Pastor Tom's Community

I wanted to share this again because you may have been startled wo wakefulness this morning with a sense of dread. I think that today offers you something better than that. How can you make it better? Start with rejoicing intentionally and overtly. Then, move on to wishing a good day to others. Let me…

On October 15, much of the Christian Church remembers Teresa of Ávila (St. Teresa of Jesus), a church and monastic reformer and contemplative Christian. In one of her classics, "The Interior Castle," she wrote that the treasure of heaven lies buried within our hearts, and that there is an interior part of the heart which…

I would not mention this except that, my pastor friend may need this because many of us hate confrontation. We'd rather subject an entire congregation to a 30-minute sermon about something that one member needs to work on – just to avoid one difficult conversation. On a serious note, difficult conversations, in love and with…

The Interior Castle or The Mansions Biography from Christian Classics Ethereal Library Go there for a complete collection of her works. Born in Avila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, St. Teresa was the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15, one of ten children. Shortly after this…

"I can't Feel at Home in this World Anymore" is both mournful and hopeful. We all long for home. For a time, we may be content with the values, hopes, and benefits of this world. As we progress, we find ourselves outside the mainstream or, perhaps, fading in our capacity to adapt and thrive. It…

Many cities and states are observing the day. Here’s some of the history behind it. Three years after President Biden became the first U.S. president to formally commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, more than a dozen states recognize some version of the holiday in lieu of Columbus Day. More than 100 cities have adopted the holiday,…

"Lord, you have assigned my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure." – Psalm 16:5 God is righteous. That means that everything about Him is fully integrated into His holy character – He is 100% pure truth, love, goodness, and holiness. There are no contradictions in God – except those that we…

Here is a video of my sermon of the morning.  Entering the Kingdom of God is hard because it involves a change of values. We discover that the things we think we own may own us. But Jesus, looking at us with love, invites us to go, and get rid of our false masters so…

"Happy are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!" – Psalm 119:1 One wonders how long it took to perform 119 in ancient Hebrew worship. There is a stanza for every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Was there harmony or was it in unison? Did each stanza have its…