Pastor Tom's Community

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  • The Church as a Clarion Call for a More Compassionate World

    There are seasons when I speak of compassion mainly in the context of my role as a leader in the faith community, as a pastor in my particular context. That is natural enough. One would think that among the people… Continue reading

  • Psalm 22: From Despair to Resurrection Hope

    Psalm 22 takes us on a profound spiritual journey from the depths of human despair to the heights of resurrection hope. It begins with one of the most haunting cries in all of Scripture—“My God, my God, why have you… Continue reading

  • Let the Fields Rejoice!

    “Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof;let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.”— 1 Chronicles 16:32 Seas roar—and it is more than a metaphor.Fields rejoice—and somehow find their voice. All that is within them becomes our kin… Continue reading

  • The Arts Teach Us that No One Is Alone

    Born this day in the world of arts.. The Arts Teach Us That none of us is ever truly alone as long as we can create and behold beauty. And Thus, the Arts Marcel Marceau taught us that a human… Continue reading

  • Out of the Depths – Psalm 130: Sorrow, Supplication, and Redeeming Love

    “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” — Psalm 130:1 There are moments in life when we do not pray polished prayers. We cry. Psalm 130 begins there—not in strength, but in depth. Listening, Seeing, and Praying… Continue reading

  • Where Does God Live? (A Reflection on Psalm 132)

    Where does God live? It’s an ancient question—but it still lingers. There was a time when the answer seemed simple: In a sacred place.In a temple.In a city set apart. But Psalm 132 tells a deeper story—one that begins with… Continue reading

  • I Must Walk

    This was actually Jesus’ initial temptation in the wilderness – to abandon the way. It is a struggle. We get weary.. But, like Jesus, and with Jesus, we travel on. It leads home. Continue reading

  • A History We Can Neither Ignore Nor Deny

    My tribe has a checkered history with forced conversions, violent power-grabbing, and militaristic exercise of religious dominance. To deny that is to deny history. To not care is to ignore our own scripture. We are so flawed in our common… Continue reading

  • Sunrise and Sunset

    Looking Toward the Light “…as the light of the morning, when the sun rises,a morning without clouds,like the gleaming of the sun on new grassafter rain.”— 2 Samuel 23:4 Hope rises on the horizon. Wait! Is it sunrise or is… Continue reading

  • Who Is This Man?

    Jesus in the Storm — Matthew 8:23–27 There are storms in life that arrive without warning. One moment the sea is calm.The next moment the wind is howling and the waves are crashing over the side of the boat. Matthew… Continue reading