Celtic Odyssey

“I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.” — C.S. Lewis Well, this is it, dear readers! We’ve finally reached the end of our series. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. For this final post I thought the parting remarks should come from other pipe smokers throughout the ages—some Christian, some unknown in their spiritual convictions. I’ll also post some links to some great articles and books some of you may find interesting. I don’t support all of the opinions from either those quoted below or from the linked material but I pass them on nonetheless. Until next time, stay smoky my friends. Br. Jack+, LC ~~~ Whene’er I take my pipe and stuff it And smoke to pass the time away My thoughts, as I sit there and puff ...

Matthew 16:21-28 (adapted): From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and legal experts, and that he had to be killed and raised on the third day. 22 Then Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him: “God forbid, Lord! This won’t happen to you.” 23 But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You’re a stone that could make me stumble, for you’re not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “All who want to come after me must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. 25 All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. 26 Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives? 27 For the Human One is about to come with the majesty of his Father with his angels. And then he’ll repay each one...

“I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.” — C.S. Lewis I started this series because I wanted to bring together pipe smoking and theology. In the first posts, I focused on the pipe portion while the last couple of posts have been about the theology. In this post, I’ll conclude the theological part. So let’s turn our attention to another passage that speaks to the art and science of pipe smoking. Well… Not really… But it does play into the view that pipe smoking is not a sin, much to the chagrin of some of my friends. In Matthew 15, Jesus is recorded as saying, “It’s not what people put into their mouths that makes them unclean. It’s what comes out of their mouths that makes them unclean.” ( v. 11 ; adapted). 1 He goes on to explain— “Sure...