Pastor Tom's Journal

There is some satisfaction in a self-centered life. Some. Fleeting. There is some gratification in self-serving deeds. While we can still taste the thrill. And until it is gone. But a year from now, it is gone. A month from now, we have forgotten the flavor. We have lost the feeling. A moment from now, we want more. Build a house for a higher purpose. Build a place where inhabitants of earth can meet with divinity. Build a cause that gathers a community and makes them brothers and sister. Build a movement. The satisfaction lasts. The gratification endures. Haggai, what do you mean about our paneled houses and our gardens? What are you saying about our luxuries and leisure? The prophet is pleading and exhorting us to bring our devotion to a higher calling. Losing oneself in a greater purpose is finding oneself. Investing time in eternity is multiplying time. Joining hands with neighbor, friend, and stranger to make a place of meeting is an enduring thrill. Beyond thrill. A purposeful li...

Comfort Ye My People “Comfort ye my people …” - Isaiah 40:1-8   God speaks in advance of our need. He looks down the road and knows what we are going to face. He sees the challenges before we do. He experiences our pain before it ever comes to us. He understands our sorrows and frustrations. He anticipates our doubts and every temptation we will ever face.   He knows there will come a time when we need a word of comfort.   He knew such a time would come for His people and prompted Isaiah to comfort them. He knew that in the fullness of time that word of comfort would come as the Word made flesh and dwelling among us. Try to hear these words from Isaiah 40 sung by soloist in Handel’s “Messiah” as you read them and experience them as a love song from the Father.   Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. It is God Himself who speaks the word of comfort through Jesus Christ. He speaks and we echo His Word to a world in turmoil,   Sp...

A Leader is a SEER with vision. A leader is a servant. A leader leads shows the way by word and example. A leader loves God and people.

Recently, I have been re-reading Brennan Manning's, " Ragamuffin Gospel ," and I have some observations.

Sermon and musical stetting for Exodus 33 and Matthew 22. Moses seeks to see the face of God. Jesus is confronted with the face of Caesar. One is the "I Am"; the other is a living symbol of idolatry, materialism, and empire. Idolatry skims the surface; the call of God is to go deeper. The sermon starts at the 3:24

Acts 16:31 – And they said, “Believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Here is an acronym for what it means to have saving faith: B- Be convinced of the gospel message for your life: God loves you. Jesus died for you. Your sins are forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection is your promise of eternal life. This is the gospel E– Examine your life honestly in the light of God’s living and written Word and admit your need of a Savior as a result of a broken relationship with God and others. The Holy Spirit will guide you through this process of conviction if you are open. L– Let go of your sinful resistance and self-centered control of your life. Another word for this is repentance, a turning from sin, self, self-delusion, and deception to God. This is a turn-around in your mind, will, and actions made possible by grace. I– Invest your life completely in God. This is basic, gut-level trust and is necessary for the new life in Christ. One way to express this change of heart to God is ...

The House of God Genesis 28:10-19a When were you last in the House of God? Are you sure? Is it possible that you were there and did not know it? Could it be that you are there now? Did you ever wake up in the morning, look around, and see something you didn't expect you would come to the place where you slept in the night. You had slept. You had dreamed. You had tossed and turned in your bed. Now you are awake. The room looks different. The world looks different. It is a new day. It is a new place. The story I'm about to tell you is not paralleled in that experience exactly. Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Heron, according to Genesis 28: 10 through 19. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night because the Sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and laid down in that place. I have often thought that must have been uncomfortable. I have often wondered how a stone could be a good replacement for a pillow. Once I took a nap ...