Pastor Tom's Journal

“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” -John 20:19 “...as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." Peace is: Presence – Suddenly, Jesus is present among them, before them, and for them. The presence of Jesus releases them from their terror and calls them out of hiding. Ease – The General come into a room of privates and someone calls, “Attention!” Then the General says, “At ease,” and the troops take a more relaxed stance. Activated – Jesus says, “As I was sent, so, I am sending you. Courageous – God’s peace gives us courage. Energizing – In this encounter, Jesus bestows the continuing presence of God and himself with them, breathing and saying, “receive the Holy Spirit. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." - John 20:22 Then sa...

  Thirty-three teenagers showed up at church recently somewhere in America. They had lived their whole lives to this point in the city, in the lowlands, and out of the snow. Half of them had never seen snow, never made a snowman, never ridden a sled, never thrown a snowball. Nor had they ever been required to dress strategically to avoid freezing to death. They had never situated themselves by a fire to roast marshmallows in the forest. They had never sipped hot cocoa just to keep warm. They had never considered the danger of wet socks on a cold winter night. They were about to embark on a winter retreat. Parents had been carefully briefed. Bags had been carefully packed and carefully checked. Counselors brought extra sleeping bags, socks, and other supplies. The camp nurse stocked up on, of all things, suntan lotion because reflected snow can cause sunburns. Why? For the experience. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refres...

If I need this regularly and do not get tired of it, I suspect the same is true of some of you. This is for you, the tired, the sad, the disappointed, the beaten down, the hopeful dreamer who never gives up. No one has ever replaced Bruddah Iz. (Israel Kamakawiwoʻole) Did you know? 1. This recording is the most successful single by a Hawaiian artist of all-time. 2. It's one of the most successful cover songs of all-time. 3. It was recorded in just one take. 4. On July 10, 1997, the Hawaiian flag flew at half-staff for Kamakawiwoʻole's funeral. 5. His koa wood casket lay at the state capitol building in Honolulu, making him the third person (and the only non-government official) to be so honored. Iz Lives! A big man with a big heart. "Facing future I see hope, hope that we will survive, hope that we will prosper, hope that once again we will reap the blessings of this magical land, for without hope I cannot live, remember the past but do not dwell there, face the future wh...

Photo by Jonny Gios on  Unsplash There is no Sunday without Saturday.  Before we celebrate, let us contemplate.  Before we bounce in the light; let us renounce the darkness.  Before we exult, let us exalt the moment of His being abandoned, forsaken, and vulnerable.  Once, there was great darkness and the memories and residual pain of that darkness sometimes emerge in our temporal experiences of reality.  Sunday is, indeed coming; the victory has been accomplished; but we need this day to gather our hearts and collect our minds to receive the good news that is coming in a few short hours … the unexpected expectation, the irrational rationale upon which the universe is founded, that thing that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart entertained. Dead “If a man die, shall he live again?” -from Job 14:14 The age-old cry of humankind is for eternal meaning. Is there anything beyond this world of pain and tears that brings meaning to these moments wh...

The Table of Love “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. “– John 13:1 Jennifer was on the phone with her best friend, Lillian as her mother, Sue, decided to eavesdrop. The subject was the love lives of their friends and acquaintances. Amidst the giggles and gasps, hearing only one side of the conversation, a tapestry of love found and lost began to be painted. John was in love with Sally even though he was in love with Myrtle last week. She told him that she was no longer in love with him, so he had to find someone new. Sue blushed and considered the “talk” she would be having with her daughter later that evening. Jesus was no faint-hearted lover. He was not subject to likes, dislikes, and mood swings. He did not start things and leave them dangling. He understood that human love could be flighty and fleeting. But His...

Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest (Luke 19:38) Today, we join the eternal chorus of welcome as the Lord Jesus Christ enters into our consciousness as the King who comes in the Name of the Lord. He is the Prince of Peace and righteousness. His Kingdom comes with glory and praise, but also with a cross of pain and disgrace. Yet, He willing enters into the sphere of time, space, and judgment to face whatever stands between Him and His mission to bring all who welcome Him into eternal fellowship with the Father. Let us lift our voices in worship as we worship Him. https://medium.com/@tomsims/he-showed-up-a6f9a2475a59 #PalmSunday #conviction #entry #triumphalentry #palms #jerusalem #luke #jesus #thepassion #courage #compassion #empathy #Conviction

  Photo by Tijs van Leur on  Unsplash There is a way through the desert. There is an oasis. In fact, you are an oasis for others. You are chosen to declare God’s praise. God makes a way for you through any crisis. It will be a way that you have not imagined. Hear this sermon based on Isaiah 43:16–21.

There Is No Cause for Delay. What Do You Have? Start Using It. As faith is exercised, so does our capacity to bring about positive change in  our lives and in the world. The stories of Elisha and the widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 and of Jesus feeding the multitudes in Luke 9:10-17 both amplify this truth. Faith involves taking what you have, giving it to God, and putting it to use with the confidence that it is enough to get started. In the process, not only does your faith grow, but also your capacity to do good with it. There is a question followed by a directive. The question is, "What do you already have." The directive is, "Start using it." ----------------------------------- 2 Kings 4:1-7 Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have ...

We think about the parables in Luke 15 as being about lostness. But the real emphasis is on being FOUND. What joy. Listen: Read: Luke 15:1–3, 11b-32 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Pause in the reading, for here is the context. It is the grumbling of the grumblers over the company Jesus was keeping. So he told them this parable: Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that re...

Cracked Pots Psalm 31:12 God uses them to let the light in and out. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - II Corinthians 4:7 Listen to Leonard Cohen sing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8-BT6y_wYg

Turn Around; You Are Going the Wrong Way Jesus could tell by the questions and the attitude behind them that the crowd was going the wrongs way, thinking the wrong way, and heading on a path toward destruction. Are you familiar with Newton’s third law?  It simply states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Paul called it reaping what you so. Jesus called it the fruit of the tree or vine. In my part of the world, if you are the 99-freeway pointing north from Fresno, if you keep going, you will get to Sacramento eventually, If I want to go to Los Angeles, I have to turn around. The gospel writers called the message of repentance, "good news," not so much because we must, but also because WE CAN. What then is the core of the message when the contrast is so profound between repentance and death? Luke 13:1-9 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition   At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate ha...