Pastor Tom's Journal

  When you dream great, worthy dreams, you connect to a place in your heart where you flip the switch that turns on an attitude of expectancy and wonder, thus activating imagination and motivation. When this happens, you engage your mind and your feet and your hands in the pursuit of your goals. You rally all of your resources and, if you will, by faith, God’s. Greatness is yours for the believing, receiving, and achieving when dreams partner with thoughts, deeds, and prayer. You are ready for an explosion of possibilities and I am your cheerleader! Along the Shores by Tom Sims Read on Substack

You can save your life if you are willing to endure.   Then, you can be part of something that transcends any vision of grandeur, a new world with new heavens.   As some were admiring the grandeur of one of the wonders of the world, the Temple   of YHWH in Jerusalem, Jesus drops the microphone, declaring that it will be destroyed.   There are two visions of the world:   1. The one that is and we can see.   2. The one that God sees and is creating.   We re God’s people and we can share God’s vision and mission for a new world.   Nothing is permanent, it seems, except trouble.   Yet, Jesus uses that occasion to teach us a lesson in endurance.   Luke 21:5-19

Standing Up When You Are Knocked Down Full Text, Supplemental Devotions and Music Free Friend Link - https://medium.com/@tomsims/standing-up-when-you-are-knocked-down-ca5228970b0a?sk=e8eb7256489d2e1216b366f12a4ad424 Medium Member Link - https://medium.com/@tomsims/standing-up-when-you-are-knocked-down-ca5228970b0a

Honesty Humility Hope Luke 18:9-14 Two Men Went to Pray YouTube permanent link: https://youtu.be/7aVteXYkReE Text on Medium - https://medium.com/@tom.../hard-to-be-humble-2e9713c44523... (free friend link) Link for Medium Members - https://medium.com/@tomsims/hard-to-be-humble-2e9713c44523 SUMMARY The message by Tom Sims, centered on the theme of humility as the key to honesty and hope, drawing from biblical stories and teachings. Sims began by highlighting the importance of humility across various religions and introduced the main message using the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:9-14, emphasizing that spiritual pride leads to self-deception and separation from hope, while humility brings justification and acceptance before God. He referenced additional scriptures, including Joel 2:23-30 and 2 Timothy 4:6-8, to illustrate the blessings, restoration, and spiritual renewal that come from honest self-appraisal and humble dependence on God. Sims contrasted ...

Of First Importance The Kerygma The often-repeated proclamation of the early church Continuity - The Christ - Messianic promises Christ -  Anointed as Messiah at his baptism Conduct  of His Ministry Crucifixion  - Christ died for our sins. Conquest  - Resurrection Crowning  - Exaltation Comforter  - Sending the Spirit for the birth of the church Culmination  and Restoration through His second coming Calling -Repent and be baptized 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-- unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with th...

The Struggle This Morning's Sermon and Bible Study with Discussion Questions for Your House Churches and Small Groups Jacob and His Night of Wrestling with God Medium Member Link https://medium.com/@tomsims/the-struggle-d52ffdf4477f Free Friend Link https://medium.com/@tomsims/the-struggle-d52ffdf4477f On YouTube - https://youtu.be/DKYrRYLVqpc

 

  We Must Love! Love fulfills all of God’s law. The song goes, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.’” It is not enough, just not to hate in this hostile world. We must be proactive. To be proactive, we must love. We must love our friends and our adversaries. Love takes initiative. In so doing, it is in charge of itself. Photo by  Annie Spratt  on  Unsplash Nothing can stop it. What is love? The assignment question is tough because love, though simple in its elegance, is complex and multi-layered in its expression. It is too magnificent to reduce to words and too basic to everything to say much about. Furthermore, the best that can be said about love has already been said in scripture and acted upon by Jesus Christ in His life and death. Perhaps it is easier to begin with what love is not. It is not a chemical reaction leading to a sudden attraction which is irresistible in its call or insatiable in its appetite. It is not a warm feeling or a cozy familiar p...