Pastor Tom's Community

  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 scripture. We are flawed in our common humanity and sin with a lust for power that we are willing to exercise with violence and…

To be for peace is a choice and not always an easy choice. Surrounded by war cries and hostilities, the voices calling for calm are often muffled and maligned.

  When people tell me that they have an issue with God, sometimes a complaint, sometimes real anger, I often ask, "Have you discussed it with God? Have you told God how you feel?" "I could not do that," they might respond. "Why not?" I ask. "I am afraid to do that. God might get…

  Click to order from Fine Art America – Art by Steve Gamba What the gospel writers did not and, sometimes, could not record, but first century readers knew, was the smile on Jesus' face, the chuckle in his voice, and the irony in his words as he provoked the faith response of an unlikely…

    Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash Did you ever wonder where the term, "good grief" came from? Some might ask, "What so good about grief?" Those of us who have studied thanatology (the study of death and related issues) and have served the dying and those they leave behind might be able…

What will it cost for you to be your best you? Everything of value costs something. We can think of endless excuses to procrastinate, obstinate, and prevaricate. We'll do anything but drop whatever we are doing and change directions. It is a control issue – we want to be in control. Mostly, we want to…

“Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.” – Jeremiah 7:2 Hear the Word of the LORD! All over the world, on a typical Sunday, when there are…

`The Seldom Heard Encouraging Word YOU CAN!   Photo by congy yuan on Unsplash Here is the progression: I can't.  mutter it to myself. I start. I keep going. I keep going. I mutter. I keep going. I do it. It's done. I announce that I can't do it. I grin. I start something else.…

I predict that you will know what to do with your challenges as you prayerfully and conscientiously consider them, address them, embrace them, and act to respond to them.