This archive has essays from the original Real Live Preacher blog, which is no longer online. The dates you see are not correct. These were all written between December 2002 and sometime in the summer of 2010. When I left the ministry in 2020, and later fell even farther away from churchy things, I simply didn’t have the voice of Real Live Preacher anymore. I killed that voice when I left that world.
I am flattered to find that on occasion someone remembers something I wrote and would like to read it again. Click here to submit a request for me to bring back one of the RLP essays or stories. Over time this will become a nice archive of the original material.
Gordon
Last Sunday was the 4th of 13 in my sabbatical time. Each of them is precious to me. Each week I am choosing a place and a way to worship. I’m not a church tourist, hoping to see new things. I’m seeking spiritual experiences. I want to worship. Saturday night Jeanene and I still hadn’t…
December 2002 I get up way before daylight and head for church. I open up the joint. I putter around and straighten hymnals. I make ready. I preach the sermon 3 or 4 times. I talk to myself. I talk to God out loud. I light candles and pray. Sometimes I throw a nerf football…
Things are pretty quiet in the mountain town of Creede, Colorado. You will not find fast food or fast living there. If you want someone to package your entertainment and provide it with instructions, you should probably go elsewhere. Nothing is franchised in Creede, not the stores or even the churches. It’s the mountain way.…
Things have been unpredictable around here. Charlie died, as you know. My friend Tom called to tell me his life is falling apart, and I found a Superball at church. It has a chunk gouged out of it so it bounces funny. They do say these things come in threes. Perhaps I should explain about…
Saul was dressed in an expensive, imported robe. He was obviously a wealthy man. His hair gleamed and was heavy with Persian oil. His beard was trimmed short in a manner that was trendy among local Romans. He wore expensive jewelry, including a number of rings. One of them bore the mark of King Herod…
A Real Live Preacher Dramatized Version of the story from John’s gospel commonly known as “The Woman Caught in Adultery.” It’s been many years since I wrote one of these. Let me take a moment to explain them. I took the original text, then grappled with interpretive issues. I would create a dramatic account that…
People like the idea of getting to the bottom of things. It suits our human desire for stability. We don’t like floundering in high water or high ideals without some purchase we can feel with our feet or hands or minds. Worldviews and paintings should be hung on strong nails sunk deep into the meat…
Background: When RealLivePreacher.com (the book) was published, I created nine essays that were unique to the book. They were never online. My editor said, “Why don’t you write something about prayer? It feels like that’s missing in your body of work.” So that’s where these two essays found their life. Why Don’t You Write Something…
I keep getting emails from people who say, “Your church sounds nice. I wish I could find one like that.” Let me guess. You’re looking for a cool church, filled with authentic Christians who aren’t judgmental, but also have convictions, and are hip and classic in just the right mixture. A church where people forgive…
There’s something about the way you use the bible, something about the way you use it as a tool, as a weapon, as a fulcrum, as a means, as an end, as a trump card. There’s something about your intensity and your urgency and the way you have your eyes locked on some distant prize.…
A Dramatized Version of a Bible Story No one hated rich people more than Judas. Seriously, he hated them. Judas said the problems our people were having could be traced back to all sorts of abuses by the establishment and the powerful people who were in charge of things. He hated the professional priests and…
I have a preacher friend who lives in an old farmhouse that he is restoring himself. He’s one of those “do everything” guys. Gardening, carpentry, repair work, he does it all. Robert is not a bullshit, pantywaist, white-collar preacher with soft theology and a degree in marketing. His faith and knowledge are deep and wide.…
It happened in one of those quiet moments when nothing much was going on. Peter whistled while he mended a net. Bartholomew picked at his sandal. The other guys were talking in small groups. Jesus was sitting apart, looking north up the Jordan River. He was wondering about the man who used to live in…
Delivered as a sermon at Sage Chapel, Cornell University, April 9th, 2006 Jesus of Nazareth was in town, and the word spread quickly. Whispers moved through the marketplace and were carried on the winds of gossip and rumor. The exciting young rabbi from Galilee was in Judea, and not only in Judea but in their…
When I first came to know Jonah and Robert, I was very eager to please. They were my first real wheelchair friends. When I was with them my personality took on a quality not unlike that of the Crocodile Hunter on TV. Every request was met with a boisterous “Absolutely.” I hovered over them with…
