Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought

45 pieces in this column

• Blame by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2025-26

  Who is to blame? What do we need to blame? Why?

• Practical, therapeutic, theological talk by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2025

  I do not recall expressing appreciation to this journal for publishing my talk. I do so now. The website has 48 contributions by me, the first of which is found in the Fall 1987 issue. Although I have not kowtowed to the editors, after 100 issues I admit it is an honor to have a place in this conversation and because of that, I have a thankful heart. I honor the persistence and accomplishments of Pietisten, and I appreciate its willingness to publish my column “Practical, therapeutic, theological talk” and some stories by me.

• Let’s ponder “how come?” Let the stories roll. by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2022

  “Why?” “How come?” These questions arise in us at an early age. Many people, parents in particular, have experienced a persistent child’s endless “why?” My friend, Tom Condon, can probably tell us a lot more as to when and how children begin to ask these questions. You and I have our own experiences as data. Remembering and reflecting on how we came into the light of consciousness is revealing and rewarding and interesting. If we are fortunate, we can gather additional data by observing and by being with children.

• God’s Parenting Experience by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2020

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Talk by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2019

  Guys don’t always appreciate their wives as they ought. Your wife might not be Eve but you’re not Adam either. None of us are of the stature of Adam when God presented Eve to him. I speak no ill of us fellows today; still it’s important for perspective.

• Fearlights by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2018

  Is there anyone who would debate the assertion that much human activity is guided by fear? I’m not saying that is bad. After all, it has been proclaimed that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

• Life, prosperity, health by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2018

  The mystery of life and personality remains and always will. It is life. Life is always on the move and cannot be captured. Our bodies of needs and urges and ultimately death that make our existence possible, quite graciously make themselves subject to our minds; we are conscious, and we live in the independence of personal life and freedom. Amazing. Astonishing. Improbable! And, yet, there it is. Here it is.

• Descartes error? by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2016

  The admirable Rene Descartes realized that the human mind, his and ours, everybody included, is filled with misinformation, false claims, errors, and a lot of BS.

• Practical, therapeutic, theological thought by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2015

  Someone recently said: “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” Not bad. I’ve heard that said before. Easy to see the truth in it. I can hold out for something “perfect” and end up getting nothing.

• A Favorite Story by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2013
• Power Plays, Part III by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2011

  Have you done your assignment? I asked you to ask yourself “How did I manage to make it this far?” and “What’s working?” Did you note what is working in your life as you function interpersonally? Did you spend some time reflecting on how it is that you have managed to make it this far?

• Power Plays, Part II by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2011

  It’s difficult to play most positions. To play well takes practice.

• Power Plays by Penrod · Fall/Winter 2010

  Let’s say you have been influenced by Jesus and by the Dalai Lama and by others of similar spirit, have discovered for yourself how satisfying it is to seek the happiness of your neighbor and you run into challenges in trying to be of help to someone. What you need is a power play. Not everything that is called a power play is one.

• Free Lunch by Penrod · Spring/Summer 2010

  Why do people say there is no free lunch with such conviction? Perhaps you say it from time-to-time yourself. Of this moral and intellectual failing, I have been free as long as I can remember.

• I don’t want to trade by Penrod · Epiphany 2010

  I remember sitting in the living room at our beautiful little piano picking out the melody line of carols from a little booklet of Christmas songs. On top of the piano to the left on cotton snow sat a little Lincoln log cabin with a small light inside. I put this together every Christmas.

• Varieties of Grace by Penrod · Summer 2009

  Most theology students and many others know that Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship (1937—1948 in English) in which he described what he called ‘cheap grace’ and contrasted it with ‘costly grace’. He was for the latter. I appreciate Bonhoeffer’s intent and I was gripped when I read his book about 40 years ago. However, I have long disliked the idea of costly grace and I have consistently touted cheap grace because how can anything be as common or inexpensive as grace? I was taught that grace is unmerited favor which is “most certainly true.”

• The Kingdom of God by Penrod · Christmas 2008

  “The Kingdom of God is within you,” announced Jesus (Luke 17:21). In certain circles, especially people who call themselves Christian, this statement is said to have absolute authority due to the speaker. Folks who assert acceptance of this authority accept this statement as most certainly true. The question of authority, though, is less important than the truth of the matter. Is it true? Do I have experience of or have in me the Kingdom of which Jesus speaks? Do you? Can you recognize it? What might it be?

• Young Turks by Penrod · Spring 2008

  I don’t know how the metaphor “young Turks” got started, I’ve not checked out its meaning with anybody until now. It refers, does it not, to younger people who act with boldness and energy, and who challenge authority though they need not reject authority if it passes their test? Usually the word has a positive, respectful, even admiring connotation.

• Thinking about two phrases by Penrod · Christmas 2007

  I recently encountered this term in a review by John Gray of Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong by Marc D. Hauser. Gray told about a bonobo who displayed an “aversion to inequity” in trying to assist a bird. I knew right away what the term means. I recognize an aversion to inequity in myself and I think most humans have it more or less.

• Question of the deeper soul by Penrod · Spring 2007

  Some people seek God intensely like Thomas a Kempis, Thomas Merton, Ghandi—millions of people. I’m not one of them, at least not now.

• The Holy Christian Church by Penrod · Summer 2006

  What do I think when I say: “I believe in the Holy Christian Church?” What do others think? What do you think? I expect there would be a variety of responses ranging from blank minds to particular churches. Some people say they believe in the Holy Christian Church and are unsure what they mean, some say it and are unsure whether they believe in it, others may know exactly what they mean, and others may despise people who make this affirmation.

• Providence and the Blessings of Limits by Penrod · Winter 2005

  The linguistic root of provide and thus of providence is the Latin pro videre—to see ahead. Whatever the divine part of providence may be, basic human pro videre is part of its fabric. We humans know, experience, and contribute this part of providence.

• A word about abbreviations by Penrod · Winter 2004-2005

  I’m against them. I do not live in PA or MN or IL. I live in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, or Illinois. Isn’t that a lot better?

• Reaching out--Drawing in by Penrod · Fall 2004

  Never has it seemed more important to me to reach out, to cross barriers, to break down dividing walls as Christians are called to do. Perhaps one might say that it is a time to set one's eyes and one's purpose on a different front.

• When does God smile? by Penrod · Winter 2003-2004

  Was God smiling when he blessed Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18)? How could God not have been? He knew it would make Abraham happy.

• Disturbed by Penrod · Summer 2003

  I am disturbed because most of the momentum in public life is headed in the wrong direction. Things are headed the wrong way because the dominant political and economic power values private wealth over public wealth.

• A Happy Coincidence by Penrod · Winter 2002-2003

  Few things are better than a happy coincidence. A happy coincidence can be just about anything. It can be big; it can be small. It can be a chance meeting of a friend; it can be a surprise inheritance or relief from a burden or a reprieve of an illness. We usually think of a happy coincidence as a surprise, but it can also be planned.

• The End of the World by Penrod · Summer 2002

  “No one can predict the date of the Second Coming or the end of the world but I cannot see anything beyond 1953.”

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Winter 2001-2002

  Those who "measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves among themselves, are not wise" (II Corinthians 10:12).

• Leisure under Attack by Penrod · Summer 2001

  I spoke with a person the other day who said that psychologists are lazy. "How about philosophy and philosophers?" I asked. "Oh Ish! Another lazy bunch." She was adamant that the state's contribution to education should not be used to subsidize "soft" things such as music, art classes, literature, etc., except perhaps as minors. The money should be spent on useful things—science, business, technological development, medicine, and the like.

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Spring 2001

  Perhaps you have noticed a pianist sit for a few moments collecting herself or himself before going into action—before hitting the notes. Once started, there is no turning back. I wonder whether those are moments of letting go or times of high concentration during which the pianist mentally reviews the music. I think it is the former because there is not enough time for a complete mental review. The performer must proceed trusting memory and practice.

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Winter 2000

  I miss the 1900s. I wish I were writing the date 1973 for example rather than 2000. Does that mean that I want to be back in 1973? Not really, I just pulled that year out of the hat. It’s the 19 that I miss and with it the idea of my life in that century.

• How Can We Stop Shrinking? by Penrod · Summer 2000

  In the August, 2000 issue of Harper’s I read: "Average number of words in the written vocabulary of a 6 to 14-year-old American child in 1945: 25,000. Average number today: 10,000."

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Spring 2000

  Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom; And it will be a hundred times better for everyone

• Locks, Technology, and Freedom by Penrod · Fall 1999

  It is good to be sitting here in the Music Cove using pen and ink rather that typing standard characters on a keyboard. I can make the letters as I like, and I enjoy the flexibility.

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Summer 1999

  Unsung Heroes. The greatest heroes of our time are people who are not consuming and despoiling the earth. These people are seldom described as heroes in the news. My heroes are folks who do not ride on noisy, polluting airplanes and people who walk or ride bicycles instead of driving around in cars. These persons are often labeled non-productive and I am grateful for the contribution each of them makes to the commonwealth.

• Acting too quickly by Penrod · Fall 1998

  Text: “Bodily Exercise profiteth little.” – Paul of Tarsus
  Motto: “The real game is the game you are in.”

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Summer 1997

  Responsibility, Commitment, and Authority are three of the stones that David took when he went to face Goliath. With these three stones, pilgrims slay giants daily. Strength to your slingshot arm!

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Spring 1997

  How's your game been going? Have you been hitting some sweet notes? Have you had lighthearted times with your wife? What's the score as of now? Have you had any bad innings? I hope they have been few.

• Practical, Therapeutic, Theological Thought by Penrod · Fall 1996

  These are confusing times for husbands. A powerful train of thinking reduces us to spouses only, a neutral vision lacking gender and sexuality. Against this mind-set, can we fulfill our responsibilities?

• Therapeutic Theological Thought by Penrod · Winter 1992

  Motto: “All therapy ends badly.” — Sigmund Freud

• Therapeutic Theological Thought by Penrod · Fall 1992

  I hate it when numbers are substituted for words in the months of the year. I hate abbreviations for states. I do not want to think of Oklahoma as OK, California as CA, or Minnesota as MN.

• Therapeutic Theological Thought by Penrod · Summer 1992

  Motto: “All therapy ends badly.” — Sigmund Freud God does not require us to be perfect.

• Therapeutic Theological Thought by Penrod · Spring 1992

  I have been reading Henri Nouwen’s book Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer and Contemplation, and it is helping me clear up my thinking and, maybe, by Grace of God, my life.

• The Lone Ranger Rides Again by Penrod · Summer 1990

  “I wonder who’s in church this morning?” he thought as he paid his fare. He looked around. There were only a few souls on board. He found a seat, pulled out The Moviegoer, and began reading.