Ralph Patrick | Ralph Patrick

Fear, Friends and Light

“Fear Not . . . “ “You have not received the bondage again to fear . . .” Romans 8 “The true Light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world.” John 1 Christmas is long since over. Nonetheless my trees are still up. And a gift arrived in the mail this past…

Fear, Friends and Light

“Fear Not . . . “ “You have not received the bondage again to fear . . .” Romans 8 “The true Light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world.” John 1 Christmas is long since over. Nonetheless my trees are still up. And a gift arrived in the mail this past…

Out of Egypt Have I Called My Child

January 12, 2020 “Children are a heritage from the Lord . . . happy is the man who has a quiver full of them.” Psalm 127 “And a sword shall pierce your soul” Simeon’s words to Mary at the baptism of Jesus. Two events prompted the theme of this blog for today. One was a…

“What About Going to Church?”

Luke 2:40-52 “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s House?” The assigned Gospel Lesson for this first Sunday of the New Year is about Jesus going to the Temple in Jerusalem. It struck me . . . as going to “Church” (By “Church” I mean the building where there is a formal…

Meeting Theresa Part 2

I didn’t doubt that “Theresa” was the name that she had taken in order to make interaction with others easier, rather I wondered if that was the name that she had been given. There’s a difference. St. Paul says that the name Jesus is the name that is “above every name”. Yet it was a…

Meeting Theresa Part 1

Dec. 29, 2019 God appears to people in delightfully surprising ways. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and to Paul in a bright light on the road to Damascus and of course in the person of a little baby in Bethlehem. Sometimes God speaks through angels—who look like angels or like people. Jesus…

Carrots, Cookies & a Granola Bar

“Be ye kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving” Ephesians 4:32 Being kind flies under the radar. It is under- rated, under-appreciated and under-practiced. In a culture filled with mega meals, mega churches and yes, even megalomaniacs, the small acts of kindness which make a big difference largely go unnoticed. And that’s good. Because…

Selling Jesus

The Gospel is free. Jesus never charged a speaker’s fee. Jesus never sold tickets to his “shows”. In fact He got pretty pissed off at those who did—think of the money changers outside of the temple. Jesus never took an offering, nor did His disciples. Just the opposite, He gave people food, health and life…

Maniac or Mystic?

“While I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” Ezekiel 1 “Now John had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist.” Matthew 3 “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud…

Jesus Loves You

“Jesus loves me, this I know” I awoke this morning to a dream. One of those vivid dreams that seem so real that when the brain fuzz finally dissipates upon awaking one is hard-pressed to believe that it was only a dream. I know people who dream like that a lot. I don’t. So when…