Pastor Tom's Journal

   In Matthew 7, Jesus speaks about the “narrow gate” and the “hard road that leads to life.” For many readers, the phrase  narrow way  raises immediate questions. Is Jesus describing exclusion? Is this about narrow-mindedness? Is it about rigid spiritual guardrails? Or is the narrow gate something deeper — something formational? The Narrow Way as Focus Across every dimension of life, narrowing produces depth. We narrow our attention to complete meaningful work. We narrow our language to communicate clearly. We narrow our priorities to reach important goals. Why would spiritual growth be any different? In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus narrows our focus in very specific ways: Examine yourself before judging others. Ask, seek, and knock in prayerful dependence. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Enter the narrow gate. The narrowing is not about reducing compassion. It is about concentrating character. The Wide Road Is Distracted The wide road...

John 6 — I Am the Bread of Life | Bible Chat with Tom Sims Description: Bread is ordinary. Essential. Shared. That is why Jesus chose it. In John 6:35, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life.” Drawing on the long biblical story of manna, wilderness provision, and the breaking of bread at the table, this Bible Chat reflection explores what it means to depend on Christ not just for inspiration—but for sustenance. This is a meditation on hunger, grace, provision, and daily trust. 📖 Read the full Bible Chat reflection and companion resources on Substack: https://tomsims.substack.com/p/bread-of-life-and-living 🔗 More from Tom Sims: https://linktr.ee/tomsims #BibleChat #John6 #BreadOfLife #ChristianFormation #FaithInPractice #DailyBread #GospelOfJohn #Discipleship

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“I cannot give up on the world—because Jesus didn’t.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his followers salt and light because he believed faithful people could make a real difference in the world. 📘 Go deeper with the full sermon text, prayer, and study guide on Substack: 👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/tomsims/p/salt-and-light-why-jesus-didnt-give 🎥 Watch the full sermon on YouTube: 👉 https://youtu.be/a1_mXyOTH2M 💬 Join the conversation: – Where do you see the world most in need of hope right now? – What might it look like for you to be salt or light this week? 🌍 The Fellowship of Joy An online community connecting individuals and small groups around the world for ongoing faith, conversation, and encouragement. 👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipofjoy/ #SaltAndLight #ChristianHope #SermonOnTheMount #FaithInAction #BibleReflection #ChristianShorts

Voices Heard — Phillips Brooks: Writing Beyond Our Lives Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) believed that preaching was not performance but pastoral care, and that truth only becomes transformative when it passes through a living person. In this Voices Heard episode, I reflect on Brooks as: A pastor first, whose preaching was itself a form of care A voice who spoke in, with, and against the tides of his time A preacher who understood that writing extends ministry beyond a lifetime A hymn writer whose theology could be sung, remembered, and prayed A leader who spoke where the human condition meets the voice of God At the center is Brooks’s enduring prayer: Do not pray for easy lives… pray for powers equal to your tasks. Beyond the paywall, six extended reflections explore how writing becomes a form of leadership, how influence outlives position, and how faithfulness—not ambition—is what gives words their staying power. This is an invitation to think about what kind of voice you are leaving beh...

Psalm 31 gives voice to prayer spoken from inside vulnerability, pressure, and time itself. This extended Bible Chat conversation reflects on what it means to pray honestly—without polish or pretense—and to trust God when life feels unfinished. At the heart of Psalm 31 is a steady confession: “My times are in Your hand.” This reflection explores how prayer matures over time, how faith learns to tell the truth, and how trust is practiced not by escaping difficulty but by placing our lives—past, present, and future—into God’s care. If you’d like to go deeper, you’ll find expanded written reflections, a longer prayer, individual journaling questions, and group study resources on Substack: 👉 https://tomsims.substack.com/p/psalm-31-my-times-are-in-your-hand If you’d like to continue the conversation, explore coaching or mentoring, or connect around Bible Chat: 📅 Schedule a conversation: https://calendly.com/tomsims 🔗 More resources: https://linktr.ee/tomsims

Tom Sims — Bible Chat “I need a prayer song—and I need it now.” (Psalm 38) Full video: https://fb.watch/EMM0gd3NCm/ Companion reflection: https://open.substack.com/pub/tomsims/p/i-need-a-prayer-songand-i-need-it?r=2m40s&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true https://linktr.ee/tomsims

Beatitude People Jesus did not begin the Sermon on the Mount with commands or corrections, but with blessing. On a hillside overlooking ordinary lives, Jesus affirmed the poor, the grieving, the meek, the hungry, the merciful, and the peacemakers—and called them blessed. In doing so, he was not offering sentimental comfort or moral instruction.  He was inviting a new kind of humanity into being and setting before us a vision of the kingdom of God already emerging in the world. This sermon reflects on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1–2) as formation rather than reward—not a checklist to complete, but a description of the people God is already shaping.  The Beatitudes challenge our values, reverse familiar measures of success, and call us to live by the rhythm of an upside-down kingdom. Jesus is not only shaping individual character here. He is forming a people—a community that learns to live together by a different beat, hearing the drumbeat of God’s reign rather than the noise of t...

What does it really mean to follow Jesus? In Matthew 4, Jesus begins his public ministry in a moment of danger and uncertainty. John has been arrested. The future is unclear. And yet, on an ordinary shoreline, Jesus speaks two simple words that still carry extraordinary weight:  “Follow me.” This long-form video sermon explores that moment—why Jesus begins where he does, how calling often comes before clarity, and why discipleship is rarely a straight road but a faithful one. It is a reflection offered especially for those navigating change, uncertainty, or a quiet season of faith. 🎥  Watch the full sermon on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rQQNyO3qEi4?si=xNvxXiSNJfWVIbdD 📖  Read the full manuscript, reflections, and study notes on Substack: https://tomsims.substack.com/p/follow-me-when-the-kingdom-comes Whether you watch, listen, or read, you are welcome here—wherever you are joining from. #FollowMe #Matthew4 #Discipleship #ChristianReflection #BibleTeaching #FaithAndLife #L...

Overcoming in the Wilderness A Sermon on Temptation as Formation Matthew 4:1–11 Temptation is often treated as a moral failure in the church. Scripture treats it differently—as a place of formation. In this message,  Overcoming in the Wilderness , I reflect on Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4:1–11 and why the wilderness is not a detour from God’s purposes, but often the place where identity, trust, and obedience are clarified. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness—not because something has gone wrong, but because something essential is being formed. Later, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus was “tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” Temptation, then, is not sin itself. It is the arena in which faithfulness is practiced. Watch the Sermon You can watch the full video message here: ▶️  Overcoming in the Wilderness https://youtu.be/4BKXo4ZIZl8?si=Sr0qdhegVfH6Eobs Continue the Conversation Sermons often open a door. Formation usually happens afterward—th...

  https://tomsims.substack.com/p/fired-up for more All Wet or Fired Up Matthew 3:1–12 — John the Baptist Prepares the Way It was a time when religion, even good religion and theology, had become empty ritual for so many. It was a time when many were longing for something authentic in their communities of faith but not finding it. It was a time when masses of common folks were willing to go outside of the temples, synagogues, and traditional places of worship and religious instruction ti hear an uncredentialed and untitled teacher tell them some raw truth about living faith that actually plays out in lifestyle change while being genuinely and deeply spiritual. It was something practical and spiritual that John the Baptist referred to when he proclaimed. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: — Matthew 3:11 How did all of th...

The Jesus Journey - The Journey Begins by Tom Sims Galilee - Bethlehem-Egypt - Nazareth --- Matthew 2:12-21 Read on Substack