  As the congregation sang the first hymn, we were told to march to the front of the sanctuary while waving our palm branches in the air. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Palm Sunday Philip Gulley-4.1.07-As many of you are aware, our home was struck by lightning this past week.  It struck the highest point on our roof, right over where I was sleeping.  Joan is a morning person and was already up.  It blasted a hole in the roof, scattering wood and shingles in a fifty-yard radius.  After the firefighters left, I phoned the man, Brad, whoâs been working on the interior of our home to tell him we now had some exterior work needing done.  Brad stopp ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 4 Phil Gulley-3.27.06-We've been talking about the two Christianities.  The first is the revivalism Christianity which believes every word in the Bible is literally true, whose leaders often claim divine authority, and insist it is the only path to God.  More and more thoughtful people are rejecting those assumptions.  A tenet of that old Christianity had to do with apocalyptic theology, which asserts that God will end the world with cataclysmic violence, after rapturing the ev ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 3 Philip Gulley-3.24.07-We've been talking about the two types of Christianity. The first Christianity was the one many of us grew up with. It was based on the belief that we are born into sin and deserving of hell. It often relegated women and minorities to the back pews. It customarily rejected the advances and insights of science, and gave the Bible, the church hierarchy, the priest or preacher, divine authority, tolerating no dissent. It aligned itself with those holding political power, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Powerfully Good Intentions Jim Mulholland-3.11.07-Years ago, when Nicole and Zachary were young, they came rushing into the house on a sunny Saturday afternoon to announce they'd washed our car.  Ordinarily, like any parent, I would have been pleased that my children had done a chore without being asked.  That is a rare event.  Unfortunately, on this occasion, I was immediately worried.  They hadn't asked me for a hose, or a bucket, or a rag, or soap.  So, instead of thanking them, I rushed o ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 2 Philip Gulley-3.4.07-    Have you ever met someone who sees sin in every thing and every one? I was in Columbus last week giving a talk, and was speaking with a friend who'd grown up in the Nazarene tradition.  His grandparents and parents are religiously rigid, which has been somewhat awkward, because he's become more open as he's aged.  But he's a very amiable man and can laugh about it.  He told me about growing up never being able to do anything or go anywh ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Counting The Cost Jim Mulholland-2.25.07-When I was a teenager, I loved the scriptures where Jesus demanded all or nothing. "Come and follow me."  "Let the dead bury the dead." "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me."  "No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God." Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Two Christianities-Part 1 Philip Gulley, 02.18.07-The boys had two days off from school this week because of the snow and were beside themselves with joy. They spent Tuesday sledding and Wednesday digging out a snow fort in the mound of snow the snowplow driver had piled in Libby Eddyâs side yard. If you're a kid and you have a snow day, your life opens up to all sorts of delicious possibilities. I was rather envious of them. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | What Are We Seeking ? Jim Mulholland-2.11.07-In the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there is a scene in which Sir Bedivere, one of King Arthur's knights, demonstrates his great wisdom by helping the townspeople determine if a woman is a witch. The woman they've dragged before him insists she isn't a witch. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Living Under Pressure Philip Gulley-February 4,2007-I was watching ESPN this week.  I donât want you to get the idea I just sit around and watch TV, now that we have one.  It was strictly for research purposes.  I was seeing how long I could watch TV before Joan said, âWhen are you going to get up off that couch and do something?â?  The answer to that question, by the way, is 8 minutes and 23 seconds.  But the sports commentators were talking about Payton Manning and all the pressure heâ ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | How To Create A Sexually Healthy Child Jim Mulholland- January 25, 2007-My brother, Matthew, is a scientist and a teacher.  He believes you should answer your children's questions about life as honestly and completely as possible. Of course, what sounds good in theory often fails when applied to the real world. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Problem Of Certainty Philip Gulley- January 21, 2007-After meeting a few weeks ago, we stopped by the Shoe Carnival to buy Sam a new pair of shoes.  Buying a pair of shoes is pretty much a self-service endeavor.  Gone are the days when someone welcomed you at the door, steered you to a chair, measured your foot, then brought out shoes from the back room.  These days, you walk through the door, they look at you like you're going to steal something, and when you ask if they have a certain type of s ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Do No Harm Jim Mulholland-January 14, 2007-Years ago, I dreamed of preaching to hundreds of people every week. I thought I had important things to say and wanted thousands to hear my words. When I discovered I was most comfortable in a small congregation, I thought that dream was lost. There would be no great crowds listening to me. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Investing Our Lives Philip Gulley-January 7, 2007-I was at the doctorâs office last week, reading a magazine article while waiting for my appointment.  The article talked about making resolutions for the new year.  In case the reader was running out of ideas for self-improvement, the article included a list of goals from which folks could chooseâexercising, organizing their garage, reading noteworthy books, tithing to their church.    Just a few little suggestions to enhance our lives ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Why Pray ? Jim Mulholland - December 24, 2006 - I have struggled with that question for several years. I find many of the prayers I hear harder and harder to tolerate. I have a growing appreciation for Jesus's suggestion that people should pray in their closets. I worry about how many Christians think the solution to our nation's problems lies in restoring prayer to school and the statehouse. Many prayers sound like lip service. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Making Room Philip Gulley - December 18, 2006 - When Joan and I were first married, we lived in a three room apartment next door to the Hampton-Gentry Funeral Home.  It was a very small apartment so each of the rooms had several different functions.  Our living room was also our guest bedroom for when Joan's mother came to visit.  Joan's sewing room was in our bedroom, and our kitchen was my office. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | WOW ! Jim Mulholland - December 10, 2006 - There was a time in my life when I searched the Bible for answers.  I weighed all the scriptures on a specific issue and then decided what I believed to be the truth.  Once Iâd figured out that truth, I didnât have to seek or question any more.  My task was to enlighten and convince others of this truth.  My opinion was Godâs opinion. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 11 Philip Gulley - Are you truthful and honest in your business transactions, punctual in fulfilling your promises, and prompt in the payment of your debts? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | What Does God Need ? August 27, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - Most of what Angie and I thought about parenting turned out to be nonsense once we actually had kids. We thought since adults are wiser than children that any command that was spoken calmly and firmly would be heard and obeyed.  Nicole proved that some two-year olds are born with the ability to litigate like a crusty old lawyer.  No was her first word and negotiation was her second.  Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Lessons From My Walkway August 20, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - I'm in the middle of my annual battle to keep the grass from overwhelming the walkway between our house and the garage.  A few years ago, Zach and I pulled up those marble flagstones, laid down plastic, spread sand, and tightly arranged the stone squares.  When we were finished, that pathway was straight, clean and beautiful.  My hope was that the grass wouldn't be able to grow up between the stones and mar the perfection of that path.  ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 10 Philip Gulley - Do you faithfully maintain our testimony that war and the preparation of war are inconsistent with the spirit of Christ Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 9 Philip Gulley - Do you cherish your friendships, so that they grow in depth and understanding and mutual respectàListen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 8 Philip Gulley - Do you strive to create a community life that will promote our children's mental and physical well-being? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 7 Philip Gulley - Do you make your home a place of hospitality, friendliness, peace, and Christian fellowship? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 6 Philip Gulley - When differences arise, do you make earnest effort to end them speedily? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 5 Philip Gulley - Do you consider difficult questions with an informed mind as well as a generous and loving spirit? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 4 Philip Gulley - Are you open to new light, from whatever source it may come? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 3 Philip Gulley - Are you open to the healing power of God's love? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 2 Philip Gulley - Do you strive for the constant realization of God's presence in your life? Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Quaker Queries 1 Quaker Queries 1 - Philip Gulley - That's when I first learned about the Queries, and their purposes that they were a series of questions we asked ourselves which helped us cut through all the stuff, so we could center on what is key.  It's our way of bringing us back to the heart of God, of helping us remember what we were all about. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Why I Hope November 19, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - Two weeks ago, Angie and I traveled to New York City.  I'd been invited by the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship to speak at their annual conference.  I spoke to about sixty Unitarian Universalist pastors and leaders from across the USA about living the gracious life.  I also learned some valuable lessons about the importance of balancing a respect for doctrine and tradition with an openness to new insights and perspectives. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | The Purpose Of Community October 28, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - A couple of weeks ago, we were talking about community at the Spiritual Refreshment group that meets on Wednesday nights. Derek  - who was leading that night - asked us to remember an instance when we'd been warmly welcomed into a community.  I immediately thought about the Warren Township Lion's Club. Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | A Different Dream October 15, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - My brother, Matt, told me an interesting story.  It's even more interesting because Matt told it. You need to understand that Matt, my youngest brother, is the most materialistic of my siblings something he admits readily.  He's quick to buy the latest status symbol, a monster SUV, a big screen television, and a stainless steel gas grill.  He's unapologetic about his drive for economic success and security.  Matt has one goal to live t ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Knowing One Another October 8, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - Isn't that a pretty song?  It has a nice melody and wonderful words.  This can be a rough world.  It can get lonely, even when you live in a city of a million people.  We all seek places where everybody knows our nameï  But, sadly, this song isn't about the church.  It's about a bar.  It's the theme song from Cheers a comedy about a bar, its staff, and customers.  The song and the series suggest bars are wonderful co ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Why Did The Fish Vomit ? September 10, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - Fred was a hard living, cigarette smoking, beer drinking, God cursing truck driver who lived down the street from us in Fountain Square.  He was our neighbor and I liked him.Not immediately.  We were initially suspicious of each other.  He probably thought me another one of those pious preachers, certain he was headed for hell.  And I'd been taught people that smoked, drank and cursed were heathens.  I was trying to be less judg ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Fleeing From Grace September 3, 2006 - Jim Mulholland - Did you know that magicians take an oath to never reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians?  When I heard that, I was intrigued and did a little research.  Fortunately, the magician's oath isn't a secret.  It reads:"As a magician I promise to never reveal the secret of any illusion to a non-magician, without first swearing them to the Magician's Oath. I promise never to perform any illusion for any non-magician, without first prac ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache |