PlainSpeech Messages | Find YOUR way to GRACE.
I recently read a message I’d given in 1984 and felt a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. Embarrassed because it seems inadequate now, and surprised by how much my worldview has changed. Twenty-five years from now, I might read these messages and have a similar reaction. I offer no guarantee that my work or words will endure the eroding effects of time. I can only assure you these thoughts have been helpful to me, and perhaps a few others, today. With that qualification, I offer them to you.
~ Philip
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You Might Be a Humanist If… (3)
VIEW VIDEO It is good to be back among you after my gallbladder surgery. I’m indebted to Mark for bringing last Sunday’s message, in which he urged us to ignore the Ten Commandments, at least that’s what I gathered from listening to his message on Zoom. Where was...
You Might Be a Humanist If…(2)
VIEW VIDEO The interesting thing about living in the same town you grew up in is the almost daily reminders not only of your best moments, but also your worst. Every street, sometimes every house, is a picture album, eliciting a memory, good or bad. In between our...
You Might Be a Humanist If…(1)
VIEW VIDEO Good morning, friends. It is good to be back after yearly meeting and Fifth Sunday. After speculating three Sundays ago that if Jesus were alive today, he’d be a humanist, I am announcing the beginning of a new series entitled, “You Might Be a Humanist...
Was Jesus a Humanist?
VIEW VIDEO I was thinking this week about how computers make everything so much easier, which is good and bad. Computers spare us from drudgery and make it possible to accomplish more work. Before we had computers, it used to take me 3-4 weeks to spend my paycheck,...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (13)
VIEW VIDEO It is good to be back among Friends. We enjoyed our trip to Alaska, visiting our son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting their first child, so we anticipate more trips to Alaska, despite getting Covid while I was there. Being the deeply spiritual person...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (12)
I have a friend who teaches in a Catholic school where the children are required to attend weekly Mass. I’m well acquainted with this custom since I grew up Catholic and my mother was the principal of a Catholic school. I remember once asking her if I could go to her...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (11)
VIEW VIDEO On August 17, 2021, the Taliban in Afghanistan, hoping to project an image of moderation, pledged to honor the rights of women, vowing to form an “inclusive Islamic government.” On May 8, 2022, a scant eight months later, the Taliban passed a law requiring...
Let’s Graduate
VIEW VIDEO It is an honor to have our graduates with us today. How proud your family must be of you, and how delighted we are of your accomplishments. For the past twelve years, some days when you didn’t feel like it, you woke up, got cleaned up, got dressed, ate...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (10)
VIEW VIDEO When I was a kid, I loved going to the movies at the Royal Theater in Danville, especially matinees, sitting in the dark on a Saturday afternoon, then staggering outside disoriented by the sunlight, like a second morning to the day. Mr. Ahart owned the...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (9)
VIEW VIDEO I was talking with a man not long ago who learned during our conversation that I was a Quaker minister. He said, “I used to be a pastor.” I asked him how long he had served as a pastor and he said, “Well, it was a long time ago, and I only lasted three...