Free Stuff
My sheet music and other free resources are available here. Just follow this link, and enter your Merry Mystic password when requested.
These things are under a Creative Commons license that allows you to download them and copy them freely—for any non-commercial use.
Enjoy!
Store
I have books, CDs, and a video series for sale from my store page. (I wish I could just give everything away, but one must eat!)
I’m especially excited about my new book, now available: My Burden Is Light: A Pastor’s Plea for Rationality, Honesty, and Humility.
About
Merry, Mystical Missives
Here you’ll find everything I’ve sent out to the mailing list for The Merry Mystic.
Service with a Smile
Hello Merry Mystics!
Here’s a recording of a song I wrote back in 2022: “Service with a Smile”. To me, this is what the Way of Jesus is all about.
Whoopee-Worthy Piffle-Pushers
Hello, my merry and mystical friends!
How do you respond to an egregious liar? I don’t mean someone who says something wrong, but then will blush when confronted with the truth; I mean someone who is completely unmoored from the truth. I mean a piffle-pusher—like so many people in Washington right now.
In the series of videos I’ve just done on TikTok, I’ve suggested a perfect tool for responding to piffle-pushers.
- WWPP 1: Karoline Leavitt
- WWPP 2: RFK Jr.
- WWPP 3: JD Vance
- WWPP 4: Pam Bondi
- WWPP 5: Kristi Noem
- WWPP 6: Donald Trump
- WWPP 7: Conclusion
Whoopee cushion, anyone?
Strong Man Update
Here’s my Strong Man song, with a new bridge and new video.
Fatcat Love
Here’s a little political parody aimed at the current batch of fat cats. Remember when the original song (by Willis Alan Ramsey) was a hit for Captain & Tennille? How time flies! Toni Tennille was my dream girl when I was 14 …
These are the (mostly video) messages sent out to The Merry Mystic mailing list.
Sermons and Such
Every week, I preach in the Open Prairie United Church of Christ in Princeton, Illinois. I’m not sending most of these out to The Merry Mystic mailing list; but on the outside chance you’d like to see a sermon, here they are.
Baptism: The History and the Voice
There’s nothing so beautiful that human beings can’t turn it into a problem. Case in point: baptism.
Not So Wise Are We
The “wise men” in Matthew’s story were pretty foolish; they received their epiphany anyway.
The Infancy Legends
Over the centuries, the story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph seeking refuge in Egypt prompted a wide response in art, music, drama, and literature. Today, it calls us to action.
The Annunciation to the Shepherds
This story has often been represented in art and music. Historically accurate? Probably not, but it’s full of truth nevertheless.
The Good Tidings of Advent
The good tidings of Advent are not only spiritual, but also political and economic.
Comfort Ye My People
An eighteenth-century conservative meets a twenty-first century progressive.
The People that Walked in Darkness
Our religious tradition (like many others) often uses light and darkness to represent the presence and absence of God.
Christ the “King”
On Christ the King Sunday, let’s not make Jesus take the crown he never wanted.
That Hopey Changey Stuff
Isaiah’s hopey changey stuff is perfectly possible.
Shaky Prophecy
The prophet Haggai was wrong. Also right.