Pastor Tom's Journal

What's happening in Fresno - The Walmat Hunger Initiative

2010-12-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

Where I Blog

2009-08-27T11:20:00.001-07:00

If this seems a little under-serviced, it is because I do most of my blogging at

Skating in the Garden in High Heels under my Alb.: RIP Edward M. Kennedy, February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009)

2009-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Skating in the Garden in High Heels under my Alb.: RIP Edward M. Kennedy, February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009)

Wonderful reflection by Pastor Joelle Colville-Hanson.

My thoughts:

Senator Edward Kennedy, 77, dies - the end of an era

Great Words from Mike Yaconelli

2007-12-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Mike.

We all miss you.

An Interview with God

2007-11-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Very tender and thoughtful

Does Richard Dawkins Really Exist?

2007-10-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

There is a chuckle value here along with an interesting thought jolt.

I hope you enjoyed it.

C.C. Lewis' Journey from Atheism to Christianity

2007-10-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Lewis was not converted by argument.

He comes to the conclusion that the story of Jesus is differentiated from other myths in that it is a true myth along his journey toward genuine faith in Jesus Christ based upon the power of eye-witness accounts.

Lewis had to sneak past the watchful dragons of self-consciousness.

It was on a trip to the zoo with his brother that he realized that he believed, like a man who, after a long sleep, becomes aware that he is now awake."

Check This Out on Saturday

2007-09-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder for all who wish to be informed about this great story and opportunity:

If you missed the article, read it here:

Justice for All

For more information on Pre-Paid Legal services, click picture or go to my site.

If you are interested in Identity Theft protection, check out the IdentityTheft Shield site.

If you are interested in referring others or developing your own business as a Pre-Paid Legal Independent Associate, go to the

The Deacon's Bench: Jane Wyman: buried in a habit

2007-09-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Deacon Fred Kandra has posted a moving tribute to Jane Wyman with information about her faith and commitment that I did not know.

The Deacon's Bench: Jane Wyman: buried in a habit

It always warms the heart to hear of people with large public profiles who love God and humbly serve Him.

i especially love the comment from her son, Michael RWeagan that she was in the business of building men and not boys.

2007-09-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tribute to D. James Kennedy

2007-09-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

From the Coral Ridge Ministries WebSite

Time Line

November 3, 1930 – Dennis James Kennedy is born to George and Ermine Kennedy in Augusta, Georgia.

1936 – The Kennedy family moves to Chicago, settling in an apartment just 50 yards from Lake Michigan.

1945 – The family relocates once more to Tampa, Florida.

1952 – Arthur Murray Dance instructor Jim Kennedy meets Anne Lewis and signs her up for six months of dance instructions.

1953 – Sleeping late on a Sunday morning, Jim Kennedy hears the Gospel for the very first time from a radio preacher. Shortly thereafter he professes faith in Christ.

December 3, 1955 – After fighting God’s call to full-time ministry for nearly a year, Jim Kennedy, with great trepidation, quits his job as a dance studio manager.

December 3, 1955 – Jim Kennedy and Anne Lewis become engaged.

December 4, 1955 – Jim is given the chance to preach at a local Presbyterian church and, to his surprise, is employed as the interim minister the same day.

August 25, 1956 – Jim and Anne are married at First Presbyterian Church of Lakeland, Florida.

Fall 1956 – Jim Kennedy begins seminary training at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

May 11, 1959 – Days before his seminary graduation, Jim receives a letter from the Home Missions Committee of the Everglades Presbytery inviting him to consider pastoring a new church to be started in Fort Lauderdale.

June 21, 1959 – The first Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church worship service is held at McNab Elementary School, led by D. James Kennedy.

July 21, 1959 –Rev. D. James Kennedy is ordained.

1960 – Rev. Kennedy tells his fledgling congregation: “You know what? I believe we can change the world!”

July 31, 1960 – Rev. D. James Kennedy is installed as minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church.

1962 – Rev. Kennedy begins to train church members to share Christ using the techniques learned from Rev. Kennedy Smartt.

March 16, 1962 – Jennifer is born and adopted into the Kennedy family.

March 18, 1962 – A new church building seating 500 on Commercial Boulevard is dedicated.

February 20, 1967 – The first Evangelism Explosion clinic is held with 36 people in attendance.

Summer 1967 – Tragedy strikes when Anne undergoes cancer surgery. Rev. Kennedy later describes God’s provision during that dark time in his message, “Songs in the Night.”

1970 – Evangelism Explosion, the first of more than 65 books by Dr. Kennedy is published by Tyndale. More than 1.5 million copies have been sold.

1970 – Like A Mighty Army, a dramatic motion picture depicting the story of Evangelism Explosion, is produced by Gospel Films.

August 28, 1970 – Lay Evangelism, Inc., later changed to Evangelism Explosion III International, Inc., is organized.

April 11, 1971 (Easter Sunday) – Groundbreaking for new church on Federal Highway.

August 1971 – Classes begin at Westminster Academy® with 300 students enrolled.

February 3, 1974 – The new church building on Federal Highway is dedicated. Dr. Billy Graham addresses the 11,000 people in attendance, some on benches outside the church, and 597 decision for Christ are recorded.

October 1, 1974 – Radio station WAFG (90.3 FM) is licensed as a non-commercial educational station.

October 3, 1976 – Church membership reaches 5,000 people.

January 8, 1978 – Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church votes to leave the Presbyterian Church (U.S.) and unites with the Presbyterian Church in America (P.C.A.).

September 17, 1978 – First television broadcast of worship service.

February 1979 – Dr. Kennedy receives his Ph.D. from New York University, completing his list of degrees as follows: A.B., M.Div. (cum laude), M.Th. (summa cum laude), D.D., D.Sac.Lit., Ph.D., Litt.D., D.Sac.Theol., and D.Humane Lit.

November 30, 1980 – Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church celebrates its 20^th anniversary.

May 29, 1990 – George Kennedy, Dr. Kennedy’s brother, dies. Dr. Kennedy learns after his death that George, who had long resisted the Gospel, was led to Christ on his death bed by a young hospital chaplain.

1984 – Truths That Transform, Dr. Kennedy’s daily radio program begins.

November 24, 1985 – Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church celebrates its 25^th anniversary.

1988 - With Evangelism Explosion in only 66 nations, Dr. Kennedy challenged the organization’s vice presidents to take the lay-evangelism training program to every nation by 1995.

March 14, 1989 – The Session of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church establishes Knox Theological Seminary and appoints Dr. Kennedy Chancellor.

March 30-April 1, 1990 – Coral Ridge Church marks its 30^th Anniversary during a “Celebrate the Dream” weekend celebration.

September 1990 – Knox Theological Seminary begins classes to train pastors and laymen in a graduate school of theology.

1992 – The Kennedy Commentary, a daily 90-second radio commentary, is launched.

May 21, 1994 – Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church celebrates Dr. Kennedy’s 35^th year in Gospel ministry.

September 14, 1995 – Dr. Kennedy dedicates the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington, D.C.

February 23, 1996 – Evangelism Explosion International becomes the first Christian organization in history to establish its ministry in all 211 nations of the world.

March 7, 1999 – Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church celebrates its 40^th anniversary.

June 10, 2000 – Daughter Jennifer marries Charles D. “Chip” Cassidy in Newport Beach, California.

December 2000 – Along with Dean Jones, Dr. Kennedy co-hosts Who Is This Jesus, a one-hour documentary viewed by some 12 million people nationwide.

February 15, 2005 – Dr. Kennedy is inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

October 2005 – After Hurricane Wilma rips off the church roof and drenches the sanctuary, Dr. Kennedy encourages the congregation, telling them this is “our finest hour.”

December 9, 2005 – Dr. Kennedy is feted at a surprise 75^th birthday celebration.

August 25, 2006 – Dr. and Mrs. Kennedy celebrate 50 years of marriage.

2006 – Nearly five million people profess faith in Jesus Christ through Evangelism Explosion.

September 5, 2007 – Dr. Kennedy enters into the presence of God in Heaven.

Living InThe Bonus Round: The Doubting Faith of Mother Teresa

2007-08-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Songwriter, singer, pianist, actor, and protoblogger Steve Schalchlin responds to the recent news about Mother Teresa's prayer correspondence - actually her deepest, most personal prayers to a God she ultimately and effectively trusted with her life - and shared with her spiritual advisers.

Steve makes the assertion at the end of his excellent reflection, Living In The Bonus Round: The Doubting Faith of Mother Teresa:

"Faith is not belief. Faith is what you have when belief is out of reach."

My take on the subject is at Mother Teresa and Faith Struggles in The Dream Factory.

My conclusion there was:

"This glimpse into the personal, deep, spiritual struggle within Mother Teresa makes me love and appreciate her more because she moved beyond the superficial religiosity of one who never asks and struggles with hard questions. She not only wrestled with the doubts and questions, but like Jacob, she wrestled with God himself."

"For her, it always came back to an embrace of her calling and devotion to God."

"I don't think she lost faith; I think she took it deeper."

You are invited to enjoy the discussion of this at The Religion Forum. The specific URL for that discussion is on my main blog.

Notes on Jonah 1 - Running From God

2007-08-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

There are four keys words and three key principles. I will explore: Flee, Storm, Sleep, and Fish.

The three principles are that you can choose, lose, or cruise.

First, God called Jonah and Jonah fled from God. At least he attempted to FLEE. God never leaves us without choices. we can choose fight, flight, or flow with His purposes. Fight becomes less and less of an option the more we know God. Flow requires surrender of our will to His. too often, we choose to FLEE.

The principle here is YOU CAN CHOOSE.

F - FROM God. It is always away from Him.
You can't resist His will and enjoy the same fellowship as ever.
L - LUNACY - It is an absurd idea that we can run from Him.
The psalmist said that even in Sheol, He was there.
E - EFFECT on others.
As Jonah endangered others, so do we when we disobey.
E - EVIDENT - You can't really hide it. It all hangs out.

There is another spelling possible that helps us understand some of what causes us to have a flight impulse and run from God:

F - FEAR - We fear what we don't know and what we do know.
L - LISTENING to the wrong voice within/
E - EGO that has gotten out-of-control.
E - EFFORT - We just don't want to give it.

Fight, flight, or flow, YOU CAN CHOOSE.

Second, when Jonah fled, God sent a STORM. God wasn't being vindictive. He was being insistent and persistent. The principle of YOU CAN CHOOSE must be understood in conjunction with a second principle: YOU COULD LOSE! But you still have choices. God uses storms sometimes to influence our choices. They may come in various ways:

S - SINKING SAILOR SYNDROME - You could go down.
T - TEMPESTS - Sometimes rocking on the waves gets attention.
O - OUTCRY - Sometimes others notice first and cry out to you.
R - REBUKE - Sometimes those same people come to you and speak truth.
M - MAYBE God will help attitudes around you.

Jonah ignored the storm and went below to sleep. He was oblivious. Unlike Jesus' sleep of perfect peace through the storm, Jonah's was the sleep of denial. look at it. How do we resist the voice of God in storms? The text tells us:

S - SLUMBER - It was real, literal retreat into unconsciousness.
L - LYING to self and others.
E - ESCAPE from reality, but it is not possible.
E - EJECTION becomes the only option.
P - PEACE comes only through surrender.

Note that Jonah, with the option to CHOOSE, would rather LOSE than go to Nineveh.

Third, we see a FISH. the fish is a reminder that while we can always CHOOSE and we may LOSE, we can also CRUISE with the flow of God's purpose and will. You can choose to cruise.

Jonah had resisted profoundly and he was in for a grace cruise. Having been ejected from the ship by his own choice and the reluctant consent of the crew who, by the way, became his first unwitting converts, he is flailing in the water. Then god prepares a FISH:

F - FIRST time we have ever seen it happen - and the last.
Besides that, Jonah has just had his first converts - the crewmen.
I - IN the water and going down. Jonah was hopeless.
S - SOVEREIGN God decides to give him another chance.
H - HEAVENLY intervention rescues John for a time of refocus.

What is your FISH? You can cruise in it for a while by grace, but even it will bring you back to the point of choice. will you choose fight, flight, or flow?

Henry Neufeld - Author of the Month

2007-07-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Henry Neufeld is our distinguished Author of the Month in both the Religion and Christian Fellowship Forums. Pick up copies of Henry's books and join the discussion.

Author of the Month


What's in a Version? by Henry, E Neufeld $10.39	To the Hebrews: A Participatory Study Guide by Henry, E Neufeld $9.99	Revelation: A Participatory Study Guide by Henry E. Neufeld $9.99

Identifying Your Gifts And Service by Henry E. Neufeld $9.99	I Want to Pray! by Perry M. Dalton $7.99	Not Ashamed of the Gospel: Confessions of a... by Henry E. Neufeld $10.39

Identifying Your Gifts and Service: Small G... by Henry, E Neufeld $10.39	Discipleship: Jesus With Us by V., Riley Richardson $7.99	When People Speak for God by Henry, E Neufeld $12.23

A Concert with Rich Mullins

2007-06-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Drink it in; be lifted, be moved; be inspired; worship!

This is the start of a concert that Rich Mullins did in Lufkin Texas. Some excerpts from this concert made it to the homeless man video also available on You Tube.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Awesome God

2007-06-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Inspiring video presentation of Awesome God by Rich Mullins

Make Someone's DAY

2007-05-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

A Word of Encouragement from Tom Sims, The Dream Factory ...

Yesterday I suggested that the very desire to make another person's day is an indicator of character and a predictor of success in that endeavor.

Today, I will start to spell out how to do that by examining the word, "D-A-Y." First let us look at a proverb for today, Proverbs 19:1:

"Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a fool whose lips are perverse. "

To apply that to our theme, we might paraphrase it this way: "While wealth and prosperity can open doors, create opportunities, and enable us to do much good for others, it would be better to do without it if it meant that our words wounded rather than healed, deflated people rather than inflating them, and discouraged rather than encouraged."

Words are powerful and how we use words will determine much of our success in making someone else's day.

And the god news is that if you make the day of enough people, it will eventually lead you on the path to success.

We don't have to choose between our success and that of others if we are willing to put our primary focus on helping others succeed.

Now, here is the D-A-Y

D = Decision. You make a decision about the kind of day you will have. You make it early; you make it firm. You decide that whatever comes your way, "The is the day that the Lord hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." It is always a decision and if you make it, it will rub off on others. While you make the decision, early in the morning, to have a great day, decide to bring others along as well. Pray for opportunities to encourage, lift, and serve people. They will come!

A = Attitude. It is aways about attitude. Attitude can make or break your day and will affect others. Positive attitudes are contagious, but so are negative attitudes. If you walk around all day with the attitude that is selfish, angry, resentful, and bitter, that will take the wind out of people's sails who are living on the edge. Not everyone has learned the power of a positive decision. They need to see a living example of positivity - YOU! If you carry your decision to have a blessed day with you throughout the day and reflect that in your attitude, those same people will see and catch some of your spirit. Smile at frowns; speak gently to harsh voices; deflect criticism; be kind when you are treated without kindness. Be the master of your moments and your emotions. Elevated your attitude and you will elevate others.

Y = Yes, Yes living. It is a no-no world. All around us, people are looking for reasons to be critical, to disagree, to complain, to gossip, to make other people feel small. You have chosen to live the opposite way. You are looking for areas of agreement. You are searching for the YES. You are endeavoring to find things you can compliment and affirm, people you can encourage, and lives you can touch with God's love. You are actively giving out smiles. Your goal is to build and what you are building are people.

The only two things that will last forever are the Word of God and the souls of people. One builds the other.

Make a decision to have and promote a great day. Put on the attitude of positive thinking and living, the attitude of love and grace. Put it on the same way you put on a cheerful shirt in the morning. Look for yes every where and build upon each yes you find. Decision - Attitude - Yes = DAY.

Have a great one. - Tom Sims

There is always more atThe Dream Factory

The Enrepreneur's Table and at my other blogs.

If I can serve you and encourage you, let me know.

A Tribute to Billy Graham

2007-05-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

A moving musical and video thanks to Billy Graham.

Homeless Man Part 3

2007-04-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Parts 1,2,4, and 5 of Homeless Man, a tribute to Rich Mullins are found on the side panel. To view Part 3, click below:

Homeless Man = Part 3

Recent Stories on Religion - NPR

2007-03-25T18:14:00.002-07:00

Religion

Evangelicals Face New Division: Global Warming

All Things Considered , March 25, 2007 · There's a growing divide among America's evangelical Christians over what to do about global warming. Host Debbie Elliot talks to Richard Cizik policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, who's right in the middle of the debate.

Recent Stories on Religion - NPR

2007-03-25T18:14:00.001-07:00

Religion

Evangelicals Face New Division: Global Warming

All Things Considered, March 25, 2007 · There's a growing divide among America's evangelical Christians over what to do about global warming. Host Debbie Elliot talks to Richard Cizik policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, who's right in the middle of the debate.

Another from NPR on Sundays

2007-03-25T17:50:00.001-07:00

A Look at 3,000 Years of Sundays

Sunday has traditionally been a day of rest and worship but its purpose has been widely debated. A new book examines the 3,000-year evolution of Sunday including how it is celebrated in America, England and France. Web Extra: Read an Excerpt

Leaps of Faith

2007-03-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

From "This I Believe" - NPR Series: My Personal Leap of Faith

I enjoyed this essay. Maybe you will too ... or not. Either way, you can discuss it here.

Quotes from H.B. London in Fresno

2007-03-16T19:21:00.001-07:00

H.B. London Quotes

I jotted down some notes from the "Sustaining Pastoral Excellence" conference with H.B. London this week.

Jesus asks Peter, in John 21, some pointed questions which can be paraphrased as:

"Do you love me more than your ministry?"
"Do you love me more than who you are?"
"Do you love me more than what you do?"
"Do you love me more than life itself?"

"If you can do anything else than follow me the rest of your liufe, Peter, do it, because this is going to cost you big time."

"The moment we say to Him, 'Yes, Lord, I love You,' He gives us a task and He gives us a cross."

Sharing My Faith with You - Pass It On!

2007-03-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Salvation Through Christ: A Matter of FAITH

What do you think it takes for someone to get to heaven? Is it luck? Good deeds? Nothing at all? Or is there something more? The Bible has the real answer to this question. It's a matter of FAITH.

F stands for FORGIVENESS. We cannot have eternal life without God's forgiveness. Ephesians 1:7a says, "In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins."

A is for AVAILABLE. Forgiveness is available for all. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." But forgiveness is not automatic. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven," says Matthew 7:21a.

I is for IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven because of who He is and because of who we are. God is loving and just, but His judgment is against sin. James 2:13a says, "Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful." We are sinful people. Romans 3:23 tells us, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

T is for TURN. To turn means to repent. We can repent - or turn - from our sin and from ourselves. "But unless you repent, you too will all perish," Luke 13:3b says. We can also turn to Someone. Trust Christ alone. Romans 10:9 tells us how: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

H is for HEAVEN. Heaven is eternal life. Here, that means life "to the full:" "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10b)." In the hereafter, it means the promise of heaven: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:3)."

So how can a person have God's forgiveness, heaven and eternal life, and Jesus as personal Savior and Lord? By trusting in Christ and asking Him for forgiveness. Take the step of faith described by another meaning of FAITH: Forsaking All I Trust Him.

You do this through a simple prayer reflecting your desire for Christ to change your life. You don't need fancy words - only an honest heart. You can pray something like this:

Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and have displeased You in many ways. I believe You died for my sin, and only through faith in Your death and resurrection can I be forgiven. I want to turn from my sin and ask You to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. From this day on, I will follow You by living a life that pleases You. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen.

Accepting Christ is just the beginning of a wonderful adventure with God! Get to know Him better in a number of ways:

Follow Christ's example in baptism.
Join a church where you can worship God and grow in your faith.
In your church, get involved in Sunday School and Bible study.
Begin a daily personal worship experience with God where you study the Bible and pray.

We’d love to hear from you - Please feel free to ask us any questions you have about becoming a Christian, or tell us about your decision to follow Jesus Christ. Please let us know how we can serve you. Send us your comments.

If you are not ready to contact us now, you may enjoy viewing this presentation of Jesus Christ's influence.

Pastors and church leaders, visit FAITH on LifeWay.com for more information about the FAITH Sunday School Evangelism Strategy®.

Dog-Tired

2007-03-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

I left home at 6:30 this morning - not as early as yesterday, but I am still "at it" at 9:00 P.M. and I may not vacate this Starbucks table until they close. It was 6:00 P.M. before I could start to write. I have had a tough week and a tough day. I had to get tough and that is tough on me.

And yet, I am sitting here with a very sore back, entirely energized to keep going mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

The Holiness of the Ordinary

2007-03-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

I am trying to articulate some of the values that our Fellowship of Joy shares together and it occurred to me today that one is a sense of the holiness of the ordinary - that there is no legitimate separation of the sacred and profane dimensions of life to one who is dedicating every thought and movement to the glory of God.

Those Old Audio Postings from Last Year

2007-03-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well, here they are again:

Spell out the DREAM © 2006, Thomas B. Sims

MORE Part 2

MORE Part 1

My First Audio Post - Rough

What Are You Going to Do?

I Miss the Grandkids

2007-03-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

For 3 and a half days a week, I am (we are) responsible for an 11 month old boy and his six year old brother - our grandsons. They run me ragged. They wear me out. They keep me from getting my work done.

And I was grateful for the break when I returned them to their mother yesterday ... but that was yesterday.

Today, I really miss them.

Go figure.

Ruth Hoppin on Priscilla

2007-02-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ruth Hopin is currently discussing her book on Priscilla as author of Hebrews in the Religion Forum and in the Christian Fellowship Forum.

How Easy We Catch "Stuff"

2007-02-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

I now officially have a chest cold. It was a gift from my little baby grandson whom I adore. it is not the only or more contagious thing about him. More so is his infectious smile, his cheerful giggle, and his inquisitive wonder - but I definitely caught this particular viral contribution.

What is catching in your life? What are you passing on? Is it primarily positive and redemptive or malignant and malevolent?

Concentrate on being a contagious joy giver.

THEOPHILUS

2007-02-09T19:26:00.001-08:00

The Theophilus Letters

Letter 1

________________________________________________________________________

LIVING THE CONNECTED LIFE - EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN TERMINOLOGY TRANSLATED AND EXPLAINED by Tom Sims

I am aware that many of the words and phrases that Christians use are a foreign language to people who have not been raised in our churches and are unfamiliar with how we speak about God. I do not believe that God wants His truth to be obscured to the average person because of words, so I have attempted here to provide a brief translation of some basic concepts. I have highlighted and underlined some key words that you may have heard often but which you may have never heard explained.

Life is a great challenge. Times are difficult . At best, we live under a cloud of uncertainty. At worst, we despair. Our message is one of hope. When we say that Jesus brings hope to our lives, this is what we mean:

Life in Christ is also a challenge, but it is a liberated life where God offers us something that is better than the best. In God's love and grace every challenge is purposeful and every dark cloud is filled with refreshing rain. In Christ, our attitude toward life changes and we begin to view our problems, defeats, and hardships from a different altitude. In Christ, the burden of guilt is lifted from our shoulders through God's own merciful sacrifice. In Christ, we are set free from awful power of constantly missing the mark. This, we call grace and mercy.

Jesus never promised a pain-free life, nor an easy life, and yet, people who have discovered the Jesus way of living are learning to cope, to hope, and to rejoice. They are beginning to embrace the Eternal Life which God gives to all who trust. This, we call peace.

In telling the story of Jesus - His death, resurrection, and invitation to life, Christians are telling their own stories as well. We have come to understand that missing the mark has become a way of life for us. This we call sin, and because of sin, we have consciously or unconsciously shut God out of our lives. In shutting God out of our lives, we have cut ourselves off from our true potential and have begun to tell ourselves that we are nothing, when in fact God loves us and has wonderful plans for us. We become discouraged with life, or perhaps compulsive, or addictive, in our behaviors; or maybe we drive ourselves and others too hard in the illusive search for acceptance. We long for direction and meaning. This is what we called being lost.

Whatever the symptoms, the cause is the same. We have severed from the source of our being, and therefore, being has no meaning apart from the external and superficial things we do to fill our empty days. We may even kid ourselves into believing that our lives are full and exciting. When we do that, no one but God can convince us otherwise, usually when we find ourselves burnt-out, discouraged, or when we begin to ask deep questions of ourselves.

We, as Christians, believe that unless something happens, the problem gets worse and worse and that the implications of our choices are forever. The more we understand the choices we have made, the more responsible we are for them. We call this responsibility judgment. When we live eternally severed from God by our own choices, we call that hell, and when God holds us responsible for our own choices because we are people with dignity and free will. When God gives us over to our own choices it is called wrath.

The first step of returning to the source of our being is opening. When we open to God we stop where we are, turn around, and come face to face with reality. This, Christians call repentance. It is a change of mind and direction toward God. Upon turning to God, we open ourselves to new possibilities. We open our minds, our hearts, and our lives. To do so is indicative of a dissatisfaction with our severing called conviction. We freely admit the folly of our ways. This we call confession of sin. When we come to God this way we find that we were always welcome.

Welcome Home! The Christian message is that Jesus experienced all the severing of sin, the death, the pain, and the indignation of it all when He suffered on the cross. For those who will trust Him for it, it was their severing that He not only experienced, but rendered powerless over us. It is no longer necessary for us to bear its burden of guilt, fear, and loneliness. This, we call redemption and salvation.

We believe that Jesus actually did this for us and then demonstrated His sovereignty over death by rising from the dead that we need no longer die apart from God. We believe that Jesus' resurrection is both our invitation to and reservation for eternal and overflowing life.

We believe that when we open to God through Jesus and trust in His death, and resurrection, we find that we are already accepted by Him and enter into His love and peace, receive His gift of life, are forgiven of all sin, and that He, through His eternal Spirit comes to live inside our lives to work inside of us that which has already become a spiritual reality. We become like new people inside with a new beginning. This we call regeneration or new birth.

It is then we begin a process of Christian growth, where we continue to make choices about opening and becoming and trusting. We learn to rely upon God's love, God's grace (undeserved favor and givingness toward us), God's guidance, and God's Word (the Scriptures). God's Spirit within us energizes us in ways we never thought possible. We discover new things about ourselves. We find that we can do and be much more than we ever dreamed possible as we continue to open, to connect, and to trust God. This process, we call sanctification.

Christians live with a persistent hope that has meant encouragement for every generation of believers. While many Christians disagree over how, or when, or what the circumstances will be, we believe that history, while in many ways circular, is also moving in the direction of culmination. Simply, we believe that at the end of time as we know it, Jesus will come in judgment and in victory to settle all accounts and to ultimately rescue His people. At that time truth will reign and all decisions of men and women

concerning their relationship with God will be finalized for eternity (a reality beyond time and space that never ends). At that time, all will, according to our understanding of the Bible, confess that Jesus is Lord (supreme King and ruler) to the glory (praise, honor, adoration, weight of importance)of God the Father and all of God's people will live with Him forever. Our very bodies will be transformed into something new and immortal and all that is evil and cruel and unjust, all that oppresses will be destroyed. This we call glorification.

We believe that all people have been created in the image of God and can have a personal, vital relationship with Him. We believe that God loves you with a perfect and complete love. We also believe that you are a person of dignity who, with the most complete information you can have before you, must sort out truth for yourself and make your own decisions. No one can make this choice for another person, but we share our faith with honest seekers and call it witnessing.

We believe that God is inviting all people to trust Jesus for life and be willing to open themselves to Him whether or not they understand completely by simply asking Him their lives at any moment, not with eloquent nor prescribed prayer but by a simple request, turning from avoidance of Him toward trust in Him. This, we call receiving Christ.

This is what we believe is the heart of our message. If you are ready and willing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and to invite Him into your life. Simply pray , "Lord, Jesus, I confess my sin and need to You and need You and want You to come into my life. I trust that You died for me and a rose again and give you my life."

Faith and Futility

2007-02-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

I thrive on "busy." I move amongst projects and big ideas and run on full steam until something intervenes. I love solitude and I love crowds. Go figure. Starbucks is my office. I like some people around me while I am working, but not too many.

I am a dreamer. There are so many big pictures in my mind and heart that I must frequently stretch the canvass. I know about strategies and appreciate them. without strategies, nothing will materialize from the vague to the concrete.

As the somewhat dubious Father Divine said, "The problem with most metaphysicians is that they don't know how to tangibilitate."

I am working on this. However, todays lesson is also centering for me as well as sobering. Psalm 127 is my bookmark in the Psalms for today and it is very specific about the spiritual dimension of our planning:

1 - Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Getting lost and discouraged in the vanity of a thing is an occupational hazard for dreamers and
schemers. Futility is the fate of those who run on spiritual empty without regular infusions of divine direction, inspiration, and hope.

2 - I t is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Work ethic will not substitute for God's energy and purpose. It is the essence of working "smart" that we conserve energy and maximize effort when our hearts are beating with the heart of God.

3 - Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

For instance, here are children. Who could think that miracle up or bring it to pass with human effort?

4 - As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 - Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Surprisingly, our greatest accomplishments are those that God has more to do with than us.

Also posted at The Dream Factory

Mosaic Alliance

2007-02-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Mosaic Alliance is a great model for transformational ministry. For that reason i will also post this at one of our sister sites. This is copied from their homepage:

Mosaic Alliance Mission

Serving leaders to change the world....

Create the Future

The Mosaic Alliance is a global network committed to create the future by unleashing a culture of entrepreneurship, activism, innovation, authenticity, and creativity within the local church. The Alliance seeks to empower and equip churches and leaders to maximize the creative potential in the communities in which they serve. We partner with leaders from around the globe in effort to catalyze the movement of Jesus Christ. The Mosaic Alliance provides resources, training, and ongoing dialogue in effort to serve leaders and churches worldwide. One of our focus areas involves serving church planters, but the Alliance is not limited to church planters. Join us in creating the future together!

Mosaic Alliance Values

Wind
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Mission is why the Church exists.
Water
ACTIVISM
Love is the context for all mission.
Wood
INNOVATION
Structure must always submit to Spirit.
Fire
AUTHENTICITY
Relevance to culture is not optional.
Earth
CREATIVITY
Creativity is the natural result of spirituality.

Connect!

For more information on connecting to the Alliance, go here.

Bluefish TV :: BLOG

2007-02-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Bluefish TV :: BLOG

We will be using one of Bluefish's products starting this month when we launch our study of "Chasing Daylight" at the Fellowship of Joy.

This is a great resource of sermon/teaching illustrations and other multi-media products for communicating the gospel. I commend them to you.

Chasing Daylight in Fresno

2007-02-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Chasing Daylight in Fresno

Begining February 20-21

Tuesdays at Dennys (Shaw and Willow) -9:00 P.M.
Wednesdays at BT (4141 n Fresno St) - 7:15 P.M.
Thursdays at Starbucks (Ashlan and Cedar) - 7:00 A.M.

Christian News: In Memoriam: Dr. Gerald May 1940-2005

2007-02-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Christian News: In Memoriam: Dr. Gerald May 1940-2005

Thanks to you, Dave Kelly, for bringing Gerald May's life and death to my attention.

I was looking for Gerald May online since it had been some time since we had corresponded and I was no longer receiving the newsletter from Shalem.

I was very sad to learn that Jerry died in 2005.

Shalem Institute's tribute to him includes a link to some of his writings.

While he was on staff in our former sister forum, Religious Issues, many of us became friends with Jerry. It was during that time that he battled with prostate cancer. I remember his courage and grace during that time.

More than anything, I have been enriched by Jerry's writing - especially " Addiction and Grace." Writing from the perspective of a psychiatrist and a man of deep faith, Jerry grasps the dynamics of addiction in all its dimensions with rare insight.

Dave Kelly offers a fitting tribute in his blog as well.

Jerry's own words are summarized as Meditations.

His friend, Bill Dietrich eulogized him and said, " He was a spiritual director, companion and friend to countless spiritual seekers over the years, including many of us here, and some whom he knew only through email and the Internet." Some of us would include ourselves in that number.

Though a Christian, Jerry appreciated the wsdom in other religious traditions as reflected in this quote:

" I believe I have seen the inner transformation from selfishness to compassion happening to many people, and I believe I have tasted it within myself. I am convinced that although it is difficult as the Dalai Lama said, it is a very real and practical possibility. And I am ready to agree that it is the only way, our only hope. "
-- Fall 2002, "The Only Way: From Cruelty to Compassion Through Personal Transformation"

What saddens me is that, having neglected correpsondence with this great man, it is no longer possible to renew it. That being said, there is a sense of exhilaration in offering Jerry's memory belated con gratulations at his graduation. I will continue to revisit his books and be nurtured by them.

I agree with Jerry so much about grace and prayer and possibility of constancy in our communion with God:

" I know now that it is possible to pray in action instead of alternating prayer and action. It is even possible to think analytically or add a column of numbers in one's mind without closing off one's immediate openness to other sights, sounds, thoughts ... and prayer. With grace, one can indeed flow wholly in participation with God's presence in any given moment of life, moving through both pleasant and unpleasant undertakings inspired by rightness instead of driven by will. And what's even better ... one can immediately appreciate and enjoy that it's happening that way."

"One pays a price, of course, when one's willful habits of consciousness begin to change. Controlling things is out of the question. And intentionality must become increasingly delicate, the thinnest veil between desire and action. I suspect that what we know as intentionality eventually disappears entirely, leaving only sheer desire as the empty content of wordless prayer. This requires the simultaneous full-feeling of desire and relaxing our ego-grip on all our agendas, even those that are most spiritual. It means a continually deepening discovery that the fullness of selfhood lies not in claiming autonomy, dedication, or commitment-finally in not claiming anything-but rather in the magnifi-cent being of who we authentically are in God, with God, loved and ... embraced and infused by God, and as living manifestations of God's very Self. "
-- Fall 1997, "The Shadow Side of Intention"

Thank you, Jerry. Happy journey!

Posted at The Dream Factory,
The Religion Forum, and
Christian Fellowship Forum

Too Many Blogs

2007-02-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

The only problem with having so many blogs is that only one general one is likely to get the attention it deserves.

I thought I'd do a quick check of who is writing what in Pastordom this week:

The journal of a life in ministry30 Jan 2007 by Chuck Warnock
Anyway, our committee is doing a wonderful job of inviting former pastors,
musicians, and gathering photos and other memorabilia for our 7-month long
celebration. Among the artifacts, clippings, and records that we have found, ...
Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor - http://chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com

I am ashamed of my ignorance.26 Jan 2007 by tschuckman
Seminaries are being held in caves to train pastors to shepherd the huge ...
He accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior and he is now a pastor of a small and
growing church. ... http://journals.aol.com/tschuckman/OldSoldierTomsJournal/ ...
Old Soldier Tom's Journal. - http://journals.aol.com/tschuckman/OldSoldierTomsJournal/ -

Well-Intentioned Dragons (Book Review)10 Jan 2007 by fbcpastor
They can drive pastors crazy…or out of the church (p. 11). One of the positive
aspects of this book is that it reads like private journals of what many pastors
have witnessed, experienced, and felt over the years, including myself. ...
Pastor's Blog - http://jimkang.wordpress.com

And of course, mine which mixed ministry, theology, ecclesiology, and business with a does of whatever is on my mind: The Dream Factory.

A Few Thoughts

2006-10-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

A Ministry of Hand-Holding

2006-09-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

God has been speaking to my heart this week deeply, profoundly, and lovingly through my own devotional times and through the ministry of Dr. Richard Blackaby.

The same messages can be heard at the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary website under Chapel.

As we were preparing for worhip today, I was remembering one of our saints who recently went home to be with Jesus. Caryl Borges lived a life that reflected God's love and that took her around the country and to Yemen in the service of the Master.

As she fought cancer, she did so with valiant faith. I was honored to be with her during various stages of that disease process. While I wish I had been more of a support along the way, the greatest blessings came during the last two weeks of her life as I witnessed her slipping away, but enjoying every moment God gave her with family. At the same time, she was genuinely excited about going to Heaven.

I was sitting in that seminary chapel this morning, waiting for students to arrive, preparing to sing with the California Singing Churchmen, and praying about my own ministry and the song I would sing tomorrow night. It hit me - something I never learned in seminary - one of the greatest ministries we can have as pastors is just holding hands.

Caryl gave me the privilege of holding her hand as she prepared to meet Jesus face to face. I was privileged to pray with her and to visit her numerous times during those last days to sing for and with her some of her favorite old standards: The Old Rugged Cross, Do Lord (I've Got a Home in Glory Land), In the Garden, and Onward Christian Soldiers.

We all sang and she sang as long as she could.

About 5 days before she died, it occurred to me that I was always doing the "out-loud" praying and that she was closer to God at the moment than I was. I told her that and asked her to pray for me and my ministry. She did so with her whole heart.

Not to ask a dying saint to pray is like saying, "You're done now."

She wasn't done until God said she was done - and when He said it to her, she'd let the family know. And she did.

You're not done till you're home and then it is a brand new adventure.

I was told early in my ministry to preach like a dying man to dying men as Richard Baxter said of his own ministry.

How do we do that?

Through pain and suffering - our own and that of others which we absorb with comfort. Pathos oozes into our preaching, mingles with joy, is refined by holiness, and comunicated with love. When this happens, as we walk along side others in their pain and offer our own to God in devotion, we enter into the suffering of Christ. We become wounded healers with a Word from God to those who also suffer.

There is purpose and there is comfort and with these two, there is hope.

I am a pastor, an undershepherd, I walk with my fellow sheep through their pilgrimages of pain. I join the Good Shepherd as He walks alongside them through the valley of the shadow of death.

How difficult it must have been for Mr. Dorsey, having received news of great family tragedy that night long ago, to stand and sing to the Lord. That great founder of what has been called Black Gospel Music, sang, "Lord," as the story was told on PBS, and a little lady replied, "Precious, Lord."

He went on: "Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand ... through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light ..."

Jesus is in the ministry of hand-holding and there is no more precious ministry that we can share with those who are in their own deep valleys of suffering. We are present and as we are present, we are living, fleshed out reminders that God is also present. Where He is present, there is joy in the midst of sorrow.

"And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

When I return to Fresno from Canada, I intend to do more hand-holding, but more than anything else, I want my hand in His.

Just to bring you up to date, Caryl finished her journey well. On her last day, she could not sing or talk, but she could listen. Her daughter was telling her stories of the life they had shared. When they got to the part about the church building program and the hard work we all did, she sighed one last sigh, job done, well done, time to come home. That was it. Her next breath was without labored breathing and it was in the presence of her Savior whom she had loved and served. She had walked through the Valley of Death with Him and arrived at the table He had prepared for her. We walked with her as far as we could and held her hand along the way.

What a blessing!

That is pastoring.

Not Sure Where to Give Credit for These

2006-09-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

For Those Who Take Life Too Seriously

1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set

2. A day without sunshine is like, night.

3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

4. I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.

5. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

6. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

7. I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.

8. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

9. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges

10. Honk if you love peace and quiet.

11. Remember half the people you know are below average.

12. Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?

13. Nothing is fool-proof to a talented fool.

14. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

15. He who laughs last thinks slowest.

16. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

17. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

18. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

19. I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.

20. I intend to live forever - so far so good.

21. Borrow money from a pessimist - they don't expect it back.

22. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

23. My mind is like a steel trap - rusty and illegal in 37 states.

24. Quantum mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.

25. The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.

26. Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have.

27. When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane and going the wrong way.

28. If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.

29. A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

30. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

31. For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

32. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks

33. Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with.

34. No one is listening until you make a mistake.

35. Success always occurs in private and failure in full view.

36. The colder the x-ray table the more of your body is required on it.

37. The hardness of butter is directly proportional to the softness of the bread.

38. The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it.

39. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.

40. To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.

41. Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.

42. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

43. Two wrongs are only the beginning.

44. The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

45. The sooner you fall behind the more time you'll have to catch up.

46. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

47. Change is inevitable except from vending machines.

48. Get a new car for your spouse - it'll be a great trade!

49. Plan to be spontaneous - tomorrow.

50. Always try to be modest and be proud of it!

51. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

52. How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...

53. Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener.

54. If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you.

GROUP

2006-09-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

GROUP Ministry:

Growing

Reconciling

Obeying

Understanding

Proclaiming

God has called us to a lifestyle that embraces all these dimensions of being:

We are expected to GROW because that is what life generates. We will be growing until we die.

We are commissioned with a word of RECONCILIATION according to II Corinthians 5. It is God’s desire to bring people back into proper relationship with Him,

A life of OBEDIENCE is how we can be most useful to God and live in His will.

UNDERSTANDING is what happens as we gradually comprehend and act upon God’s will in our lives.

PROCLAMATION is the natural outflow of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

We must grow individually and in community. Each strengthens the other.

Builders or Destroyers - Proverbs 14

2006-09-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Builders or Destroyers

God has called us to be builders:

Proverbs 14

1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

Builders have certain characteristics.

2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD , but he whose ways are devious despises him.

B = Basis for Life (foundation). We must start with a solid foundation for our lives.

3 A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.

U = Use of Tools - Words are useful and necessary tools in building toward our goals.

4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.

I = Investment - Wise builders invest wisely in their growth. The ox pulls the plow that grows the wheat that is placed in the manger for him to eat which gives him strength to plow.

5 A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.

L= Line (Plumbline - Truth) Truth, like good measurements in construction, is necessary for building. Deception guarantees a faulty porject.

6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

D = Discernment of Truth - The wise builder can read the plans and read the present reality in view of the vision for the finished product.

Builders are never cynical. Destroyers most always are.

7 Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

E = Exercise Discretion in the area of personal associations. Builders surround themselves with builders and have little time for detractors and laggards.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. 9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.

R = Responsibility - Builders are people who take personal responsibility for their actions and correct them when they are wrong. Builders have no times for pointing fingers or making excuses because they know there is something to be built.

It Seems to Me...

2006-09-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Bruce Alderman is meditating here about the basic core issues of belief in his own life - namely why he believes in God and why, further, he embraces a belief in Jesus Christ.

It Seems to Me...: "So who is right and who is wrong? Isn't that what religion is all about? In a word, no. It's not fundamentally about being more right than anyone else. It's about responding to God's call and being faithful to that call, however the call comes and wherever the call leads."

Rightness and wrongness might appear to be essential questions, but Bruce suggests that the relational question trumps them.

It is what E. Stanley Jones called, "The Divine Yes."

We start there with God and we can sort out the details as we go along.

Leaders are Readers

2006-07-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Christianbook.com Home
One of the timeless truths that young pastors need to grasp is the stewardship of study. Reading is at the core of our study. Reading the Bible comes first. We need to read it regularly, voraciously, and systematically.

Find a process whereby you can read the Bible from cover to cover rather quickly and then, at least once a year, preferably more often. As you read this way, include a program of reading books of the Bible slowly and meditatively.

This is in addition to Bible reading for specific sermon preparation.

What else should leaders and preacher read?

Read stories because they teach us out to flesh out truth and tell stories ourselves. They express human emotion and experience in ways that we can grasp. They also provide a source of inspiration. Read both fiction and true life stories, especially biographies.

Read current events in newspapers, magazines, blogs, and other Internet sources. If you are a prophet, you must understand the times.

Read current religious thought, commentaries, practical ministry articles, missional essays and books, sociology, history, and a broad range of disciplines so that you can be interesting, relevant, relate-able, and informed as well as challenged.

Read leadership articles and books so that you can grow as a leader.

Read. If you haven't started, begin with at least 15 minutes a day and move toward 2 hours. At first it may be painful. Later, it will be painful not to read.

Leaders are readers.

Also posted on Pastor Tom's Journal

Ation

2006-07-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday night - anticipation, inspiration, perspiration (It is hot in Fresno), exasperation (Andrea is preparing the church finance report), motivation (some, but not much - I'm ready for bed), temptation (Saturday Night Live really does give me a chuckle, but I should sleep and pray), elation (Andrea just finished the finance report)., aggravation (I just read this to Andrea and she walked away), termination (I'm going to save this and go to the other room), inflation, salvation, one nation under God. Good night.

And that has made all the difference. : "what is the emerging church? Postmodernity"

2006-06-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

A Little Searching and we caught up with Jess Moody. Thanks to Natala for drawing him into cyberspace (though I suspect he is there all the time).

And that has made all the difference. : "what is the emerging church? Postmodernity": "Anonymous said...

Noted that you mentioned me. Doris and I are retired, but working all the time. Old Jess Moody is eighty, and preaching every Sunday, and will be teaching at Palm Beach Atlantic (The university I founded 38 years ago.)Everything is great. We were blown out of our condo on the seventeenth floor, and are now living happily in a new condo here in West Palm Beach. Thanks for quoting me. Love to you, and praying deep, healing prayers in your behalf. I am expecting a miracle. You are special...Jess Moody, 3630 Whitehall Drive, W. Palm Beach, FL"

Moody Blog: Jessays

2006-06-25T21:27:00.000-07:00

Moody Blog: Jessays

Jess Moody last posted here in March, but it is worth reading - anything by Jess Moody is worth reading/hearing/celebrating.

Collecting my Thoughts: 02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004

2006-06-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

It is good to see my friend's life remembered anywhere in the blogsphere. Thanks for the tribute:

http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2004/02/238-keep-your-friendsthe-columbus.htm l

My own offering is on my principle blog: Georgia on Pastortomsims.com

The Grand Courtship

2006-06-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

(Jeremiah 31:3 KJV) The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Everlasting love. It is as much of a quality as it is an expression of duration. In fact, what makes God’s love endure is that it is durable, patient, passionate, and aggressive. That is the character of His love. God actively pursues the object of His love in the way described by Francis Thompson in his immortal poem, “The Hound of Heaven.”

God appears to us of old with this romantic word of wooing, He has been loving us all along. It is new only by its freshness. “Yes, I have loved you …” He affirms with conviction and passion, “and my love never ends.”

Not only does He love us, but He courts us. With loving kindness He reaches out to us and draws us to Himself. Loving kindness is an inadequate English translation of a Hebrew word, which is best translated, “covenant love.” It means that God’s own character, word, and integrity are at stake and that He loves us simply because He has chosen and committed to do so. He will not back down. He is relentless in loving us. It is about who He is that He loves so deeply.

God is a jealous lover—not in the immature sense of one who is insecure, but with the confidence of one who knows that He is the only one for us and that all other suitors are bent on our destruction. The jealousy of God is selfless and generous. He will settle for no less than the best for us.

Heroes and Overcomers

2006-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Real Heroes are Overcomers!

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. – (Hebrews 11:32-34, The Message, Copyright 2002, Eugene Peterson)

People who overcome great obstacles make great heroes. We stand back observing their lives and find hope that we can also overcome. People who seemingly live without problems offer us little encouragement. In our ignorance of their true struggles, we chalk up their successes to luck, privilege, or fate. The heroes of faith were people who faced tragedy, distress, doubts, and even disaster. Staring death in the face, the heroes of the Old Testament harbored a hope that God’s anointed would some day rise on the scene of human history as the champion of all who would follow Him to victory.

Hebrews 11 is our personal Easter story. Gathered in the grandstands of faith history are all the heroes of the past, present, and future. They are cheering for you as you run the difficult race that is yours and yours alone. Ahead of you, on the track, and yet somehow running beside you is your champion. Jesus has already finished the course and won the prize. He absorbed death in His own body and destroyed it.

Don’t look at your problems. Stop focusing on them with dizzying gaze. They do not represent the totality of your reality. Take courage from the overcoming heroes of the past and look to Jesus. Death has been conquered in Him and nothing else shall ever hinder you from the prize if you are willing to go for it.

1Do you see what this means--all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running--and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. 2Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Just Charlie: It's a Movie, For Crying Out Loud...

2006-05-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just Charlie: It's a Movie, For Crying Out Loud...

Charlie makes a good point. I've blogged on this phenomenon at pastortomsims.com. Specifically, I wrote a resource article called Da Vinci Codes and Overloads and another related to some of the issues raised by the film/book: This Article. Finally, I was surprised and amused that more Christians take the "Code" seriously than non-Christians as evidenced by two polls on the Religion and Christian Fellowship Forums.

Check the results. They might be informative.

I will be posting this at pastortomsims.com as well.

The Eyes of Time (Spelled I-Z-E)

2006-05-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Time has eyes. In this case, it is I-Z-E:
Sanitize

Prioritize

Optimize

Strategize

Energize

I could throw in a few more just to be cute and thorough, but these may do. We can revisit categorize, synthesize, and scutinize later.

(c) 2006, Thomas B. Sims

Streaming and Dreaming - A Poem

2006-05-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

2006-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

2006-04-17T18:46:00.000-07:00

MORE Part 2

2006-04-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

MORE Part 1

2006-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

My First Audio Post - Rough

2006-04-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

What Are You Going to Do?

2006-03-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

I was asked today a searching question: What are you going to do?

My friend was referring to the struggles of pastoring a church in a declining neighborhood, hosting sevceral thriving ministries/congregations, collecting less and less financial help as the bills rise, and doing the work of a mission center while living the life of a small congregation.

Here is our situation: We have a tiny church doing great work, influencing the city, ministering to many people, and struggling to survive.

Every week, we touch lives - lives that do not bring in the resources to support the ministry, lives that are not ready for leadership at the level we need.

What are we going to do?

Well, we seem to have some orders in place and, I suppose, until they change, we will keep following them.

Fresno Quality of Life Initiative

2006-03-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

It was a pleasure to initiate the Fresno Quality of Life Initiative this week at the Fellowship of Joy. Darryl Curry will be leading our effort to rid our neighborhoods of unwanted grafitti. We will be there to remove the tags and hope to accomplish several things as a result:

Number 1 - We are in this to love our neighbors. They have been victimized and we want to be part of restoring them. Thus, we share the love of Jesus.

Number 2 - We want to restore the pride in community that is lost when vandalism takes over in a neighborhood.

Number 3 - We want to serve. That is our calling. That is what our Master did and it is what we want to do with Him and for Him.

Number 4 - We want to reach out to kids at risk for the "tagging" lifestyle and those engaged in it to show them that their are other and better ways to build upi their self-esteem, have a sense of belonging, and be loved.

That is why we are doing this in conjunction with our Skate Church ministry which is about to launch in May under the leadership of Bill Tucker.

Loving our neighbors has never been so much fun!

Praying for the City

2006-03-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Fresno/Clovis Prayer breakfast was a tremendous opportunity to see the spiritual, business, political, and educational leadership of the city come together as one entity to pray for the welfare of the city, celebrate the accomplishments of the past, and be challenged to continue the taks of rebuilding the walls that are constantly being threatened by violence, addiction, and complacency.

I did say complacency.

We do like to congratulate ourselves and we have reason to. Fresno is a model of what positive things can happen when the faith community joins hands and hearts together to pray or the city and take its civic responsibilities city. In 14 years, Fresno moved from the least livable city in the country with the second highest murder rate to an All American City with vibrant inner city ministries, and safe and thriving downtown, and people of faith who care.

But the mayor and police chief were correct to ask us not to grow satisfied. We have real problems at the street level and it will take the unified efforts, intercession, influence, and hard work of the chuches and other people of good will to walk side by side with the private and government sectors to address these issues.

Barbara Elliot, author of Street Saints, spoke directly to our hearts as she cited her first meeting with Mother T. when she decided that success was not enough - she needed significance. Her story of how prayer brought down the Berlin Wall was more than powerful.

She has a full chapter on Fresno in her book and it is worth a read --- but not so that we will grow complacent - but challenged.

Street Saints: Renewing America's Cities

By Barbara J. Elliott / Templeton Foundation Press

Street Saints is both a book of motivational stories about unsung heroes and a sociological study of the "faith factor," documenting faith-based programs that are treating social maladies in America. Based on eight years of hands-on experience and more than 300 interviews, Barbara Elliot takes readers on a tour of communities and institutions where faith-based initiatives are making a difference. She offers inspiration, role models, and guidelines for people who would like to give back to their own communities.

Explanation

2006-03-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

Most of my journal entries are being made at my other site: pastortomsims.com, but I am going to be organizing things here at Blogger. Check my profile to see a list of the blogs I am setting up. Perhaps one will be interesting to you.

Reviving

2006-02-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

I need to start posting here and will make it one of my disciplines from this point on. My principle blog is The Dream Factory and I am quite involved with two CompuServe/Netscape forums and a number of Yahoo groups.

Maybe today... maybe tomorrow ... I'll be back.

In the meantime ...

News and Views

2005-05-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

We are up and running with our workshop, "The Road to Success." The responses are positive and we will soon be launching a monthly newsletter to clients and friends. Included wil be statistics, instructional previews, coments on whatever fancies me, quotes, recommended links, and recommended business opportunities.

I am amazed at the results I am getting with mangosteen. The same is true with reports from my friends. This fruit has been used for centuries for its healing properties and has recently come to market in the U.S.. There is more information on my site: http://tbs.natureswellnesssecret.com .

Our church is holding its Spring Festival Saturday and it wil probably be our biggest block party ever. We'll give you a report next week.

I a wrapping up te final chapters to "The Confidence Factor." Based upon relections on the book of Philippians, it is an amplification of the truth: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Well, that should bring us up to date for now.

Staying Alive!

- Tom

Time Passes ... People Fail

2004-12-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Time passes on. We can't stop it, slow it down, or ignore its passage for long. Yet, time never fails. It always gets at least a C+. It's people who fail - people like me, people who fail to see time for what it is, people who are in denial about time, and people who just don't notice or care. We fail and then we fail again. The challenge is to appreciate time spent, grieve time wasted, and cherish the time that is now while embracing time yet to come.

First Shot

2004-11-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

I am pretty new at this, but I have a lot to say. Bear with me as I learn to say it as well as possible. I am sure the whole thing will evolve into whatever it is going to be.

My name is Pastor Tom.

I pastor a small urban church in the heart of Fresno with three congregations in one setting. Two are English, one Spanish, and another Hmong. We have a missional vision for our community and world. It is quite exciting.

I am middle aged - about to turn 50 which means many things including a sigmoidoscopy (SIC ? - Actually, I don't really need to know). I have a wife and two grown sons.

I write for publication - but the best is yet to come.

I operate a business where I empower people to start businesses.

Now, all of that is quite boring, but it is a start.

Let's stay in touch - assuming you are out there. I promise to read my material.