Pastor Tom's Journal

What if we prayed Psalm 140 while looking at one of our biggest enemies ... in the mirror? Yes, we are mixed bags of righteous and evil motives who need divine protection and deliverance from ourselves - that the right of who we were made to be might survive and thrive. " Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually. They make their tongue sharp as a serpent's, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah'' ''Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have planned to trip up my feet. The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net; beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah'' ''I say to the LORD, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O LORD! O LORD, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O LORD, the desi...

In a messy world Corrupted by us who are grown old enough to know better, there must be children with audacious imaginations and playful fantasy enough to create new worlds and keep them alive in the land of dreams lest we all slip into our caves and die.

Are you the King?  Not of this world is Jesus’ reply.  It’s apples and oranges.  The key words that differentiate Jesus’ kingdom from our kingdoms are:  Realm, Reign, Rationale Peace, Power, Popularity  If you are like Pilate, and to some extent, we all are at some point, you just don't get it. We can't get it when we try to impose our own or society's definitions of power, might, prestige, and influence on a kingdom that is not of this world.  We ask the same question he asked. With truth standing before us, staring us in the face, trying one angle after another to explain truth to us and to shake us out of our tired definitions, "What is truth?"   The truth is that truth is .... And it is not what we think it is. It never was and never can be.  Truth that transcends and transforms enters the world as a blinding contrast to our values and false passions. it challenges our insecurities and control mania. It challenges our notions that we must reso...

Lord of this morning, Light of this day, Master of the darkness that daily dies, God of night and light and all that is, I come . Empty handed, I come. I bring to the morning and the day, nothing, Nothing, Nothing, but me ...myself .... my self, Undone, unfettered, unconditionally empty. I come. Our Father .... My loved one's Father .... Ours ... Father of my dearest friends and most adamant enemies if I have any .... Ours ... Father of the nations scattered, Father of the stranger ... Ours .... Hallowed be Thy Name. Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty. Thy name is Holy. Thy Name ... vast, uncontainable, unfathomable, yet ... Revealed to us as "I Am."  You ARE ... Hallowed be THY NAME. Thy Kingdom ... Thy rule .... Thy dominating, liberating, rejuvenating Kingdom of Love, of Life, of Wonder ... COME! I come.  Thy Kingdom Come ... Come to this house, to this body, to my church, my city, my nation ... My world.  WE come, OUR Father ... Send forth Thy Kingdom in us and thro...

Sermon Notes --------------- We are have roles to play in God's story. These roles all have different characters, but the role of the whole is to bear the image and self-disclosure of God and God's story in the world. Therefore, we observe: We all long to have something of ourselves to give back to God. Everything that we ever have to give comes from God. There is a desire to leave something of ourselves in the world and for the world to bless the world. God hears the prayer that longs for this. God's name is made known through those who desire this. Here is a different cast of character over a long period of time: Sara, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary - All had unexpected pregnancies. One of these wanted nothing more. Hannah, mother of Samuel, the last of the judges of Israel ---------------------------------------- Some Background: The name Elkanah is a Hebrew name for boys that means "God has purchased" or "God has created". It comes from ...

First attempt at podcasting through livestreaming on YouTube. Theme - Show Up Jesus showed up in Luke 14.