Pastor Tom's Journal

Readings for Today on Readiness Isaiah. 5:8-12,18-23 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Luke 21:20-28 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah.+5%3A8-12%2C18-23+1+Thessalonians+5%3A1-11+Luke+21%3A20-28&version=NRSVUE Stay in Touch https://linktr.ee/tomsims

Starting a new entrepreneurial venture, like a business, a social enterprise, a congregation, or a non-profit organization is like learning to ride a bike or a horse. It is a new set of skills, but it can be done. People do it every day. https://pastortomsims.typepad.com/the_dream_factory/2022/11/get-on-the-entrepreneurial-horse.html

  Revealed with Fire — The Crucible “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” — — 1 Corinthians 3:13 Believers welcome the revealing fire of God’s judgment with an odd sort of anticipation. Knowing that we have already passed from death unto life, we do not fear death, but embrace the joy of Heaven. We yearn to have the old dross of fleshly choices burned away so that what is of God can be refined for the enjoyment of eternity. There is going to be some loss. And there will be some disappointment. But all that is lost will be worthless and the disappointment will be over the wasted time, energy, and emotion that were invested in the mess that was doomed for destruction. There will be tears for Jesus to wipe from our eyes in Heaven. Some will be the tears of regret for what we could have been and done for the Master if we had been completely “sold out...

Babette's Feast - The General's Speech This was a delicious film that shared the gospel through all the senses. It was the secular general, the most worldly man in the midst, who, along with Babette herself, fully understood what the feast was all about. the general says it so well. Happy Thanksgiving. May you enjoy a feast of love today. --------------------------------------------------- "Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another. Man, in his weakness and shortsightedness... believes he must make choices in this life. He trembles at the risks he takes. We do know fear. But no. Our choice is of no importance. There comes a time when your eyes are opened. And we come to realize... that mercy is infinite. We need only await it with confidence... and receive it with gratitude. Mercy imposes no conditions. And, lo! Everything we have chosen... has been granted to us. And everything... we rejected... has also been granted. Yes, we even g...

Text at https://pastortomsims.typepad.com/the_dream_factory/2022/11/the-gettysburg-address.html

Move Mountain Move This is my first editing project. It is a start and it was my mountain to move today. https://youtu.be/oYHV5H0bIvo via @YouTube

Time changed overnight. Did you adjust your clocks? Actually, it was not time that changed, but our timing, our tracking of chonos time. Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash Another time matters more - KAIROS time. Our God is the God of the living. God is the Master of the eternal now and the infinite moment. God's time is measured in unmeasurable kairos time in the midst of chronos time. Life matters. Now matters. Moments matter. The God who dwells among us in temples not made with hands is ever-present and always relevant. Excuses, distractions, and apprehensions aside, God is now. Haggai 1:15-2:9 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition On the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month. In the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: “Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant ...

  There are messages today for two kinds of people: For those who are humble - God's mercy is for you and God will justify you. For those who are prideful-  Do not trust your own righteousness and look on others with contempt.   YouTube Version of the same message: The Jesus Prayer Chanted All The Scriptures for Today Read with Comment on II Timothy 4 The Prophetic Word Spoken Through Joel Joel 2:23-32 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition O children of Zion, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army that I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lo...

Download 5-8-22.pdf (936.4K) View or download the PowerPoint . What is your name? What happens when your name is called? Mother's Day is a celebration of one truly wonderful human relationship. All human relationships point us to the one vital and life-giving relationship that is necessary for real life, a relationship with God.   Watch the Service Here Four Insights from Today's Readings When your Name is Called, Rise Up!  ( See Acts reading) When Your Name is Called, Rest.  ( See Psalm  reading) When You Realize the Shepherd's Name, Rejoice!  ( See Revelation reading)  When Your Name is Called, Respond,  ( See John reading) Whether  a shepherd or one of the sheep of a seamstress asleep in the sleep of death, it is all about the relationship between God and God's people that is played out and glimpsed in every human relationship. The Scriptures in One Place Acts 9:36-43 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition Now...

Everything? "What am I willing to lose in order to gain all?" The parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of unspeakable worth all lead to the question. Everything must go? What does that include? What is best? What does your heart desire most? Who are you made to be? What are you made to do? What is worth more than everything else in your life? What is in the way of you becoming who you really are? It is one thing to say that I sell it all and divest myself of all my other treasures. That I do in the most generalized possible way. It is a broad stroke, without any threat. But then I start digging into the piles of specificity and it hurts to part with old ideas, false concepts of who I am, preferences, amusements, possessions, attitudes, and patterns of living. These have been my treasures for a long, long time. Whether you are a faith walker or a just an honest lover of truth wherever it is found, there is a principle that can aid you in your journey. ...

Here is water, melting, freezing, and boiling all at the same time. We have trouble wrapping our brains around that in a world of rules, natural laws, definitions, limitations, and linear logic. Even the observed and observable realities of physics defy our sense of order, sequence, and possibility. Imagine the unimaginable and then let your imagination go from there.

  Source FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT April 3, 2022 Year C, Revised Common Lectionary This is an expression of the church, the fellowship of believers in and seekers of Jesus. We meet online in an online community on Facebook. This feed is available to Pastor Tom's friends and followers, but also the general public. There are no restrictions. Welcome. Help us make this a REAL community of Joy and love.   Online friends are REAL friends!   Please leave your comments, questions, and prayer requests in the comments section We meet online at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipofjoy Blog: https://pastortomsims.typepad.com/the_fellowship_of_joy/   The Fellowship of Joy is building a team of technical advisors to assist with the delivery and expansion of this message. Respond in comments or PM.   Devotions are posted daily -  http://facebook.com/pastortomsims   Join us for the prayer our Lord taught us to pray   Our F...

Remember, I love you.

If CEU credits were required to renew our citizenship credentials, i would recommend this one hour to be on our common curriculum.

In praying for peace, we must always ask ourselves and God, "Have I done and am I doing, saying, and being all I can do, say, and be?"

In 2013, suicide took the lives of 41,149 people in the USA alone. Depression affects about 20 million people in the USA, 350 million worldwide. Mental health disorders are serious issues in our culture and it is important that we have open conversation about their existence and that we show support to those who are battling them. “Please Stay” is an anthem for hope — an attempt to destigmatize mental illness and challenge all of us to support those who are battling depression and thoughts of suicide. You are not alone. We can make a difference. We can be the support system that saves a life. Give voice to hope: Share your #ReasonsToStay on Twitter. #PleaseStay A portion of the proceeds from this work will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. [For some people, depression may lead to thoughts of suicide. Try to remember that you don’t have to act on these thoughts, no matter how overwhelming they might be. If you’re considering ending your life, it’s impor...

This Day – by Lowell Alexander  This day is fragile - soon it will end And once it has vanished, it will not come again So let us love with a love pure and strong Before this day is gone This day is fleeting when it slips away Not all our money can buy back this day So let us pray that we might be a friend Before this day is gone This day is fleeting When it slips away Not all our money can buy back this day So let us pray that we might be a friend Before this day is spent This day we're given is golden Let us show love This day is ours for one moment Let us sow love This day is frail - it will pass by So before it's too late to recapture the time Let us share love, let us share God Before this day is gone Before this day is gone

Happy New Year, my friends! May 2022 be filled with serendipitous joy, abundant grace, deep insights, courageous steps, continuous comfort, jaw-dropping wonder, unfolding wisdom, leaps of faith, unbridled laughter, unhindered growth, and life-affirming moments with friends and loved ones. This is my hope and prayer for you: Shalom in the midst of a tumultuous world. Love and Peace to you. - Tom